While it is good news that NHTSA may soon be imposing stricter underride standards, this action has come too late to save many lives. It is one more example of how safety regulators often take far too long to act, increasing the risk of truck crashes and other types of accidents on the road. Consumer Affairs recently reported on how safety organizations, including an organization called AnnaLeaha and Mary for Truck Safety, believe regulators are falling short.

Federal Lawmakers Should Impose Stricter Safety Regulations to Prevent Truck Crashes & Other Collisions

AnnaLeaha and Mary for Truck Safety is named after two sisters who were killed in an accident with a semi-trailer. The parents of the girls believe an absence of sufficient federal regulations were a direct contributing factor to their children’s death. The girls died in an underride accident with a truck driver who was believed to have been on the road too long. If stricter underride standards had been in place at the time of the incident, the deadly accident may never have happened.

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Davis, Davis, Davis & Davis, PC
35 E Court St
Rocky Mt, VA 24151
Phone: (866) 434-1581
Local: (540) 483-5221
Fax: (540) 483-8234

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At least states have this authority to do this right now. Richmond Times Dispatch indicates states may soon no longer be able to impose additional rules related to trucker meal breaks or to trucker rest breaks which go beyond the rules which exist on the federal level. This is because a provision has quietly found its way into a federal aviation bill which would pre-empt state law and prevent states from giving more protections to truckers when it comes to guaranteed breaks.  This provision is one of several recent efforts by federal lawmakers which appear to have the effect of undermining trucking safety.

Federal Laws Increasing the Risk of Truck Accidents

In December of 2014, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act passed and was signed into law. This Act was essentially a must pass act to keep the government funded and operational. Because it was must-pass legislation, lawmakers were able to put provisions into it which they wanted to get passed quietly, which might not have passed if the individual provision had come up separately for a vote. One of the clauses included suspended a requirement which had been issued by FMCSA. The requirement had mandated a 34-hour rest break, with two periods spanning the hours between 1 AM and 5 AM. This break would be required after a trucker had driven 60 hours over seven days or 70 hours over eight days.

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Farrow & Pulice Attorneys at Law
Sarasota Office
3665 Bee Ridge Rd #106
Sarasota, FL 34233
(941) 313-8642

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At least states have this authority to do this right now. Richmond Times Dispatch indicates states may soon no longer be able to impose additional rules related to trucker meal breaks or to trucker rest breaks which go beyond the rules which exist on the federal level. This is because a provision has quietly found its way into a federal aviation bill which would pre-empt state law and prevent states from giving more protections to truckers when it comes to guaranteed breaks.  This provision is one of several recent efforts by federal lawmakers which appear to have the effect of undermining trucking safety.

Federal Laws Increasing the Risk of Truck Accidents

In December of 2014, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act passed and was signed into law. This Act was essentially a must pass act to keep the government funded and operational. Because it was must-pass legislation, lawmakers were able to put provisions into it which they wanted to get passed quietly, which might not have passed if the individual provision had come up separately for a vote. One of the clauses included suspended a requirement which had been issued by FMCSA. The requirement had mandated a 34-hour rest break, with two periods spanning the hours between 1 AM and 5 AM. This break would be required after a trucker had driven 60 hours over seven days or 70 hours over eight days.

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Farrow & Pulice Attorneys at Law
Port Charlotte Office
1777 Tamiami Trail #304
Port Charlotte, FL 33948
(941) 467-3752

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Maybe it’s because snowmobiles are also known as recreational vehicles. Whatever the reason, many snowmobile operators do not take their responsibilities seriously whenever they mount their sleds to take a ride, leading too often to serious injuries, fatalities and accident lawsuits in Maine courts over their reckless behavior.

Experienced accident lawyers say they see many parallels between snowmobile accidents along the state’s 13,000 miles of signed trails and highway crashes involving automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles.

Amongst the most common factors throughout all motor vehicle accident lawsuits is a driver’s unreasonable rate of speed. Just like some motorcyclists, many Maine snowmobile drivers feel they have to feed their “need for speed” See : accident lawyer – the experience of the wind whipping over their bodies. Nonetheless, the circumstances of riding a snowmobile – speeding along a slippery surface of snow or ice with limited braking ability – make it necessary to use extreme caution. The failure to use common sense and exercise defensive driving skills can change even a routine ride on the trails into a high-speed trip to a court date with a Maine snowmobile accident attorney.

Similarly, Maine snowmobile accident lawsuits often follow crashes involving a drunk driver whose thoughtless behavior is the cause of life-changing injuries or fatalities. The blood-alcohol limit for a snowmobile driver, like other motorists, is .08. Within the carefree playing field of snowmobiling, numerous people are in clubs that organize group trips with rest stops at local bars. A drink or two at each stop impairs judgment and slows the reaction time of even experienced snowmobile operators. Operating in a group with riders who drink also poses dangers, including increasing the probability of crashing with another impaired driver and raising the chances of injuries as a result of being caught up in mimicking their high-speed, careless behavior.

