NIH Guide for Youth Alcohol Screening is New Tool to Help Prevent DWI Accidents

Posted by admin on Oct 13, 2011 in Traffic Safety/Advocacy | 0 comments

Based on just two questions from a newly released guide, doctors could spot children and teenagers at risk for alcohol-related problems. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide, is now available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, clinical researchers, and health practitioners, the guide introduces a two-question screening tool and an innovative youth alcohol risk estimator to help clinicians overcome time constraints and other common barriers to youth alcohol screening.

According to the NIH, the proportion of youth who have had more than just a few sips of alcohol increases dramatically, from 7 percent of 12-year-olds to nearly 70 percent of 18-year-olds. Binge drinking is dangerous and common, and increases with age.

The CDC has pinpointed binge drinking as playing an important role in the 100+ million alcohol-impaired driving incidents each year (MMWR, Oct. 7, 2011):

• 85% of alcohol-impaired driving episodes were reported by persons who also reported binge drinking; and
• The 4.5% of the adult population who reported binge drinking at least four times per month accounted for 55% of all alcohol-impaired driving episodes.

“Clinicians who care for young people are well aware of the many harms caused by underage drinking,” notes Sharon Levy, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Substance Abuse, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “The guide takes much of the mystery out of intervening with young patients who are drinking, allowing clinicians to proceed within a clinical framework of low, moderate, or high risk. It will enable pediatricians and other clinicians who care for young people to easily incorporate alcohol screening across the care spectrum, from annual visits to urgent care.”

To develop the shortest possible screening tool with the strongest evidence for predicting current and future alcohol problems in youth, NIAAA convened a working group of researchers to conduct extensive analyses of underage drinking data. Their analyses indicated that just two questions, one that asks about friends’ drinking, and another that asks about personal drinking frequency, had the greatest predictive power. Examples of these questions, which vary slightly for elementary, middle, and high school ages, include:

Friends’ drinking: “Do you have any friends who drank beer, wine, or any drink containing alcohol in the past year?”

Personal drinking: “How about you–in the past year, on how many days have you had more than a few sips of beer, wine, or any drink containing alcohol?”

The friends’ drinking question is an early warning signal that strongly predicts future drinking levels, while the personal drinking question is the best predictor of current risk for alcohol-related harm in adolescents who are already drinking. These questions can be asked quickly, an extremely important factor for clinicians and their patients.

“Routine screening and intervention for alcohol use in young people is critical to preventing the constellation of problems associated with adolescent drinking,” says Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H., assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The new adolescent alcohol screening guide developed by NIAAA provides health care professionals an opportunity to engage young patients before it is too late.”

In addition to the new two-question screen, the guide presents the first youth alcohol risk estimator chart, which combines information about a patient’s age and drinking frequency to give a clinician a broad indication of the patient’s chances for having alcohol-related problems. Coupled with what a clinician already knows about a patient, the risk estimator can help determine the depth and content of the clinician’s response. The guide outlines different levels of intervention, with tips for topics to cover. It also presents an overview of brief motivational interviewing, an interactive, youth-friendly intervention that is considered to have the best potential effectiveness for the adolescent population.

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide, and its accompanying pocket-sized version, can be downloaded or ordered from the NIAAA website at www.niaaa.nih.gov. It can also be ordered from NIAAA by calling 301-443-3860.

Fatal Accident in 35W Construction Zone Reminder to Use Caution

Posted by admin on Oct 13, 2011 in Car Accident Injury, Fatal Car Accident, Traffic Safety/Advocacy | 0 comments

A tragic accident on 35W in Burnsville is a reminder that drivers need to use extra caution in construction zones.

Today, two electrical workers for Egan Co. were killed by a car that left the road and hit them as they were working alongside northbound Interstate 35W in Burnsville. According to news reports, the men were working on electrical lines buried along the freeway.

The driver of the car was Kirk Daemos, a 21-year-old from Ramore, Missouri, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. He was not injured. The worker who survived, critically injured, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.

According to the State Patrol, Daemos lost control and struck the workers partway down the embankment on 35W at McAndrews Road. The State Patrol has not stated whether alcohol played a role in the accident. At this point, the investigation of this fatal accident is only preliminary.

