Covington Personal Injury Blog

A car that judges your driving?

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, March 21, 2019.

Safety advocates have complained loudly about the distracted driving epidemic sweeping both cities and rural areas. And do not get them started about the statistics of driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or even a lack of sleep. So, it would make sense that the safety-conscious Volvo would heed the message and take matters into the hands of its engineers.

The Swedish vehicle manufacturer has rolled out a new plan for safe driving called Vision 2020. This bold plan uses 21st-century technology such as in-vehicle cameras and sensors to determine if the driver is distracted, under the influence or even sleepy.

Support for some, a danger to others

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Catastrophic Injuries on Friday, March 8, 2019.

It has become commonplace to see dogs walking through airports and other public spaces that used to be off limits to pets. This is a result of the explosive growth in the number of emotional support animals in our daily lives. Under the best of circumstances, the presence of these animals provides comfort and happiness to their humans. However, the same may not be said for those who come in contact with these animals.

This was the case when a five-year-old girl was attacked by an emotional support pit bull in the Portland, Oregon, airport. The dog bit the girl in the face, tearing off a part of her lip and damaging her tear duct. Her family recently filed a $1.1 million suit against the dog’s owner, the municipal agency Port of Portland, which operates the airport, and Alaska Airlines. It claims there was negligence since the dog was allowed in the airport without being in a crate. Unfortunately, this is not the first case of emotional therapy animals attacking, often when they are in airports or on planes.

Falls leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injury to elderly

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Premises Liability on Saturday, March 2, 2019.

It is a commonplace for the elderly to worry about falling, but they have good reason to worry. According to a recent story in the New York Times, the most common reason for the death of the elderly is “complications from a fall.” This translates into the death of an elderly person every 19 minutes.

Millions of elderly people 65 and older fall each year, whether it is because of an unseen hazard when walking or a wet floor. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a real need for concern involving falls by the elderly:

Parking lots can be a dangerous place for pedestrians

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

When you go to your favorite grocery store, department store or any other place with a parking lot, you will find yourself exposed to injury from vehicles. You may feel relatively safe as you walk into the building, since it's not like you are walking in the street with cars passing by you at high speed.

Don't believe this false sense of security, however. Data estimates that about one in every four pedestrian accidents takes place in a parking lot. Even when workers have designed the parking lot with your safety in mind, accidents still happen.

NTSB finally begins investigation of fatal limo crash

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Sunday, February 24, 2019.

The tragic crash of a limousine in upstate New York that resulted in the death of all 18 of its occupants as well as two pedestrians made national news in October of 2018. The case was made all the more tragic by the fact that county prosecutors, the state police and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB ) were unable to coordinate their respective jurisdiction in investigating the matter.

The general details of the crash are that the driver lost control of the vehicle while going down a hill. The limo went through a stop sign, through cross traffic and a parking lot (where the pedestrians died) before coming to a stop on an embankment. It was the deadliest motor vehicle accident in the United States since 2005. It is presumed that the brakes on the after-market-modified Ford Excursion limousine failed.

New safety initiatives for the trucking industry

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Monday, February 11, 2019.

The National Safety Transportation Board (NSTB) has announced the 2019-2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvement during a February 4 press day. It is a distillation of a larger list of 46 recommendations for safety improvements.

The items on the short list are:

Drunk driving a danger to others

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Monday, February 4, 2019.

Louisiana is traditionally one of the least safe states to drive in for a variety of reasons. Increased attention to distracted driving has been the focus for many safety advocates in recent years. However, drinking and driving is still a major cause for concern both as a danger to the driver as well as others on the road. There is a number of reasons why drinking and driving leads to bad driving. These include:

Aggressive behavior behind the wheel
A general feeling of immunity to the dangers involved
Delays in reaction time
Careless behavior like wandering from lane or speeding

Is the assumption of risk defense right for your case?

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.

As a business owner, you have certain responsibilities when it comes to keeping individuals on your business's premises safe. You likely understand this obligation and do your part to make sure that any activities that take part on the premises are not unnecessarily dangerous. However, if you operate a business that involves individuals participating in risky activities, such as riding roller coasters or driving go-karts, you certainly understand that a risk of injury is involved.

Because of the possibility of injuries resulting from participating in potentially dangerous activities or activities that pose a risk of harm, you make certain to disclose the risks and ensure that your customers understand and accept that risk. Still, even after your disclosures, you could face a lawsuit if a person suffers injuries on your premises and makes a claim.

Shopper wins $3 million settlement over escalator injury

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Catastrophic Injuries on Monday, January 28, 2019.

Accidents on escalators seem to be more like urban myths than actual truths. However, escalators are dangerous and can cause severe injury. One recent example is a woman who had her toe shredded while riding an escalator while shopping at a mall in Little Rock, Arkansas. A jury has now awarded her a $3 million settlement.

According to local news, the medical student was riding down an escalator in 2013 with her family when her boot was caught in the escalator. Her great toe was subsequently “crushed and shredded” and was unable to be saved. The victim subsequently filed a suit against the mall owner and escalator manufacturer. Both the mall owner and escalator manufacturer admitted fault, leaving the trial to determine the award. After a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for about two hours before nine-member majority (the minimum for decisions regarding personal injury) awarded damages for past and future medical expenses, lost wages, pain and disfigurement.

AAA finds drowsy driving on the rise

On behalf of The Truitt Law Firm, LLC posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, January 24, 2019.

Drowsy driving has long been understood to be a danger. However, the American Automobile Association is regarding to this issue with growing concern. One recent survey found that one third of all drivers admitted to driving at least once in the last month while having trouble staying awake. This makes sense, considering another study finds that 27 percent of Americans have said they have trouble sleeping.

Sleep aids contributing to the issue