The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

A 49-year-old woman from Rocky Mount, North Carolina was visiting her daughter at the University of North Carolina where she fell off a bunk bed and suffered a fatal head injury. After this woman’s wrongful death near Raleigh, North Carolina, the demand for safety rails on the university’s bunk beds has soared.

UNC usually receives roughly 30 requests a year for safety rails, but has recently provided over 300 of its students with safety rails. Due to the surging demand for the safety rails, UNC has order 800 additional rails. The university is now considering supplying safety rails for all of the bunk beds on campus. This would require that the university order 8,500 safety rails that would cost about $250,000.

University campuses are responsible for making sure all students and their visiting parents are safe. This means that the entire premises of each campus have the proper safety measures in place, including safety rails on bunk beds, to prevent the personal injury or wrongful death of anyone on campus.

Losing a loved one unexpectedly is devastating especially if the death could have been prevented. If you have lost a loved one due to a wrongful death in Raleigh, North Carolina, please contact the Cochran Firm to speak with one of our experienced Raleigh wrongful death attorneys about your case.

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At least four residents of North Carolina nursing homes or assisted living centers have been killed by fellow residents who had histories of severe mental illness and violent behavior in the past two years.

More than 6400 people with severe mental illness are housed in nursing homes and assisted living centers across North Carolina despite the fact that these facilities are not designed to provide psychiatric care and treatment to people with mental illnesses.

In addition to being exposed to the possibility of violence against them from mentally ill residents, some common physical signs of nursing home abuse and neglect include untreated bedsores, open wounds, cuts, bruises or welts, torn or dirty clothing, the odor of urine or feces or the presence of insect bites.

Mistreating, neglecting or depriving nursing home residents of proper care and treatment and allowing them to become the victims of the violent behavior of other residents are violations of their rights under the law. These violations are grounds for a lawsuit against the nursing home facility responsible for the abuse and neglect.

The nursing home neglect and abuse attorneys at The Cochran Firm are advocates for abused North Carolina nursing home residents and will represent them aggressively in their battle to obtain justice for the indignities they have suffered.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and your loved one has been injured or abused while a resident in a nursing home or assisted living center, please contact the experienced North Carolina nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at The Cochran Firm today.

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Drug manufacturers aggressively market their products and in some cases minimize or even ignore possible health risks to gain a greater share of the market. When the public is finally made aware of possible health risks related to certain drugs, many people may have already experienced harmful side effects. These harmful side effects vary but can include heart attacks and strokes, diabetes, suicide, kidney and liver damage and birth defects.

If you took a prescribed mediation and it harmed you instead of helped you deal with your medical condition, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. The experienced defective drug attorneys at The Cochran Firm have represented people who have been injured due to dangerous and defective drugs. We have the resources and expertise to successfully pursue those responsible for defective or dangerous drugs and hold them legally accountable for their actions because victims of dangerous drugs are entitled to financial compensation for their medical expenses, the loss of present and future income, and their pain and suffering.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and you feel you or someone you care about has suffered serious side effects caused by a dangerous or defective drug, please contact the defective drug attorneys at The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to find out how to get the financial compensation you need and deserve from the drug manufacturers who may have harmed you.

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Slip and fall accidents are responsible for serious injuries and deaths every year in the United States with over eight million people being injured in a slip and fall accident each year.

Property owners are legally responsible for maintaining their premises in a safe condition and are also responsible for warning people if a potential hazard exists. A property owner can be held liable for injuries that occur on their property as a result of hazardous or dangerous conditions. Hazardous conditions may be caused by accumulating ice and snow, uneven sidewalks, potholes, poorly lit pathways and stairs, slippery flooring, or ripped carpeting.

The experienced slip and fall attorneys at The Cochran Firm can assist you in obtaining financial compensation for injuries suffered in a slip and fall accident that has resulted in bruising, broken bones, a traumatic brain injury or a spinal cord injury for example. You may be financially compensated for your pain and suffering, loss of income, payment of current and future medical expenses and other costs related to your injury.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident and live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area, please contact the experienced slip and fall accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm today and learn about your legal rights and how to obtain financial compensation for your injuries.