One more danger cited by Maine accident lawyers is that consuming alcohol accelerates a lowering of body temperature. In addition to the frigid outdoor environment, the operator runs the possible risk of hypothermia, which also impairs a driver’s judgment.

Poor judgment extends beyond driving behavior, Maine snowmobile accident attorneys note. Every winter, lives are lost and snowmobile accident lawsuits are filed when operators foolishly ignore the perils associated with traveling across ice. The thickness and strength of ice may range widely on rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. Snow often creates a blanket that prevents the formation of thick, strong ice. Even a well-worn trail across water can give the false impression of safety if previous travelers have weakened the ice.

A Maine snowmobile accident lawyer knows that responsible operators can have the ability to protect themselves, their passengers and innocent bystanders by adhering to a few simple rules. Safety equipment, including a helmet with a visor or a set of protective goggles, as well as layers of water-repellent clothing, is necessary. So is carrying a first-aid kid which includes a flashlight, knife, compass, map and waterproof matches.

And don’t ever, Maine attorneys say, travel alone. There’s nothing more dangerous to the life and safety of a snowmobiler than being injured without fellow riders available to provide or seek medical assistance.

When someone has been injured or lost somebody as a result of snowmobile driver who ignores practical sense when operating a 500-pound machine, they ought to contact a Maine snowmobile accident lawyer who possesses expertise in protecting their legal rights and pursuing fair financial compensation.

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A recent story on National Public Radio spotlighted the issue, saying that thousands of oil industry workers are nearing retirement age, leaving significant gaps in maritime worker ranks, both in terms of numbers and oil industry experience. The article identifies the origins of the situation as going back to the 1980s oil busts when crude prices dropped by more than half, forcing companies to let go of workers en masse. Many did not refill those positions as the industry regained momentum and now there is a chasm in the oil industry workforce as older maritime workers retire.

Springfield MO personal lawyer in Springfield MO If you or a
loved one has been injured from the negligence or reckless behavior of another party, you don’t have to face the insurance companies on your own. Call Tolbert, Beadle & Musgrave toll-free at
(800) 487-8546 today. Serving families in Springfield, Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin and throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri & Oklahoma with aggressive representation in cases like:

This period of transition across the oil industry is going to be complicated and every oil platform rig employee-whether new, mid-career or retiring-must be extremely cautious and committed to learning everything they can about safety procedures and equipment.
The oil industry is a backbone of this nation’s economy and every maritime or offshore company should do all it can to protects its employees from oil rig accidents by investing time and money into effective safety training and equipment.

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Medical malpractice victim, don’t be intimidated. http://www.gturnerhowardlaw.com/personal-injury/medical-malpractice Call (877) 496-6580 for the Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III.

Medical malpractice victims often stay silent, but don’t do it. If you think you may be a medical malpractice victim, for any reason, don’t be intimidated by huge corporate hospital officials or doctors who might take offense at your questions. It is your life at stake. Call the Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III today, at (877)496-6560 or contact us online for a free consultation. You deserve justice and help you go after it.

Transcript:
My name is Turner Howard, I’m an attorney in Knoxville Tennessee. And let me share with you a case that we had early on in our practice. It’s a medical malpractice case. And it’s a sad case, but it’s a case where we pushed forward very hard to make sure that the surviving family got a good and fair resolution to their case.

It turns out that a woman, mother of two daughters who had been a life long nurse and a life long smoker presents to her primary care provider for a routine checkup. He takes x-rays and notices on one of the x-rays a spot in her lung that was suspicious. He unfortunately forgets about that. Places the x-rays back in her chart and some nine or ten month later she calls him back for a revisit and asks him about the x-rays he took some nine or ten months before. At which point he says, opps I forgot about that, come back in right away.

They took more x-rays and this time it was discovered that the spot, the tiny spot some nine or ten months before had spread, was much larger and had spread into her system, though her lymph node system. And then she was basically terminal and she got worse and worse very quickly. Where as before, if they caught it some ten months before she would have been easily healed with the proper techniques. It had now become terminal and her life was going to come to an end.

When the daughters came to use after there mothers had died and consulted with us about what we could do about the matter, we took the case and we did a lot of research on cancer, consulted a lot of experts and then went to work. And flew all over the country taking depositions. We worked very hard on the case because we felt very sorry for not only what their mother had gone though but what the daughters had gone though in watching their mother die in that long painful process.

The bottom line was, in the end we got a very fair and just settlement with quite frankly a whole lot of money for the surviving daughters.

Tennessee Personal Injury Attorney Serving:
Knoxville, Maryville, Crossville, Johnson City, Cleveland, Morristown, Farragut, Elizabethton, Athens, Sevierville

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Car Accident Attorneys Chicago

Video Transcript:
If you who have been a pedestrian and you have been hit by a car, you understand that the injuries can be devastating. Typically if a pedestrian is involved in a vehicle accident they don’t walk away from the scene. If you or a loved one has been hit by a car call the Mike Slocumb Law Firm we’ll give you a free consultation and we’ll explain your rights as a pedestrian.

