Category: Birmingham

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 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.

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.

Jan 28, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Every year in this country, dozens of construction workers are killed in scaffolding accidents and hundreds are injured, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, falls from scaffolds account for nearly a quarter of all fatal falls in work settings, with suspension scaffolds involved in 3 out of 10 incidents.  Our Birmingham injury lawyers understand that nearly three-quarters of all injury-causing scaffold accidents are attributed to one of three things: The employee slipped, the support or planking gave way or the worker or scaffolding was struck by a falling object. The fact is, every one of these scenarios is 100 percent avoidable if a construction company is abiding by standards set forth by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

Jan 25, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Birmingham nursing home abuse lawyers know how difficult it is for family members to choose the right assisted living facility for their loved one.  For most, it’s uncharted territory and the concerns are amplified by the fact that you’ve heard all the horror stories. But it can be tough to get straight answers about a facility’s track record. Even once you’ve decided on a facility, keeping tabs on its performance can prove convoluted at best. Now, there is a new tool. News organization ProPublica has launched a data-driven site that provides updated information regarding nursing homes in Alabama and throughout the country. Each facility is documented, the serious deficiencies calculated and rated (with detailed reports attached) and information about fines and penalties tabulated as well.

Jan 22, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Last year, more than 650 vehicle and vehicle product recalls were issued, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Our Birmingham personal injury attorneys understand that of the total 664 recalls, 586 were for the entire vehicle, 56 were for the vehicle equipment, 4 were for child safety seats and 18 were tire recalls. Overall, this is a slight increase from the number of recalls we had in the previous year (654), though the number has fluctuated greatly in the last 10 years, with as many as 781 (in 2008) and as few as 506 (in 2002).

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 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 4, 2012 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

This winter season, many teen drivers will be getting their drivers’ licenses for the first time. Others will be going into their first winter driving season, and still others who are away at college will be driving home for their winter break. If you are the parent of a teen driver, you may have concerns about your child’s safety during the dangerous winter driving months. These concerns aren’t unfounded since Centers for Disease Control reports indicate that car accident deaths are the leading cause of death for kids ages 16-19. Parents who want to protect their teens from dangerous driving behavior need to be vigilant in making sure that their kids know safe driving rules and that they don’t fall into dangerous situations. Our injury attorneys in Birmingham urge parents to take some time over winter break this year to sit down and talk to their kids about how to reduce the risk of accidents and be a more responsible, safer driver.