Georgia Personal Injury Blog

Georgia Not Yet Making a Move on NTSB Recommendation for All Cell Phone Ban

By Grant Law Office on December 23, 2011

Soon after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) banned commercial large truck drivers and bus drivers from using any hand-held cell phone while operating the vehicle, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made its recommendation to the nation’s 50 states to ban all non-emergency, portable electronic devices, including hands-free for all drivers. The NTSB made this recommendation following the conclusion that the initial cause of a devastating accident in Missouri was caused by cell phone use.

What started as a rear-end collision turned into a fatal multi-car pile -up when the 19-year-old driver of a GMC Sierra pickup truck rear-ended a trailer-less Volvo truck-tractor. This initial crash was followed by two more as a 71-passenger school bus rear-ended the pickup truck and then was rear-ended itself by a second, 72-passenger school bus. This accident resulted in two deaths and 35 injuries. The driver of the GMC Sierra had sent/received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes preceding the accident.Read more…

CPSC Issues Holiday Decorating Safety Alert

By Grant Law Office on December 21, 2011

Part of the fun during the holidays is decorating the house and, of course, the Christmas tree. But decorations and decorating are not without their risks. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) receives hundreds of reports of injury and/or property damage every year during November and December as the result of Christmas tree and candle fires, broken ornaments, and other dangerous situations. In order to help families and their homes stay safe and avoid personal injury this decorating season, the CPSC and Underwriting Laboratories (UL) offer the following decorating tips:

• If you are buying a live Christmas tree, check for freshness. A dry tree is a fire hazard.
• Set up your tree away from heat sources, such as radiators, fireplaces, and vents.
• If you are going the artificial route for a tree, make sure it is labeled as “Fire Resistant.” Remember that this does not mean “fire proof,” however.Read more…

American Motorcyclist Association Gives Advice to Beginning Riders

By Grant Law Office on December 16, 2011

Not everyone comes to the decision to take up motorcycling in the same way, but regardless of why a person decides to learn to ride, there is a proper way to do it. The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) offers the following tips for new riders so they may never regret their decision to join the motorcycling world:

1. Get your license, be legal. It’s all about attitude. Both unlicensed and licensed riders may have skill and experience, but licensed riders tend to take motorcycling more seriously, and thus are involved in fewer accidents. Start off right and get your license.
2. Take a training course. Knowing someone who rides is great, but he or she is not usually the best choice when you need someone to train you. Go with an objective and licensed professional.Read more…

U.S. DOT Announces Lowest Number of Annual Traffic Deaths in Over 60 Years

By Grant Law Office on December 15, 2011

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatalities in the U.S. among those between the ages of 5 and 34, but, according to a recent announcement by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), traffic fatalities have dropped to the lowest level in the last six decades.

Updated injury and fatality data from 2010 found the total number of traffic-related deaths that year to have dropped to 32,885, the lowest level since 1949, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This decline occurred despite the increase in the number of miles traveled. In 2010, U.S. motorists travelled almost 46 billion miles more than the previous year. Furthermore:Read more…

Avoid Runaway Truck Accidents in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on December 2, 2011

Commercial trucks go by multiple names: big rigs, tractor trailers, semis, or 18 wheelers. They exist in a special class of vehicles, which weigh up to 80,000 pounds and that are the largest and heaviest on the highways. They are required to operate under strict safety standards set forth by the state and federal government. Any miscalculation or neglect in the operation of large commercial vehicles leaves other motor vehicle drivers extremely vulnerable, and can result in tragic large truck accidents.

A crash is typically classified as a runaway truck accident for a number of factors, all of which usually include problems with speeding. This type of accident happens if the velocity of the trailer in tow does not equal the velocity of the truck. This often results in a loss of steering control, greatly increasing the chance of accidents. And in some instances, the back trailer may come loose from the truck to careen treacherously along the highway, creating deadly threats to surrounding motorists.Read more…

Nursing Home Abuse in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on November 30, 2011

The placement of an elderly family member in a supervised living residence, or nursing home, is an incredibly hard decision. News reports of terrible accounts of nursing home abuse make the choice even more difficult. This may occur for many reasons stemming from a facility’s negligence. Among them are the insufficient monitoring of employee backgrounds, inadequate training programs, lack of proper staffing, improper administration efforts by supervisors, and other causes. Whatever the cause, all are indefensible.

The National Center On Elder Abuse (NCEA) reports that one to two million elderly nursing home residents (ages 65 years old and over) have been subject to injury, exploitation, and general mistreatment from staff at a nursing home facility where they resided. According to the NCEA, a mere one out of fourteen cases of this insidious type of abuse is brought to the awareness of the appropriate authorities. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calculated that over 500,000 elderly adults above 60 years old have been subject to abuse of some kind each year in the United States.Read more…

New Rules for Big Rig Drivers on the Horizon?

By Grant Law Office on November 28, 2011

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is debating a revision to what’s called the “hours of service rules” for commercial vehicle operators. The rules mandate the frequency and length that any commercial driver can stay on the job during any given shift. The potential shift may decrease the allowed hours from eleven to ten in each 24 hour period, according to reporting by the Worcester Times. The revision may also demand additional mandatory rest periods between the hours of 12:00 am and 6:00 am, a time window relished by truckers for its light traffic, but feared by other vehicle drivers for its propensity to induce deadly levels of driver fatigue.

Big rigs (also known as 18 wheelers, semis, or tractor trailers) are among the most dangerous vehicles on the road due to their immense and imposing size and weight. The slightest miscalculation, lapse in judgment, or negligent action by a driver can result in catastrophic accidents.Read more…

Safety Tips for Turkey Time in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on November 23, 2011

Every year, Thanksgiving brings a flurry of increased activity into kitchens everywhere, as mouth watering meals are prepared for family tables. Along with that extra time in front of stoves and ovens comes a heightened risk for house fires. In fact, the holiday brings three times the normal national average for residential fires, according to data by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) collected in 2009. With that in mind, let’s go over a few guidelines for keeping this year’s turkey time safe, culled from tips by Savannah Now.

• Check all smoke detectors to make sure they work well, and test them before any cooking sessions begin. Do the same for carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, as heating systems and generators can pose CO poisoning risks.Read more…

Bad Faith Insurance Lawsuits in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on November 16, 2011

Insurance coverage protects individuals from losses that may result from accidents or medical problems. Insurance companies are obligated by Georgia state law to conduct business in a just manner, carrying out their service as promised to the consumer — or in “good faith” as the law states. However, as evidenced by many lawsuits, insurance businesses sometimes operate by “bad faith” practices instead.

While insurance bad faith lawsuits can arise in any insurance area, including car, home, and medical, the most common area for these situations is in motor vehicle crashes or incidents. Two typical ways in which an insurance company may act in bad faith include the following scenarios:Read more…

Causes of Georgia Motorcycle Accidents

By Grant Law Office on November 14, 2011

Georgia’s long, open roads are a prime destination for motorcycle riders. But like any riding environment, motorcyclists are significantly more vulnerable to accidents and injuries than other motor vehicle operators, showing the need for increased motorcycle safety. The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) reported 192,782 registered bikes in the state in 2008. From that riding pool, riders were involved in 5,051 crashes throughout the state, which resulted in 3,471 injuries and 177 fatalities.

The high percentage of accidents that result in injuries for motorcycle riders can be attributed to numerous factors, with rider vulnerability at the top of the list. Motorcycles are often lost in the sea of larger, heavier vehicles while moving through traffic; thus, one slight oversight or miscalculation by another vehicle driver can prove devastating for riders.Read more…