What Can You Do to Be Prepared?

Last post, we talked a bit about the importance of being prepared and First Aid training. Why do I do that? At Rich Cassidy Law we are serious about promoting safety because we have seen the devastating impacts of accidental injuries on human lives. If by promoting safety we could end that devastation — or even reduce it — that would make us happy.

We Take Safety Seriously

Perhaps you will never be injured. That’s the best. We have represented scores of people whose lives were changed forever in an instant because of an accident. For example, a young man I knew was riding his motorcycle at a walking pace past a line of parked cars. A driver opened his door without looking. The lower corner of the door just caught the motorcyclist’s foot. The cyclist’s momentum carried him past the car, tearing his foot deeply. The wound got infected and more than six months later the foot had to be amputated. The cyclist’s young life will never be the same. No amount of money would ever adequately compensate him for his injury.

From long experience representing injured persons, we know that it is far better not to get hurt than to be well compensated.

So we take safety very, very seriously. We want to do what we can to help you stay safe.

You can be safer We have done all sorts of personal injury cases — from slip and falls to sports injuries, from plane crashes to train wrecks, from biking accidents to falling trees, and from food poisoning to medical malpractice — and so we are well aware of the many ways people can get hurt.

Where the Risk Lies: Traffic Accidents

Traffic accidents are where most risk lies. For example, driving is far more dangerous than flying, (Car Talk says it is 65 times more dangerous!)

Drive carefully, never drive drunk, don’t text while you are driving, don’t speed, and wear your seatbelt. Get enough sleep. All these simple steps help.

Prepare Your Car

What else can you do? First you should prepare your car. Carry a first aid kit. Even a small kit like this one can make a difference.

Shock is a major cause of death for people injured by accident. The American Red Cross will sell you an emergency blanket like this one, for five dollars. Buy one. Put in your trunk. It should be part of part of your first aid kit. It might save a life.

You don’t even have to have an accident to get hurt. If your car quits on a lonely Vermont road on a cold night, you want to have a chance to get it going or to attract help. So put a highway emergency kit in your car, like the one shown here.

Finally, keep an escape tool within your reach to cut your seatbelt and break your window. You surely don’t want to be trapped in a burning or sinking car.

I’m sorry to be grim. But I can tell you: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

For more information on Being Prepared For Auto Accidents, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (802) 864-8144 today.

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