San Antonio Legal Advice

Hot off the presses: motorcycle helmets don’t just save lives, they save money as well-a lot of money. When someone is involved in a motorcycle accident, the last thing on the injured biker’s mind is money, and yet in our society, money talks. So the Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study from 2008 to 2010 to find out just how much is saved when motorcycle riders and passengers strap on a helmet before hitting the road.

According to the study, over $3 billion was saved in 2010 alone, with total costs saved due to helmet use ranging from $2.6 million in New Mexico to $394 million in California. Economic costs saved from helmet use per registered motorcycle ranged from $48 in New Mexico to $1,627 in North Carolina, with a median of $286. In Massachusetts, the savings was over $400 per registered motorcycle.

Massachusetts personal injury attorney Mark E. Salomone is always glad to hear of any new research that supports the prevention of motorcyclist injuries and their passengers. See : Worcester Ma Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Having defended countless victims of motorcycle accident injuries, however, he knows how much helmets do to protect riders. “Every time riders take their bikes to the streets,” he says, “they’re placing themselves at risk of serious injury and death. When a motorcyclist is hit by a distracted driver in a high-speed collision or if their bike has brake defects, helmets are even more crucial, as they can prevent serious head injuries and brain damage. ”

Over 40 percent of motorcyclists killed in accidents between 2008 and 2010 did not have a helmet on, says the CDC report. On the other hand, helmets reduced fatalities by 37 percent for motorcycle drivers and 41 percent for passengers, which translated to 1,544 fewer motorcyclist deaths in 2010.

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Buyer beware: Consumer Reports has released its annual list of worst cars, and one of the country’s most popular pick-up trucks is at the top of the list due to poor car test ratings. The Consumer Reports website is a common resource for new car and truck buyers, with a great deal of information on safety such as car accident statistics, crash avoidance systems and “rollover 101.” In place with long stretches of highway on which drivers speed fairly often, such as Texas, catastrophic truck accidents can cause roll-over wrecks and head-on collisions.

According to an article in the New York Daily News, the list is based on testing scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Consumer Reports, the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration and consumer analyst JD Power. Due to low ratings on car roll-over accidents, side impact collisions and seatbelt safety concerns, there are several defective cars on the market.

Fort Worth, Texas personal injury attorney David Glenn encourages new car and truck buyers to study as many safety and crash ratings as possible before making their purchase. By being informed, they will not end up with a vehicle that has safety problems such as a dangerous risk of roll-over, defective airbags, faulty brakes or unreliable seatbelts.

Due to overall poor crash test results, the Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up truck was been named as 2012’s most dangerous car in the United States, despite being a popular, high-selling vehicle. With so many trucks in Texas, catastrophic accident injuries here could be lowered if truck buyers consult Consumer Reports ratings first. Traumatic brain injury, brain and head injury, spinal cord injury are some of the most devastating Texas accident injuries, and while many are due to drunk driving, sometimes it is just a case of a dangerous car on the road.

Other cars that on the list of most dangerous cars on the road were the Chevrolet Colorado Super Cab, the Mazda CX-7, the Mazda CX-9, the Nissan Pathfinder, the Jeep Wrangler and the Suzuki SX4. No European automakers are among the worst-scoring seven models, which contained three US-made cars and four Japanese-made models.

Glenn Law Firm
210 W. Wall Street
Grapevine, Texas 76051

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What is the Collateral Source Rule?

The collateral source rule is a common law rule that has been applied to personal injury cases to prevent a defendant, also known as a tortfeasor, from introducing evidence to a jury of collateral source payments (such as health insurance) that could reduce the defendant’s liability to an injured party. Its purpose was to hold the defendant liable for the entirety of his or her negligent behavior, rather than benefiting from a collateral source.
Does the Collateral Source Rule Still Exist in Missouri & Kansas?

Within the past few years, the collateral source rule has become a thing of the past, which has worked to reduce a plaintiff’s potential recovery if the plaintiff had the benefit of health insurance. The collateral source has been referred to as a windfall for the plaintiff. Unfortunately, the move away from the collateral source rule seems to have become a windfall for the defendant. In reality, the ones that are really benefitting are the big insurance companies.

The collateral source rule still exists but in a much more limited capacity. Now it only prevents defendants from introducing the source of the collateral payment. For example, a defendant can introduce evidence that out of $15,000 in medical expenses, only $5,000 was paid and the other $10,000 was adjusted or written off. The defendant, however, cannot introduce evidence of whether the plaintiff’s medical expenses were paid by private health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicaid.

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According to a June 24, 2012 article in the Philadelphia Enquirer, Senator Barbara Boxer asked car rental companies to make a public pledge “not to rent or sell any vehicles under safety recall until the defect has been remedied.” So far, only Hertz has agreed to the pledge, while their competitors rejected the challenge. For anyone planning to rent a car from one of those non-compliant companies, this means that the consequences of unrepaired mechanical defects, such as faulty seatbelt car wreck injuries or defective brakes whiplash, could not only mar their holiday fun-they could risk lives.

