Atlanta Personal Injury Law Blog

The family of a young Georgia father who was killed last summer by an alleged drunk driver is suing the strip club where the man had been drinking in the hours before the fatal crash.

The suit, which was filed on behalf of the victim's 6-year-old son in DeKalb County State Court, claims that Oasis Goodtime Emporium should not have continued serving the patron who was "noticeably intoxicated." It also asserts that the valet employee who worked for the club should not have given him the keys to his car to drive away from the Doraville club.

First, the good news: The chances that your plane will crash are about one in 5.4 million, and perhaps even one in 11 million, depending on the report you read. In fact, you are more likely to win an Oscar or become president of the United States than you are to die in a plane crash. You are certainly more likely – about 200 times more likely – to suffer injuries in a motor vehicle accident on a Georgia highway than in a plane crash.

However, if you or a loved one fly frequently, your odds will certainly go up. Even if you have never been on a plane, there is always the chance that just the right thing could go wrong. While technological advances improve the safety of travel, they also present additional risks. For example, you may have heard of laptop batteries recently combusting in cargo areas of planes. While it may be difficult to predict when a plane will go down, some common factors contribute to aviation catastrophes.

Few things are as frustrating as going to the doctor with a problem you have been thinking about nonstop for weeks and feeling like your doctor doesn't even listen to you. This is a very common issue. According to one study, while most doctors (75 percent) think that they communicate well with patients, a mere 21 percent of those patients actually agree.

So, what can you do? Here are a few tips:

• Write out notes and plan what you want to say. This way, you can easily hit all your main points in as little time as possible. You can also easily tell the doctor, if he or she is talking over you, that you just need to read off this list first. It's easier to control the conversation when you plan for that conversation.
• Bring someone else. Maybe it's your spouse or a close friend. Tell that person what you want to say and what concerns you have. They can then help you make sure the doctor hears those concerns.
• Tell your doctor if the conversation isn't going how you want. If you say "I don't think you're really listening to me," it can reset the conversation. Remember, your health is very important. It is the main focus of this visit. You may feel a bit awkward to tell the doctor that you do not like the level of communication during the visit, but that's a small price to pay to get the treatment you deserve.

Whiplash is often thought of as simple neck pain after a car accident. If you get hit from behind, for instance, your head may snap back and forth violently during the crash. Even if you do not break anything, you could still experience whiplash and need medical treatment.

While neck pain is the main symptom, the overall impact may be much worse than you imagined. The Mayo Clinic notes that you could also face other symptoms, including:

• Neck stiffness
• Reduced range of neck motion
• Increased pain whenever you move your head or neck
• Pain and tenderness in your arms and shoulders
• Headaches, which often begin at the lower portion of your skull, where it meets your neck
• Dizziness and related issues
• Fatigue and drowsiness after the crash
• Numbness and tingling in your arms
• Blurry vision that makes it hard to focus on anything
• Increased irritability, even over things that did not bother you before
• Tinnitus, which is a ringing in your ears
• Problems concentrating
• Issues with your sleep cycle and disturbances to your sleep pattern
• Clinical depression
• Problems with your memory