Georgia Injury Law Blog

Published on: December 6, 2013

Georgia State Agencies Urge Safe Travel over Holidays

The year’s busiest travel season has begun, and a number of Georgia state agencies are joining hands to educate motorists about the need to drive safely during the holidays. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the Georgia State Patrol are encouraging motorists to avoid speeding and distractions, and concentrate on getting to their destination safely.

Just before Thanksgiving and New Year’s day, we see the heaviest amount of traffic on GA roadways.Not surprisingly, the accident, injury and fatality rate is also very high during these weeks. Every year, the Georgia State Patrol calls attention to the need to reduce speed, eliminate distractions at the wheel, and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These three factors account for a majority of all traffic accident fatalities that occur during the holiday season.

It is important to remember that many motorists over the holiday season are in a hurry to finish their shopping, meet up with friends, and take part in other activities. Many of these motorists will be driving at excessive speeds, and even if you don’t plan to drive at high speeds, know that there will be many speeding motorists on the road this holiday season. While you can’t do anything to change other motorists’ driving habits, you can increase your chances of being safe and reduce the risk of a fatal accident by making sure that you and everybody else in your car is safely buckled-up.

Published on: November 25, 2013

Tips for Safe Holiday Gift Shopping for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Most retailers across the country are reporting early holiday shopping this year as consumers start buying for family, co-workers, and friends.Many of those gifts will include children’s accessories, toys, and other products. This is the right time of the year to remind parents that the toys and products that they choose for their children must be safe from the risk of injuries.

Most injuries related to children’s products involve the face and head, including a large number to the eyes and forehead area. Unfortunately, there are far too many children’s toys that come with removable parts and sharp parts that pose a serious eye injury hazard.When you buy toys as gifts this holiday season, avoid toys that come with protruding parts, spikes, or sharp or pointed edges.

Avoid buying guns and shooting toys, or toys that come with parts that fly off. These can actually turn into dangerous projectiles, and can cause injuries not just to the child who is using the toy, but also other children and adults in the environment.

Published on: November 4, 2013

Safer Headlight Technology Being Developed to Prevent Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Every year, there are variations in the number of car accident fatalities, but one fact remains the same — more fatal car accidents occur at night than in the daytime hours.Nighttime driving comes with its own set of challenges, and one of those is the lack of adequate roadway lighting.A new study focuses on the potential for improving nighttime driving through more advanced automobile headlight systems.

The research was recently presented at the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting in Germany.One scientist involved in the study presented a paper outlining the different types of lighting technologies that can help make nighttime driving both safer and easier.Specifically, these technologies involve headlights that can focus light onto particularly tricky and dangerous roadways.This would be done by using headlights that swivel or bend to put more light onto the turn of the road.

According to the report that was presented at the conference, earlier studies that compared cars equipped with these headlight systems and vehicles with conventional low beam headlights, found that the number of accidents occurring at night actually dropped. For instance, there was a drop of approximately 4% in nighttime accident frequency along low-speed roads. On high-speed roads with shallower curves, the drop was between 1% and 2%.

Published on: October 25, 2013

Researchers Work on Touch-Sensitive Prosthetic Limbs

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Researchers at the University of Chicago are currently working on a prosthetic limb that includes a sense of touch. The limb would give a person a sensory touch, and not just allow him to perform motor activities.

The researchers have published the results of their experiments in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Obviously, this is a major step forward in prosthetics development, and this is a field that has already seen some interesting advancements in the recent past. Earlier, prosthetic hands, legs and limbs, were clunky, mechanical gadgets, which would allow a person to walk or move their arms, but in a cumbersome manner. They were uncomfortable to wear and even more uncomfortable to use. In fact, many prosthetic limbs were actually painful to use for long periods of time.

However, in 2013, the kind of prosthetic limbs that a person who has had his limbs amputated due to accident or any other cause are highly advanced, and very light. They’re made from ultralight materials that are not just strong and stable, but also very convenient and comfortable to wear.

Published on: October 14, 2013

Motorcyclist Killed in Accident in Cherokee County

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A fatal motorcycle accident has been reported recently in Georgia. This time, it was a 61-year-old man from Woodstock who was traveling on his motorcycle when he crashed into a Toyota Tundra. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the man’s family and friends.