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When a dangerous or defective product causes damage, serious injury or death the manufacturer, distributor, designer or installer can be held legally responsible under product liability laws.

Does your new home smell of rotten eggs? Have you had to have frequent repairs of your heating and cooling systems, wiring and piping? Does your family suffer from irritated eyes, breathing problems, nose bleeds and headaches? Do your symptoms disappear when you are away from your home for any length of time? If the answer is yes to any or all of these questions you may be living with defective Chinese drywall.

Thousands of homeowners have reported these problems in new homes built with drywall imported from China. Many home builders used imported Chinese drywall during a shortage of United States- made drywall between the years of 2004 and 2006. Reports are that this Chinese drywall was kept on barges at sea for many months waiting to be allowed to enter this country, and the drywall was exposed to high humidity which has caused the toxicity problems to surface.

Many people living in homes with imported Chinese drywall have experienced various health problems as a result of the noxious fumes leaking out into their homes.

If your dream home has instead become a nightmare due to the use of imported Chinese drywall, we encourage you to contact the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced product liability attorneys at no cost to you to protect your legal rights and hold those responsible for this outrage accountable.

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Premises liability is a legal term that refers to property owners' obligation to provide a reasonably safe environment for guests, customers and passersby.

Some examples of how premises liability injuries may occur include falls caused by accumulations of ice and snow on sidewalks and paths, accidents at job-sites, injuries caused by poor building maintenance or lighting, children's accidents on playgrounds or recreational facilities, swimming pool accidents, dog bites, or criminal assaults due to negligent security practices at shopping malls.

A factor in the determination of legal responsibility for your injury is whether or not the property owner was aware of the hazardous condition and failed to correct it, or should have been aware of the hazardous condition. The victim of an accident on someone else's property may suffer a traumatic brain injury from a fall, broken bones or be left with life-changing disabilities that require a lifetime of medical care and treatment.

The premises liability attorneys at The Cochran Firm have extensive experience in evaluating and investigating the facts behind premises liability claims for our clients and have been successful in the past in securing financial compensation for medical expenses, rehabilitation expenses, income losses and pain and suffering.

Please contact the experienced premises liability attorneys at The Cochran Firm today if you have suffered injuries on someone else’s property in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and let our attorneys help you regain the quality of life you enjoyed before your injuries.

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The financial costs of a birth injury can total hundreds of thousands even millions of dollars for a lifetime of therapy, nursing care, medications, durable equipment, electronic devices and all the other overwhelming needs of an infant injured during the birthing process. The emotional and psychological costs to the parents and other family members are immeasurable.

The medical malpractice birth injury attorneys at The Cochran Firm have assisted disabled infants and their families deal with the catastrophic injuries that occurred during the birthing process and are committed to working with a network of medical and legal experts to determine the cause and extent of the birth injury. We will work aggressively and effectively to obtain a fair and just settlement while preparing your case for trial.

When a doctor, nurse, midwife, anesthesiologist or hospital failed to provide you with an acceptable standard of care during your prenatal, labor and delivery or postnatal periods, they need to be held legally liable and financially accountable for the damage you have suffered.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and your child was injured at birth, please contact the birth injury lawyers at The Cochran Firm today to learn how to obtain the financial compensation that can mean a difference in the quality of life for your child now and in the future.

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Your life can be changed forever in a few short seconds if you are involved in a motor vehicle accident. What happens immediately following your accident may help you recover from your accident more quickly and hold those responsible legally liable.

In the event you are involved in a motor vehicle accident some advice to try to remember is to first and foremost seek medical attention even if you do not think you have been injured. Some injury’s symptoms, such as whiplash injuries, take hours or days to surface and can leave you with a life-long disability if left unattended for an extended period of time.

Notify the police so there is an official police report of your accident which may be useful to you in the future in case of a lawsuit. Make sure you obtain vehicle and contact information from all individuals involved in the accident and try to obtain any witness information as well.

