Personal Injury

Published on: July 13, 2014

Tips to Stay Safe in the Summer

The warm summer months are in full swing, and so are the numerous health and safety risks that are prevalent during this time. Both adults and children are exposed to the risks of being injured in auto accidents, dog bites, boating and swimming incidents, barbecue fires and other safety risks during the weeks of summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has good advice for Americans to stay injury-free during the warm months of summer.

One of the biggest injury risks in the summer is being involved in a car accident.The months of June, July and August are considered the peak season for motor vehicle collisions, simply because there are more vehicles on the road. Add to this the fact that too many of these motorists will be in a hurry to arrive at their destination, or will have had some alcohol to drink prior to getting behind the wheel, it’s easy to see the dangers that exist.

Take into account that there are more drunk drivers and speeding drivers on the road.Try to keep the amount of traveling that you do at night to a minimum, and find less-traveled routes.Always wear your seatbelt, never drink and drive, and stay within the speed limit or a safe speed based on road conditions.If you’re going to drink at a summer party, stay the night or have a sober driver take you home.

Published on: July 6, 2014

Running Red Lights a Big Cause of Accidents Too

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Every year approximately 1,000 people die in accidents that are caused directly by red light violations. While there is understandably a lot of attention focused on driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding as primary contributors to accidents, much less attention is given to the fact that too many deadly accidents are caused by motorists who fail to stop at red lights.

The National Coalition for Safer Roads recently revealed an analysis of data involving red light violations across the country, which provided very interesting results. For instance, the study found that most red light violations across the country occur on Fridays, and the time of the day that sees the highest number of light violations is the afternoon. The least number of violations is seen during the late-night hours. Sunday sees the least number of violations among the days of the week.

Red light violations also seem to spike around major holidays. Memorial Day weekend ranks number one in the number of red light violations. A total of 39,021 red light violations were recorded in 2013 during the Memorial Day weekend. The lowest number of red light violations occurs over the Halloween weekend with 20,902 violations. In Georgia, however, the maximum number of red light violations occurred over the Christmas holiday with 400 violations recorded in the State in 2013.

Published on: June 12, 2014

Prevent Swimming Pool Accidents This Summer

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Some of the most common accidents that result in premises liability lawsuits are drowning and swimming pool accidents that occur at private homes. Drownings involving pools, hot tubs and spas claim hundreds of lives every year, many of them children.According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 3/4 of drowning accidents involve children below the age of five. The CPSC estimates that children between the age of one and five account for 67% of all fatalities in swimming accidents and 64% of all injuries.

This summer, as more families head out for fun in the water the risk of drowning accidents increases. In fact, among children below the age of five, drowning happens to be the single biggest cause of accidental death. Unfortunately, the fact is that many of these accidents occur even in the presence of parents and caregivers at the scene.There was recently a very tragic story in the news about a child who drowned while family and friends were singing happy birthday to another guest.

This summer, make pool safety a priority for your family. Swimming lessons are a great place to start. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children below the age of five take swimming lessons.Besides teaching your children to swim, it’s also important to make sure that your pool is safe not only for your children, but also visiting children who may have gathered at your home to have fun this summer. Installing a fence around your pool, which is required by Georgia law, is one of the best things you can do for safety. And those fences need to be a minimum of 5 feet tall, have locking gates that swing outward, and have a certain amount of space between rails.

Published on: May 9, 2014

Stroke Survivors Often Unaware of Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A stroke is one of the most serious medical events a person can experience, and affects more than 800,000 people in the United States every year. There are many long-term consequences of a stroke that can affect a person’s cognitive and mental abilities.This includes their ability to safely operate a car, truck or motorcycle.

According to the results of a new study, many persons who have survived a stroke begin driving again as quickly as one month after the stroke, without undergoing a driving evaluation or test. Those findings are very alarming, because a stroke can impact a person’s abilities to drive safely, even if there are no outward physical signs of the trauma that the body has been through.

For instance, a stroke very often impairs a person’s reflexes and coordination. That could affect the way a motorist reacts to an emergency situation while driving. A stroke can also result in slowness, memory problems, and judgment difficulties. All of these can prove catastrophic behind the wheel and on the road, where a person is required to constantly make judgments about speed and distance.

Published on: April 28, 2014

Efforts Underway to Reduce Truck Blind Spots and Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

One of the biggest concerns for motorcyclists while traveling anywhere near a tractor-trailer or commercial truck is the possibility that the truck driver will not see the motorcycle.The National Transportation Safety Board recently released a report asking the National Highway Safety Administration to target blind spot mitigation in commercial trucks, especially in those cases where blind spots significantly impact motorcyclists and cyclists.

It’s not difficult to understand why motorcyclists and cyclists may be so easy to miss for a truck driver.A truck driver has several blind spots that exist behind and around their rig and trailer, and any vehicle that is in one of these blind spots may not be easily visible to the truck driver.Those visibility difficulties become even more pronounced in the case of a motorcycle or bicycle because of the narrow frames of these vehicles.

