Social Security Disability Blog

The winter holiday season is a wonderful time to spend time with your family, decorate the home and go on road trips. Some common activities you may partake in include hanging lights, decorating a Christmas tree and driving to visit loved ones. While these tasks may be somewhat stressful, you may not view them as dangerous.

However, even simple tasks during the holidays can result in injuries, disabilities and fatalities. Here are some statistics and safety tips to help you avoid injuries from holiday accidents this year. 

You know that the physical injuries you suffer in a car accident could change your life forever, but have you ever really considered the mental and emotional impact of a crash? This is usually worse when you get seriously injured or when a loved one passes away, but it can happen even after "minor" accidents. This stress can absolutely have a negative impact on your life.

The main symptom you may see is a fear of driving. It could be almost as bad as a phobia, and you'll feel like you're having a panic attack if you get in a vehicle or drive down the same road where the accident happened. Other potential symptoms may include:

• Waking up often or not being able to get to sleep
• Having nightmares and flashbacks
• Going through mood swings and feeling more irritable than you did before
• Experiencing excessive weight gain or weight loss
• Withdrawing from friends and family members; choosing to spend more time alone
• Always feeling exhausted or fatigued, making it hard to go to school or work
• Feeling like life is always overwhelming and you cannot cope with it
• Becoming obsessive about specific behaviors, especially those related to safety
• Feeling embarrassed by the accident and the way that it makes you feel
• Being lonely, even when you chose the social withdrawal

Injuries from a car accident can have serious ramifications that can continue to affect you for a long time to come. As the costs of accidents continue to grow, filing a lawsuit can be an effective way to get compensation to cover medical bills, make up for the earnings you lose and help you afford the added living expenses that often ensue.

The success of any particular claim depends on a wide variety of factors, many of which you cannot control. However, avoiding some common errors that can sabotage your case is a good way to increase your chances of prevailing.

Rabies can be transmitted from dogs to humans. Even those who do not contract the disease could be seriously injured in an attack. It is very important to make an early diagnosis. Those who get bitten need to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

To help, here are a few common signs that a dog may be suffering from rabies:

• The dog wants to eat nonfood items, such as dirt or drywall. This is known as pica.
• The dog is running a fever.
• The dog's jaw hangs open.
• The dog experiences violent seizures.
• The dog shows outward signs of aggression that are more severe than normal.
• The dog becomes paralyzed or does not have very good coordination.
• The dog's bark begins to sound different as the tone changes.
• The dog becomes afraid of water.
• The dog can no longer swallow while eating.
• The dog becomes either very excitable or very shy; the disease impacts different animals in different ways.
• The dog seems irritable all the time.
• You notice that the dog's behavior and attitude have changed significantly or that they seem to shift often.
• The dog begins salivating and frothing at the mouth.