When it's Time to Get Help

Amanda Todd – Can Some Good Come From This Needless Tragedy?

by John McKiggan

Three weeks ago British Columbia teen Amanda Todd was discovered dead in her home in Vancouver. The fifteen year old girl committed suicide after being tormented by bullies online.

Heartbreaking

Amanda posted a YouTube video a month before her death highlighting the bullying and cruelty she faced. In the video, which now has more than 4 million views, young Amanda reveals that when she was in Grade 7 (12 years old) she attempted to make friends online and she ended up flashing someone (via webcam).

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Posted in: Bullying, Child Safety, Uncategorized

Pfizer Zoloft Birth Injury Claims – When is a risk too small to explain?

by John McKiggan

Last month 10 couples filed birth injury lawsuits against Pfizer, who manufactures the antidepressant Zoloft. They claim severe birth injuries suffered by their children are a consequence of the mom’s taking Zoloft during their pregnancy.

Failed to Warn of Risks

The argument is Pfizer failed to warn of the risks to unborn children, and further that Pfizer did not adequately test the product.

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Posted in: Child Injuries, Class Actions, Drug Injuries, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Uncategorized

Using Their Heads: New Study of Athletes and Concussions

by John McKiggan

As a lawyer who deals with personal injury claims, I frequently encounter clients who have suffered some form of brain injury.

In cases of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury the cause is almost always some form of concussion. The effects of concussions can be lasting, particularly in circumstances of repeat impact.

Athletes At Increased Risk

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Posted in: Brain Injury, Concussion, Head Injuries, Uncategorized

Magic, Misdirection and Distracted Driving

by John McKiggan

My hobby is performing magic, and I love reading books about famous magicians. So I was interested to read Alex Stones’ new book about Houdini called Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks & the Hidden Powers of the Mind. It occurred to me some of what Stone says about magicians is relevant to my work as a personal injury lawyer in Nova Scotia.

Distracted Driving

In my work representing people who have been injured in car collisions I have noticed an increase in the number of accidents caused by driver inattention or some form of distracted driving.

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Posted in: Car Accidents, Distracted Driving, Uncategorized

Trampolines and “Jumpy Castles”: It’s all fun and games until someone breaks a limb

by John McKiggan

Risk = Fun?

As a child safety lawyer I have come to realize that an inevitable paradox of childhood is that the riskier an activity, the more children are drawn to it. This phenomenon is best illustrated by the backyard trampoline and the birthday favourite, so-called “Jumpy Castles”.

These especially entertaining apparatuses occupy children (and adults) for hours but they pose a significant risk of injury, particularly to younger children.

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Posted in: Child Injuries, Child Safety, Uncategorized

New Advances in Concussion Testing Helps Protect Athletes

by John McKiggan

The hottest topic of conversation among my friends and neighbours the last two weeks has been their kids amateur hockey tryouts. The other day, I was contacted by a parent whose son suffered a serious concussion during a practice session.

Sport-induced concussions are serious business. As Sidney Crosby can testify, they can have long lasting effects, particularly if they are not diagnoses promptly and the athlete is returned to the game. As I have posted previously, there are a number of different mechanisms for diagnosing concussions: Brain Injury Claims: New Guidelines to Diagnose Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

An article posted by my colleagues at Slater Vecchio discusses a new baseline test for athletes before the season begins.

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Posted in: Brain Injury, Child Injuries, Personal Injury, Uncategorized

The Deadly Consequences of Distracted Driving

by John McKiggan

More Than 3000 Distracted Drivers in HRM Every Year

Police in Halifax issue more than 3000 tickets every year to drivers distracted by the use of their cellphones. Despite the vigilence of HRPD one can only assume that these tickets represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of distracted drivers in Metro Halifax.

Constable Stephen Squires says distracted driving is one of the four main causes of fatal accidents; the other three being impairment, lack of seatbelt use and aggressive driving.

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Posted in: Distracted Driving, Uncategorized

Motorcycle Accidents: How they happen and what you can do to avoid them.

by John McKiggan

Motorcycle Accident Compensation Claims

I am in the middle of preparing for a trial involving a motorcyclist (my client) who was injured in a motorcycle – car collision. The driver of the car made a left turn in front of my client while my client was driving through a green light. The injuries the motorcycle rider suffered were more serious than you tend see in a typical car-car collision.

While motorcycle collision cases form a relatively small part of the cases I am asked to handle, the injuries in those cases tend to be more severe and complicated. So if you spend any time on the road, as I’m sure all of you do, here is some important information regarding motorcycles and motorcycle injuries.

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Posted in: Car Accidents, Fatal Accidents, Motorcycle Injuries, Personal Injury, Uncategorized