Drivers who fail to use their turn signals cause approximately 2 million accidents every year. More accidents every year are caused by drivers who fail to use turn signals, than by distracted drivers. According to a new study, drivers who fail to use their turn signals, cause approximately 2 million accidents every year. Read entire article
Earlier today, STLToday.com reported a devastating Illinois trucking accident that occurred in Springfield, Illinois. The article reveals that a school bus transporting 33 sixth-grade students was traveling along Interstate 55 at around 4:30 p.m. – just five miles of Litchfield – when a semi truck traveling in front of the school bus began to slow down. The school bus driver failed to notice the semi truck driver’s reduced speed and subsequently collided into the back of the semi truck. As a result of the collision, our Chicago truck accident attorneys learned that more than a dozen students aboard the bus, as well as, the school bus driver sustained injury. It is reported that a 12-year-old student was airlifted to a nearby Illinois hospital where she has been treated for a broken femur. She is currently listed in fair condition and is expected to undergo surgery. Additionally, seven children were treated at a hospital in Litchfield – with two later discharged, three still requiring hospitalization, and two airlifted to a St. Louis hospital. Several concerned parents also took their children to an area hospital where they were treated for minor injuries – such as bumps and bruises. Uninjured students returning from the field trip in Springfield, Illinois, were transported back to their school. Our Chicago truck accident lawyers read that due to the crash investigation, the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 from exit 60 to exit 52 in Litchfield remains closed as of press time. Any Chicago truck accident lawyer will tell you that motor vehicle accidents – including bus and semi truck accidents – continue to remain the leading cause of fatality among children. This notion is due to the fact that any injury sustained by a young child in a motor vehicle collision can lead to substantially devastating consequences than those injuries sustained by adults A recent analysis conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that children who suffer head injuries (such as traumatic brain injuries) as a result of a collision can experience lasting or late-appearing neuropsychological problems. If you or your child has sustained injury in a motor vehicle collision, please contact our Chicago trucking accident attorneys as soon as possible. Our knowledgeable attorneys continue to provide qualified legal representation to those who have been injured as a result of another’s negligence. Recently, our attorneys obtained a $6.5 million settlement on behalf of a Huntley family incurred debilitating injuries in a tragic semi truck accident. Through our investigation, it was revealed that the driver of the semi truck was operating under the influence of marijuana, in addition to, operating an overloaded semi truck at the time of the accident.
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Illinois Bus-Semi Truck Collision Results in Numerous Injuries
Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for children ages 1 to 14 in the United States. For every one child who drowns, another four children receive medical treatment in emergency departments for submersion-related injuries. Most alarming is many of these deaths and injuries occur when children are under the supervision of an adult! Pool Safety Starts Out Of The Water Diving into pools also presents a great opportunity for serious injuries, such as paralysis. About 16,000 young people under the age of 16 are hospitalized because of diving injuries each year, and one in five of them will suffer a severe spinal cord injury. Residential swimming pool accounts for a significant number of these diving injuries. According to the American Institutes for Research, 30.8% of all aquatic-related accidents occur in pools rather than natural bodies of water. Most of the diving injuries occur not from diving boards, but from dives into shallow water. Make Sure You Have Proper Drain Covers Another danger associated with pools is the risk of entrapment or evisceration in pool drains, i.e. child’s hair gets caught in a drain at the bottom of a spa or pool, etc. These risks lead to the passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act in 2007 , which mandates certain types of pool drain covers to eliminate or reduce the risk of entrapment. Guidelines For Safety Here are some safety guidelines to remain safe during pool activity: Get rid of diving boards and don’t dive in shallow water Avoid drinking alcohol while swimming or supervising children Make sure all doors leading from the home to the pool have alerts or alarms that sound when the door is opened Have a proper pool fence of at least four feet, that can be locked and secured Add an alarm to the pool so it will sound when someone enters the water Install a motorized pool cover that will support the weight of a person who may step on it For more information on how you can make your pool a safer place for the entire family visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely website.