The families of these workers should interview attorneys as soon as possible to determine who to hire to represent them. A good accident attorney will immediately begin an independent investigation of the accident and do the following:

• Visit the scene of the accident
• Inspect the car to determine if there were any defective parts that contributed to the accident
• Determine if the driver had been drinking, and if so, if a bar, restaurant or liquor store had sold him alcohol before the accident
• Determine if safety measures could have been taken to prevent the accident
• Obtain copies of relevant documents, including the accident report, medical records, etc.
• Obtain insurance information.

One of our attorneys can meet you where it is convenient with no obligation. We want you to be comfortable with the attorney you hire, and that often means interviewing a few attorneys to determine who you trust. Contact our attorneys for a free consultation.

Source: http://www.twincities.com/ci_19109622

Minnesota Dram Shop Liability Laws Help Prevent DUI Fatal Accidents

Posted by admin on Oct 6, 2011 in Car Accident Law, Drunk Driver Accident, Fatal Car Accident, Traffic Safety/Advocacy | 0 comments

This post was written by Eric Hageman, an accident attorney with the Pritzker law firm in Minneapolis, MN. He represents accident victims throughout Minnesota and has won several settlements and verdicts over $2,000,000. He is available for a free consultation.

In this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR),  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that alcohol-impaired driving accounts for nearly 11,000 fatalities per year, or about one third of all crash fatalities in the United States.

The CDC estimates that in 2010, there were approximately 112 million alcohol-impaired driving incidents and “binge drinking” played a big role in those incidents:

• 85% of alcohol-impaired driving episodes were reported by persons who also reported binge drinking; and
• The 4.5% of the adult population who reported binge drinking at least four times per month accounted for 55% of all alcohol-impaired driving episodes.

One strategy Minnesota has used to prevent  driving under the influence (DUI) and the resulting fatal accidents is dram shop liability laws, which hold alcohol retailers (both on premises and off premises) legally responsible for harms caused by serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons. The Minnesota dram shop law reads as follows:

A spouse, child, parent, guardian, employer, or other person injured in person, property, or means of support, or who incurs other pecuniary loss by an intoxicated person or by the intoxication of another person, has a right of action in the person’s own name for all damages sustained against a person who caused the intoxication of that person by illegally selling alcoholic beverages.

The dram shop laws are an important part of accident prevention, and we have used them to hold bars and other alcohol retailers accountable for their actions.

Minnesota has also initiated an ignition interlock device program to help prevent drinking and driving. An ignition interlock is, in essence, a breathalyzer installed on the dashboard. As of July 1, 2011, first-time alcohol offenders with an alcohol concentration of 0.16 or above and all second-time alcohol offenders have the option of regaining their driving privileges by participating in the program.  Drivers whose licenses are canceled and whose privileges are denied as “inimical to public safety” are required to enroll in the ignition interlock device program for a period of three to six years in order to regain full driving privileges.

Our attorneys represent families in DUI wrongful death lawsuits throughout Minnesota: Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, Moorhead, Mankato, Brainerd, Bloomington, Eagan, Eden Prarie, Apple Valley, Maple Grove, Edina, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Stillwater, Thief River Falls, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Austin, Worthington, Woodbury, Maplewood, Golden Valley, Shoreview, Blaine, Anoka, South St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Roseville, St. Cloud, Arden Hills, Brooklyn Park, Forest Lake.

Ford Recall: Many Truck Models Included in Recall

Posted by admin on Jul 25, 2011 in Recalls | 0 comments

Ford Motor Company recalled certain model trucks for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. The multi-function switch was shipped with a slider sub-component that may experience deformation. A multi-function switch with a deformed slider may malfunction causing the turn signal, tail lights, hazard warning signal flashers and/or brake lights not to activate. If any of these lights fail to activate, it could increase the risk of a crash.

The recall is expected to being on or before August 15, 2011 and affects nearly 27,000 vehicles. At that time, dealers will replace the switches free of charge.

Minnesota Accident and Product Liability Attorney

Pritzker Olsen accident and product liability attorneys have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of people hurt or killed in accidents caused by defective products. Our lawyers have represented victims in lawsuits against major manufacturers and motor vehicle accident claims involving all of the major auto insurers, including Geico, State Farm, Progressive, Farmers, American Family, Liberty Mutual and others.

