Baltimore Slip and Fall Injuries

Baltimore Slip and Fall Injuries

As a Baltimore chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients with headaches, neck pain and back pain resulting from Baltimore auto accidents, I decided that I wanted to spend some time discussing other various types of personal injuries that I treat on a daily basis. One type that I see with increasing frequency is “slip and fall” type injuries. In the legal sense these are known as premises liability cases. Simply put, a business or homeowner has a duty to keep someone who visits the property safe from harm. Failure to do so can cause injury to a guest which then homeowner or business owner is ultimately liable.

The degree of responsibility that a business or homeowner has to a guest depends on the type of guest that that person is. They can be either

a) invitees: These are people who visit a property with the intention of doing business. An example is people going to a mall to shop.

b) licensees: These are people who are invited to a property, but are not necessarily there with the intention to do business. An example is having a friend come to your home for dinner.

c) trespassers: These are people who are not invited onto a property and are often unwanted. While a property and business owner can not go out of their way to harm trespassers, they owe them the least amount of responsibility because they were not invited onto the property.

As the name implies, slip and fall injuries occur when a person slips, trips or falls on another’s property. The tricky thing from a legal perspective is to determine if the property of homeowner knew, or had reason to know, that they owned and operated an unsafe environment. If it can be proven that they knew or had reason to know that something was unsafe (i.e. evidence of a faulty ice machine, uneven side walks not built to code, etc.) then that property owner is “on the hook” for the personal injuries sustained by the person injured.

Often times when I treat Baltimore residents who have been injured from slip and fall injuries I see injuries that are very similar to Baltimore auto accident injuries. We routinely see patients with concussions, post traumatic headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, mid back pain, lower back pain and radiating leg pain. We often see other injuries such as shoulder and wrist injuries as a falling person reflexively attempts to brace themselves during a fall.

In addition to a property owner being responsible for medical bills incurred as a result of a Baltimore slip and fall injury, the owner is also legally responsible for

a) past and future medical bills

b) Lost wages and diminished earning capacity

c) Chiropractic care, physical therapy, and occupational training.

d) Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life

It is important in these types of personal injury cases not to get “blinded” by the injuries. While it is true that an injured claimant (my patient) may have very serious objective injuries, it is not always so clear whether or not the business or homeowner is legally responsible. That is why most personal injury attorneys despite serious injuries, will not choose to represent injured patients that have been involved in premises liability cases.

The good news for people that have been injured as a result of Baltimore slip and fall cases, is that there are typically ways to get your medical and chiropractic bills paid regardless of whether or not you have a personal injury attorney representing you.

The source of funds that would cover your injuries is known as Medical Payments, and it is included in a homeowners or business owners liability insurance. Just like PIP on an automobile policy, Medical Payments (or MedPay for short) is to be used for medical care related to injuries that occur on property REGARDLESS OF FAULT. Typically MedPay is written in the amounts of $5,000 or $10,000, which is usually more than enough money to pay for care in my office.

If you have been injured as a result of a Baltimore slip and fall injury and would like to receive treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

Can PIP Pay For Treatment Following A Baltimore Bus Accident?

As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients involved in Baltimore City car accidents, I see my fair share of post traumatic headaches, neck pain, and back pain. As stated in previous blog posts, car accidents are not the only Baltimore injuries that can produce these symptoms. I also see motorcycle accident injuries, slip and fall injuries, bicycle injuries, and pedestrian injuries (in cases where pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles).

Recently my office has been seeing more and more MTA bus accident injuries. In these instances either a bus strikes another motor vehicle (I don’t see many of these) or a bus is struck by a large vehicle causing injury to its occupants, or a bus loses control due to snow or ice and injures its occupants.

Bus injuries offer some potential problems to the injured parties (my patients). Firstly, buses are not equipped with seat belts to restrain occupants. So if there is an impact, it is not unusual for the injuries seen to be worse than those sustained in Baltimore auto accident injuries. Bus occupants can fall off of their seats, fall on top of other occupants, can hit their heads on windows, etc. I recently treated a woman who had teeth knocked out when she fell down the bus’ steps during an impact. I had to refer her to a dentist friend of mine who is taking care of that component of her injury.

Another challenging feature of treating Baltimore bus accident patients is that there is rarely money available for their care. While that is not a problem for me and the team at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic (as we are willing to wait for a case to settle before being paid for our treatment), it usually deters, and in some cases, prevents injured bus occupants from seeking treatment in the first place.

If you recall, Maryland licensed drivers and occupants of their vehicles usually have access to a benefit called PIP. This takes care of paying bills for ambulance rides, xrays, chiropractic care and rehabilitation, and lost wages. Occupants of buses are NOT provided with coverage if they are riding a bus. So if they are injured through no fault of their own on a bus they CAN NOT  use this benefit to help pay for their treatment. These unlucky individuals typically end up finding personal injury attorneys to represent their interest who then refer them for treatment to many facilities in the city (including our office).

