New Jersey Accident and Injury Law Blog : New Jersey Injury Lawyer & Attorney : The Grossman Law Firm : Serving Monmouth County, Bergen County

As a New Jersey dog bite lawyer, I have been following the case of a horrific dog bite attack on a little 3-year-old in Alloway in Salem County at the end of last month. The owner of the dog that was involved in the attack has now been charged.

The attack occurred when the little girl walked into a barn on Robert Taffet’s property. The girl fell down, and the Rhodesian Ridgeback allegedly lunged at her, ripping off one of her ears. The girl underwent a surgical procedure for reattachment. According to animal control officers in Alloway Township, Robert Taffet has been charged with owning a vicious dog. Taffet has a number of champion dogs that have won several local dog shows. They also seem to have dragged Taffet to court several times in relation to bite incidents in the past.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback can be a furious hunter, but can also be a gentle and obedient dog. These breeds may also not be at their best behavior with small children, mostly because they tend to knock kids over with their rough play. They can also become extremely unmanageable when they don’t have enough mental and physical exercise. They have a great amount of stamina and need to have long daily walks and lots of place to run.  In the absence of physical exercise, they can display signs of destructive and aggressive behavior.

Any dog bite that involves a little innocent child who has no way of understanding why things happen the way they do, must be taken seriously.. It’s hard to understand how a pack of dogs that had been involved in four different attacks in the past, was still allowed to roam freely among people.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey dog bite lawyer representing victims of dog bite attacks in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties and across New Jersey.

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As a New Jersey brain injury lawyer, I keep myself updated on the latest research trends and developments related to the treatment of traumatic brain injuries.  These injuries can severely impact a person's normal functioning abilities, as well as his quality of life. Brian injuries are often seen in severe car accidents/truck accidents and industrial accidents. Many of these injuries in fact, occur in devastating high impact accidents, like those caused by a driver impaired by alcohol.

A new study suggests however, that brain injury patients, who have consumed alcohol just before the injury, may have a higher chance of survival than patients with no alcohol in their system at the time of injury. The research, conducted by experts at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, seems to suggest that persons who have consumed alcohol before a brain injury may have a lesser chance of secondary brain injury. 

The researchers studied 38,019 patients who had suffered moderate to severe brain injuries, and had been tested for alcohol when they entered the hospital. For every 100 severe brain injury patients who had no alcohol in their systems and died, only 88 brain injury patients who tested positive for alcohol, died. The researchers insist however that alcohol can cause a host of other complications that can limit a brain injury patient's chances of survival. So, the study's findings are not to be taken as a thumbs up for drunk driving, which is one of the most foolish and dangerous behaviors out there.

However, I am intrigued by some of the possibilities that the research suggests. The researchers believe that there is scope for further study on how alcohol could impact the survival rate of brain injury patients, if given in tiny amounts after the injury. The amount of alcohol itself would have to be just right. Too little or too much could cause no impact at all.

As a New Jersey brain injury lawyer, I hope that more research can be funded to pursue these possibilities.

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The results of a study released earlier this month, show that the number of fatalities from unintended injuries increased by 11 percent between 1999 and 2005. Most troubling of all has been the sharp increase in the number of people killed in accidental falls and poisonings.

Researchers at the John Hopkins School of Public Health say that there were approximately 20,000 more deaths from unintentional injury in 2005, compared to 1999. Approximately 89 percent of the increase in fatalities could be traced to two causes –

• Accidental poisonings in the age group of 15 to 64
• Fall accidents in those above 45 years of age

Poisoning death rates seem to have risen among all racial groups, but have doubled in Asian and Native American men. Among whites, the increase in poisoning deaths has been dramatic - there has been a 104 percent increase for men and a 172 percent increase for women. Most poisoning deaths, according to the researchers, can be traced to the abuse of prescription drugs. The spike in poisoning deaths has been easy to explain. During the study period, the use of opioid analgesic increased, enhancing the risk of addiction and abuse. 

In the case of deaths from fall accidents, the increase has been the most significant in whites above the age of 45. Drilling down further, the increase was much sharper for women than men. Rates for white women dying in fall accidents increased by 64 percent in the 45-64 age group, and 48 percent for women above 65 years of age. The researchers are at a loss to explain the increase in the number of fall accident deaths, and say further studies are necessary to identify the reason for this increase.

Scott Grossman is a Bergen County slip and fall accident attorney, representing victims of slip and fall accidents in Bergen County, and across the state of New Jersey. 

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