THE INJURY LAWYER DIRECTORY BLOG

The Kanawha County Sherriff’s Department in West Virginia has developed a new hands-on program designed to teach drivers the dangers of distracted driving. According to the Sheriff’s Department, 17 people died in West Virginia auto accidents in 2009 simply because another driver was distracted.

As part of the program, deputies from Kanawha County will educate schools and businesses with an informational presentation, followed by a brief hands-on driving course using golf carts. Each participant will first drive the course without any distractions. The second time around, an instructor will sit in the passenger’s seat and do all the things we’re used to our friends doing: talk to us, text us, and more.

As the Chief Deputy stated, “We can show people that it took five seconds for them to stop when they were not distracted, but 15 when they were. That ten-second difference can mean someone’s life.”

According to research conducted by the University of Utah, distracted driving can slow a person’s reaction time down as much as a blood alcohol content level of 0.08%, which is the legal standard for a DUI.

If you have been injured (or if a loved one has been killed) due to another driver’s negligence, please contact the experienced car accident attorneys at Jan Dils & Jim Leach Attorneys at Law, PLLC today to schedule a free case evaluation.

A man from the Florida Panhandle was recently sentenced to fifteen years in jail for driving under the influence and causing a fatal January crash. The man was driving his truck with a blood alcohol content level of 0.171%; Florida law considers an individual impaired at 0.08%.

The two passengers in the man’s truck sustained serious injuries when he crashed into a tree. Both died shortly after the accident, while the driver lived. The driver has been convicted on two counts of DUI manslaughter. After serving his 15-year prison sentence, he is required to serve an additional five years of probation, and will permanently lose his license and driving privileges.

DUI crashes are not accidents. An intoxicated driver makes a choice to get behind the wheel and endanger the lives of other passengers. When people suffer serious injury or wrongful death as the result of a drunk driver’s actions, the driver should be adequately punished for willfully putting others at risk with his or her reckless actions. The injured parties or surviving family members deserve justice and compensation for their losses.

If you or a loved one has suffered in a DUI crash due to an intoxicated individual’s negligence and wrongdoing, please contact the experienced Florida DUI victims’ attorneys at the Luhrsen Law Group today to schedule a free case evaluation.

Almost a year ago, a woman was killed when a large chunk of concrete from a dangerous pothole in the road broke through her vehicle’s windshield. The 33-year-old woman was traveling through Alabama with her husband and two children, on their way home to South Carolina.

State officials confirmed that the money was paid as compensation to the woman’s family for the unfortunate freak accident – the result of unsafe road conditions that the state had left unaddressed until the incident occurred. After an investigation into the cause of the accident, state officials realized that the matter was an issue of premises liability, and negotiated a settlement with the surviving husband and his family.

Even on a public road, citizens have a reasonable expectation that the premises they are using are maintained for safety. If a piece of property used by the public is neglected by its owners, it can become a danger in several ways. No one expects unfortunate accidents like this to occur, but attentiveness and careful maintenance can easily prevent them.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed because of another party’s failure to maintain their property, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact the experienced Alabama premises liability attorneys at Long & Waite today to schedule your free case evaluation.

This past weekend, a motorcyclist was traveling south on SC 47 when he collided with a deer and was thrown off his Harley-Davidson onto the pavement. While the cyclist was struggling to recover, a sedan that was also traveling south struck and killed the rider, then abruptly left the accident scene.

The hit-and-run car accident occurred at around 8PM on Saturday, March 19^th, 1.5 miles south of Elloree, South Carolina. The victim was identified as a 51-year-old man who lived in Elloree.

Authorities describe the fleeing vehicle as a gold or tan four-door Toyota Camry, in the 1992 to 1996 model range, that may have damage to its front bumper or undercarriage. Police are still searching for the vehicle, and request that any sightings of the Toyota be reported to Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Hit-and-run car accidents are serious cases by themselves; when a wrongful death occurs as a result, obtaining justice and compensation for the surviving family members becomes even more critical.

If someone you are close to has been injured or killed as the result of another person’s negligence or wrongdoing, please contact the experienced car accident and wrongful death attorneys at Blackwell Trimnal & Myers, LLC today to schedule a confidential consultation.

Many patients who suffer from high cholesterol are prescribed regular doses of Crestor: a drug designed to lower levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol, while raising levels of good (HDL) cholesterol in the body.

Unfortunately, Crestor – and other statin drugs like it – also decreases an important chemical in the body that is key to proper muscle function. As a result, many patients who use Crestor have experienced life-threatening heart problems like cardiomyopathy: the deterioration of the heart muscle.

Since before Crestor was first approved by the FDA, doctors and consumer protection groups have called for it to be banned, citing inadequate clinical studies, ineffectual results, and the risk of serious side effects.

Apart from cardiomyopathy, Castor has also been linked to:

• Kidney failure
• Liver dysfunction
• General muscle and skeletal myopathy
• Fluid build-up in the lungs and legs

If you or someone you know has suffered injury due to long-term use of Crestor or another statin drug, you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t hesitate to contact an experienced pharmaceutical injury lawyer in your area today.

While texting on his cell phone, a distracted 41-year-old man ran a stop sign and collided with an elderly couple’s vehicle in Michigan. The 78-year-old passenger died from the impact, while the driver – her husband – survived serious injuries.

