GA Injury Advocates - October 2021

GA Injury Advocates - October 2021

Auto Injury T R I B U N E

October 2021

What’s the Difference? HALLOWEEN AND DAY OF THE DEAD

Halloween is right around the corner, and in Mexico and other Latin American countries, the Day of the Dead (or Día de los Muertos) follows immediately after. While the Day of the Dead has become better known in the U.S. through the movie “Coco” and other pop culture, there persists a common misconception that it is “Mexican Halloween.”

Today, Halloween celebrations have both a scary and non-scary side. While horror movies, haunted houses, and ghost stories abound, so do costume parties and trick-or-treating. Depending on your proclivities and age, Halloween can be whatever you make it. But whether through jack-o’-lanterns, black cats, zombie costumes, or creepy skeletons, there’s no doubt it has its focus on fright.

The two holidays occur close together and have a fixation on spirits and death, but they are otherwise quite different. To understand how, it’s helpful to trace both celebrations back to their roots. Halloween originated with Celtic beliefs that on one night a year, the boundary between the dead and the living blurred, making it easy for ghosts to cross over to the physical realm. Celts believed that ghosts destroyed crops, so they would light bonfires to ward them off. These practices gradually transformed into the spooky traditions we know today.

The Day of the Dead is observed Oct. 31– Nov. 2 and specifically concentrates on lost loved ones. Celebrations involve families making trips to the cemetery to clean their relatives’ graves, make offerings, and even spend the night. Those who cannot visit the graveyard will often construct elaborate altars in their home to honor the dead instead. The quintessential sugar skull that most commonly represents the Day of the Dead is not a simple skeleton, but a caricature infused with levity. The ceremonies are not somber but consist of bright colors, elaborate costumes, and parades taking over the streets.

The Day of the Dead has its origins in Aztec beliefs that their ancestors would visit them one day a year. They believed the deceased had to make a difficult journey after death to the Land of the Dead (Chicunamictlán), so they brought their deceased loved ones food and water to help them on their way. This has evolved into modern festivities that celebrate the lives of those who have died. While the holidays have similarities, the difference is clear: Halloween is rooted in fear of death, whereas the Day of the Dead is about honoring and accepting death.

Whether your family is carving a pumpkin or painting a sugar skull this year, we hope that you will have a safe and fun time. Enjoy your celebrations — whatever they may be.

El Abogado Ramiro (El Abogado Amigo) y su equipo hablan español

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How Reading Fiction Can Benefit You SELF-HELP BOOKS CAN’T DO IT ALL

WITHOUT TAKING AWAY THEIR CANDY Almost anyone older than the age of 5 could probably tell you that eating too much candy isn’t good for your teeth — and what is Halloween if not a day solely devoted to giving kids way too much candy? Now, simply telling your child that they can’t eat any candy at all wouldn’t be any fun, and it’s also an unrealistic expectation to have for Halloween. But if you want to keep your child from getting cavities and still let them enjoy their trick-or-treating spoils, here are a few tips. Eat dinner before trick-or-treating. If you want to prevent your kids from eating their way through most of their candy all on Halloween night, eating dinner before heading out into the neighborhood is a great way to curb their appetite. If they’re not super hungry, they probably won’t eat as much candy. Ration out the candy. Even if your kids don’t eat all of their candy on Halloween night, that means they could just eat it all on another day. So, it might be a good idea to limit their daily candy count; let them take a few pieces of it with them to school as a part of their lunch or let them have some as dessert with their dinner. Have them eat their candy with meals. When you just eat candy by itself, the sugar has more opportunities to stick around, causing tooth decay and plaque to grow. However, if you make your kids wait to eat their candy until mealtime, the production of saliva will help wash away the sugars that would otherwise harm your child’s teeth. Avoid certain candies if you can. All candy has a lot of sugar, but certain candies tend to stick on the teeth and cause more problems than others. Taffies, caramels, and hard candy can linger on the teeth for much longer than chocolate, so if you want to limit your child’s candy, taking those out of their stash would be a good move. HOWTO PROTECT YOUR CHILD’S DENTAL HEALTH ON HALLOWEEN

Many CEOs and other successful individuals continually espouse the benefits of regular reading. Many times, leaders read self-help books to improve their leadership skills and become more successful. This is all well and good, but even the most successful people in the world could be missing out on the unique benefits that come specifically from reading fiction. But what are those benefits exactly? Greater Empathy When a psychologist analyzed 86 functioning

MRI (fMRI) studies, he found that the same parts of the brain that fire up when reading fictional stories also fire up when we’re seeking to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. That’s because when the characters in the book we’re reading are thinking or feeling a certain way, we tend to think or feel that way with them. Less Stress and Better Sleep When we read fiction specifically, we tend to disengage from the world — and that’s a good thing! Our brains can’t always be functioning at their peak capacity. We need breaks, or else we’ll stress ourselves out and negatively affect other areas of our lives. Stress tends to keep us from sound sleep, but reading fiction before bed engages the imagination, taking us away from the stresses of everyday life before we drift off. More Comfort With Uncertainty Even though many stories (particularly those portrayed in popular movies) have nice happy endings, most people would agree that life sometimes leaves things a little more open-ended. While this fact might stress out some people, researchers have discovered that fiction readers don’t need “cognitive closure” as much as nonfiction readers. Greater Happiness Even if none of the benefits of fiction interest you, everyone wants to find ways to make themselves happy — and for many, that is reading fiction. According to one survey, 76% of participants said that reading makes them feel good and improves their lives. So, what are you waiting for? Dust off that novel you’ve been meaning to read and crack it open!

