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Apr 12, 2013 - Construction Accidents by Cross & Smith
A jury has awarded $1.7 million to an Alabama man who incurred severe injuries as a result of a 2009 manlift accident at a steel mill. Our Tuscaloosa construction accident lawyers understand this incident occurred in Daphne, which is in southern Alabama, not far from Mobile. According to news reports, the incident happened the day before Halloween, while the worker was using a manlift to install an overhead crane. He was nearly 80 feet in the air. Suddenly, the wire ropes in the equipment failed. He plunged some 25 feet. The manlift’s boom retracted, similar to what you might see with an accordion, only on a much greater scale. As the worker fell, his right femur bone snapped. His head struck the control panel and he was knocked unconscious.
Read MoreApr 9, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith
A Mississippi man recently stopped in Mobile is the perfect example for just about everything you should never do behind the wheel. Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers are amazed that this individual didn’t cause a crash sooner. The 19-year-old driver and his 22-year-old passenger were passing through the George Wallace Tunnel when they were stopped. Officers say not only was he text messaging, he was doing so on two different phone simultaneously. Obviously, with no hands free, he was forced to steer the vehicle using his knees, something he said he’s been doing since he learned how to drive – three years ago. He called this “double texting.”
Read MoreMar 26, 2013 - Tuscaloosa by Cross & Smith
Our Tuscaloosa car accident attorneys urge Alabama residents to participate in Distracted Driving Awareness Month this April. Sometimes is seems we’re always talking about distracted-driving risks, and yet we haven’t directly addressed it yet this year on our Alabama Injury Attorneys Blog. And that’s how it is with distracted driving: An obvious risk factor that we too often ignore. The National Safety Council provides a wide range of resources for parents and employers. Teens and those who drive on the job face some of the highest distracted-driving risks.
Read MoreMar 19, 2013 - Tuscaloosa by Cross & Smith
Recently, CNN reported on several fatal wrecks involving teenagers. CNN also included statistics indicating that car crashes remain the top cause of death for young kids ages 15 to 20. Kids are always at risk of car accidents, but over the next few weeks, many teens will be on spring break from either high school or college. With time off from school and spring break parties common throughout Tuscaloosa, young people are in even more danger of being involved in car accidents. Our Tuscaloosa accident attorneys know that talking to kids and modeling good driving behavior are the top things that parents can do to help reduce the risk of teen auto accidents. Before your kids go out to celebrate this spring break, you should have a long talk with them about the dangers of unsafe driving.
Read MoreMar 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 […]
Read MoreMar 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.
Read MoreMar 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).
Read MoreFeb 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.
Read MoreFeb 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.
Read MoreFeb 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.
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Posted By: Shane Weaver