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Pool Safety
While the physical well-being of you and or your passengers are your primary concern immediately after a collision, often the second concern is “what is going to happen with my car?” Those of us who have planned ahead and purchased full coverage all believe that the collision repair shop we “choose” to evaluate and eventually repair our vehicle is on our side. We all believe that repair shops are there to return our damaged vehicles back to normal, to our satisfaction. Most are NOT. Insurance Company Approved Auto Repair Shops First, all major auto insurance companies direct their customers to a “circle” of preferred or approved repair shops that the insurance companies lead us to believe are the best shops. These shops are on the companies’ short list because they keep the repair costs low, try their best to not declare the vehicle a total loss, and always do the repairs for less than it costs to replace the vehicle. Most customers don’t know that repair shops know in advance, even before your car arrives, that if they are asked to appraise the damage to a vehicle that, unless it is absolutely impossible to repair the vehicle, the shops are pressured to keep the initial damage appraisal to less than 70% of the car’s value. The pressure comes from the need to get repeat business from the insurance companies (by keeping repair costs low) and the shops’ interest in repairing vehicles instead of just estimating vehicle damage for free. A combination of experience of appraising vehicle damage on a daily basis, what insurance companies tell them is the “total loss threshold” and the damage appraisal software provided to them by the insurance industry, these preferred repair shops learn what it takes to keep repair estimates at less than 70% of the vehicle’s value. Auto Repair Shops Don’t Look Out For You The customer is the only one suffering in this scenario. Often only cosmetic repairs are fixed, while structural damage which is the most expensive to repair or replaced is ignored. The result is a cosmetically repaired vehicle that is no longer safe to drive and is far from the precision designed vehicle you started the day with. The other consequence is that the insurance companies who evaluate your bodily injury claim all point to the minor cosmetic damage to your vehicle, and the low repair bill as evidence that the occupants of the vehicle could not have been hurt. Most repair shops do not have the customer’s best interest at heart and the customer suffers the consequences of cheap repairs which do not return the customer’s car to its pre-collision condition, and cheap repairs that do not fairly reflect the actual damage done to the car. Choose Your Auto Repair Shop Carefully The solution is to ask friends and family for referrals to repair shops who they have had good experiences with, or take your vehicle to the dealer for repairs. Have you or a loved one suffered damage to your automobile and then suffered again because of a dishonest auto repair shop? Contact the law offices of Frank D. Penney for more information and help.
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The Auto Repair Shop is NOT on Your Side
The month of May is being commemorated as National Dog Bite Prevention Month. The month of May is being commemorated as National Dog Bite Prevention Month. In San Diego, at least one hospital has taken upon itself the task of educating locals about preventing a bite. Read entire article
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Need for More Awareness about Dog Bite Prevention
It is known that for people who drink excessively may have a much slower recovery from burn injuries compared to those who do not drink. People who drink excessively may have a much slower recovery from burn injuries compared to those who do not drink. Read entire article
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Binge Drinkers Likely to Recover Slower from Burn Injuries
Here are ten intersection laws every driver should know. Since driver’s education class was several years ago, or for some drivers much longer, there is a great need to freshen up on driving laws. Read entire article
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Ten Intersection Laws Every Driver Should Know
Earlier this week, a Chicago truck accident attorney at our office read a news report detailing a settlement that has been reached in a fire truck accident lawsuit. BaltimoreSun.com reports that the accident in question transpired in December 2007 when a fire truck, responding to a call, sped through a city intersection with its lights and siren on at 47 miles per hour. It was reported that the fire truck struck the victim’s passenger vehicle that was traveling at around 23 miles per hour through the intersection. However, according to regulations mandated by the city of Baltimore, emergency vehicles are required to stop at all red lights and stop signs – even when responding to emergencies – to ensure that intersections are clear of traffic. As a result of the tragic accident, a 49-year-old woman, her 35-year-old husband, as well as, their 24-year-old friend all succumbed to fatal injuries. According to local authorities, no criminal charges were filed against the firefighters. City and state laws in Maryland set high immunity for police and firefighters responding to emergency calls. Additionally, our Chicago truck accident lawyer learned that Maryland does not recognize gross negligence in these types of cases. The news article reveals that the fire truck accident was deemed the worst accident involving Baltimore firefighters and civilians in 50 years. Relatives of the victim of the 2007 fire truck collision will each split $40,000 as part of their settlement. Our Chicago trucking accident attorney learned that $40,000 is the cap set for motor tort claims involving police and firefighters responding to emergencies. In addition to the settlement reached as a result of this devastating collision, Baltimore’s Solicitor’s Office wishes to settle two other claims involving traffic accidents with city vehicles. The city has agreed to award a pedestrian $200,000 who suffered extensive injuries and increasing medical expenses as a result of being struck by a car driven by a city health department worker who had fallen asleep behind the wheel. In the other case, the city agreed to pay $100,000 to another individual involved in a traffic accident with a city vehicle. Often times, collisions involving emergency vehicles run the risk of causing substantial personal injury and even premature fatality. If you have been involved in a collision involving a city vehicle, it is important to obtain qualified legal representation from experienced accident attorneys who are well-versed in handling these types of complex cases. Recently, our Chicago truck accident attorneys obtained a $10 million settlement on behalf of an 8-year-old Chicago boy who lost his leg in a tragic fire truck accident on the South Side. The settlement aiding in covering the young boy’s past and future medical expenses, as well as, special prosthetic devices he will need for the rest of his life.
