Atlanta Personal Injury Law Blog

If your doctor overlooks a serious medical concern, it has the potential to result in additional harm or even death.

Some conditions are more likely to be misdiagnosed than others, including the following:

• Heart attack: The symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain, are the same as many less serious ailments, including the common cold and indigestion. However, if your doctor turns you away when you present with a heart attack, it's a major mistake that will take a toll on your health.
• Cancer: Cancer is easy to misdiagnose without the appropriate testing. Some forms are more likely to be overlooked than others, including breast, lung and colorectal. Misdiagnosing cancer gives the disease the opportunity to spread to other parts of the body, thus reducing the likelihood of beating it.
• Stroke: Just the same as a heart attack, the symptoms of a stroke are shared with other less serious conditions. These symptoms include general weakness, confusion and poor coordination. In the event of a slow onset stroke, the risk of misdiagnosis is even greater.

When driving near commercial trucks, it's critical to take a variety of safety precautions to prevent an accident.

While there's no way of knowing what a trucker will do next, here are some of the steps you can take to reduce the risk of an accident:

• Don't drive in blind spots: Commercial trucks have blind spots on both sides, as well as behind their vehicle. Don't drive in these areas for too long, as a trucker may lose track of your location.
• Be careful when changing lanes: For example, changing lanes abruptly in front of a truck can cause a rear-end collision.
• Avoid unsafe passing: The most common form of unsafe passing is doing so in the right lane. If you're going to pass a truck, use the left lane. And as noted above, leave enough space when you decide to change lanes in front of the truck.
• Don't drive between large trucks: This puts you in a compromising position, as you're unable to see the what's going on around you. If you find yourself driving between two commercial trucks, remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible.

If someone were to ask you how much air pressure each of the tires in your car needs to function at maximum safety quality, would you be able to correctly answer the question? Don't worry if you read that question and your first thought was that you would have absolutely no idea. In fact, you can logically assume that many other Georgia vehicle owners might give similar answers.

Unless you have a background in tire manufacturing or other aspects of vehicle safety, it is not uncommon to be only vaguely familiar (or not all) with air pressure gauges and other tire safety issues. It's a good idea to learn more about it, however, because tire safety and maintenance are critical issues when it comes to avoiding a blow-out or possibly a collision. Then again, even if you're on top of your tire safety game, another driver's negligence can place you at risk for injury.

You don't have any control over the decisions other drivers make. If someone wants to talk on their phone, send a text or read a map, they're going to do so.

However, you do have full control over everything that happens in your vehicle. There are many ways to personally avoid distracted driving, with these tips among the most powerful:

• Put your cellphone away: When your phone is on your lap, in your pocket or in the center console, it's easy to reach for it. However, if you put it in your trunk or glove box, you're unable to use it while driving. This one change will greatly enhance your safety.
• Don't eat and/or drink while driving: Many people make a habit of this, especially during the morning hours. It's okay to stop for coffee or a bite to eat, but don't consume your purchase while your vehicle is in motion. Doing so forces you to take at least one hand off the wheel.
• Limit the number of passengers: There are times when there will be other people in your vehicle, such as friends, family members or co-workers. This is okay, but only if you maintain your focus. Don't let a passenger distract you from the task at hand, as doing so puts all of you at risk of injury or death.