Georgia Injury Law Blog

Published on: July 6, 2010

Several Injured in Marietta Deck Collapse

The Fourth of July celebrations quickly turned into a disaster for several holidaymakers in Marietta when the deck they were on collapsed suddenly. The people were standing on the deck when it suddenly pulled away from the wall and collapsed in a yard.

The deck was about 10 feet above the ground. At least seven people sustained injuries in the collapse. Fortunately, none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. At least one person suffered a head injury and five persons had to be rushed to the hospital with injuries. According to Cobb County officials, no children were injured in the deck accident. The injured included a group of adults who were having a cookout.

Premises liability claims in Georgia can be brought against private homeowners. Besides the owner of the property, the tenant or occupant at the time of the injury can be held liable in a premises liability claim. Often, persons are injured at the homes of people they know. It can be hard to bring a claim against a friend or relative. However, it’s important to know that most claims are settled through liability insurance policies.

Published on: July 2, 2010

Prevent Fireworks Injuries on the Fourth of July

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Prevent Fireworks Injuries on the Fourth Of July

With just a few days to go to everyone’s favorite holiday of the calendar, it’s important to keep in mind that every year, approximately 9,000 people have to be rushed to emergency rooms with fireworks-related injuries on the Fourth of July.

Not all fireworks are allowed under Georgia law. Sparklers, party poppers and snakes are allowed, but shooting rockets and any other fireworks that explode in the air are not permitted. If you insist on having your own fireworks party, make sure that you have a sober and responsible adult in charge of the festivities. Keep the following safety tips in mind:

Published on: July 1, 2010

Airline Passengers at Risk for Food Poisoning

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Airline Passengers at Higher Risk of Food Poisoning

All those jokes about bad airline food don’t seem so funny when you read a new report by USA Today. According to the report, Food and Drug Administration inspections have found poor sanitary conditions at some of the biggest airline catering companies in the industry. The conditions are so poor, that inspectors are warning of a higher risk of food poisoning in passengers who eat these meals.

The inspections were conducted at Gate Gourmet, LSG Sky Chefs, and Flying Food Group. Inspectors found a number of unsanitary and unsafe conditions at these facilities.

Published on: June 29, 2010

Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Comes from Unlikely Source

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

American and Japanese researchers have found a potential treatment for spinal cord injury from an unexpected source-mice hair. This week, researchers unveiled their new discovery at the World Congress for Hair Research in Australia.

Researchers stumbled on this astounding discovery by accident. They were examining the skin of mice while researching cancer treatments at the Anti Cancer research lab in San Diego in California. They discovered that mice hair contained cells that, if placed on damaged nerves, could repair these nerves. Researchers used the mice hair to rejoin damaged nerves in mice with a spinal injury. At the conference, a video was shown of a mouse with a spinal injury, recuperating almost completely after being treated with hair cells.

There is enough reason to hope that this treatment can be duplicated in human beings too. Human hair has been found to contain similar cells that have equally beneficial results when used on mice with spinal cord injuries. Researchers believe that chances are high that a damaged human nerve will also respond well to the same kind of hair cell treatment.

Published on: June 28, 2010

Federal Regulation To Decrease Truck Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Federal government finally decided to crack down on truck companies and truck drivers with poor driving records. According to the Federal Motor Common Carrier Safety Administration website the “Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, CSA 2010, is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce commercial motor vehicle (CMV)-related truck accidents, injuries and fatalities. The initiative has three major components – measurement, evaluation and intervention.Using inspection and truck accident results, the initiative identifies carriers and drivers whose behaviors could reasonably lead to truck accidents and injuries. The FMCSA and its state partners then evaluate the data to create better methods for improving the safety of these problem drivers and companies. Finally, the initiative allows the FMCSA to intervene to resolve safety issues with trucking companies and truck drivers who are unsafe.

However, at a recent meeting in Atlanta, Georgia sponsored by Eyefortransport, trucking companies complained that the new initiative will cause an increase in driver attrition of at least 5 to 8 percent. The American Trucking Association continues to support the initiative, but seeks to have two changes. First, it only wants data regarding accidents considered if the truck driver was determined to be at fault in the accident. Second, it does not want warnings issued by law enforcement officials considered in the data.

Simply put, it is about time that the FMCSA aggressively evaluated the safety and accident records of all truck companies and truck drivers.The initiative is likely to have two significant positive impacts. First, it will result in the removal of unsafe truck drivers from our public highways and roads. Second, it will cause truck drivers to driver more carefully due to the risk of losing their commercial driver’s license.In order to decrease the number of trucking accidents, there needs to be a significant change in how truck drivers choose to driver. The initiative is long overdue and needs to continue to be strengthened and not watered down.

