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.
Legal News Requirements for Child Car Safety Seats to Change in 2014 Charlotte North Carolina
Posted: June 18, 2012 | Author: Lawyer | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: North Carolina Attorney, North Carolina Lawyers | Comments Off on Legal News Requirements for Child Car Safety Seats to Change in 2014 Charlotte North CarolinaFor many car seats, parents have had two options: Using the seat belt in the car to attach the seat, or using the LATCH system – Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children – which most parents consider easier to use for installing the seat.
However, with a new federal rule that will take affect in early 2014, child safety-seat manufacturers will be required to tell parents not to use the LATCH system if their child and the car seat have a combined weight of 65 pounds or more.
Many car seats weigh as much as 15 to 33 pounds, so children as light as 32 pounds or as young as 3 may be affected by this new rule. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children remain in car seats with harnesses until they are 8.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers petitioned for the new rule because the strength of the lower tethers was not enough to assure the safety of heavier children. Other safety advocates say that seat belts need to be strengthened to reduce the risk of njuries to children.
Other problems have been noted with the LATCH system.
Last summer, a study by Safe Kids Worldwide found that community checkpoint technicians were only using lower anchors to attach child safety seats about 30 percent of the time, and parents were only using the top tethers about 30 percent of the time.
Offshore Transport Injuries Happen to Maritime Workers-Not Just Drilling Production Platform Disaster Injuries
Posted: June 6, 2012 | Author: Lawyer | Filed under: Car Accident Lawyers | Tags: Maritime Workers-Not Just Drilling Production Platform Disaster, Offshore Transport Injuries | Comments Off on Offshore Transport Injuries Happen to Maritime Workers-Not Just Drilling Production Platform Disaster InjuriesThe 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.
