Human factors experts can play a valuable role in personal injury lawsuits by explaining how a wide variety of factors may have contributed to an injury-causing incident. Here are some ways a human factors expert can assist trial attorneys:
1. Incident Reconstruction: Human factors experts can analyze the circumstances surrounding the incident and reconstruct how the injury occurred. They may consider factors such as environmental conditions, user or driver behavior, and product or road design to determine if any design flaws or human errors played a role.
The federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires any hospital that participates in Medicare and provides emergency services to provide (1) an appropriate medical screening examination to anyone who comes to its emergency department asking for treatment, and (2) necessary stabilizing treatment or transfer to another medical facility if the examination reveals an emergency medical condition. Per the EMTALA regulations, this requirement applies not only to emergency departments, but also to any department where at least one-third of outpatient visits involve emergency c
Suicide is a reality in U.S. public schools. Prevalence data indicate that one suicide every 5 years and about 170 suicidal behaviors annually take place at a typical high school. Unfortunately, many of the latter will not come to the attention of school staff and may eventually lead to off-campus suicides. However, when school staff do become aware of a student’s suicidal behavior, diligent school psychologists and counselors, in partnership with other school personnel and community-based professionals, can do something about it.
Many, if not most, states have different statutes (or different common law doctrines) that toll the applicable statute of limitations (SOL) in different circumstances. These circumstances include the discovery rule in medical malpractice cases and the tolling of the SOL if the plaintiff was a minor when the cause of action accrued, was deemed mentally incompetent when the cause of action accrued or while the SOL was running, was imprisoned while the SOL was running, or when the defendant is not physically within the jurisdiction and cannot be served with process. In Louisiana, by contrast
When we started in business in 2004, the primary sources for locating experts were listservs and personal recommendations from other attorneys. The Internet, already a notable source back then (Google went public in 2003), soon became the primary way to search for experts, while listservs essentially disappeared.
I trust no reader of our blog needs a summary of this well-known (not to say notorious) case. The indictment was handed down on August 14, 2023; trial is scheduled to begin on October 3, 2023. On August 16, the defendant disclosed seven proposed expert witnesses.
Data show that many students think about suicide, many are exposed to it when someone they know attempts or completes suicide, and almost half of students who seriously consider suicide suffer in silence, not sharing their thoughts with anyone.
Today’s case, Johnson v. C.R. Bard, Inc. (7th Cir., No.
Although the COVID-19 emergency has ended, the pandemic’s harmful effect on the mental health of American youth is ongoing. A recent national survey of high school students by the CDC demonstrates that the mental health of adolescents in America is worsening at startling rates. Specifically, in 2021, 42% of students felt persistently sad or hopeless, and another 29% reported poor mental health.