It would be very helpful if you could take pictures of the accident that can provide actual photographic evidence of the accident and prevailing conditions of the road and weather at the time that may prove to be of assistance to an accident reconstruction expert.

The motor vehicle accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm have many years experience in handling all manner of motor vehicle accident claims and work with experts in every legal and medical field to ensure their clients get the best legal representation available.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, please contact The Cochran Firm today to learn how you can protect your legal rights and get the financial compensation you need to face the challenges that face you in the future.

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A medical error during a surgical procedure can lead to permanent and lifelong injuries or wrongful death.

Surgical medical malpractice leading to injuries and wrongful death can occur when the surgeon, nurses, anesthesiologist or surgical technicians fail in their obligation to maintain the highest standards of care required of their profession. This can result in the wrong surgical procedure being performed, medical instruments being left inside the patient, or a failure to recognize or correct an unforeseen occurrence that arises during surgery.

Surgical medical malpractice is a leading reason for medical malpractice and negligence claims being filed against healthcare professionals and facilities each year. Almost 12,000 people die every year due to unnecessary surgery. Surgical complications due to surgical errors can include post-surgical infections, anesthesia-related brain injuries and retained foreign bodies.

Our medical malpractice attorneys at The Cochran Firm think surgical medical malpractice is very serious whether your claim involves unnecessary surgery, botched surgery, wrong-site surgery or post-surgery problems. The Cochran Firm employs a network of medical and legal experts to develop a strong case for their clients to ensure the best outcome possible.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina and you or someone you care about has been the victim of surgical medical malpractice, please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a no cost to you confidential consultation to determine how to proceed with your claim.

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The end of 2009 has brought the beginning of a well-deserved and highly anticipated ban on texting while driving in North Carolina. Drivers must now take their hands off the cell phone buttons and leave them on the steering wheel or face a fine.

The risk of an auto accident is 23 times greater than usual when a driver is texting while behind the wheel according to a recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study. Texting causes drivers to take their eyes and attention off the road for at least five second intervals. During that five second interval a car moving at highway speeds will travel the length of a football field.

The North Carolina texting while driving ban carries a one hundred dollar penalty that can more than double with fines for someone caught sending or reading a text while the car is in motion. Studies reveal that talking on a cell phone while driving, even using a hands-free headset, is also dangerous, increasing the likelihood of an automobile accident to the level of an alcohol or drug impaired driver. This distraction should be included in the ban as well to protect everyone on the roads and highways around the state.

If you have been involved in an automobile accident with a cell phone using texting driver, please contact the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to learn how to proceed to protect your legal rights.

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According to the Brain Injury Association of America, over one and one-half million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually. Over fifty thousand Americans will die from their brain injuries and eighty thousand will be left with long-term, life-altering disabilities.

The effects of a traumatic brain injury include but are not limited to, loss of memory, blurred or double vision, nausea, vomiting and dizziness, severe headaches, confusion and changes in personality. Traumatic brain injuries are complex, life-altering and often life-threatening injuries, typically causing paralysis and limited functionality.

Your brain is responsible for all your functions of thinking, seeing, smelling, and feeling. Your memories and behaviors all depend on an intact, healthy functioning brain. Even minor damage can permanently impair your brain function and drastically change your life.

Common causes of traumatic brain injuries include automobile accidents, falls, sports injuries and violent assaults. Motor vehicle accidents are responsible for more fatal and non-fatal traumatic brain injuries than any other cause. Even a minor collision can result in a serious traumatic brain injury caused by whiplash, the action of the head whipping backwards and forwards in a snapping motion due to an impact.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury and you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area, please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to discuss how to proceed with efforts to protect your legal rights and get you the financial compensation you deserve for the injury you have suffered.

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Fatalities caused by motorcycle accidents are on the rise due to the increased number of inexperienced motorcycle riders on the nations' roadways. Studies reveal that over 90% of young motorcycle riders involved in accidents at this point in time are self-taught or educated in motorcycle riding techniques by their friends who may also lack the expertise to be safe riders.

