Our Recommended Personal Injury Information Resources

Medical Malpractice

• Institute of Medicine: "What You Can Do To Prevent Medication Errors"
  Medication errors are always preventable, but happen everyday in Virginia hospitals and nursing homes.  This Fact Sheet provides useful tips to prevent medication errors regardless of whether you are at home, in the hospital, or in a nursing home.
• Medline
  Medline provides abstracts of medical literature from peer reviewed journals. The full text of many of the articles are available online.
• The American Association for Justice
  AAJ is committed to fighting back against the well-organized and well-funded assault on the civil justice system, and protecting American civil rights and trial by jury. Joshua Silverman shares the commitment of AAJ to protect the right to trial by jury.
• Preventing Medical Errors
  The Institute of Medicine estimates that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year due to medical malpractice. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's website provides helpful information for patients to be advocates for their own safety when undergoing medical care.
• Virginia Practitioner Database
  Find out if your doctor has been disciplined by the Board of Medicine or has paid a malpractice settlement in the past 10 years. The Virginia Board of Medicine's databank provides important information about all medical doctors and podiatrists licensed in Virginia. At this website you can research the educational background of doctors as well as whether they have ever settled a medical malpractice claim or had a judgment entered against them.

Anoxic Brain Injuries Due to Malpractice

• Brain Injury Association of Virginia
  The Brain Injury Association of Virginia provides resources to victims of brain injuries and their families.
• Commonwealth of Virginia - Disability Resources
  There are government services available to Virginians who are disabled due to brain injuries. This link takes you to the official government website describing the various resources provided to Virginians suffering from serious disabilities ranging from financial assistance to rehabilitation.
• National Rehabilitation Information Center
  The National Rehabilitation Information Center assists people who are disabled due to brain injuries. This link provides information on how to obtain financial assistance, education, technology, and other services for victims of brain injuries.

Bowel Injuries

• Bowel Trauma - Emedicine Article
  This article describes the frequency and severity of bowel injuries. One of the most common causes of bowel injuries is trauma that sends the patient to the emergency room. An emergency room doctor who fails to recognize the potential for a bowel injury places a patient at serious risk of a life threatening infection.
• Colostomy - Medline Plus
  Medline, which is a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provides medical information regarding colostomies which are often necessitated by bowel injuries.

Retained Objects From Surgery

• Objects Retained During Surgery: Human Diligence Meets Systems Solutions
  Retained surgical objects are almost always preventable. This article explores the scope of the problem and solutions to prevent this very serious form of medical malpractice.
• Prevention of Retained Foreign Bodies
  This article published by The American College of Surgeons addresses the incidence of foreign bodies retained after surgery and steps surgeons and nurses can take to prevent these serious injuries. The article suggests that most major hospitals have at least one patient who is injured every year because of a retained foreign body.
• The Retained Surgical Sponge
  This article discusses the frequency of retained foreign objects as well as the mortality rates.

Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility Abuse

• Involuntary Transfer and Discharge of Nursing Home Patients
  The Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 protects nursing home patients from involuntary transfer and discharge. Patients can only be transferred or discharged from a nursing home under limited circumstances. In most cases the nursing home must give the patient at least 30 days notice. The National Consumer Voice for Long Term Care provides a useful guide to the rights of nursing home patients against involuntary transfer or discharge. If you believe a loved one has been wrongfully transferred or discharged from a nursing home, please call us at (804) 325-4992 to discuss your legal rights.
• Types of Abuse in Nursing Homes
  Joshua Silverman has created a website devoted to the rights of nursing home patients and assisted living facility residents. This link provides valuable information about the signs and symptoms of the most commonly types of abuse committed against the elderly.
• Virginia Assisted Living Facility Inspection Reports
  The Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) inspects and licenses assisted living facilities. At this website you can learn how individual assisted living facilities performed at their recent inspections and whether the facility has been recently sanctioned.  Inspections are random and can be in response to a complaint.
• Virginia Department of Health - Nursing Home Complaint Form
  If you believe a loved one has been mistreated in a Virginia nursing home you can file a complaint with the Virginia Department of Health.  If warranted they will conduct an unannounced inspection and they have the authority to issue sanctions against Virginia nursing homes.

Products Liability

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  The FDA's website provides valuable information about food and drug recalls, investigations, and safety information.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Product Recalls
  Features safety recall information for automobiles, school buses, child safety seats, and defect investigations.
• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provides valuable safety information for consumers ranging from recommendations on child safety seats to traffic safety to aviation accident investigations.
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  Every year thousands of people are injured or killed due to defective products. The CPSC's website provides useful information including searchables lists of recalled products.

General

• Center for Justice and Democracy
  The Center for Justice and Democracy is an independent organization that advocates for consumer rights. Please visit this website to learn more about why "tort reform" deprives victims of their rights and is a gift to insurance companies, why BP should be compelled to pay for all of the damage it has caused to the environment and to hard working Americans in the Gulf Coast, and other valuable information.
• Code of Virginia (searchable index)
  Searchable index of the Code of Virginia.
• Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
  The opinions of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals are available through a searchable index. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reviews federal court cases arising out of Virginia and other mid-Atlantic states.
• Virginia Judicial System
  From this website you can access the websites of the Virginia Supreme Court, Virginia Court of Appeals, and the Virginia Circuit Courts. The website also provides useful legal forms and information about the courts of Virginia.
• Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
  The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association is a voluntary bar association.  Josh Silverman is a member of the Board of Governors and is the current chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee.