Posts by John Hartwell Cocke
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: Not Just for Pro Athletes
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is brain degeneration believed to be caused by repeated trauma to the head. Although CTE remains mostly a mystery to doctors and researchers, we do know it can only be diagnosed post-mortem and tends to appear in athletes who played contact sports, or military personnel exposed to loud explosives. However,…
Read MoreDrunk Driving Prevention Technologies May Soon Be in All New Cars
Driver intoxication is one of the leading causes of death and serious injuries in Mississippi and across America. Drivers who are intoxicated aren’t focusing on other drivers. They can’t respond to emergencies. They often cause accidents because they speed, cross into opposing lanes of driving, swerve, and violate the state’s traffic laws. Even with increased…
Read MoreHow Accusations of Drinking on the Job Can Affect Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Workers’ compensation benefits are reserved for workers who experience an injury while on the job. In 2012, there were amendments to Mississippi’s workers’ compensation laws that prevented employees from receiving benefits under certain circumstances. One of the exclusions includes if the proximate cause of the employee’s injury was the use of illegal drugs or intoxication.…
Read MoreNursing Homes and Antipsychotic Drugs
Even before the pandemic, neglect and abuse was a growing issue among nursing home residents. One of the main reasons why nursing home abuse occurs is issues with inadequate or short-staffed facilities. With short staffing an issue for a majority of nursing homes, many staff and medical professionals are cutting corners in an effort to…
Read MoreDo I Need a Car Accident Report?
If you have ever been involved in a collision or crash, it is crucial to understand the importance of a car accident report. Whether the car accident was minor, serious, or fatal, the car accident report is a factual and objective description of a car accident. During car crashes, emotions are high and one or…
Read MoreDaimler Recalls Freightliner Cascadias
Daimler Trucks North America can join the list of automobile manufacturing companies that had to issue recalls this year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the manufacturing company recalled its 2022 Freightliner Cascadias after five models caught on fire. The fires were caused by a misdirected exhaust pipe defect. The exhaust pipe…
Read MoreMerkel & Cocke, P.A. Named to 2022 Best Law Firms List
Merkel & Cocke, P.A. is proud to announce that the Firm has once again been named to Best Law Firms. We have retained our Tier 1 ranking in the Memphis region in four different areas of practice: Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation…
Read MoreBus Accidents and Casino Trips in Mississippi
It was during this week five years ago that one of the deadliest bus crashes in history occurred in Los Angeles, California. A bus carrying 44 passengers was returning home from a weekend casino trip when it crashed into the back of a semi-truck near Palm Springs. Sadly, 13 people were killed in the accident…
Read MoreWhat Is the Most Common Birth Injury for Newborns?
No parent wants to see their brand new infant suffer, and certainly not from a major birth complication. And while birth injuries have vastly declined in the past few decades, the statistics are still significant and can be quite scary. Bringing a new human into the world comes with risks, and there are a number…
Read MoreMississippi Children and Teens at High Risk of Vehicle Fatality
Mississippi youth aged 19 and younger died at the highest rate in the country between 2014 and 2018 from automobile crashes. Out of every 100,000 children and teens, 10.6 died via a vehicular accident. This is nearly nine times greater than the rate of death for the same period for youth living in the District…
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