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Fatal Fire Truck Accident Lawsuit Reaches Settlement
I’ve written here before, as a Missouri tractor-trailer accident lawyer , about the federal government’s use of Missouri as an example in its crusade for a nationwide ban on texting while driving. The crash took place in Franklin County in 2010, and was attributed to the actions of a 19-year-old driver who was texting while driving a pickup truck and failed to notice traffic slowing ahead. That triggered a chain-reaction crash in which he slammed into a big rig, then was hit from behind by two school buses taking high schoolers on a band trip. Ultimately, the accident killed the pickup driver and one student, and injured 38 others. The National Transportation Safety Board cited the tragedy when it called for states to ban all texting behind the wheel. But according to a May 5 article from the Associated Press , Missouri itself has repeatedly failed to pass bills that would extend its texting ban to drivers older than 21. Missouri’s current law, passed in 2009, applies to drivers 21 and younger. Five Missouri cities have bans for drivers of all ages, siding with 37 states across the U.S. A state representative, Don Wells, R-Cabool, proposed anti-texting legislation in the state House this year, but the measure was not successful. Opponents of that bill argued that drivers can already be charged with violating their obligation for “careful and prudent” driving, so no second law is needed. A spokesman for Missouri’s state troopers said these aren’t the same, noting that officers must be able to see the driver doing something unsafe in addition to texting, and that it’s hard to tell at a glance whether a driver is 21 or 22. For those reasons, the state Highway Patrol supports a full ban. The state Senate also debated but is not expected to pass a law banning all distracted driving, but opponents there argued that police officers might abuse it to issue unnecessary tickets. As a St. Louis semi truck accident attorney , I disagree strongly that tickets issued to distracted drivers are unnecessary. We rely on law enforcement officers to use their judgment every day, about issues like probable cause for a search or whether a driver shows enough signs of intoxication to require a breath test. Surely, if we trust them with these judgment calls, we can also trust them to determine whether a driver is truly distracted or just happens to have a phone lying in the vehicle’s center console. Texting while driving is dangerous for everyone, but it’s particularly concerning with drivers of large commercial trucks, because those trucks are so large and heavy. One study found that in the time it took to send a text message, a large truck could travel the length of a football field at highway speeds — without the driver’s eyes on the road! This behavior endangers every unsuspecting motorist who just happens to be around the texting trucker. At Carey, Danis & Lowe, we focus our practice on accidents with large trucks because we understand just how dangerous they can be. When vehicles are the same size, both drivers can often walk away from a relatively low-speed crash. When one is many times the size of the other, however, the same crash can cause death or devastating permanent injuries. Our southern Illinois 18-wheeler accident lawyers help clients who were injured in this kind of crash, and their families, recover fair financial compensation from truck drivers and trucking companies whose negligence caused the crash. In a trucking accident lawsuit , injured people and their families can recover all the past and future financial costs of the crash, including the steep cost of long-term care or acute care and a lifetime of lost wages. They can also recover compensation for their personal and emotional losses, such as permanent disability or loss of a loved one.
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Missouri Texting Ban Fails Again Despite Semi Truck Accident Used as National Example
A collision between a mile-long train and a log-carrying tractor trailer forced a significant detour on South Carolina’s Highway 267. Around 3:30 pm on Monday, the locomotive hit the log truck and dragged it a significant way down the track, causing extraordinary damage. The train’s engine burst and spilled 2,500 gallons of fuel — the locomotive normally carries 4,500. As of Tuesday morning, the leak was reported as contained and no longer a danger according to emergency response crews and officials. However, Charleston rescue crews and local firefighters at the scene requested two homes nearest the damaged engine be evacuated as a precaution — the residents obliged. As of Monday, a crane was on route to help extract the truck and the train from the tracks to reopen the crossing. Concerns about the crash were high, because the train was reportedly carrying dangerous chemicals including cyanide and liquid phosgene. Officials urged people to remain calm, and insisted that the tanks carrying these chemicals were neither damaged nor leaking. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control arrived at the scene shortly after the accident to make sure that no such disaster had occurred. As mentioned above, a long detour had to be set up to accommodate traffic while the train and truck were being cleared from the site. This trucking accident serves both as an example of what has happened and what can happen in a serious accident. Shockingly, no one was killed or seriously injured in the collision. Usually tractor-trailer drivers do not survive an impact with a cargo train. However, nearly 3,000 gallons of fuel were spilled, forcing the evacuation of two nearby homes — this spill will require extensive cleanup efforts to make sure residents and wildlife in the area are not harmed in the future. Further, the truck’s collision with the train could very easily have damaged or cracked the tanks containing chemicals even more dangerous than the train’s fuel supply. The story might have read very differently if phosgene or cyanide had been the chemicals spilling toward those two houses.
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Freight Train Takes Logging Truck for an Unintentional Ride