We had a case just this past year that we handled with a pedestrian who was walking in the roadway. He was hit by an SUV and the insurance company predictably said “well, your client was walking in the road so he can’t recover because he was at fault for the accident.” We disagreed, we filed a lawsuit against the driver, we took the case to a jury and we won the case.

Why did we win the case? We won the case because we proved that the driver that hit our client had over twenty seconds after she first saw him to apply the breaks and she never applied the breaks. So even though he was in the road, she had the last opportunity to avoid the accident and she took no evasive action. The Jury agreed with us, we won the case and our client received the compensation he needed for the injuries that devastated his life.

In a pedestrian case just because you may not have had the walk signal, just because you may have been in the roadway, doesn’t mean that a recovery cannot be made. If a driver of an automobile has the last chance to avoid a collision with you, they must avoid the collision and if they don’t avoid the collision, they are responsible for your injuries. Regardless of what you were doing.

Mike Slocumb
http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeSlocumbLawFirm

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Our Lawyers understand such injuries are far from uncommon

“You know your body and how your mind works, and I knew something was just not quite right. I decided to just try to push through and work through it,” Earnardt Jr. said according to USAToday. Earnhardt Jr. was little more than a rookie, and driving just in front of his late father in the 2001 Daytona 500, when Dale Earnhardt Sr. was killed after slamming into the Turn 4 wall on the last lap. Cause of death was a basilar skull fracture, caused when his head, propelled by the velocity of the collision, snapped forward in the accident.

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NASCAR has since made many safety improvements, including a next-generation car that moves the driver toward the center, a head-and-neck restraint device and soft wall technology. However, the risk of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries has not abated.

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Halloween season is the deadliest time of the year for pedestrian accidents in Santa Ana and elsewhere in Southern California.

Injury attorneys in Rancho Santa Margarita and throughout Southern California understand that children are most at risk. In fact, children are more than twice as likely to be killed in a pedestrian accident during Halloween than at any other time of the year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than 4,200 people were killed in pedestrian accidents in 2010 — another 70,000 were seriously injured. California pedestrian accidents claimed 599 lives that year. No other state reported more than 500 deaths.

These cases frequently result in very serious or fatal injury. Motorists are urged to use extra caution, particularly when traveling in residential neighborhoods after dark. Speeding is another risk factor — higher speed shortens the time you have to react and increases the force of collision.

Here are some LAPD Halloween Safety Tips:

-Trick-or-treat before dusk and never let a child go alone.
-Examine treats.
-Never invite children into your home or allow your child to enter a stranger’s home.
-Set a curfew and use proper supervision of children.
-An adult escort and flashlight should accompany small groups of children.
-Keep pets inside and away from children.
-Costumes should be easily visible.
-Comfortable shoes and costumes that don’t obstruct vision are critical.
-Children should always use sidewalks.
-Children should be taught to look in both directions and make eye contact with a driver before crossing the street.

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Adjusters can be end up being very intimidating, in fact, and try to “low-ball” injured employees, getting them to agree to a settlement that won’t cover all their occupational injury costs such as surgery, physical therapy, medication or ergonomic equipment that they need to fully heal.

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BVI Starts up New Offices in Western MA legal websites

Online marketing, branding and web development company BIG VOODOO INTERACTIVE (BVI) has set up shop at 4 Open Square Way, Suite 410, in a move that will give the firm room to grow and flourish in a vibrant, central location.

BVI, which builds and manages websites for attorneys across the United States, is proud to be a part of the Open Square community of more than 50 businesses in the heart of Holyoke’s Innovation District. Open Square, the country’s largest zero net energy mixed use development, is an ideal fit for BVI, said James Fitzgerald, Director of Marketing for BVI.

With easy and quick access to I-91, the MassPike, routes 116 and 391, Open Square allows BVI to attract top notch employees from throughout the region.

“At the rate our company is growing, and given our need for specialized talent, it’s critical that we have a centrally located, creative space large enough to accommodate our current and future growth,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re able to pull talent from Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts.”

The office’s proximity to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., will prove valuable in connecting with clients, as BVI has customers spread throughout the country, according to Fitzgerald.

BVI is occupying 3,500 square feet of office space on the fourth floor, making the firm one of the larger Open Square tenants. As a progressive, growing web development company, BVI’s workforce includes employees who work either completely or partly from home in addition to those who are based in Open Square.

“We’re cloud-based, digital and we encourage creativity and innovation among the staffers who work either in house or remotely,” Fitzgerald explained.

BVI is one of the leaders in the highly competitive field of legal website marketing and development. The staff includes experienced designers, programmers, writers, account managers, SEO strategists and social media specialists.

Previously based in Northampton, BVI opened its doors in 2008 as Intake Advantage. The company continues to expand and currently employs about a dozen individuals who are dedicated to creating cutting edge, top performing websites for lawyers.

Read The Full Story On Yahoo News

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