Two major causes of motorcycle accidents are speeding and riding under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Motorcycle riding is an experience that can be enjoyed safely if you learn motorcycle riding techniques from a trained professional, do not attempt to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, obey posted speed limits and traffic laws, wear protective gear, and always drive defensively.

Motorcycle accident injuries can be catastrophic and may involve fractures and broken bones, abrasions, soft tissue trauma, paralysis, amputations, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. A motorcycle accident victim is entitled to seek financial compensation for their injuries. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney such as those at The Cochran Firm will ensure you get the representation and any financial compensation you are entitled to.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area, please contact The Cochran Firm if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident so you can discuss your options with an experienced motorcycle accident attorney.

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Kidney disease kills fourteen people out of one hundred thousand annually, making it the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Medicare alone spends fourteen billion dollars each year to treat End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Several hundred thousand Americans undergo kidney dialysis treatment every year.

Treatment for renal failure has risks, and patients must be educated to minimize these risks and protect themselves. People die or are unnecessarily injured every day in this country due to medical errors perpetrated during their kidney dialysis treatments.

Kidney dialysis medical malpractice can include but not be limited to, medication errors, patient falls, dialyzer errors, vascular access injuries, excess blood loss and prolonged bleeding, dialysis machine leaks, malfunctioning machine alarms, failure to clear dialysis machines of cleaning solutions and failure to appropriately monitor blood pressure. There are documented kidney dialysis errors in the thousands each year in this country.

If you are a person on kidney dialysis treatments and you did not receive adequate and proper care and treatment and sustained a serious injury, you should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney familiar with kidney dialysis errors.

If you live in the Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina area and you would like to speak to an attorney who is an expert in the field of kidney dialysis errors, please contact the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a no cost to you confidential consultation.

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Thousands of Americans are injured or killed every year by defective consumer products they unknowingly bring into their homes and lives.

Cars, toys, cribs, household appliances, medical devices and medications, and food for beloved pets that sicken and kill them are bought and consumed by an unsuspecting public. People wrongly assume that all consumer products are carefully tested and approved by the manufacturer and our government agencies before they are allowed to be sold to a trusting public.

If a manufacturer fails to deliver a safe product to the consumer, the result can be a life-threatening condition or death. If you have been injured by a defective consumer product, filing a lawsuit against the responsible parties may save others from suffering a similar fate.

If you feel you have suffered harm from a defective consumer product, you may be able to recover losses for medical expenses, lost wages, permanent physical disability and pain and suffering.

If you reside in the Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina area and you or someone you love was injured or died as a result of using a defective consumer product, please contact an experienced defective consumer product attorney at the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today and get the justice you deserve for your pain and suffering and learn if you are entitled to financial compensation for your losses.

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If you or someone you know is taking or has taken a prescription medication and have experienced adverse side effects from these medications, you may be entitled to compensation from the awards being settled by drug manufacturers. If you have not experienced any adverse side effects after taking a prescription medication you may still be entitled to some form of compensation because of the possibility of the drugs deadly side effects in the future.

Some recent additions to the ever growing list of defective or potentially dangerous drugs are Yaz, an oral contraceptive, Byetta, an injectable prescription medication for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, Digitek, a prescription medication to treat heart failure, and Raptiva, a prescription medication to treat psoriasis.

The list of defective drugs is endless. There are numerous FDA approved medications on the market today that could actually be classified as defective.

Proving a drug is defective is the most important part of a defective drug lawsuit. It requires the expertise of a variety of highly skilled people and a law firm with a history of handling defective drug cases successfully.

If you live in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area and you or someone you care about was injured by a defective drug, please contact the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a consultation with an experienced defective drug attorney at no cost to you to protect your legal rights and obtain justice and the compensation you are entitled to.