While there is no PIP coverage available under the bus’ insurance, it is important to note that these injured bus passengers typically do have other options in terms of how to pay for their treatment. Firstly, if they own and insure a motor vehicle, then their personal PIP policy from their motor vehicle will cover them for these injuries. Yes, even though the injuries occurred outside of the car, the PIP policy will still pay for treatment. You can think of this PIP policy as being like an umbrella that you carry with you wherever you go, regardless of which type of motor vehicle you happen to be in at any given time. If a patient does not own and insure a motor vehicle, then they can sometimes be covered under the PIP policy of the homeowner that they are living with provided that that homeowner owns a vehicle that has PIP (and depending on the language of that insurance policy). Secondly, if PIP is not available through other insurance policies, the injured bus patient can also use health insurance if they have it. Our office is in network with many health insurance companies in this region.

Clearly figuring out if PIP is available to an injured patient in Baltimore City is complex, but we would be more than happy to help you determine if there is insurance available to help you pay for your injuries and lost wages while you recover. If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a Baltimore bus accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We can help you determine if there is insurance coverage (whether it is PIP or health insurance) that may be available for you to receive treatment.

Dr. Gulitz

Injuries Due to Baltimore Motorcycle Accidents

As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients involved in motor vehicle collisions (car accidents) in Baltimore, I typically come across several patients each day that are suffering from headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, back pain, and sometimes even radiating leg pain. During my initial past medical history and evaluation I ask about any cuts, scrapes, or bruises that these patients may have received as a result of their Baltimore whiplash injuries. Most of the time there are no signs of any of these injuries for “traditional” whiplash patients. That is, they have musculoskeletal injuries that are determined as a result of range of motion, orthopedic, and neurological analysis, but there are no cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The reason for this is pretty straight forward- besides maybe hitting their neck and head on part of the car during the impact, there are rarely ever any high velocity impacts with the occupants body and the car. Once in a while we can see some facial bruising, abdominal bruising, and cuts from a seat belt, but these are not an every day occurrence.

I occasionally treat Baltimore residents who have suffered from motorcycle accidents. Admittedly, I treat way fewer of these types of patients than “traditional” car accidents. I suspect that this is for two main reasons. First, there are way more motor vehicles on the road as compared to motorcycles, so its a volume argument. Secondly, and this part is sad, many times when motorists are involved in motorcycle crashes they do not survive. In spite of wearing helmets and road “leathers” sometimes even relatively low speed crashes can prove to be fatal. In fact, just this past week there was a report of a Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer who was killed in a motorcycle crash in the Dominican Republic. You can read the article here.

When I do come across patients involved in Baltimore motorcycle accidents,there are similar patterns of injury. Typically the motorcycle rider was either struck by or into another motor vehicle, in which case they are thrown from the motorcycle, or, in an effort to avoid a collision, they “roll” their motorcycle to either the left or the right and they skid on the ground until enough friction allows them to stop. You can see how these types of injuries are often more severe, and in some cases, life threatening compared to traditional Baltimore auto accidents.

With these patients I make sure to examine their skin for any evidence of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. While it is true that I personally will not be treating these injuries, we want to make sure that they are not at risk for any infection since that could be a bigger problem down the road. Typically with these patients in addition to abrasions, contusions, and lacerations there is a large amount of concussions that we note. This is due to the high velocity with which they strike the ground. In these cases we make sure to refer them to a neurologist for prompt evaluation and diagnosis. It is important to note that just because a motorcyclist was wearing a helmet, it does NOT mean that they won’t experience a concussion.

As with all Baltimore motor vehicle collision injury patients we make sure to have the patients evaluated by a medical doctor as well. That is, two professionals are better than one and I want to make sure that I have not missed any subtle diagnosis that would otherwise cause the patient more harm.

If you, or someone you know, has suffered injuries as a result of a Baltimore motorcycle accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

Avoiding Slip and Fall Injuries While Walking On Snow and Ice

As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends most of my time treating headaches, neck pain, and back pain, one of the more common causes of these injuries that I come across is slips and falls. Whether those be slips and falls that occur at a business or whether someone falls down their stairs or slips on a side walk, we see a lot of traumatic injuries. It is often said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While the staff at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic would be happy to take care of you if you are injured due to a slip and fall injury in Baltimore, we would rather you avoid these injuries in the first place. They often take weeks if not months to completely recover from, so it is best that they be avoided if at all possible. Here are some tips to keep in mind in order to help minimize or prevent Baltimore slip and fall injuries:

1. Wear appropriate clothing – Where boots or footwear that provide for appropriate traction. Remember, function is more important than style! Consider wearing a heavy coat not only to keep you warm but to cushion your fall should you fall down. Consider wearing sunglasses during the day to help cut down on blinding sunlight reflecting off of the snow and ice. Whenever possible where reflective clothing to help alert other drivers and walkers to your presence.

