Protect Yourself and Your Family

This is my “short list” of the best books and resources that can help people and protect people from the dangers and injuries I see in my office every day. They literally could save your life, or the life of a loved one.

1. The Life You Save, by Pat Malone.
   
   

   “Medical mistakes claim more lives each year than breast cancer, AIDS, and motor-vehicle crashes combined.”

   Your medical care may be dictated by insurance companies’ budgets and codes, not by good medical practice. The good news is there is something you can do about it. Patrick Malone’s advice and real-life anecdotes can help you take charge of your own health care, and avoid the worst. You can learn more by going to www.lifeyousave.com. The book is available from Amazon and many other book sellers.


2. 365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe, by Don Keenan. Mr. Keenan is a leading attorney on the mainland regarding injuries to children. His latest book looks at safety issues that plague our children, in an effort to prevent childhood injury. He discusses basic safety hazards that injure or kill many children unnecessarily. It is a guide for parents—helping us to protect our kids, stressing prevention.
   
   According to David Goo, M.D., Head of Pediatric Emergency Room, Hughes Spalding Hospital and Children's Healthcare, Atlanta, GA:
   
   

   “The best part of this book is the outlines and checklists to prevent injuries caused by hazards. It not only points out the problem, but it offers real solutions. . . As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I see the outcome of so many accidents that devastate children and families. Broken bones because of crib slats which did not meet safety standards, horrible burns from hot water and flammable clothing, children choking to death on small objects, fatal ingestions, and horrific motor vehicle accidents. Most of these accidents are preventable, and thus are that much more tragic. I have worked all of my professional career to help these sick and injured children, and believe that a guide that outlines potential hazards is invaluable. Parents, teachers, and others who provide childcare will find this to be a superb reference to enable them to safety proof the child's world to the best of their abilities. I am sure that this manual will decrease the number of tragedies that we see in the emergency room daily, and will make my job easier.”

   For more information about the book, go to www.balloonpress.com.


3. In Hawaii, to see if prior lawsuits have been filed against a particular person or entity, go to www.courts.state.hi.us, then click on “Search Court Records” at the top menu, then click on the “Ho’ohiki” line. You can search criminal and civil records by name. One technical warning: I have had trouble getting this to work with Mozilla Firefox—you may need to use Internet Explorer or some other browser. Also: just because someone has sued or been sued does not mean much in and of itself, but sometimes you can learn a lot about the case. What happened? Who was involved? How did it end? Has it happened repeatedly? More information is almost always better than less information.


4. Automobile defects, recalls, and highway safety: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: www.nhtsa.dot.gov


5. Consumer Product Safety Commission: www.cpsc.gov (recalls of dangerous products).


6. Consumer fraud alerts: www.fraud.org


7. This is a new national database for used cars. It is especially helpful in finding out odometer readings, whether a used car has a "branded" title (like a "lemon" car), or has been declared a total loss by an insurance company due to a prior accident. It is not foolproof, but it does have a lot of solid information that can help you. You should try this database before spending money on a CarFax report or for Experian. Information on previous, significant vehicle damage may not be included in the system if the vehicle was never determined by an insurance company (or other appropriate entity) to be a “total loss” or branded by a state titling agency. Conversely, an insurance carrier may be required to report a “total loss” even if the vehicle’s titling-state has not determined the vehicle to be “salvage” or “junk.” Before making a decision to purchase a vehicle, consumers may wish to obtain an independent vehicle inspection, a NMVTIS Vehicle History Report, and consult other available vehicle information resources. http://www.nmvtis.gov/