Published on: June 25, 2010

Older Drivers Not Necessarily Bad Drivers

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

More Older Drivers Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Accidents

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has, in the past, warned about a growing population of senior motorists and the implications for highway safety. The agency had published a study nine years ago, expressing its concerns over the heightened risk of accidents with more numbers of elderly motorists on the road.

As it turns out, those concerns may have been completely misplaced. An updated report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that although there are more numbers of elderly motorists on the roads, they are not necessarily being involved in more numbers of accidents. In fact, there has been a decline in the number of serious/fatal accidents involving elderly drivers over the past decade.

Published on: June 20, 2010

Reclining Seats Increase Risk of Injuries and Death in Auto Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It is not something that we give a second thought to while riding in someone’s vehicle. In fact, most of us have probably done it at some time or the other. We are talking about reclining the passenger seat when you’re in a moving vehicle, for some quick shut eye. However, a recent study indicates that you have an increased risk of injury in an auto accident if you seat is reclining.

Trauma care doctors at the Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center studied a pattern of injuries in passengers who were in reclining seats during an auto accident. The researchers found that no matter which part of the country these accidents occurred, passengers who were in reclined seats were much more likely to suffer head injuries, spinal cord fractures, leg injuries and severe chest trauma. In fact, the study found that when the passenger was in a partially reclined seat, his fatality risk shot up by 15%, and if he was in a fully reclined seat, his fatality risk spiked by up to 70%.

Reclining seats have long been touted by auto makers as an affordable piece of luxury. However, not many passengers are aware that their risk of death in an auto accident increases dramatically, if they’re in a reclining seat at the time of the crash. Automakers have always known about these risks. That’s why most of them mention these risks in the car’s user manual. Unfortunately these warnings, when they do appear, are always in obscure fine print, the kind that hardly anyone bothers to read. That lack of warning is very disturbing to Atlanta accident lawyers, considering the dramatically diminished odds of surviving an accident if you’re in a reclining seat.

Published on: June 19, 2010

Motorcycle Safety Tips for Summer – Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Summer also happens to be motorcycling season across Georgia.Thousands of motorcyclists will take to the highways this summer and, unfortunately, many of them will be involved in a motorcycle accident. They can accept warm weather, clear skies, and unfortunately, also plenty of hostile motorists. There are several things that motorcyclists can keep in mind to help them to avoid an accident and serious injuries.

As Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers, we would like to stress the need for both motorists and motorcyclists to cooperate to prevent accidents this summer.One of the best things that a novice motorcyclist can do to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries is to take a safety training program before beginning motorcycling. Even if you have been an avid motorcyclist in the past and have spent a few years without riding, it’s highly recommended that you take a motorcycle training program to brush up your skills. These training courses provide excellent tips for avoiding accidents.

Wear protective gear. A helmet is an absolute must. Also wear protective leather clothing including jackets and boots.

Published on: June 18, 2010

Georgia’s Anti-Distracted Driving Efforts Likely to Decrease Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Governor’s Highway Safety Association has just released a report that outlines the different steps states have taken to combat distracted driving and thereby prevent auto accidents. The report will be of special interest to persons injured in auto accidents and their lawyers because Georgia has just passed a law that bans text messaging while driving for all motorists.

The report titledCurbing Distracted Driving: 2010 State Safety Programs details the activities and programs undertaken by various states to deal with the problem of distracted driving causing accidents. Georgia ranks very well in certain sections of the report. The state has included distracted driving as part of its Highway Safety Plan. However, Georgia does not collect data about distracted driving-related auto accidents. The National Safety Council estimates that approximately 28% of all accidents nationwide are linked to distracted driving.With statistics like this, it’s about time that Georgia also began collecting data about distracted-driving related auto accidents.

The report also contained the results of a survey conducted in 2008 by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia focusing on teen motorists. The survey found that only 28 % of teen motorists believed that talking on the cell phone while driving makes a difference to driving safety.A significant number of motorists in the survey, 57%, said that they had seen their friends talking on the phone while driving a car. However, only 19% had witnessed a friend texting while driving.

Published on: June 17, 2010

Sleep Deprivation as a Factor in Teen Auto Accidents-2

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new study is raising questions about whether delayed school timings could decrease the number of auto accidents in which teenagers are involved. The thought is that helping teenagers get enough sleep at night would allow them to drive more safely the next day thereby decreasing the likelihood of auto accidents.

The study conducted by researchers in Virginia, compared two towns, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. In Virginia Beach, classes started at around 7:20 AM, and the number of auto accidents involving teen motorists there was 41% higher than the number of auto accidents in Chesapeake, where the classes started at around 8:40 AM.

This wasn’t the first study that indicated that lack of sleep may be another contributing factor increasing a teen motorist’s risk of an accident. Last year, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that there was a reduction in teen auto accident rates by approximately 16.5% when school times were delayed by an hour.