O'Brien Batten & Kirtley Personal Injury Blog

Nursing homes must meet staffing requirements

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Nursing Home Negligence on Friday, July 27, 2018.

Because many nursing home residents are on the federal Medicare or Medicaid programs, most nursing homes in Kentucky have to pay careful attention to federal rules and regulations that are binding on homes that take patients who have this federally subsidized health insurance.

One of the requirements is that a nursing home have adequate staffing. Specifically, there must be enough licensed nurses available in the nursing home that they can, collectively, cover the needs of each patient in the home. This type of care must be available at all times.

Types of injures that commonly happen at retail stores

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Premises Liability on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

While one might not think of it when running in to a mall or individual store to make a quick purchase, there are actually a lot of ways in which a Kentucky resident can get hurt inside a retail store. When these sorts of injuries happen, the injured victim may have the legal option of pursuing the business and even, in some circumstances, the owner of the building.

For instance, one of the common types of injuries that happen while one is shopping is a slip and fall. Slips and falls can happen for a number of reasons.

Judge hearing evidence in trial involving Kentucky patient

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Medical Malpractice on Thursday, July 12, 2018.

A medical malpractice trial that involves a patient from Northern Kentucky and several hospitals in the greater Cincinnati area, which includes parts of Northern Kentucky has begun. The doctor who is the defendant in this trial is reportedly evading criminal allegations of fraud but has denied doing anything wrong.

The woman also seeks compensation from the hospitals that allowed the doctor to practice medicine in their facilities.

Even cars themselves can be a cause of distracted driving

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, July 10, 2018.

As this blog has discussed on previous occasions, distracted driving is a problem on Kentucky's roads. It can and often does lead to serious car accidents that leave residents of this state seriously and permanently injured.

A recent report published by the AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety largely confirmed this conclusion, finding that each year, 3,500 died on America's roads because of distracted driving, and 390,000 more victims suffer injuries serious enough to be reported.

Who is liable in accidents involving corporate vehicles?

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.

When a car accident occurs, there are several aspects of the situation that should be addressed immediately. You need to get medical care to ensure that injuries are treated properly, and you also need to address damage to your vehicle so that you do not find yourself without transportation. These issues are superseded by the question of who will be paying for such expenses—in other words, who is liable?

This question is complicated further when the accident involves a vehicle that is corporately owned. Is the company liable, or is the individual driver? How do you go about collecting from either? There are a few things you should know, and you should also consult with a legal representative for further advice.

Marina owners can prevent, warn about, electric shock drowning

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Premises Liability on Friday, June 22, 2018.

A previous post on this blog discussed how our law firm represents victims of electric shock drowning.

Electric shock drowning is a tragedy that can happen for a number of different reasons. Basically, any electric current in or around a body of water which seeps in to the water itself can make the water hazardous. Anyone swimming in the area of this water, even if they do not get electrocuted strictly speaking, may receive such a shock that they are unable to swim and wind up drowning.

Truck accident injures woman

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, June 15, 2018.

A Kentucky resident got seriously hurt while traveling in a neighboring state after an 18-year-old driving a large semi rear-ended her. This happened on a federal highway that authorities had to shut down for over an hour to investigate the crash and clean up the scene.

We pioneered electric shock drowning cases

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Wrongful Death on Friday, June 8, 2018.

Our law firm proudly considers itself among the first in the country to sue marina owners in connection with electric shock drowning cases.

As a previous post on our blog hopefully illustrated, deaths related to electric shock drowning are preventable. If a boat owner and a marina take care to maintain their electrical equipment properly, then the chances of this terrible tragedy from happening are slim to none. When electrical equipment is not properly maintained, though, then a swimmer can drown, without warning, in water that seems tranquil but is in fact charged with electrical current.

How does electric shock drowning occur?

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC posted in Wrongful Death on Friday, June 1, 2018.

Many people enjoy recreating during the summer months at one of Kentucky's many lakes, reservoirs or rivers. While some like to use a motorboat or other watercraft for sport, others prefer just to swim or wade in the water.

Unfortunately, swimmers and boats do not always mix so well, even when boats are docked at their marina. An example of this fact which has gotten attention lately is the phenomenon of electric shock drowning.

How to talk with a loved one about nursing home abuse

On behalf of O'Brien Batten & Kirtley, PLLC on Tuesday, May 29, 2018.

You want your loved one to have a good time at the nursing home, but abuse runs rampant at certain institutions. When you visit your loved one, you want to keep an eye out for the signs of neglect, such as bedsores, poor personal hygiene, lack of mobility and psychological problems.

You may feel tempted to contact an attorney right away, but you should consider speaking with your loved one first. It does not hurt to get a complete picture of what has transpired. This can be an uncomfortable conversation to have, but it is critical to make sure your parent or grandparent does not suffer from abuse or neglect.