For more information about a Minnesota product liability lawsuit, call our toll free number 1-888-377-8900 or submit our online consultation form.

Chrysler Recalls Dodge Ram Trucks

Posted by admin on Jul 22, 2011 in Recalls | 0 comments

Chrysler recalled certain model Dodge Ram trucks because the left tie rod ball stud may fracture. This condition tends to occur during low speed parking lot type maneuvers when the driver is making a tight turn. The condition could result in the loss of directional stability in the left hand front wheel, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, model year 2003-2008 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 vehicles may have received the affected tie rod assembly as a replacement part during normal service.

Chrysler has yet to provide an owner notification schedule for the 242,780 vehicles affected by this recall. Once notified, the owner will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the tie rod ends inspected for relative orientation, to have the left outer tie rod replaced as required and to align the front end toe as needed, free of charge. Information on this and other recalls may be found at safercar.gov.

Minnesota Car Accident Lawyer

When we are retained in a Minnesota car accident case, we investigate to determine whether there is a product liability angle. The product liability angle needs to be pursued for the following reasons:

• to hold those responsible accountable for wrongs suffered by innocent victims
• to have another avenue of recovery to provide additional compensation

PritzkerOlsen, P.A. attorneys have a record of success handling complex product liability cases nationwide. We have won tens of millions on behalf of people hurt or killed by defective products. For a free consultation about a product liability lawsuit, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online contact form.

Driver Fatigue Increases Risk of Semi Truck – Car Accident

Posted by admin on Jul 15, 2011 in Semi-Truck-Car Accident, Traffic Safety/Advocacy | 0 comments

Car-semi truck accidents can be caused by driver fatigue, which can result in the driver falling asleep and losing control of his big rig or making a bad driving decision. In one of our cases, a semi truck driver passed a line of stopped cars and motorcycles on the left.  Our client was turning left when the semi hit him.

To prevent these types of accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations limit the amount of time a driver can be on the road. These “Hours-of-Service” regulations are rules that normal drivers in cars do not have to follow. Truck drivers must keep a “daily log” to show when and how long they have been driving.

Semi Truck Accident Liability

If the driver of the semi truck caused the accident, accident victims may have a claim against many potential parties, including:

• The owner of the truck.  The truck driver is not always the truck owner. In addition, semi trucks generally have a cab and a trailer, and different parties may own each.
• The owner of the freight inside the trailer
• The driver of the truck.  The driver of the truck generally has little money.  That’s why an experienced truck accident lawyer will find as many companies as possible that may be held liable for injuries and death.
• The employer of the driver.  Employers are liable for any accidents caused by their employees while they are performing their job.
• A parent company of the owner of the truck or employer of the driver.
• The manufacturer of the truck, cab, trailer or any truck part.  If there is a defective part in the design or manufacture of the truck, multiple manufacturers may be liable.
• A third-party maintenance company.  If a third-party maintenance company failed to properly maintain something they were responsible for fixing, and that became a contributing factor in the accident, that maintenance company may be liable.

Contact the truck accident attorneys at Pritzker Olsen for a free consultation >>>

GM Recalls 2011 Escalade, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, Sierra and Yukon Vehicles

Posted by Minnesota Car Accident Lawyer on Jul 11, 2011 in Recalls | 0 comments

General Motors recalled certain model year 2011 Cadillacs, Chevrolets and GMCs. The recall was issued due to intermediate steering shaft attaching bolts that may not have been tightened to the proper specification. The 2011 models included in the recall are:

• Cadillac Escalade
• Cadillac Escalade ESV 1500
• Cheverolet Silverado
• Chevrolet Suburban 1500
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• GMC Sierra
• GMC Yukon
• GMC Yukon XL1500

If the steering linkage bolts are not tightened to the proper specification, it could allow the joints to separate and the driver could experience loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash. Approximately 750 vehicles are affected by this recall, which is due to begin on or before July 13, 2011. For more information, visit safercar.gov.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys represent people injured in car accidents in the Twin Cities and across the state of Minnesota. Our firm has gained a national reputation in the area of product liability and our attorneys have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have been named Minnesota Super Lawyers by Law & Politics magazine. Fred Pritzker is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America. To contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.