2. Always assume there is black ice – Never rush while walking and always assume that whether you can see it or not that there is black ice under your feet. This will prevent you from rushing. Always walk in designated areas and use hand rails whenever possible.

3. Keep your hands out of your pockets – While it is cold we tend to keep our arms close by our side. We should avoid this and keep our arms out to brace ourselves if we fall. I would much rather cushion my fall with my hands/arms than to hit my head on a side walk and get a concussion!

4. When getting into and out of vehicles – Use the vehicles for support. Transitioning between levels (sidewalk versus a car or van) can be tricky and injuries usually occur when changing surfaces.

5. Take short steps – Although it looks silly, always take short steps and shuffle your feet. This prevents you from building up too much momentum that may make it harder to stop down the road.

6. Beware of overhead hazards – As ice and snow melts from homes and businesses it is not unusual for large sheets of ice to come crashing down. These can cause serious injury. So, as always, be aware of your surroundings.

A winter coating of snow and ice can be a great break from the daily grind and it can be a lot of fun to take a day or two away from work to be with friends and family. However, there are many potential hazards around each corner. My best advice is to take plenty of time when getting from one place to another and to be careful. Should the unthinkable happen and you injure yourself in a slip and fall accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

Chiropractic Care and New Years Resolutions

It’s been a whirlwind of a new year at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We’ve been working really hard at better organizing our staff and our office to better host and treat patients. That is, we made it our new years resolution to be more accommodating, more friendly, and more transparent in our rendering of Chiropractic care in Baltimore City. We think that this will help us provide better care to those in need.

While it always a good idea if you are a patient to contact your insurance company and check if you are covered for a benefit/procedure, it’s been my experience that that rarely, if ever occurs. Typically a patient walks into an office, pays a copay, gets a procedure (in this care chiropractic care) and leaves. Weeks if not months pass by and then a patient gets the dreaded EOB (explanation of benefits) in the mail. They try and understand what additional money, if any, they owe. They either then do, or do not pay their required portion (as required by their insurance companies contract). Typically it is at this point in the exchange of money for healthcare services that patients feel confused and tricked. They often don’t understand if or why they owe additional money for a service they already received. It places a significant strain on the doctor/patient relationship.

While this is the way that most offices have been conducting business we have decided to make things easier. Prior to presenting for a new patient evaluation my staff will contact your insurance company on your behalf. By the time you arrive for your visit you will know your copay, your deductible, your coinsurance, and how much you should expect to pay out of pocket per visit. While this may be overwhelming (after all, you are coming to our office to feel better from headaches, neck pain, or back pain) we have found that many patients appreciate the open discussion. They would much rather know their “true cost” than get a letter in the mail down the road that surprises them, or that they are unable to pay. We believe that this up front transparency can help ease the tension associated with trying a new office for a first time.

Further, if someone is injured in a Baltimore auto accident and has suffered from whiplash, headaches, neck pain, and/or lower back pain, we need to only know your auto insurance carrier’s name (i.e. Nationwide, State Farm, Erie, Allstate, etc), policy number, date of birth and social security number. We can help to open a PIP claim on your behalf and have you receiving treatment for your Baltimore auto accident injury without any money out of pocket. Alternatively, if you have already opened a PIP claim followed your Baltimore auto accident, just supply us with a claim number and we can get you started receiving treatment right away.

We are making an effort to lessen the confusion surrounding payment for chiropractic services in the Baltimore area.

As far as new year’s resolutions are concerned – if you are a “resolutioner” and have decided to get back into shape or to get of of the couch here are some good tips:

1. Get clearance from your primary care provider – If you have serious health conditions check with your PCP first to make sure that it is safe for you to exercise.

2. Stretch – Don’t forget to stretch prior to engaging in exercises. You don’t want to overdue it and be out of service before you get started.

3. Set a routine – Whether you like to exercise in the morning or the evening, try and set a routine. After about 3 weeks of a new activity it becomes a habit. Habits are tough to break.

4. A journey of a thousand miles – It was once said that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. So start slow, maybe exercising 2-3 times per week and as you improve you can exercise longer or more times per week. The key is just starting.

5. If you have neck or back pain, come see your Baltimore city chiropractors Dr. Marc Gulitz and Dr. Erica Wise. We routinely treat patients with sports injuries, auto accidents, work related injuries, or other various types of headaches, neck pain, and back pain. We hope we don’t need to see you, but if you need us, we will be here.

If you, or someone you know, would benefit from Chiropractic care for headaches, neck pain, or back pain, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz