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Monthly Archives: June 2016

Electronic Logging Now Required for Most Truckers – Cross and Smith

Jun 30, 2016 - Truck Accidents by

No one wants to share the roads with drowsy drivers. However, each Tuscaloosa truck wreck lawyer at our firm has seen the dangers increase almost exponentially when someone nods off behind the wheel of a commercial semi truck weighing in at 80,000 pounds or more. Federal law has required truckers to maintain paper records of their hours of service for nearly three decades, but those requirements have only been marginally effective in helping truck drivers remain alert on the road. Hopefully, new laws that require electronic record-keeping will prove to keep more motorists safe. New Law Moves Forward in Spite of Some Trucker Protests According to one report from CBS News, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) finalized requirements for a system that replaces paper records with electronic hours reporting. They predict that the new requirements will help prevent records tampering, save about 26 lives per year and prevent 562 injuries annually. Some of the key points of the new law are as follows: With some exceptions, the law requires truckers to transition into the use of approved electronic recording devices over a two-year period. Truckers who use previously-approved devices that do not meet the new requirements have four years to replace their current devices. Smart phones and other electronic devices that satisfy technical requirements can be used, provided they are FMCSA-approved. At least one trucker advocacy group has argued that the use of unproven technology does not guarantee increased safety or hours-of-service compliance so much as it increases […]

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Can Surgical Anesthesia Errors Be Prevented?

Jun 17, 2016 - Personal Injury by

In many ways, anesthesia makes surgery possible, since few patients would agree to undergo any type of surgical procedure without some form of pain management. In fact, whether it involved chewing coca leaves, ingesting herbs or undergoing acupuncture, anesthesia has been used as long as humans have existed on earth. Things have come a long way since early pain management practices, and today’s anesthesia is generally very safe. However, the Mayo Clinic presents a long list of general anesthesia risks that patients can face. Those often-unavoidable risks pertain largely to existing health factors, histories of past adverse reactions and histories of smoking or alcohol use. However, our Tuscaloosa personal injury lawyers have seen cases when anesthesia-related injuries might have been prevented with appropriate medical care. Anesthesia Errors Can Occur During Any Surgical Procedure Any procedure that requires pain management can be subject to anesthesia errors — whether it involves major surgery in a hospital, routine procedures performed in surgical centers or possibly even relatively minor care delivered in the doctor’s office. While it is certainly possible for patients to have unpredictable bad reactions to anesthesia, the following are examples of negligent acts: Failure to obtain accurate medical histories: Knowing that a patient has drug allergies, is a long-term smoker or drinker or suffers from any number of medical conditions can affect the choice of anesthesia or even prohibit the use of anesthesia altogether. Insufficient patient monitoring during procedures: Anesthesiologists and anesthetists have to do much more than keep patients asleep […]

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"I have been friends with Dell Cross since we were roommates at UA Law and have had the pleasure of conferring with Cross & Smith, LLC in a professional capacity for many years. As a law office which specializes in domestic relations and family law matters, it is imperative that my office maintain a consistent client referral relationship with a law firm which can effectively address personal injury matters brought to us by our clients."
Posted By: Mark Sterling Gober

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