When a truck driver is not able to identify a motorcycle in his blind spot, he is at risk of colliding with it and causing serious injury or death.While the occupants of a car have some amount of protection in the form of seatbelts, airbags and the frame of the vehicle to protect them from serious injuries in a truck accident, motorcyclists have no such luxury.They are extremely vulnerable to the high risk of injuries in an accident with a commercial truck, and it is these risks that the National Transportation Safety Board wants to target.

Published on: February 17, 2014

GAO Report Finds Fault with Federal Trucking Safety Rating System

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Commercial trucking accidents are one of the biggest hazards facing American drivers, and contribute to an average of 4,000 fatalities every year. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a system for rating the safety performance of commercial truck companies and bus carriers, a new report finds that the system is inadequate, and delivers incorrect results.

Those are the findings of a new report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO recently completed an audit of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program. The Compliance, Safety, Accountability program uses data collected from roadside inspections of trucks and 18- wheelers, as well as data from accident investigations, and uses this information to compare the performance of commercial truck and bus carriers. Trucks and buses are compared to other carriers of similar size and other characteristics.

The data are then used to increase oversight and scrutiny over the truck and bus carriers that the data finds have the highest number of safety violations.The data are compared with other trucking and bus companies as part of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program’s Safety Measurement System.

Published on: January 30, 2014

Alarming Increase in Spinal Cord Injuries across U.S.

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

According to a new study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the number of traumatic spinal cord injuries recorded in the United States is on the increase. Another major change that the research showed is that the primary cause of serious spinal cord injuries in the United States is no longer automobile collisions, but slip and fall accidents.

The Johns Hopkins research analyzed a total of 43,137 adults who received treatment in hospital emergency rooms after suffering a spinal cord injury. These adults were treated for their injuries between 2007 and 2009. The researchers found in their analysis that the incidence of spinal cord injury in the 18-64 age group ranged from 52.3 injuries per million in 2007, to 49.9 million in 2009.

While that constituted a drop in the number of traumatic spinal cord injuries that were recorded in this age category, there was an increase in the number of spinal cord injuries recorded among older citizens. In the 65 and above age group, the number of spinal cord injuries actually increased during the study period. These injuries increased from 79.4 injuries per million adults in 2007, to 87.7 injuries per million adults in 2009.

Published on: January 16, 2014

Alcohol-Related Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents Remain High

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There’s plenty of awareness about alcohol-impaired fatalities involving motorists, but not much is known about the fact that alcohol-impaired fatalities involving pedestrians and bicyclists have remained consistently high over the past few years. According to a new report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it’s just as dangerous to walk or ride a bicycle under the influence of alcohol, and it’s high time that pedestrians and bicyclists were made aware of these risks.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report, the proportion of intoxicated pedestrians and bicyclists killed in accidents has changed very little over the past 20 years. Back in 1992, the percentage of pedestrians above the age of 16, who died with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or above, was 39%. In 2011, that number had dropped by two percentage points to 37%.

Among bicyclists, the researchers found that the fatality percentage rate when alcohol was involved was approximately 26% in 1992, and had dropped to 25% in 2011. The statistics seem to indicate that there has been barely any difference in the number of alcohol-impaired pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities over the past 20 years. During the same period of time, there have been substantial declines in the number of motorists killed in alcohol-related car accidents.

Published on: December 6, 2013

Georgia State Agencies Urge Safe Travel over Holidays

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The year’s busiest travel season has begun, and a number of Georgia state agencies are joining hands to educate motorists about the need to drive safely during the holidays. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the Georgia State Patrol are encouraging motorists to avoid speeding and distractions, and concentrate on getting to their destination safely.

Just before Thanksgiving and New Year’s day, we see the heaviest amount of traffic on GA roadways.Not surprisingly, the accident, injury and fatality rate is also very high during these weeks. Every year, the Georgia State Patrol calls attention to the need to reduce speed, eliminate distractions at the wheel, and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These three factors account for a majority of all traffic accident fatalities that occur during the holiday season.

It is important to remember that many motorists over the holiday season are in a hurry to finish their shopping, meet up with friends, and take part in other activities. Many of these motorists will be driving at excessive speeds, and even if you don’t plan to drive at high speeds, know that there will be many speeding motorists on the road this holiday season. While you can’t do anything to change other motorists’ driving habits, you can increase your chances of being safe and reduce the risk of a fatal accident by making sure that you and everybody else in your car is safely buckled-up.

Published on: November 25, 2013

Tips for Safe Holiday Gift Shopping for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Most retailers across the country are reporting early holiday shopping this year as consumers start buying for family, co-workers, and friends.Many of those gifts will include children’s accessories, toys, and other products. This is the right time of the year to remind parents that the toys and products that they choose for their children must be safe from the risk of injuries.

Most injuries related to children’s products involve the face and head, including a large number to the eyes and forehead area. Unfortunately, there are far too many children’s toys that come with removable parts and sharp parts that pose a serious eye injury hazard.When you buy toys as gifts this holiday season, avoid toys that come with protruding parts, spikes, or sharp or pointed edges.

Avoid buying guns and shooting toys, or toys that come with parts that fly off. These can actually turn into dangerous projectiles, and can cause injuries not just to the child who is using the toy, but also other children and adults in the environment.