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AM2PAT, Inc. is a North Carolina plant that filled, packaged, and shipped pre-filled syringes that they knew were tainted and unsterile. These syringes were used in hospitals and homes where approximately 300 people were infected with Serratia marcescens bacteria and suffered serious personal injury. At least five people were killed due to these contaminated syringes. The Serratia marcescens bacteria is known to cause:

• Severe illness
• Permanent brain damage
• Spinal meningitis

The case was heard in Raleigh at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Two employees of AM2PAT pled guilty to knowingly shipping the unsterile syringes and for falsifying the records.

Hospitals, doctors, and nurses unknowingly administered these contaminated syringes to patients. The plant that manufactured and shipped these syringes is being sued for the personal injuries and wrongful deaths suffered by consumers of the syringes.

Suffering a personal injury or losing a loved one is devastating. You want the responsible party to be held accountable. A personal injury lawyer is available to help you through this devastating time and will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.

If you have suffered a personal injury and are in the Raleigh area, please contact the Cochran Firm's personal injury lawyers at the Raleigh office. You can schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your case at no cost to you.

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The consequences of nursing home abuse and neglect result in injuries, malnutrition, dehydration and medical conditions that can lead to death. It is reported that over one million older adults are victimized every year in American nursing homes.

There are over thirty-five million people in this country over the age of sixty-five. Many older Americans will need nursing home care in the coming years. Some facilities available offer quality care by hard-working and underpaid staffs. Some facilities, however, do not meet the standards of care we should all expect for our elderly citizens.

Some older adults are living in less than ideal conditions, vulnerable to neglect and abuse that sometimes rises to the level of a criminal assault. Signs of neglect and abuse could be as simple as seeing that a residents personal hygiene needs are not being met, that they have chronic infections, are heavily medicated, have unexplained sores or wounds and seem depressed, withdrawn or anxious.

If you live in the Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina area and you suspect a loved one is a victim nursing home abuse and neglect, please contact the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced nursing home abuse attorney, at no cost to you, to protect your legal rights.

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Teenagers are four more times likely to be killed in an automobile accident than any other age group. Most automobile accidents involving teenagers happen on a weekend night between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., with fifty percent of those involving alcohol. Teenagers are more prone to speeding and not wearing their seat belts. Over eighty percent of accidents involving teenagers are caused by driver error.

Typical teenage behaviors, such as risk taking, joking, talking on cell phones and their exuberance for the freedom driving gives them, can turn deadly in an automobile. The teenagers most at risk for an accident are males, teenagers driving with their peers and newly licensed teenagers. The first six months after receiving their license to drive are the most deadly for teens. Over five thousand teenagers are killed every year in this country in automobile accidents.

If you have a teenage driver in your family you should encourage them to refrain from speeding and drinking and driving. Teenagers should not be allowed to drive with other teens and should not use their cell phones while behind the wheel. Seat belt use should be mandatory for your teen and driving after dark prohibited.

If you are a resident of the Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina area and your have been involved in an automobile accident, you should contact the Durham, North Carolina office of The Cochran Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn about your legal rights.

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In recent years, trucking companies have increased their efforts to prevent or at least diminish the number of truck accidents. They have increased safety training and awareness for their truck drivers in a campaign to accomplish this.

However, most truckers have tight delivery deadlines. If you work in an office and you are at risk of missing a deadline, you work faster and longer hours. If you are driving a truck and you are at risk of missing a delivery deadline, you drive faster. This too often leads to an accident.

Truck accidents are responsible for serious injuries including spinal cord injuries, head and neck injuries, broken bones and many deaths. Trucks carry large and sometimes dangerous cargo loads. Truck drivers work very long hours, leading to stress and fatigue caused accidents. In a startling statistic, over 94% of occupants in a vehicle involved in a truck accident were either injured or killed.

If you live in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina or the surrounding area and you or someone you care about was injured or killed in an accident involving a truck, please contact an experienced truck accident attorney at The Cochran Firm's Raleigh-Durham office today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to learn about your legal rights and whether you are entitled to compensation for your losses.

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