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Category: Personal Injury

Alabama Traffic Safety – Combatting Known Risks for Teens

Oct 30, 2013 - Car Accidents by

Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently unveiled a new safety campaign that’s working to keep teens safe through the busy upcoming holiday driving season. It’s the “5 to Drive” campaign and it’s addressing the five factors that can have the biggest impact young drivers’ careers behind the wheel. “The ’5 to Drive’ campaign gives parents and teens a simple, straightforward checklist that can help them talk about good driving skills,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. Our Birmingham car accident lawyers understand that traffic collisions continue to be the number one cause of death for teens across the nation. In 2011, there were more than 2,100 teen drivers who were involved in deadly collisions. Close to half of those teens were killed in these accidents. And to help to reduce the risks, we’re calling on parents to step in and kick off the conversation today. Sit down and talk with the teen driver in your family about the risks behind the wheel and the habits that can help keep them safe.

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Child Accident Risks Highest on All Hallow’s Eve

Oct 15, 2013 - Personal Injury by

Everyone loves a good scare on Halloween, but not when it comes to child safety. There are several easy and effective behaviors that parents can share with kids to help reduce their risk of injury. During Halloween, children are more likely to be killed in a pedestrian accident than any other night of the year. This is why it’s important that we not only instill safe habits before the big night, but that we also provide supervision to smaller kids who need it. It’s also important that we dress them in safe costumes that won’t cause any problems.

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Tuscaloosa Car Accident Victims May Get Faster Help With Yellow Dot

Oct 1, 2013 - Car Accidents by

Involvement in a Tuscaloosa car accident typically happens suddenly and without warning. The only way to prepare is to steel yourself before each and every trip, no matter how seemingly insignificant. That means buckling your seat belt, making sure the kids are properly restrained, keeping your vehicle in good working condition and remaining alcohol and distraction-free. Now, it may also mean affixing a yellow dot to the back of your vehicle.

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Drunk Driving Accidents Increase With Game Day Tailgating

Sep 18, 2013 - Birmingham by

It is an exciting time to be a college football fan in the State of Alabama and as fans we look forward to watching our favorite team play on TV but we especially look forward to the games we actually attend. For some fans their tailgate party is more of a small gathering of friends and family, while for others it is the social team party of the century. These game day celebrations often include alcohol, and unfortunately statistics reflect a substantial increase in drinking and driving accidents on football game days. Several college football teams will play their first home game of the season this Saturday, including Alabama (vs. Colorado State University) and we here at Cross and Smith, LLC are encouraging all college football fans that if they choose to drink alcohol, that they drink responsibly, designate a sober driver, get a cab, use public transportation or contact a friend or family member to ensure they get home safely and without being a danger to others on the road. All fans need to be made aware that, if they drink and drive and cause an accident, not only can they can face criminal charges but they can be sued for damages suffered by anyone that was injured as a result of the accident.

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Amusement Ride Dangers at State Fairs

Sep 11, 2013 - Birmingham by

With the Fall season right upon us, we look forward to all the different State Fairs coming to town. Along with all the great food and prizes to be won, we also need to be reminded of the potential dangers of the amusement rides. Just this past weekend at a fair in Connecticut, 18 people including 12 children were injured after one of the amusement rides malfunctioned. The incident is currently under investigation as to the cause of the malfunction and the police are looking into whether the owner of the ride has been cited for any prior safety violations. Owners and operators of state fairs and/or amusement parks have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of the riders and the visitors to their park. That includes ensuring the property and their attractions are properly maintained and kept in a reasonably safe condition. Although each incident may have different circumstances, legal responsibility for injuries incurred by the riders could rest on the amusement park owner, the ride designer or manufacturer, the ride operator and/or a ride owner. Among the potential claims made against these types of defendants are including, but not limited to, wrongful death, negligence, premise liability and/or defective product claims all of which our attorneys at Cross and Smith, LLC handle.

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Alabama Farm Equipment Road Hazards Climb With Harvest Season

Aug 18, 2013 - Birmingham by

A recent scene on I-65 in Birmingham, just south of Chilton County Road 59 caused traffic to grind to a halt, as a trailer hauling some 20 cows overturned. It was nearly three hours before officials could get things moving again. Our Birmingham personal injury attorneys understand that farm equipment traveling on the roadways can create a dangerous condition. Although thankfully no one was seriously hurt in this most recent incident, 2007 study published in the Journal of Rural Health revealed that there are a number of factors that contribute to increased injuries and fatalities when crashes involve farm equipment.

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Alabama Child Injury and the Risk of School Sports

Aug 15, 2013 - Birmingham by

With the start of the new school year comes the beginning of school-sponsored sports — something in which Alabama students, coaches and parents take great pride. However, our Birmingham personal injury lawyers know that such activities sometimes come at an enormous risk to the students involved, particularly if all precautions aren’t taken prior to the start of the season. While some states like Illinois are just now beginning to kick off discussions about insurance for student athletes who may incur catastrophic injuries, it is already required in Alabama by both the Alabama Independent School Association and the Alabama High School Athletic Association, with coverage capped at $1 million.

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Alabama ATV Crashes

Aug 12, 2013 - Birmingham by

Our Birmingham personal injury lawyers handle cases involving Alabama ATV crashes. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that there have been nearly 300 ATV-related deaths in Alabama from 1982 through 2011. Nearly a third of those occurred within the last three years of that time frame, and 80 were children under the age of 16. There is no state agency that regulates ATVs. The state is one of only four in the country with no ATV laws. That almost changed in 2/car-accidents/alabama-traffic-accidents-likely-to-increase-with-economic-recovery/, but the effort sputtered out. The only formal restriction is that ATV’s may not be driven on sand dunes or on beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. Still, even in states that have stricter laws, sometimes it’s not enough to prevent tragedy.

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Alabama Brain Injuries Have Life-Altering Impact on Adults, Children

Aug 7, 2013 - Birmingham by

Kevin Pearce was a skilled snowboarder. So skilled, in fact, it was believed he stood a strong chance to claim the Olympic gold medal from Shaun White, recognized to be the reigning king of the sport. But our Birmingham brain injury lawyers know that was before a training run crash in Park City, Utah on Dec. 31, 2009. He suffered massive trauma to his body, and his brain. He lapsed into a coma. Some thought he might die. He survived, but he emerged a different athlete, and a different person.

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Birmingham Bicycle Accidents a Summer Safety Focus

Jul 15, 2013 - Birmingham by

Last year, the federal government offered up a $10 million federal transportation grant to cover street repairs, new sidewalks and bicycle lanes, plus bicycle paths in Birmingham, especially in the tornado-affected area of Pratt City. Our Birmingham bicycle accident attorneys recognize that these moves are ultimately intended to reduce injuries and fatalities for cyclists, who account for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities each year. Some of those dollars have already been put to good use, although we know at the outset that other projects will take years to implement. It may take even longer for motorists’ attitudes and awareness of cyclists to expand to the point that they consider cyclists a routine aspect of traffic, rather than an anomaly to be ignored or scorned.

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Posted By: Chuck Kelley

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