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Mar 18, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

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.

Mar 16, 2013 - Personal Injury by Cross & Smith

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 […]

Mar 12, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

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.

Mar 7, 2013 - Dangerous Products/Liability by Cross & Smith

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.

Mar 1, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

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).

Feb 28, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

For all the ways that we have worked to improve the safety of new teen drivers, there is apparently much more to be done.  A new report, based on preliminary 2012 data, indicates that Alabama saw a 9 percent spike in the number of teen driver fatalities in the first half of last year, as compared to the first half of 2011. Our Tuscaloosa car accident attorneys find this deeply troubling, especially as local news reports seem to indicate anecdotally that the trend is nowhere near slowing.

Feb 15, 2013 - Motorcycle Accidents by Cross & Smith

Just days ago, a man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the summer 2011 motorcycle crash in Fairhope that claimed the life of a 59-year-old Tennessee man. The rider died at the scene, and authorities later determined the driver of the other vehicle had consumed marijuana shortly before the crash.  Tragic as such incidents are, our Alabama motorcycle injury attorneys understand they are likely to become more common, per a new study by researchers at Brown University in Rhode Island, published in this month’s edition of the Injury Prevention journal. For starters, the Baby Boomer generation has a great affinity for motorcycles, and they show no sign of giving up those two wheels, even as they continue riding into their 60s and beyond. The researchers discovered that in 1990, roughly 10 percent of all motorcycle riders were over the age of 50. As of 2003, that figure had more than doubled to about 25 percent.

Feb 13, 2013 - Truck Accidents by Cross & Smith

A teen driver near Huntsville reportedly hit a guard rail and plummeted into Flint River, while reportedly swerving to miss another vehicle.  Our Tuscaloosa personal injury attorneys know young drivers are at high risk of an accident through spring and early summer. There is no indication that alcohol was a factor in this crash, but we know drunk driving is just one concern with prom and graduation celebrations on the horizon. The Centers for Disease Control reports that motor vehicle accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for American teens, with roughly seven youth between the ages of 16 and 19 dying every single day on the roadway. In 2010, that was approximately 2,700 killed and another 282,000 seriously injured. When you account for number of miles driven, statistics show that teen drivers in this age group are three times as likely as those over age 20 to be in a fatal wreck.

Feb 7, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

The AAA Foundation released its annual Traffic Safety Culture Index report late last month, revealing that while public attitudes toward risky driving behaviors tend to be widely recognized and chastised, far fewer motorists actually practice what they preach.  Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers understand this double standard has long been noted by traffic safety officials. The question is how we work to go about turning beliefs into better behaviors. Survey takers – nearly 4,000 in all, polled last September – put a premium value on roadway safety, holding firmly to the extensive data that reveals speeding, cell phone use, road rage and impairment are dangerous behind the wheel. As such, most support strong laws to restrict those kinds of actions and impose significant penalties on offenders.

Feb 5, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

A transit bus recently caught fire in Birmingham with three passengers on board, culminating in an explosion that rendered the vehicle totally destroyed.  While our Birmingham burn injury lawyers have learned no one was hurt, it’s a fitting coincidence that the incident happened in the midst of National Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 3-9. The fact is, this was a dramatic example of the burn risks that are all around us. The American Burn Association (ABA) notes that the most common type of burn injuries are attributed to scalding, usually in the home or in assisted-living situations. The most vulnerable individuals are babies, young children, elderly adults and people with disabilities. When these vulnerable individuals sustain a scald injury, they are more likely to have to be hospitalized. They have a greater likelihood of complications, such as infection, and they tend to have a longer, tougher recovery.