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Monthly Archives: October 2011

Safe Halloween Tips from Our Alabama Accident Attorneys

Oct 27, 2011 - Car Accidents by

Our Alabama child injury attorneys would like to wish you a safe and Happy Halloween. We’d also like to share some information with you to help keep the entire family safe on the 31st. There are dangers lurking on Halloween night and with just a few safety precautions, we can all have a safe Halloween. Child injury is four times more likely to happen on Halloween than during any other night of the year. While kids look forward to suiting up in their Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins, parents worry about the real dangers of the holiday — including pedestrian accidents.

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Our Alabama Car Accident Attorneys Review AAA Study on Teen Driving Risks

Oct 21, 2011 - Car Accidents by

Teen drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a cell phone and from text messaging behind the wheel in the state of Alabama, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. This state law isn’t going to completely eliminate their risks of a serious car accident in Alabama however. According to a recently released study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there are a number of additional habits that can put your teen at risk on our roadways. “This research serves as a great reminder for parents to stay involved in the learning process,” Peter Kissinger, president and chief executive of the foundation. Our Alabama car accident attorneys understand teens are about 50 percent more likely to get into a traffic accident during their first 30 days behind the wheel than they are after driving for one year. Teen drivers are about twice as likely to get into an accident during the first six months of driving than they are after two full years of driving experience. The learning process of teen drivers is so important and parents should be fully involved in this process. Parents and guardians may be some of the most influential people in shaping a teen driver’s abilities behind the wheel.

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State Stops to Remember those Lost in Brookwood, Alabama Mining Accident

Oct 11, 2011 - Workers' Compensation/Work Injury by

Just a decade ago, more than a dozen coal miners were killed because of multiple explosions that happened during the Jim Walter Resources coal mine accident in Brookwood, Alabama. The disaster is the most catastrophic mining accident that happened in the U.S. in the last 20 years. The explosions were caused by methane gas, which is a common danger underground, according to NPR. One miner was trapped alone after the first explosion. A dozen rescuers were killed in a second explosion. Our Tuscaloosa workers compensation attorneys understand how dangerous mining work can be. Mine owners have an obligation to keep work sites safe for employees. The properties have to be secure for all others who may visit, regardless of whether they’re entering the mine or not. After the accident was examined, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) hit the mining company with nearly $450,000 in fines. These fines were later reduced to $5,000.

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UAB Workplace Safety Center Works to Prevent On the Job Accidents

Oct 10, 2011 - Birmingham by

Workplace injuries and accidents kill about 4,500 people a year – 15 so far this year in Alabama – and cost U.S. businesses billions. Elizabeth Maples is the deputy director for the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Ryals School of Public Health. It is one of 17 national academic research and teaching centers chartered by the legislation that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) in 1971. The center offers graduate-level courses on how to identify, prevent and fix workplace hazards. “Others include Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, the University of South Florida and the University of Washington,” Maples said. “We are in good company.”

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Alabama Pedestrian Accidents: International Walk to School Day is This Week

Oct 4, 2011 - Car Accidents by

Our Alabama pedestrian accident attorneys remind residents that International Walk to School Day is this week. You don’t have to be in school to participate either. Take the hike to schools with your child or get outdoors after school and take a walk with them. The idea of the event is raise awareness about pedestrian dangers, to encourage kids to get moving to get healthy, to campaign for more walkable streets and to help to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. While we want our children to get outside and play and we want them to do it safely. To help to encourage fitness-related activities, to increase self- confidence and responsibility, parents are urged to speak with their children about pedestrian safety. These tips can turn into lifelong safe traveling habits and can help to decrease their risks of being involved in a pedestrian accident in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham or elsewhere in Alabama.

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Hear What Our Clients Have To Say

"We realize there are many options for representation out there, and we talked with several of the “big names” before finding Cross and Smith. With the others, it felt like we were being bullied, in a tank with hungry sharks. We are still receiving junk mail from some. We are SO thankful we were referred to Justin Smith (Cross and Smith) for our accident claim. He and his team were absolutely amazing."
Posted By: Jamie Wyatt

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