A Kansas federal court jury has awarded a $23.5 million verdict for a serious spinal cord injury arising from a 2006 wreck in New Mexico, according to a news story by Ron Sylvester of the Wichita Eagle. The judge reduced the amount to $15.3 million because the jury decided the driver of the other truck…
Continue reading ›This morning I monitored a telephone conference meeting of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC). They will have a two day meeting in Washington on December 9th and 10th to work on a letter report to the Administrator outlining – innovative safety initiatives and programs that have the potential…
Continue reading ›This year, with foreclosures and unemployment rates soaring, more people will focus on discount prices when buying boys for their children and grandchildren. The harbinger of this season may have been when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled by the crowd entering a store at 5 AM on the day after Thanksgiving. Others in the depths…
Continue reading ›Driver fatigue is a major cause of catastrophic truck crashes. Michigan attorney Terry Coleman suggests that the correlation of fatigue, slow reaction time and aging should lead to imposing a mandatory retirement for truck drivers at age 65, the same age at which airline pilots are required to retire. While I share the concern for…
Continue reading ›The Atlanta Regional Commission determined these to be the 10 most crash-prone intersections in the region. This is old news, but I doubt that the results would be much different now. – Austell Road at East-West Connector (Cobb) – Barrett Parkway at Cobb Place Boulevard (Cobb) – Cobb Parkway at Barrett Parkway (Cobb) …
Continue reading ›The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee announced a telephone conference meeting for Monday, December 1, 2008 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST. Here is the rather opaque agenda that has been announced. 1. Call to Order Larry W. Minor, Designated Federal Official, MCSAC 2. Opening Remarks David R. Parker, Chair,…
Continue reading ›As a trial lawyer handling traumatic brain injury cases, one of my frustrations is that serious diffuse axonal injuries cannot be visualized with normal CT and MRI scans. High resolution PET scans combined with functional MRI (fMRI) can show more, but access is extremely limited in this part of the country. MIT Technology Review has reported on three…
Continue reading ›A former Marine who holds degrees in chemical engineering, business and law was paralyzed in Los Angeles eight years ago because a horizontal bar of weights fell due to the fact that no adjustable safety stops were installed on the machine. Suits against Gold’s Gym, Flex (equipment manufacturer) and an insurance company ultimately resulted in total…
Continue reading ›While my perspective is that of a trial lawyer handling truck and bus accident injury cases in Atlanta, Georgia, it is necessary to keep up with developments nationally. Therefore, I am following how trucking safety issues are on the agenda for the new administration in Washington. Last Monday, the transportation transition team met with representatives…
Continue reading ›The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) announced on November 26th, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, that it will hold committee meetings on Dec. 1, the day after the holiday weekend, and Dec. 10. The announcement did not include any indication of what will be on the agenda. The…
Continue reading ›
