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Jan 15, 2013 - Nursing Home Neglect by Cross & Smith

An alarming report released recently by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns of the dangers of adult bedrails – the metal bars fitted onto beds to keep people from falling out.  As our Tuscaloosa nursing home neglect lawyers have learned, these devices have reportedly been on the radar of federal regulators since at least 1995. Since that time, some 550 people have died after becoming stuck or strangled in the rails, and another 4,000 a year have had to be rushed to the emergency room for injuries. Despite the human toll, the federal government has been reticent to take any action at all, according to reporting from The New York Times.

Jan 10, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

On December 19, 2012, Money News published an article indicating that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine had just accredited its 2,500th sleep center. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has been accrediting centers since 1977 but the number of centers is now at an all time high. In fact, there are double the number of centers than were available just a decade ago. Our Tuscaloosa injury attorneys are pleased that more attention is being given to the problem of sleep disorders and that more people are seeking treatment. When people get help with their sleep problems, it could cut down on the high number of drowsy driving accidents.  The news that more people are getting help with sleep issues couldn’t come at a better time, as a recently released study by the CDC demonstrates that drowsy driving is a very widespread problem.

Jan 7, 2013 - Personal Injury by Cross & Smith

On December 29, 2012, the News Sentinel reported on an Alabama man who had recently been fitted with a bionic hand. The advanced medical device has allowed him to return to work just one year after he lost his limb in an industrial accident. Our Tuscaloosa injury attorneys are glad to hear that this man is recovering, and now thriving, after such a serious injury. In the United States, around 1.7 million people live with limb loss according to the National Limb Loss Information Center. Around 20 percent lose their limbs as a result of traumatic accidents. Many are faced with having multiple prosthetic limbs over the course of their lives. The story of the Alabama man with the bionic hand provides hope that advances in medical technology will allow more people who lose limbs to get their mobility back, provided that they can cover the costs of paying for medical advances.  The Bionic Hand According to the News Sentinel, the Alabama man fitted for the new bionic hand is one of just a few thousands who has the Touch Bionics i-Limb model. The prosthesis is one of the most technically advanced devices available and it is controlled by the muscles that would normally control the human hand if it had not been amputated. Each of the fingers of the hand can move independently and can bend at the joints so it is possible for the user to grab objects just like a normal human hand.

Jan 3, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

New Years is a time for resolutions and you may have already made some promises and set some goals this year. Rather than going with the cliched resolutions of losing weight, getting healthy or being on time, our Birmingham auto accident lawyers urge you to make a resolution this year that could potentially save your life or save the lives of others. We urge you to make a resolution to become a better, safer driver in 2013.  There are lots of reasons why you should make the resolution to become a better driver: 38,328 of them in fact. That’s how many people were injured in crashes in Alabama in 2010. These injuries, and many of the 862 deaths that Alabama Traffic Crash Facts reported during the same time period, could have been prevented if every person throughout Alabama just made a commitment to stop engaging in dangerous or risky driving behavior.

Jan 2, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

On New Year’s Day, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm returned to television to host the 2013 Rose Parade. The event was Storm’s first appearance on television since she was badly burned in an accident with a gas grill on December 11. ABC World News Tonight also released some images of Hannah Storm immediately after the accident that showed the extent of her burns. These images are available on Yahoo Sports.  Our Birmingham injury lawyers are pleased to see that Hannah Storm has made a solid recovery and is back on television. We also believe this accident serves as an important reminder of the potential dangers of propane and gas grills and urge everyone to exercise extreme caution when using such devices. Burn injuries can be very serious or even deadly and it is important that grill manufacturers and rebottled propane distributors do everything possible to make sure their products are safe and do not put people at undue risk. Propane Grill Accidents and Injuries Hannah Storm suffered her injuries when she was preparing dinner at her Connecticut home. When she saw that the flame on her gas grill had done out, she turned off the grill and then reignited it. Flame roared into her face in a loud explosion that her neighbor indicated sounded like a tree had fallen through the roof. The explosion blew the doors off the grill, set Storm’s shirt on fire, and caused her to lose half her hair as well as her eyebrows and eyelashes. Storm […]

Dec 29, 2012 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

We are about to ring in 2013! As baby boomers age and move into retirement, the population in the United States is about to have the largest percentage of elderly individuals in its history. This has a lot of implications, but one concern shared by many is what the changing population mix is going to do to the rate of auto accidents. Many believe that more elderly drivers on the road is going to up the risk of crashes. But a recent status report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that these worries may be unfounded. Our Tuscaloosa injury attorneys want to take a close look at the recent IIHS report addressing the impact of older drivers on car accident risks. We also urge elderly drivers and the family members of elderly drivers to remember that every person’s situation is different and that there may come a time when the reality must be faced that driving safely is no longer an option for a particular senior.  The IIHS Data on The “Silver Tsunami” and Auto Accidents Referring to the aging of the baby boomers as the “silver tsunami,” IIHS provided some information on the rates of auto accident claims made by seniors in order to get a better grasp of what the aging of so many of the drivers on the roads would do to the accident risks.