We hope you’ll have a fun, safe Halloween that’s good for your smile!

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By now, you probably know the importance of having good auto insurance coverage in the event of an accident or injury. While poor coverage can leave you stranded with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt, good coverage can ensure you have the treatment and continued care you need. Naturally, when your teen starts driving, you’ll want them to have the best insurance. But many parents experience sticker shock. Car insurance can cost twice as much (or more) as your rate as an adult. Why on earth is it so expensive? Car insurance cost is based on a calculation of risk. Teens may think they’re great drivers — and in the case of your individual teen, you may agree — but statistically, teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a car accident than a person older than 20. One of the top reasons for the higher accident rate is a lack of driver experience, which can account for as many as 75% of teen accidents. When teens first get their licenses, they’ve spent a relatively limited amount of time on the road. They’ll encounter many driving situations for the first time and make errors that more experienced drivers probably wouldn’t. Additionally, they’re more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors. Teen brains are not yet fully developed, resulting in poor risk calculations. As one example, 43.1% of surveyed teens did not always wear a seat belt as a passenger — significantly increasing the chance of serious injury in the event of a crash. STICKER SHOCK?

WHY TEEN CAR INSURANCE IS SO EXPENSIVE Possibly the riskiest behavior of all is having other teens in the car. A study by State Farm Insurance found that male teen drivers were six times more likely to engage in an illegal maneuver when they had passengers. That’s why Georgia law doesn’t allow a teen driver to have any non-family passengers in the car with them for the first six months after getting their license and only allows one other passenger under age 21 during the following six months. While it may be unfortunate for your pocketbook, high insurance rates for teen drivers do make sense. But the cost of auto insurance is nothing compared to the financial and emotional cost of an accident. Talk to your teen today about safe driving — it’s not just about their insurance rates, it’s about their lives.

OKTOBERFEST SOFT PRETZELS

SUDOKU

RECIPE:

Ingredients •

1 1/2 cups warm water

• • • • • • • •

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 packet active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups flour 3 tbsp oil, divided 2/3 cup baking soda

2 eggs, beaten

Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Directions 1. In a bowl, combine water, salt, and sugar. Add yeast and let rest for 5 minutes. Add flour and 2 tbsp oil, then mix thoroughly into a dough. 2. Remove the dough from the bowl. Coat bowl with remaining oil, then return the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and set it aside in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. Cut dough into 8 pieces. Roll them into thin ropes, then twist ropes into pretzel shapes. 5. In a large pot, boil water. Add baking soda, then boil each pretzel for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. 6. Transfer pretzels to a baking sheet. Brush them with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10–15 minutes. Enjoy!

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3. Preheat oven to 450 F.

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Solution from Page 3

Inside

Day of the Dead Is More Than ‘Mexican Halloween’ The Unique Benefits of Reading Fiction How to Protect Your Child’s Dental Health on Halloween Why Is Teen Car Insurance So Expensive? Oktoberfest Soft Pretzels Know Georgia’s Dog Bite Laws

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Are you taking your dog trick-or-treating this year? Many people do, and when done properly, it’s fun for the whole family. Unfortunately, not everyone takes proper safety precautions with their dogs, and that can result in a traumatic dog bite. For the safety of humans and pups alike, it’s important to know the laws in Georgia. Dog bites can cause serious injuries and sometimes permanent disabilities, especially in children. As a result, medical bills and lost wages can pile up. But a dog’s owner is not necessarily liable any time their dog bites. In order for a victim to show liability in a dog bite case, they must prove either that the owner knew or should have known that the dog was “vicious” (had aggressive tendencies) or that the owner did not control the dog in accordance with local law. The victim also must not have provoked the dog through means such as harassment, violence, or trespassing. When it comes to proving viciousness, many people think that Georgia has a “one free bite” rule. That’s misleading. A previous bite is the easiest way to prove that a dog is vicious, but other methods can include statements from neighbors and animal control or veterinary records. That said, proving that the owner knew their dog was dangerous is generally the

most difficult part of a dog bite case, and all dogs in Georgia are considered harmless until proven otherwise. A dog’s breed cannot be used as proof of viciousness.

In terms of negligence, an owner can be shown to be negligent in a variety of ways, such as allowing their dog to

roam free or carelessly allowing them to escape. If there is a local law or ordinance mandating that dogs be leashed, failure to leash a dog can be used as a sign of negligence and may result in liability for the owner. This Halloween — and year-round — do your part to stop a dog bite before it occurs with a few simple tips. Stay clear of unfamiliar dogs, always leash your pet, and leave aggressive dogs at home and securely confined to your property. You might save yourself both an injury and a lawsuit.

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