Taking a fall is the last thing on your mind as you head down the stairs to the snack room for your morning break. However, the overhead light at the curve in the stairway has gone out.

You misjudge the step and stumble and fall, injuring your knee. At first, you only feel some pain and tenderness. But by nightfall, your knee is swollen and causing you considerable discomfort. You decide it’s best to see a doctor.

The main cause of knee problems

Some knee problems result from underlying health conditions, such as osteoporosis, but sudden injuries are the most common cause of knee issues. When you fall, your knee could suffer a direct blow if you hit the ground or a hard object. Many knee injuries also result from an abnormal twisting motion, during a trip or a falling accident, or while performing routine tasks in the course of work.

You have no doubt seen 18-wheelers that have overturned on a freeway. You do not want to be involved in such an accident — at many thousands of pounds heavier than your car, the truck has the potential to cause death and destruction.

Many truck-car accidents occur because the truck driver was speeding, fatigued or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Weather could also be a factor, or the negligence of another driver. There is another simple factor that commonly causes or contributes to truck accidents: overloading the truck. 

Light rail serves many people in the Baltimore area. Industry statistics have Baltimore’s  Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) ranked 12th in the nation for passenger miles for this form of transportation.

Mile for mile, light rail is dependable, convenient and safe, but any kind of transportation carries risks. Accidents still happen, and injuries for the people involved range from minor to life-changing.

Retail, rental and restaurant establishments designed to serve the students who attend them often occupy the real estate surrounding many of Maryland’s college and university campuses. Students who frequent the businesses and live near the campuses may walk quite a bit. This means they are also vulnerable to being injured or even killed in pedestrian accidents.

For instance, a tragedy recently occurred near the University of Maryland College Park campus. On a Sunday morning sometime before 6:20 a.m., an SUV struck a pedestrian as she crossed the street. The driver involved did not suffer any injuries and waited for police to arrive.

New research suggests concussions may affect driving skills long after the person has recovered. This is  dangerous not only for the person recovering from brain trauma but for everyone else on the road.

We hear about the long-term effects of concussions on athletes, but that is just a fraction of people who have suffered brain injuries. This new study raises safety concerns about motorists driving abilities may be compromised even though they no longer have concussion symptoms.

The simulator test

The study, undertaken by researchers at the University of Georgia, involved 14 college-age participants who had suffered concussions. All reported having no residual effects during the previous 48 hours and agreed to take a simulated driving test. Although each of the participants felt totally recovered from injury, testing showed they were driving erratically. At times, they exhibited little control and their behavior resembled that of someone driving under the influence of alcohol.

It is common knowledge that distracted driving increases the chances of accidents. Texting, talking or playing Pokémon Go on the cell phone can all increase the danger for all the other drivers and pedestrians around you. When someone is playing Pokémon Go while driving and hits a pedestrian crossing the street, in the vast majority of cases the driver would be liable for the damages caused to the pedestrian as a result of the accident.

However, one type of distraction that does not get as much attention is distracted walking. Claims arise in which pedestrians are found to be legally liable for accidents when they were playing Pokémon Go, texting or otherwise paying attention to their smart phones instead of the road.

Shredded tires. Unsecured loads. Runaway trailers. Road debris is a more significant danger than you might think. It causes about 50,000 crashes a year, including thousands of injuries and more than 100 fatalities.

It is not always possible to avoid road debris when it pops up suddenly in your lane. But drivers can limit the danger by driving defensively and by taking basic safety precautions when transporting items. In the event an accident, drivers who created road hazards can be held liable.

Errors with prescription drugs are alarmingly common. While most mistakes cause little or no harm, they sometimes have disastrous consequences. The wrong med or wrong amount can lead to serious complications, including stroke, organ damage or death.

How do medication errors even occur? The medical professionals are supposed to protect us from harm, not cause it. Here are some common medication errors and what you can do to reduce the risk.

Wrong dosage

Many drugs are measured in milligrams (mg) or micrograms (mcg). A doctor may inadvertently prescribe the wrong amount. Or a nurse or pharmacist could misread the doctor’s prescription, converting a 10-milligram dose into 100 milligrams. Ingesting 10 or 100 times the amount of certain medications could trigger a fatal overdose or irreversible damage. An underdose can also make the medicine ineffective or even life-threatening.

Some stretches of road here in Maryland see more crashes than others do. For some reason, there seems to be an increase in wrong-way crashes on a certain stretch of Route 50. Two people died in the most recent motor vehicle accident, which took place on a Wednesday morning.

It was about 2 a.m. when troopers with the Maryland State Police responded to a call to locate a vehicle heading east in Route 50’s westbound lanes. By the time a trooper caught up to the vehicle, it had already slammed into another car. The impact caused a third vehicle to strike the westbound vehicle as it spun out of control.

Many people who use a computer on a daily basis have experienced bouts of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a repetitive stress injury involving the wrist. This is just one of several conditions that come under the heading of repetitive motion disorders. Many parts of the body can be affected.

Concerned employers can provide special equipment or ergonomic programs to help workers avoid issues, as repetitive stress injuries could result in lost time at work and workers’ compensation claims. Temporary disability is a very real possibility. If not treated properly, the worst-case scenario is permanent disability.