On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Nursing Home Neglect on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Connecticut State Department of Public Health has issued penalties for six nursing homes in connection with poor care that resulted in patient injuries. In one case of nursing home neglect, a resident was found with multiple leg lacerations after she was allowed to obsessively shave her legs, a condition that resulted from her cognitive impairment.
Other allegations of abuse or neglect prompted state officials to issue fines and citations against the remaining nursing homes for allegations that workers failed to properly supervise residents or were actively abusive towards them. In all, the state issued a total of more than $4,000 in fines against the nursing homes in question.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, May 17, 2013
Most states, including Connecticut, have laws stating that a person is legally impaired and unable to drive with a blood alcohol content of more than .08 percent. In these states, any person found to be driving with a blood alcohol level above that level can be charged with drunk driving.
On May 14, the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, stated that the limit may be too high. The NTSB recommended that every state change the laws so that a person is legally intoxicated and incapable of driving with a blood alcohol level that exceeds .05 percent. An average male would usually be at that level after drinking two or three alcoholic beverages within an hour. Under the current laws, the same male could consume four alcoholic beverages in an hour before hitting .08 percent. The NTSB is an advisory board that is not permitted to pass laws.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, May 10, 2013
The Connecticut man who was behind the wheel in a tragic accident that claimed the life of a Milford couple has been arrested and charged for his role in the accident. The man willingly surrendered to police when he was told there was a warrant for his arrest.
The arrest comes after a very thorough car accident investigation that is said to be one of the most detailed that the department has ever conducted. Police say that the couple had gone walking along Bridgeport Avenue, most likely in search of food, after a huge snowstorm had rendered nearly all of the side streets in the area impassable. They were reportedly walking in a single line near the edge of the street with their 21-year-old daughter when they were struck by a Ford Explorer near the intersection with Cowles Street.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Nursing Home Neglect on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Placing an elderly loved one in a nursing home is a hard decision for anyone, but Connecticut residents may find it even tougher after reading about a case that occurred in another state. A man who had been caring for his mother faced the difficult decision of locating the best nursing facility possible. Six months after making a choice based off the limited research he was able to complete, his mother was dead. The 90-year-old woman suffered a broken hip and bruising all over her body, which may have been the result of nursing home neglect or even violent abuse.
So far, the case has been the subject of an internal investigation at the nursing home. Results of that investigations were withheld, and a police investigation was passed on to the state solicitor. Federal reports from the prior year showed a concurrent rating of "above average" with inspectors noting failure to institute neglect/abuse policies and failure to report at least once case of head trauma.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, April 26, 2013
Drivers in Connecticut may have heard about a recent strange case of a trucking accident for which zombies were blamed. A 19-year-old man hitched a ride with a semi-truck driver in Tennessee after being forced out of his house. At an inspection station in southern California, the driver left the truck briefly, and the truck was attacked by zombies, according the the young man. The 19-year-old then took control of the truck, which was hauling a full load of strawberries, and ended up causing multiple collisions in a commercial truck accident that injured four people.
Shortly after leaving the station behind the wheel of the big rig, the young man hit a Toyota Tacoma. This set off a chain reaction of collisions that wrecked a Toyota 4Runner and Mercedes-Benz. He then collided with a Ford Taurus and Honda Accord before turning the semi-truck on its side. At this point, the driver exited the vehicle and entered a white van.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, April 19, 2013
According to a recent lawsuit, a state representative from Bridgeport was involved in a car accident that occurred sometime during August 2012. The suit alleges that the representative was intoxicated at the time of the collision and that she ran from the scene after it happened. The lawsuit was brought by the driver of the vehicle that the state representative allegedly collided with, and the victim claims that she experienced a concussion as well as back injuries.
The state representative's father, who is also being targeted by the lawsuit, claims that his daughter was not intoxicated. Police have charged her with multiple violations related to the incident, including the evasion of responsibility. Her lawyer would not release a statement on the matter, and the driver she allegedly hit also claims to have accumulated almost $11,000 in bills for post-accident medical treatment.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, April 11, 2013
An Orange, Connecticut, collision on Route 1 left two people with non-life threatening injuries. The car accident involved three vehicles. A Jeep Wrangler, traveling west in the left lane, collided with another car traveling west in the right lane. According to authorities, the Jeep's driver, a 19-year-old from Muttontown, New York, lost control and hit a third westbound car from behind. The Jeep then rolled over and struck a utility pole.
The driver had to be extricated from the Jeep. He was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The passenger in the Jeep was able to exit the vehicle without help and was also transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Authorities are asking for anyone who witnessed the accident to assist them in the investigation of the crash.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, April 5, 2013
Shortly after 12 PM on March 19, a two-vehicle accident resulted in injuries to two individuals. The car accident took place on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury and was close to the Wooster Heights exit. According to police, the vehicles involved in the accident were a 2003 Honda CR-V and a 2004 Subaru Impreza.
Police say that the Impreza was being driven in the northbound lane by a female driver from Ridgefield. The CR-V, driven by a female from Brookfield, was traveling southbound. The driver of the Impreza lost control of her vehicle, and the Impreza crossed into the southbound lane and struck the CR-V. Both drivers were injured in the accident and were taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. Police are looking for eye witnesses who may have details about this accident.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Truck Accidents on Thursday, March 28, 2013
A 30-year-old woman remains in stable condition after she sustained what were possibly life-threatening injuries when her car was recently rear-ended and propelled 200 feet in Southbury, Connecticut. The truck accident involved at least two cars and three tractor-trailers. At least one other individual also sustained minor injuries.
One woman needed to be removed through extrication with the help of emergency personnel. The accident originally shot down all the westbound lanes near exit 16 on I-84 West, and large debris was spread over a wide area as a result.
On behalf of Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, Attorneys at Law posted in Nursing Home Neglect on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut has recently requested an investigation into the practices of facilities that care for the developmentally disabled. He sent a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services on March 4 regarding the cases of nursing home neglect that have allegedly occurred in the state and across the country.
Murphy, who sits on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, was prompted by an investigative report done by the Hartford Courant. In the report, it was stated that Connecticut hospitals, state-run institutions, group homes and nursing homes were cited in the deaths of 76 residents. Some causes of death included choking, even when there were guidelines regarding swallowing issues, a patient who was scalded in a hot bath and medical distress that did not receive appropriate attention. All of the facilities fell under the responsibility of the state Department of Developmental Services.
