Macon, Georgia Fasten Your Belts (If Possible…?) Lawyer

Fasten Your Belts (If Possible…?)

Public service campaigns rely heavily on memorable phrases that are easy to remember and easy to repeat. We’ve all heard “seat belts save lives” and while that overall concept is true, the real sound bite should be “seat belts could save more lives.” Why? Because, like any other car part, seat belts fail, but when they do, lives are at stake. They are arguably the most important part of automotive safety. When you get in your car and buckle up, you expect that your seat belt will stay latched and restrain you in the event of an accident. In fact, that is the main concept behind the push for mandatory seat belt laws – to keep occupants from being ejected in a crash or impacting the car’s interior. Known as the “second collis...

Macon, Georgia The Perils of Foam (Yes, Really) Lawyer

The Perils of Foam (Yes, Really)

Of all the dangerous places to be, a room full of foam doesn't likely enter your mind. If someone were to say, “Little Tyler's birthday party is at the trampoline/foam pit park,” it's likely no one would RSVP with, “Sorry, Sarah's not allowed in foam pits or on trampolines. Too risky.” But, it looks like Mom's been right all along. It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Made of polyurethane foam blocks, foam pits began in gymnastics to help young athletes make soft landings when learning new gymnastic skills. They have been gaining in popularity and are now used as cushioning at a wide variety of places such as BMX, motorcycle, FMX, skateboard and trampoline parks. Some indoor entertainment centers feature the foam block...

Macon, Georgia Backseat Passenger Lawyer

Backseat Passenger

Safety was not a primary concern for America’s first automobile designers. Seat belts for adults were not standard equipment in cars until the 1950s. Additionally, the initial intention for car seats was to keep children from moving around inside the vehicle rather than protecting them during collisions. Child restraint systems as we know them today didn’t become widespread until the 1970s. In 2002, a U.S. federal law went into effect, requiring automobile manufacturers to ensure that all cars have standard anchors, tethers and hooks present in passenger vehicles in order to secure baby car seats. Car crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under, according to the National SAFE KID...

Macon, Georgia Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Silicosis Lawyer

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Silicosis

It’s amazing how something as small as particles of dust can get into our lungs and cause big problems. While many of us have heard about asbestos, the similar phenomenon of silicosis hasn’t gotten quite as much attention. Yet, more than 250 U.S. workers die every year and hundreds more become disabled from silicosis. Silica, often referred to as quartz, is a very common mineral found in many materials, including soil, sand, concrete, masonry, rock and granite. When these materials are cut, ground, crushed, exploded, chipped, drilled or otherwise disturbed, they create dust made up of crystalline silica. These bits can be inhaled into a person’s lungs, which react by developing fibrotic nodules and scarring around the trapped silica ...

Macon, Georgia Beep. Beep. C’mon, Pal. Move it! Lawyer

Beep. Beep. C’mon, Pal. Move it!

Lane courtesy. Sounds quaint, doesn’t it? The practice of yielding to or moving over so that faster moving traffic may pass seems like a fairly innocuous concept, yet it’s a key factor in many vehicle accidents. When drivers choose to block the left lane, whether intentionally or not, they are making the roads less safe and efficient for everyone. To bring public awareness to this issue, June has been designated as Lane Courtesy Month. The history behind the left lane reveals that it was developed more than 50 years ago for the express purpose of allowing cars to pass another vehicle and then immediately return to the right lane. Now that there are so many more vehicles on the road, failure to keep right negatively impacts traffic safe...

Macon, Georgia Poison Prevention Awareness Lawyer

Poison Prevention Awareness

The mention of poisonous substances may bring to mind the skull and crossbones image found on old bottles. While such hazardous materials certainly exist, medications and many household products used in the wrong way, in the wrong amount or by the wrong person can be poisonous. It’s important to be aware of the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. According to the Centers for Disease Control, poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Most of these fatalities are due to drug and medicine misuse and abuse. More than 3.1 million calls were received by America’s 55 poison centers in 2013, with about 2.2 million of those calls dealing directly with poison exposures. The remaining calls were by people look...

Macon, Georgia Crumple Zones Lawyer

Crumple Zones

Most of us don’t give much thought to infrastructure – the roads and bridges that we travel over every day. According to the World Economic Forum, the United States, which used to have the best infrastructure in the world, now ranks 16th. Decades of neglect have resulted in crumbling concrete, corroded steel and a massive problem with no real solution in sight. In Georgia alone, there were almost 6.6 million licensed drivers in 2012 – that’s a lot of wear and tear on the transportation system. New Report Raises Concerns About Georgia Roads One group evaluating surface transportation concerns for all 50 states is a Washington, D.C., based private nonprofit research organization known as TRIP. A September 2014 report by TRIP concl...

Macon, Georgia Car Seat Recall: Graco Buckles Under Pressure Lawyer

Car Seat Recall: Graco Buckles Under Pressure

Required by law in every state, child restraint systems are intended to protect children from injury or death during vehicle collisions. In Georgia, children under 8 years old must ride in an approved safety seat or booster seat that is suited for their height and weight, and it is recommended that children under the age of one be secured in a rear-facing infant seat. There are a huge variety of models available, which should all be harmless by design, yet defects cause millions to be recalled every year. RECALLED MODELSAprica, Argos, Classic Ride, Comfort Sport, Cozy Cline, Head Wise, My Ride, Nautilus, Ready Ride, SafeSeat, Size4Me, Smart Seat, SnugRide, and Teutonia Model Car Seats.The largest car seat recall so far in the US occurred t...

Macon, Georgia Health Hazards of Leaf Blowers Lawyer

Health Hazards of Leaf Blowers

The rather innocuous looking leaf blowers that many Americans use to save time on yard and garden maintenance elicit surprisingly strong responses from their opponents. Termed “dust blowers” by some adversaries, these machines are now restricted in many communities. Local regulations across the country limit leaf blowers’ use to certain times of the day or year, prohibit gasoline-powered versions but allow electric ones, and even completely ban their use altogether. The most obvious hazard presented by leaf blowers is noise pollution, which can interfere with communication, sleep, and work. The average leaf blower measures between 70 to 75 decibels at 50 feet. That’s 20 decibels more than the acceptable ambient noise levels recomme...

Macon, Georgia DOT Reports 10% Of Fatal Crashes Involve 15-20 Year Olds Lawyer

DOT Reports 10% Of Fatal Crashes Involve 15-20 Year Olds

Although there are thousands of accidents in the United States every year, a newly released U.S. Department of Transportation report shows that nearly 10% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 15 and 20 years old. Inexperience Not The Only Factor Involved The DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released a new Traffic Safety Facts report that summarizes 2011 national crash data for young drivers between 15 and 20 years old.  The report, compiled by the NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis, shows that young drivers between those ages were involved in 4,347 fatal crashes. While the inexperience of young drivers may be part of the equation, the report also suggests that ma...

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Does Workers’ Compensation Insurance Pay Lost Wages?

Learn What Benefits You are Entitled To

Does workers’ comp pay lost wages? This is an especially important concern for workers who have been injured on the job or who have become ill due to their work. The answer...