Roanoke Personal Injury Law Blog

They call it comfort food for a reason. It makes you feel better when you are bored, tired, sad and maybe even mad. Eating with your emotions is something many people do, and while it may affect their waistlines, it doesn't usually put other people in danger.

What may put other people in danger is when your emotions control how you drive. If you were to think about the last time you were upset while behind the wheel, you know it can happen. Your emotions can distract you from the road, slow down your reaction time and affect your judgment.

As most Virginia parents know, children can often provide challenging moments, and sometimes, these moments include dealing with injuries and illnesses. In most of these situations, a parent will take his or her child to a physician, with the assumption that that person will provide an accurate diagnosis and will do whatever is necessary to reduce or eliminate the pain or discomfort the child is feeling. Unfortunately, in some cases, a trusted professional will overlook crucial details during an examination, and occasionally, the results are tragic. In a recent example, a baby died when doctors failed to notice a foreign object in his throat, and his parents recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit.

In Dec. 2017, the boy's mother took him to a medical center for his one-year wellness checkup. According to the lawsuit, the mother informed the doctor that her son had been persistently wheezing for several days prior to the appointment. The doctor concluded that the diagnosis could be one of several possibilities, including a cold or asthma. She prescribed steroids and recommended the patient return two weeks later.

Many Virginia residents enjoy getting together with friends and socializing over a few alcohol beverages. Most people, most times, do so responsibly. However, even with the proliferation of warnings about the dangers of driving after drinking, some people will still make the poor choice to get behind the wheel of a car when they should not. Such reckless behavior can result in car accidents, some of which are fatal. Unfortunately, this is what happened recently when a woman from a different state drove a car into a tree, causing death and serious injury to the occupants.

The crash happened in the very early morning hours. Three women visiting from a different state were traveling in a car on Interstate 64. As the car came onto an exit ramp, it left the road and hit a tree. One of the passengers, a 33-year-old woman, was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Another passenger in the same vehicle, a 29-year-old woman, was taken to a different hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Even if you do not personally celebrate Christmas, you might still enjoy seeing all the beautiful light displays that often adorn Virginia neighborhoods this time of year. Some communities actually have friendly competitions, with pedestrians and other travelers voting on which displays they like best. If you plan on walking around town to look at Christmas lights, there are several safety tips to keep in mind, especially if you will have children with you.

The holidays can be a festive, joyful time of year, but when it comes to traveling on foot, it can also be a highly dangerous time. There are typically more vehicles on the road as people rush around to do their holiday shopping. Sadly, there are also usually more drunk and distracted drivers on Virginia roadways during the holidays as well.