According to reports of the accident, the man was heading eastbound on Cumming Highway when the Tundra pulled out onto the roadway. Consequently, the motorcycle hit the left side of the vehicle.The motorcycle driver was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead.

There was also a 55-year-old female passenger on a bike, who was thrown several feet away upon impact. She was also rushed to the hospital, and is being treated for injuries.

Published on: October 7, 2013

Highway Safety Expected to Be Affected by Government Shutdown

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Certain highway safety initiatives across the country are likely to be affected by the federal government shutdown, which is currently in effect. While some agencies that are responsible for auto safety are likely to be negatively impacted, others that are responsible for trucking safety, fortunately, may escape unscathed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is one of those agencies that is expected to be affected by the shutdown and resulting lack of funding. This is the federal agency that is responsible for highway safety activities across the country, and therefore, this is one shutdown that has the potential to affect the safety of motorists and passengers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may be forced to cut several employees as part of the furloughs. That in turn, could also impact not only highway safety, but also trucking safety to a certain extent, because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also regulates trucking equipment.

Published on: September 23, 2013

Improper Tractor-Trailer Lane Possible Cause of Motorcycle Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An improper lane change made by a commercial truck driver is being blamed for a recent fatal motorcycle accident on Interstate 75 in Henry County, GA.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the accident occurred when a motorcyclist traveling northbound was struck by a truck near exit 75 in Henry County.According to initial reports, a southbound truck crossed the median, and crashed into the motorcycle, killing the motorcyclist.So far, it appears that an improper lane change by the tractor-trailer may have started the fatal chain of events, although the investigation is still pending, and no charges have been filed against the tractor-trailer driver.

Every year, more than 4,000 motorcyclists are killed in accidents, and many of these motorcycle accidents are caused by motorists who are inebriated, driving recklessly, or driving while distracted.

Published on: September 11, 2013

Slip and Fall Accidents: Expensive and Highly Preventable

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Although icy conditions are often thought of when the topic of slip and fall accidents arises, the risk of suffering this type of injury is very high in the summer months.This is due in part to the large number of people visiting airports, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, sports fields, and other commercial spaces.However, very often, these same places conceal dangerous conditions that can cause serious leg and back injuries.

The best Atlanta slip and fall accident lawyers all agree that the most effective way for businesses to deal with slip and falls is to prevent them.This requires two things.First, recognize the common causes of falls.And second, implement safety protocols for removing the danger.

Some of the most common slip and fall accidents involve flooring that conceals various hazards.For instance, a floor that is wet because of a spill can pose a serious hazard, and when the floor is the kind that is often used in commercial spaces like marble and granite, the spill may not be easily visible.Businesses must ensure that all public walkways are constantly monitored, and that any spills are cleaned up immediately.

Published on: September 4, 2013

Georgia DOT Releases New Safe Driving Videos

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia highway officials have made a lot of progress in helping reduce the number of people killed in traffic accidents across the state. However, thousands of people continue to die, or are seriously injured in accidents across the state every year.In order to help reduce those numbers further, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has developed and released a new series of videos.

GDOT has launched a new video initiative that comes in response to a call by the Federal Highway Administration to reduce traffic accident fatalities across the country to 0.The Federal Highway Administration’s Towards Zero Deaths initiative is aimed at minimizing the number of traffic accident fatalities across the country.

In order to support this initiative, the Georgia Department of Transportation is promoting a new series of educational videos. These videos will appear GDOT’s YouTube Channel and website.

Published on: August 12, 2013

U.S. DOT Eliminates Truck Safety Inspection Report Requirement

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As part of a new reprieve granted by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), truck drivers who perform daily pre-and post-trip safety inspections of their vehicle do not have to file a report if their inspection does not yield any defects.

USDOT has relaxed the requirement that mandated that trucking companies file a report for every inspection conducted by a driver before and after a trip, even if the inspection does not yield any defects. However, that does not mean that truck drivers don’t have to conduct inspections anymore. Inspections still have to be conducted as normal, but if no defects are found, the driver does not need to fill out any paperwork.

That means more time savings for truck drivers, and not surprisingly, the trucking industry has been very pleased with this reprieve granted by USDOT. The change comes as part of a directive by President Barack Obama, asking federal agencies to cut down regulation and red tape that could be hindering their business’ ability to make profits.