The Knoxville, Tennessee personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III believe car safety recalls should be heeded by both consumers and car rental companies, and hope that Hertz’s response may set a precedent for other auto rental companies to follow suit.

In a letter addressed to Sen. Boxer, Hertz said the pledge reflected a “long-standing Hertz policy.”

New legislation sponsored by Sens. Boxer and Charles Schumer would make it a legal issue, forcing car rental companies to stop renting recalled cars until needed repairs or modifications have been made. Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety says

Hertz has been lobbying with her, Boxer and Schumer to write the policy into law.

A nationally publicized defective car accident lawsuit sparked Boxer’s challenge to car rental companies and the subsequent proposed legislation she co-authored. The case involved a malfunctioning rental car rented by two young college-age sisters in 2004. Jacquie and Raechel Houck were fatally injured in a rental car crash when they lost control of their Enterprise Rent-a-Car PT Cruiser due to leaking steering fluid. During the accident, a fire erupted under the hood and both women lost their lives. After protracted litigation, Enterprise admitted liability two years ago, and accepted a jury verdict that awarded $15 million to their family.

Shahan says that Enterprise and Avis Budget Group are two of several rental car companies seeking to water down the legislation. One of their suggested changes would make it possible for them to attend to repairs “as soon as practicable” rather than before renting the vehicles out to customers. Another change to the legislation would allow them to still rent out unrepaired cars as long as they let car-rental counter customers know about what repairs needed to be made.

Unfortunately, the hazardous vehicle rental risks go beyond the car rental counter, since many car rental companies also sell their previously rented cars on the used-car market. That means many cars will end up on roads and highways that have, in fact, been recalled, which translates to a greater risk of car accident injuries and fatalities across the country. It is, therefore, a case of both renter and buyer beware.

At the offices of Tennessee personal injury lawyerG. Turner Howard III , we do all we can to ensure that our clients who have suffered car accident injuries are informed of their rights and any car recalls that may pertain to their Tennessee car crash. If you or someone you love has been involved in defective rented car accident, call us today for a free consultation at 1-800-HURTLINE or complete our online contact form. We are compassionate, experienced aggressive legal representatives who can seek justice for your injuries.

The Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III
5915 Casey Drive
Knoxville, TN 37950

After eight weeks, 46 witnesses, two dozing jurors and an estimated $2-3 million spent in taxpayer money, the Roger Clemens trial is finally over.

The verdict: Not guilty on three counts of making false statements, not guilty on two counts of perjury and not guilty on one count of obstruction. The charges stemmed from testimony that Clemens made in Feb. 2008, telling a Congressional committee that he had never taken steroids or HGH.

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User Comments

it was witch hunt anyways. Congress overstepping their authority trying to bring him down so that they can say (thumping their chests) that they are tough on drugs. make them take the drug test and see if they will stand up in front america and admit it.keithb

it was witch hunt anyways. Congress overstepping their authority trying to bring him down so that they can say (thumping their chests) that they are tough on drugs. make them take the drug test and see if they will stand up in front america and admit it.

simbalips . 3 minutes 23 seconds ago Report Abuse

Laws regulating Oklahoma auto accidents might seem strict. But a national safety study recently gave Oklahoma a low grade for injury prevention. On a scale of 10, Oklahoma received a score of five.

Oklahoma also ranked 6th highest in the nation in a state-by-state analysis of injury fatality rates for 2007 through 2009, according to the same national study. A total of 83 people per 100,000 died due to a fatal injury during that time period. New Mexico had the highest injury fatality rate nationwide, with 97.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

The report entitled “The Facts Hurt” examined a wide range of factors, including each state’s laws concerning seat belts, bicycle helmets and car booster seats. Each state’s safety grade was based on statewide auto accident injury and fatality statistics. See: personal injury lawyer oklahoma Injury prevention grades also took into account factors such as motorcycle helmet laws, federal funding for injury prevention efforts and other strategies to designed to save lives and reduce serious injuries.

“There are proven, evidence-based strategies that can spare millions of Americans from injuries each year,” said Jeff Levi, Executive Director of The Trust for America’s Health, which co-authored the study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This report focuses on specific, scientifically supported steps we can take to make it easier for Americans to keep themselves and their families safer.”

Oklahoma drivers face all sorts of hazards every day on the road. Just recently, a 34-year-old man from Oklahoma died on Interstate 44 in Grady County when the tread separated on his tire and his vehicle struck a guardrail, according to NewsOn6.com. The accident may be grounds for a defective tire lawsuit.

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The May 28 tragic crash of a helicopter used for transporting offshore workers to drilling rigs and oil production platforms is a case in point that not all maritime offshore worker seamen injuries happen on offshore vessels or structures.