This wrongful death case due to a texting driver’s negligence is believed to be the first incident of its kind in Michigan. A new state law, created in 2010, bans texting while driving. However, the charge against the culprit is merely a misdemeanor, resulting in a one-year prison term and a $1,000 fine. Many people, including the surviving husband, do not believe this is an appropriate punishment for the entirely preventable car accident.

Authorities say their hands are tied: because the man was not drunk, speeding, or involved in other “egregious behavior,” he could not be charged with manslaughter or reckless driving. Lawmakers are considering reviewing penalties in similar cases in order to establish a more comprehensive punishment going forward. Meanwhile, the man is free on bond pending an April 23^rd pre-trial in Michigan’s Lapeer District Court.

If one of your family members has died in Michigan due to another person’s negligence, you deserve not only compensation, but justice. Please contact the experienced wrongful death attorneys at Jay Trucks & Associates, PC today for a free consultation.

A 45-year-old man died on Thursday in an auto accident when an SUV collided with a tree off of Mamalahoa Highway in South Kona, Hawaii. The man was a passenger in the vehicle; patrol officers identified the driver, who sustained injuries but lived, as a 26-year-old woman from Honaunau. She was driving her 1993 Ford Explorer south on the highway when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the tree. Police are certain that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

The passenger and driver were both taken to Kona Community Hospital in critical condition, but the man did not survive his injuries and died later that night. The woman, who did not possess a driver’s license and lacked no-fault insurance, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Due to her injuries, she has been released to Kona Community Hospital pending further investigation.

Authorities have re-classified the case as a negligent homicide and ordered an autopsy on the passenger.

When another person’s recklessness leads to a preventable accident and wrongful death, the consequences can leave surviving family members devastated. While no amount of money can replace a loved one, consulting with an experienced wrongful death attorney can help you receive the compensation you need to recover in the middle of a crisis.

If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a car accident due to another’s negligence, please contact the experienced Hawaii car accident and wrongful death lawyers at The Law Offices of Philip R. Brown today to schedule a consultation.

Just when consumers were starting to get comfortable with peanut products again, Unilever, the owner of Skippy peanut butter, announced a product recall of their Reduced Fat Creamy and Super Chunk peanut butter spreads for possible contamination with salmonella.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because back in 2007 and 2009, peanut salmonella scares implicated ConAgra Foods and caused the Peanut Corporation of America to go bankrupt. However, this new recall could simply be an isolated case. FDA officials are currently investigating the matter, but state they are in the early stages and have “reached no conclusions as to the source” of the contamination.

The FDA notes that ever since 2009, peanut butter has been considered a high risk food because it can contain and support the growth of salmonella if appropriate precautions are not taken.

The recalled Skippy peanut butter products were distributed to Arkansas, Illinois, Connecticut, Iowa, Delaware, Minnesota, Maine, Missouri, New Hampsire, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Virginia. The affected lot have expiration dates between May 16 and May 21, 2012. The UUPC codes on the 16.3 ounce jars are 048001006812 and 048001006782. Those who believe they have an affected jar are urged to discard the product as soon as possible and call Skippy for a replacement coupon: (800) 453-3432.

We trust food manufacturers and distributors to use the utmost caution when packaging and selling their products to the public. When this trust is compromised, it can have disastrous consequences.

If you have suffered illness or injury as the result of a defective product in one of the states mentioned above, please contact the experienced product recall attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton today to schedule your free case evaluation.

A steam accident due to a defective product at a West Virginia tin mill injured four workers last Friday. One of the workers was seriously injured and had to be taken to a Pittsburgh hospital. Another worker was treated at a local hospital and recently released, while the other two were treated at the scene of the accident.

The plant is located in Weirton – about 30 miles west of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania – and is owned by ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel maker, based out of Luxembourg. The company manufactures rolled steel sheets for use in food cans and other products.

A malfunctioning steam valve was responsible for the workers’ injuries; the cause of the valve’s failure is still being investigated by ArcelorMittal, along with members of United Steelworkers Local 2911.

Employees who daily work with factory and manufacturing equipment trust that it has been rigorously tested and inspected for safety. When that safety is compromised, the results can be catastrophic. Workers’ compensation is an insurance program designed to protect workers who are injured on the job from loss of income and burdensome medical expenses. However, navigating the often complex claim process can be difficult for many people, especially when insurance companies are constantly seeking ways to reduce your payout.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a workplace accident, make sure you are getting the compensation you deserve. Don’t hesitate to contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman today to schedule a consultation.

Few over-the-counter medications are more common or widely-used than Tylenol. Because of its popularity, many people mistakenly assume Tylenol is harmless, when in fact it contains acetaminophen: a drug that has been linked to liver damage, liver failure, kidney damage, and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Since 2009, Tylenol has been required to add warning labels to their products indicating the potential risk of severe liver injury. The FDA’s “Boxed Warning” is the strongest type of label warning mandated by the FDA, representing drug products that come with serious and potentially life-threatening risks.

A clinical study reported in the 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that Tylenol may damage the liver even at recommended dosage levels. Liver enzymes sharply increased in healthy adults who took the highest recommended dose of Extra-Strength Tylenol, an early sign of possible organ damage.

If you have experienced symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and loss of appetite after taking Tylenol, this may indicate the onset of liver damage. Tylenol has also been linked with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis), a type of allergic reaction. SJS starts with flu-like symptoms, sometimes progressing to a painful rash that can blister and spread over the skin.

If you or someone you know has suffered injury or illness due to the use of Tylenol or other products containing acetaminophen, you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t hesitate to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area today.