Climbing Accidents

Our world is made up of many different experiences.  Whether they are good or bad, we find ourselves being defined by the choices we make.  It is within these experiences that we can find out who we are as people. 

On May 13th, 2007 at 1:00 a.m my world stopped.  I had constantly told myself nothing bad could happen to me.  I was only 18. However, I was in for a rude awakening.  With each step I found myself feeling as if I shouldn’t go. It was as if there was something wrong with this scenario. The blur of a party scene plays out, much like the ones before.  When my ride had bailed I looked to my significant other.  My brother and I had curfew and we couldn’t be late.

As I stepped out of the car to get in the front seat, I found that strange feeling of dread engulf me.  It was as if my house was screaming at me to come home.  I ignored every instinct in my body except the urge to put my seatbelt on.  Little did I know this would be the best decision I had made in my life.  We stopped at the first stop sign with ease, like a habit you couldn’t kick.  It wasn’t until we reached the end of my street that I realized how much I wanted to be home.  

The intensity of the car was suffocating to the point that my heart begged to get out. The rain pounded and the speedometer increased.  With the next stop sign in sight, I found relief. However, this time no relief would be in sight.  As quickly as we had gotten to the stop sign it passed.  A blur of light in my eyes, as my head lifted to see what was happening.  It was then that life was complicated.  With a hit to every side of my head my breath was gone, and I realized that this could be the end of everything.  

My mouth unable to scream, I turned to panic.  I hear screaming around me but see no one.  It is then that I realize it is me screaming. Screaming to get out of the car, I find the remnants of a door, and a hole to climb out of. Like the scene from a horror film, the night plays out.  As the rain flows down my face I wipe it away.  Kneeling on the ground, I hold my head in my hands. I look up from my hands and the blood just drips down my arm.  It is then that I realize that my life has changed.

That night changed everything.  I lost my will to leave the house, hangout with friends, and eat. A large depression had set in.  I had never cried so much in my life.  Physically and emotionally bruised and broken, I realized that I had the power to move beyond this.  With every step I found myself appreciating the world around me.  However, with every serious incident that occurs you have to choose your reaction.  I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own.  Seeking therapy and someone to confide in I found myself feeling relieved.  It wasn’t until I really understood how to deal with this happening that I could move beyond it.  

I look back now and find that I would never take back this experience. It is this particular experience that has made me a better person.  I had always taken things for granted when I was younger, but now I find myself living each day with sincerity.  We are only as strong as we allow ourselves to be.  I chose to remain strong and hope that anyone who hits a wall, no matter how big or small, finds a way to make it positive. In the end we only have experiences to look back on, and you should never allow the happenings of the past to ruin you.

By Camilla Mancini
The Cycling Pro Tour of Lombardy was raced during last Saturday, 14th October. After the 245 kilometers traveled, in the one-day race, the winner was the World and Olympic Champion, Paolo Bettini, also known as “Il Grillo” (the cricket) for his sprinting style.
Bettini reached the line with eyes full of tears, as he pointed to the sky and kissed his rainbow jersey. But his tears weren’t only for the joy of winning his ninth race for the 2006 season; it was the nostalgia for the recent loss of one of the people that supported him all his live.
Sauro Bettini (42), Paolo’s older brother was killed in a car accident near La California-Bibbona in Italy, on October 2nd, 2006.
Il Grillo admitted on Friday that following his brother’s accident, he even considered withdrawing from the races, but his father convinced him to stay in the tracks and to compete on this tour.
“After winning the world title, I was still on in shape, but I wasn’t sure how mentally strong I was,” said Paolo.
Paolo was the first to attack at the Madonna del Ghisallo climb, at 45km distance from the end, and attacked again in the climb of Civiglio 18km away from the finish line at Lake Como.
On the twisted descending it seemed he was worn-out and for a moment was caught by the German, Fabian Wegmann. But at San Fermo della Battaglia climb, Bettini attacked one more time and left his adversaries behind him.
The Spanish, Samuel Sanchez grasped the second place and Wegmann the third.
The Giro di Lombardia was as exciting as it was expected, celebrated a 100 years of competitions and gave an excellent closure to the 2006 European cycling season.
But for anyone wasn’t as important as it was for Paolo “Il Grillo” Bettini, as due to this race, and especially with his conquest, he honored his beloved Sauro.”During the race, I felt good and so decided I wanted to win to remember Sauro… I wasn’t riding on my own today… The person who used to cheer me from the roadside can’t do it anymore, but he was with me today. I didn’t win by chance”, explained Il Grillo.

The early part of the 20th Century saw the United States enjoy an unprecedented building boom, both for residential and commercial properties. This was obviously a benefit to the overall economy, as more people own homes and commercial property now than ever before. Owning property is one of the safest and most reliable investments available for many reasons, but there was also an upswing in one unfortunate variable in regards to this boom – a distinct rise in construction accidents.

Below is a look at some of the construction accidents that have occurred with alarming frequency in recent years, but you also need to understand that if you’ve been injured in a construction accident, you need to contact a construction injury lawyer as soon as possible to schedule an initial consultation.

Construction Falls

Statistics compiled by the government show that on average, more than 1,200 construction workers are killed every year in the United States, and this industry also leads the way in terms of workplace injuries. The same statistical compilation that was formulated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the most common type of construction worker injury is the fall, and that makes sense.

Construction workers are required to climb upon structures that are not stable in order to complete certain aspects of a building job, and certain situations and occurrences lead to a construction worker falling from extremely dangerous heights. This also falls in line with the fact that the most common construction worker injury is to the back, as the back is what normally takes the brunt of a fall.

Scaffolding Worker Injury

Another extremely common construction worker injury is the scaffolding worker injury, and this, too, was one of the leading causes of missed work time and serious injuries within the construction industry. Scaffolding is often built with only a temporary means of access in mind, and as a result these structures are often unstable in nature. Therefore, the types of construction accidents that can occur include falling from the scaffolding, head injuries from falling debris from the top of the scaffolding and a plethora of “other” injuries that result from the collapse of the scaffolding.

Welding Injury

Every year, more than 10,000 people are injured as a result of a welding accident. Welding is an inherently hazardous duty to perform, and as you may guess, the leading type of construction injuries that occur as a result of welding is an injury to the eye or eyes. Welding guns produce heat that tops 1,000 degrees, which means that this flame or heat causes serious injuries when making contact with the eyes.

Of course, there are many other causes and types of construction worker injuries. If you have been injured on the job, you may have the right to file a construction accident lawsuit. Contact a construction injury lawyer today to get the process of protecting and enforcing your rights started.

1. You start speaking five languages all at once.

 

2. You answer your own questions.

 

3. You start responding to anyone on TV.

 

4. You decide to quit your job and become a professional wrestler.

 

5. You try eating the local plant life.

 

6. You can no longer remember how to ride a bike.

 

7. You wonder whatever happened to the man who discovered America.

 

8. You enter a casino and start yelling, “I won.”

 

9. You climb a tree and pretend to be a vulture.

 

10. You decide to sleep under a freeway with the other nice people.

 

Now here are ten useful tips of advice from a bicycle accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a bicycle accident in National City, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

 

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.

 

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

 

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

 

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

 

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

 

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

 

Seventh, call a good bicycle accident lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good bicycle accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good bicycle accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most bicycle accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

 

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

 

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

 

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

If you’ve had a bicycle accident in National City, Lemon Grove, Imperial Beach, Coronado, Spring Valley, San Diego, La Mesa, National City, Carlsbad, Oceanside, La Jolla, Del Mar, Escondido, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Vista, San Marcos, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your San Diego Bicycle Accident Lawyer and your National City Bicycle Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.