Because production platform rig explosions usually get the most media attention, the general public might not know that there are many other causes of offshore worker injuries, and getting from the shore to offshore job site is one of them. And since offshore workers do a lot of traveling between their offshore work location and land, there are many dangers of maritime worker transport injuries. Seamen employees often have to be transported by a crane carrying a personnel transfer basket or via helicopter onto various worksites, and many things can go wrong out at sea, including airborne equipment failure.

Maritime injury lawyers William Gee III, who provides Louisiana and the Gulf Coast with aggressive legal representation in offshore and maritime law cases, has seen countless offshore worker injuries that occurred during travel across the Gulf to offshore structures.

Personnel basket transfers are especially hazardous, as they involve crane operation and present a high risk of offshore worker injury due to potential mechanical problems, operator inexperience, bad weather or poor visibility. An offshore worker may use a personnel basket to be transferred to and from a crew boat onto a submersible, semi-submersible, jack-up, inland barge, drill ship, barge, dredge or other maritime work structure in the Gulf of Mexico.

Offshore employers must therefore do all they can to protect offshore and maritime workers not only from oil drilling rig disasters and production platform accidents but from offshore accident injuries that maritime workers sustain on the way to their job or when going ashore.

The recent offshore helicopter crash caused one death at sea, which was that of the pilot. The Associated Press article, which appeared in the Miami Herald, said a Coast Guard news release reported that divers from the Ocean Inspector vessel had discovered the pilot inside the helicopter cockpit. Though the pilot’s fatal Gulf accident was a tragic loss, thankfully there were no other helicopter passengers or offshore workers on board at the time of the wreck. Only a few years ago in 2009, however, nine people were killed on their way to an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The event was a warning to all offshore and maritime workers that they take great risks the moment they board a boat or helicopter on their way to work.

Offshore workers need to know that they have rights to legal recourse and compensation, even if they are injured on the way to or from their offshore job. If a maritime worker is injured due to negligence of a third party who is not the offshore worker’s employer, federal maritime law usually provides the rules of law and remedies. In offshore transport accidents, such as a case of a defective transfer basket, mechanical crane failure, faulty helicopter, negligent crane operator or reckless helicopter pilot, maritime tort could apply.

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Working in a hotel can be a challenging job, as staffers scramble to keep guests happy. Hotel work has its rewards for those who like to stay busy on the job and meet individuals from all walks of life.

The hotel industry, however, can pose serious risks for workers. Hotel workers actually have an injury rate 25 percent higher than all service workers, according to studies. And while some hotels may appear glamorous to visitors, the work can be gritty. If you or someone you know was injured at a hotel, talk to a workers’ compensation lawyer. Most on-the-job injury attorneys provide free consultations. See: Workers Compensation Lawyers

Housekeepers experience the most on-the-job hotel injuries, according to a study published recently in The American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

Most housekeepers are women, and research shows they are 50 percent more likely to be injured than men who work at hotels. Researchers even found that Latina women are twice as likely to be injured compared to white women working as housekeepers.

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Massachusetts has the third lowest rate of injury death in the country, according to a new study. A new report titled “The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy Report” examines key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injuries. See Massachusetts Car Accident Lawyers Injuries may be linked to Massachusetts car accidents or motorcycle crashes in Massachusetts.

The report, released by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), concludes that millions of injuries could be prevented each year if more states took action such as adopting additional research-based injury prevention policies. The report also recommends fully implementing and enforcing programs.

While the average score for states is 5 out of 10, Massachusetts received a 7 out of 10 score (with zero being the lowest and 10 being the highest possible score). Only New York and New Jersey have lower injury death rates in the nation.

Injury prevention strategies include requiring bicycle helmets for all children and helmets for all bicycle riders. Some states require mandatory ignition interlocks for convicted drunk drivers. Seat belt laws also are recommended for injury prevention.

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West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio scored five or lower on a set of 10 key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injuries, according to new report examining injury deaths in the United States.

The report released by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines what states do in terms of injury prevention. This includes policies on seatbelt use, bike helmets and drunk driving.

At Recht Law Offices, our personal injury attorneys Ohio closely follow injury trends to assist in representing clients. The accident attorney West Virginia aggressively represent people injured due to negligence. We have seen first hand the devastating impact of serious injuries and deaths as a result of the reckless actions of individuals and businesses. Accidental injury is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the new injury report, West Virginia and Pennsylvania received a 5 out of 10 score on a list of injury prevention policies. Ohio ranked last in the nation with a score of two out of 10.

Researchers found that Ohio has an annual accidental injury-death rate of 55.9 per 100,000 people; West Virginia’s rate is 88.2; Pennsylvania’s rate is 59.4. The national average is 57.9 deaths due to injury per 100,000 people.

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