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Monthly Archives: March 2013

Birmingham Airport Accident and Alabama Premises Liability

Mar 30, 2013 - Wrongful Death by

A falling airport sign killed a 10-year-old boy and seriously injured his mother, Reuters reported. The Kansas woman and several of her children were pinned beneath a flight display sign in a newly renovated area of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Media reports indicate the sign weighed as much as 400 pounds. Authorities say an 8-year-old boy received inpatient treatment at Children’s of Alabama. His 5-year-old brother was treated and released. Unfortunately, the 10-year-old did not survive his injuries. AL.com reported the mother’s injuries include two broken ankles and a broken pelvis. The family had been in Birmingham enroute back home after Spring Break in Florida.  Our Birmingham wrongful death attorneys know this tragedy will be thoroughly investigated; but who does the investigating may ultimately help determine whether those responsibility are held accountable. Airport officials would not speculate on the cause. However, the investigation should include the contractors and subcontractors who recently remodeled that area of the airport. The incident occurred in a pre-security area of the modernized terminal — Concourses A and B. The area re-opened March 13. Birmingham Mayor William Bell is also calling for a thorough review of the incident.

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Tuscaloosa Injury Attorneys – April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Mar 26, 2013 - Tuscaloosa by

Our Tuscaloosa car accident attorneys urge Alabama residents to participate in Distracted Driving Awareness Month this April. Sometimes is seems we’re always talking about distracted-driving risks, and yet we haven’t directly addressed it yet this year on our Alabama Injury Attorneys Blog. And that’s how it is with distracted driving: An obvious risk factor that we too often ignore. The National Safety Council provides a wide range of resources for parents and employers. Teens and those who drive on the job face some of the highest distracted-driving risks.

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Spring Increases Risk of Alabama Bicycle Accidents

Mar 21, 2013 - Birmingham by

As the weather gets warmer, many kids are going to be taking to the streets to play on their bicycles. Bicycles provide a great method of transportation for young kids who want to go to their friends’ houses nearby but who are too young to drive a car to get there. Bike riding in the neighborhood or in the driveway can also be a lot of fun for kids of all ages.  Unfortunately, our Birmingham bicycle accident lawyers know that hundreds of people die each year as a result of bicycle accidents and that many more are injured. A large number of those who get hurt on bicycles are children who may be in grave danger due to a lack of skills on the bicycle or a lack of understanding of the risks of the road. The Dangers of Bicycle Accidents for Kids Any time a child or an adult rides a bicycle, there are some potential risks. There is a risk of becoming involved in a car accident while riding the bike, and there is also a danger of falling off of the bike and getting hurt.

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Spring Break Brings High Risk of Teen Car Accidents in Alabama

Mar 19, 2013 - Tuscaloosa by

Recently, CNN reported on several fatal wrecks involving teenagers. CNN also included statistics indicating that car crashes remain the top cause of death for young kids ages 15 to 20.  Kids are always at risk of car accidents, but over the next few weeks, many teens will be on spring break from either high school or college. With time off from school and spring break parties common throughout Tuscaloosa, young people are in even more danger of being involved in car accidents. Our Tuscaloosa accident attorneys know that talking to kids and modeling good driving behavior are the top things that parents can do to help reduce the risk of teen auto accidents. Before your kids go out to celebrate this spring break, you should have a long talk with them about the dangers of unsafe driving.

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Ongoing Sale of Defective Play Yards Results in $400k Settlement

Mar 18, 2013 - Birmingham by

A company that manufacturers traveling play yards for infants and toddlers has agreed to pay a hefty civil fine in order to resolve allegations that it failed to report defective child products or remove them from the market. Our Birmingham personal injury lawyers understand that the defect resulted in hundreds of reports of the product collapsing on infants and young children. In all, there are about 350 reports of collapsed play yards between January of 2000 and July of 2009. Of those, nearly two dozen resulted in injuries. Those included scrapes, bruises, bumps – and at least one concussion. When you’re talking about a child that young, even seemingly minor falls or impacts to the head have the potential to do serious and lifelong damage.

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Alabama Spring Break Deck Collapse Injures Students

Mar 16, 2013 - Personal Injury by

Often when we’re talking about spring break safety in Tuscaloosa, it’s a warning to pace yourself with the booze or to always have a designated driver. Those things are important. But our Tuscaloosa personal injury lawyers want you to recognize that you may face danger just about everywhere, as more than a dozen spring break revelers recently learned while relaxing in Gulf Shores. According to reports, about 15 to 20 college students from Texas, were spending a sunny afternoon on the deck of a beach house, situated on the sand near the city’s West Beach area. Suddenly, the floor collapsed from underneath them. The call came into emergency crews that a number of those who had fallen had severe neck and head injuries. A number also had broken bones. Six of those who had fallen were rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, officials say the injuries are not expected to be life-threatening. That in itself appears to be nothing short of a miracle, given the fact that there were also reportedly people under the deck as well. Neighbors said the home had been packed for several days with spring breakers. Spring break isn’t the only time this sort of thing has been known to happen. Just last year at a home in Colorado, 15 people were out on a second-story deck when it collapsed. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. A similar incident in a nearby town injured a dozen people – two of them critically – occurred just a few […]

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Birmingham Pedestrian Accidents & the Risk of Hybrid Vehicles

Mar 12, 2013 - Birmingham by

Part of the allure for many hybrid and electric vehicle owners is that they are easy on the ears.  It seemed an achievement, as carmakers for decades had been working to make cars that were quieter. But it’s actually a little too quiet for the those at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the lack of sound emanating from these vehicles poses a sharp risk to pedestrians and children – who can’t hear if the vehicle is approaching, backing up or rounding the corner. Our Birmingham accident lawyers know this is the reasoning behind the latest NHTSA proposal to require these vehicles meet minimum sound standards. Of particular concern is the risk to those who are blind or visually impaired.

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Tuscaloosa Sports Fans May Assume Some Measure of Risk

Mar 7, 2013 - Dangerous Products/Liability by

Dozens of NASCAR fans were injured late last month when hunks of metal, a huge tire and other debris were hurled into the crowd at a Nascar Nationwide Series Race at the Daytona International Raceway as the cars were finishing their final lap. Our Tuscaloosa personal injury lawyers understand that six people were rushed to a nearby hospital with serious trauma, while others were treated on the scene. Organizers praised the quick response of emergency crews on hand, but now several of those fans who were hurt are exploring their legal options for potential personal injury and/or premise liability claims. One Florida law firm representing three of those individuals said the premise liability case would focus on the safety fence that lines the track of the speedway. Lawyers there say they will be focusing on the issue of gross negligence, which is that even when people possess liability waivers on their tickets, they don’t necessarily assume that a tire is going to fly into the stands and cause them severe injury. After all, the track is surrounded by a fence separating it from the stands.

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Car Accident Deaths Spike 5 Percent Last Year

Mar 1, 2013 - Car Accidents by

We recently reported on the number of teen driver fatalities going up in Alabama and throughout the country.  Now, our Tuscaloosa car accident injury lawyers understand that overall motor vehicle deaths are up 5 percent nationwide, according to the National Safety Council, which released its report earlier this month. In 2012, the number of traffic deaths totaled 36,000, a sharp increase from the 34,600 recorded the previous year. Injuries and costs too were up by about the same amount, with injuries reaching the 4 million mark and economic damages nearing $277 billion (including productivity and wage losses, property damage, medical expenses and employer costs).

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