In Texas, Truck Rollovers, Faulty Seatbelts and Side Impact Risks Could Cause More Personal Injuries
Posted: July 10, 2012 | Author: Lawyer | Filed under: Car Accident Lawyers | Tags: texas accident lawyers, texas lawyers | Comments Off on In Texas, Truck Rollovers, Faulty Seatbelts and Side Impact Risks Could Cause More Personal InjuriesBuyer 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
Sleepy drivers are as dangerous as drunk drivers, study finds
Posted: July 10, 2012 | Author: Lawyer | Filed under: Auto Accident Lawyer | Tags: personal injury, www.dandavislaw.com | Comments Off on Sleepy drivers are as dangerous as drunk drivers, study findsMany people who would never get behind the wheel after drinking might think nothing of driving while fatigued. A new study, however, finds that sleepy drivers are almost as dangerous as drunk drivers.
The study from France and published as a letter in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that drunk drivers and fatigued drivers were at least twice as likely to be responsible for a car accident compared to drivers who were either sober or well rested.
As a personal injury attorneys in Oklahoma City, Dan Davis has seen how devastating an accident caused by a fatigued driver can be. The study about sleepy drivers and car accidents is not surprising, but interesting. Drivers who have not had enough shut eye have been responsible for Oklahoma City rear end accidents, head on collisions and other types of car crashes in Oklahoma. Truck drivers who spend long hours on the road trying to reach their destination on time also may be responsible for catastrophic asleep-at-the-wheel accidents.
According to the news service Reuters, a scientist who studies sleep disorders said someone driving with just four hours of sleep will be impaired in the same way as a driver who consumed a six pack. Someone who drove after an entire night of sleep loss will be impaired the same way as someone with a blood alcohol content of .19, according to the scientist.
The research was conducted by analyzing information from 679 drivers admitted to a hospital in France for more than 24 hours because of a serious accident between 2007 and 2009, according to Reuters. The patients reported how much sleep they had prior to the accident, along with other factors such as alcohol consumption or what medications they were taking.
One interesting aspect of the study is that taking medications that carry warnings about how the drug will affect a driver’s abilities was tied to a lower risk of causing an accident. Motorists may be more cautious because they are aware of the side effects.
The best way to avoid an Oklahoma City fatigued driver accident is to get some rest before getting behind the wheel. If you’re feeling sleepy while driving, pull over and find some coffee or an energy drink. Don’t hesitate to take a short nap at a rest stop. Too much is at stake to risk your life or an innocent person’s life.
If you or a loved one was injured by a fatigued driver, or a loved one was killed by someone who fell asleep behind the wheel, contact an experienced Oklahoma City personal injury attorney. Talk to Daniel M. Davis, attorney and counselor of law: 1-800-HURTLINE.
Daniel M. Davis Personal Injury Attorney Oklahoma City
525 NW 13th
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Rented Car Accidents in Tennessee Could Be Result of Ignored Car Recalls
Posted: July 8, 2012 | Author: Lawyer | Filed under: Car Accident Lawyers | Tags: Knoxville TN attorney, Knoxville TN lawyer | Comments Off on Rented Car Accidents in Tennessee Could Be Result of Ignored Car RecallsAccording 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
Per CDC, Motorcycle Helmet Laws Help State Budgets and Make Bikers Safer
Posted: July 6, 2012 | Author: Lawyer | Filed under: Auto Accident Lawyer | Tags: Massachusetts Motorcycle Helmet Laws, Massachusetts Motorcycle Lawyer | Comments Off on Per CDC, Motorcycle Helmet Laws Help State Budgets and Make Bikers SaferHot 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 : Springfield Massachusetts Motorcycle Accident Lawyers 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.