Dec 26, 2012 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

New Years Eve is a time for celebrating and ringing in the New Year. Unfortunately, it is also a time when many people go out and have more drinks than they should and end up driving home. Drinking and driving over the holiday season is a major problem throughout Alabama and there are tragic cases every year where someone goes out on New Years Eve and doesn’t make it home. Our injury attorneys in Birmingham urge every driver to make a commitment not to drink and drive this New Years holiday. We also urge bars and restaurants to take steps to provide solutions to patrons that will prevent them from drinking and driving. And we urge party-goers to keep an eye on their friends to make sure that no one gets in a car after having too many drinks.  The New Years Drinking and Driving Dangers According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, there were 259 deaths in Alabama related to drunk driving in 2011. While these deaths occurred throughout the year, the holiday season is an especially common time for drunk driving crashes. In fact, crashes are so likely around the holiday season that the Alabama Law Enforcement Traffic and Safety Division is participating in the 2012 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

Dec 20, 2012 - Personal Injury by Cross & Smith

Shopping for gifts, entertaining guests and decorating are all hallmarks of the holiday season. In doing all of these activities, there is a good chance that you will be visiting grocery stores, department stores, big box stores and shopping malls — probably more so than at any other time during the year. As you make your way to the mall and other retail outlets, it is important that you do everything in your power to stay safe. Our injury attorneys in Birmingham have some advice to help you avoid some potential dangers so you don’t fall victim to a holiday shopping accident.  Staying Safe at the Shopping Mall This Season Whether you are in a grocery store, department store, mall or other shopping venue over the holidays, there are certain things that present a risk to your safety and that could result in injury. Knowing about the risks and using a little bit of extra caution can go a long way towards avoiding injury. For example, some of the common sources of danger or potential risks to be aware of include:

Dec 19, 2012 - Personal Injury by Cross & Smith

The holiday season is a time for hosting parties and inviting guests into your home. When you have people over, you want to make sure that they have a good time and enjoy the celebration. However, you also have a more important responsibility — making sure that your guests are safe and that they do not present a danger to themselves or to others. Our injury attorneys in Tuscaloosa want to remind hosts and hostesses of their obligations when they invite guests into their home this holiday season. We also have some tips for those hosting parties to help ensure that the guests are safe and that the host doesn’t become legally liable for injury. Your Obligation To Your Guests When you invite people to your home for the holidays, you have an obligation to make sure that your house is reasonably safe. You should correct any hidden dangers or hazards that exist on the premises, or in the alternative, warn your guests of any hidden dangers or hazards. This means if you have a sidewalk that is prone to getting slippery; a loose or wiggly railing; broken steps or any other potential hazards in your home, you may want to fix them before inviting guests. If there are things you can’t fix, let your guests know of the problem so they aren’t in danger of hurting themselves while visiting.

Dec 15, 2012 - Nursing Home Neglect by Cross & Smith

If you have elderly family members or friends in a nursing home, there’s a good chance that you will be paying them a visit over the holidays. While you are enjoying each other’s company and having a festive celebration, the visit should also give you a chance to talk to your loved one and to observe his or her behavior. Carefully observe the condition of the home and other residents. Our Tuscaloosa nursing home abuse attorneys have discussed the subject of nursing home abuse before, including last month when we wrote about the tragic death of a 94-year-old-woman killed in an Alabama nursing home fire drill. We want to urge you to take extra care this holiday season to ensure our elderly loved ones are treated with the care and respect they deserve. According to a 2011 article in The News Courier, adult protective services referred 5,312 possible abuse cases to the Department of Human Resources for investigation in the prior year. In the majority of abuse situations investigated, the alleged abuse was directed at a person aged 75 to 84. Although 5,312 abuse cases is a staggering number, these investigations may reflect only a small portion of the abuse that is actually occurring. The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that anywhere between 1 and 2 million seniors age 65 and older throughout the U.S. are abused but that many cases of abuse go unreported since the elderly aren’t able to speak up for themselves or to get the […]