Macon, Georgia Why Motorcycle Safety Month Should Matter to All Drivers Lawyer

Why Motorcycle Safety Month Should Matter to All Drivers

When the weather warms in spring across Georgia and the South, motorcycles are everywhere on our roads.  That is why May is recognized as National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. This month with warm, sunny weather is an appropriate time to remind all drivers to be on the alert for motorcyclists. With so much motorcycle traffic on the roads, serious accidents are more likely. In 2016, 4,976 motorcycle drivers and passengers died in accidents, and 88,000 were injured. For 2009, the most recent data available, there were 140 motorcycle fatalities in Georgia. Fatalities for motorcyclists have risen 3% since 2006, and 8% since 2015. The National Safety Council also reports these concerning statistics about motorcycle accidents: Motorc...

Macon, Georgia Aggressive Driving Laws Plus a Few Safety Tips Lawyer

Aggressive Driving Laws Plus a Few Safety Tips

Readers probably recall hearing back in the 1990s about ‘road rage,’ the new term for aggressive driving. An increasing trend of reckless, aggressive driving in the U.S. caused Georgia and other states to pass laws targeting ‘road rage.’ Since those days, the issue has faded from headlines. Aggressive driving is of course still common across Georgia; who doesn’t recall another driver flashing their lights at them, ‘flipping them the bird,’ or tailgating? Most of these incidents do not escalate beyond words and gestures, but things have been known to get out of hand. Sometimes ‘road rage’ can even lead to the use of weapons, as happened last month in Columbus, Georgia. Three men were involved in a two-vehicle road rage in...

Macon, Georgia Will Sidewalks Make Hollingsworth Road Safer for Pedestrians? Lawyer

Will Sidewalks Make Hollingsworth Road Safer for Pedestrians?

If you are a pedestrian around Macon’s Hollingsworth Road, you know this can be a hazardous spot. Fortunately, new sidewalks are coming to the road to increase public safety. Bibb County, Georgia, commissioners recently approved addition of a sidewalk on the busy road between Log Cabin Drive and Robinson Road. At least one local resident is glad of the coming change. Marcus Thomas stated in a recent newspaper article that he depends on his bike to get around Macon. But Hollingsworth Road has been a problem because there is no sidewalk there currently. Thomas lives off the busy road, and whenever he leaves home, he must ride in the street with traffic. Thomas said the cars are numerous and travel very fast. Another local resident, Christ...

Macon, Georgia Too Many Georgia Workers Not Getting Protection They Deserve Lawyer

Too Many Georgia Workers Not Getting Protection They Deserve

The state of healthcare at the national level is up in the air, but candidates to be the next Georgia governor have been making their views on healthcare for the state clearer in recent months. Recently, Democratic State Rep. Stacey Evans claimed thousands of workers in Georgia are being misclassified as independent contractors. This means their employers may deny them benefits, including disability, healthcare and other vital worker benefits. Evans added that she supports the expansion of Medicaid and the proper classification of Georgia workers so that health insurance is available to hundreds of thousands more people. Politifact.com has performed an analysis of Evans’ claims to determine whether it is true that Georgia workers are be...

Macon, Georgia Screening for Trucker Sleep Apnea Halted – Unfortunately Lawyer

Screening for Trucker Sleep Apnea Halted – Unfortunately

Accidents involving large trucks are a significant problem in the United States. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that 3,852 people died in accidents involving large trucks in 2015 alone. Because of the difference in size and weight of vehicles, along with other factors, almost 70% of these fatalities were in passenger vehicles. Another 16% were in the trucks themselves, with the remaining victims being pedestrians, motorcyclists or bicyclists. While significant factors causing truck accidents can vary from speed to road conditions to alcohol use, the IIHS says the single biggest cause of large truck accidents is driver fatigue. While it would be simple to assume the cause of fatigue is lack of sleep, the problem go...

Macon, Georgia Forget the Hard Hats — Construction Helmets Might be Safer Lawyer

Forget the Hard Hats — Construction Helmets Might be Safer

Workplace safety is a critical component to any job. Some workplaces, such as construction sites, are inherently more dangerous than others, and as the times change, so does safety technology. However, the familiar hard hat has largely remained unchanged for 40 years. It's essentially just a rigid shell with a brim and a suspended, adjustable headband attached on the inside. Seems as though an object meant to protect vital body parts such as the skull and the brain should be a little more complex. Perhaps that would have helped some of the approximately 1,000 construction workers who died between 2011 and 2015 due to brain injuries. Most hard hats sit on the head without any additional parts to keep them secured. Think of how many ways tha...

Macon, Georgia The Importance of Job Safety Analysis Lawyer

The Importance of Job Safety Analysis

Because not all on-the-job hazards are equal, hazard controls must be developed to address each one’s unique dangers. While some measures are more effective than others at reducing the risk, the work task must be assessed before the safest way to complete it can be identified. That’s where job safety analysis (JSA) comes in. Also referred to as job hazard analysis (JHA), Field-Level Risk Assessment, and Pre-Task Analysis, this process observes the connections between worker, task, tools, and environment to locate dangers before they happen and to develop recommendations for reducing or removing those risks. Among other scenarios, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires formal hazard assessments for documentin...

Macon, Georgia Parents Should Be Wary of Inflatable Beds Lawyer

Parents Should Be Wary of Inflatable Beds

With a price tag starting around $20, inflatable beds can be found in many homes today. They take up minimal room when deflated, and serve as comfortable, easy-to-prepare arrangements for guests, kids' sleepovers, or family movie night. Some people are even choosing to use inflatable mattresses as their everyday beds. They are especially popular with low-income families who have had to find creative and/or inexpensive alternatives to traditional mattresses due to the decline in charities that take such donations because of the widespread bedbug problem. However, the soft, uneven surfaces of inflatable beds are dangerous for babies, and without knowing the dangers of putting a baby to sleep on one, many people are inadvertently placing their...

Macon, Georgia Concussions Can Affect Driving Performance Even After Symptoms are Gone Lawyer

Concussions Can Affect Driving Performance Even After Symptoms are Gone

The prevalence and consequences of concussions in professional American football have been all over the news in recent months. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed, alleging that the NFL knew about the risks of repeated concussions but hid that knowledge in order to get players back on the field faster. Currently, a settlement has been approved that could result in the NFL paying $1 billion over 65 years. Athletes across many sports and all skill levels are indeed susceptible to concussions, but they aren’t the only ones. Suffering a concussion in a vehicle accident is extremely likely and can stem from even a minor fender-bender. Falls are also a common cause of brain injury. Damage to the brain is not always immediately obvious. Becau...

Macon, Georgia When Intubation Goes Wrong Lawyer

When Intubation Goes Wrong

When a patient has difficulty breathing or undergoes certain surgical procedures, they will be intubated. Intubation is when a tube is inserted into a patient’s airway. Often, the procedure is successful and there are no complications. However, in some cases, the intubation process comes with disastrous results for patients. Intubations can go wrong for several reasons, one of which is inexperience or negligence on the part of a medical professional. Certain factors also put patients at greater risk for intubation complications. Doctors and other medical professionals are supposed to recognize those factors and act accordingly. Unfortunately, there are several intubation mishaps in medical procedures every year. A Look at the Intubation...

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Brain Injury and the Workplace: Protecting Your Rights in Georgia

Imagine that you are working at a construction site in Georgia on an upper level of a new building. Suddenly, a steel beam falls off a crane and hits you in the head.  You are rushed to the hospital.  A few days after the accident, you are told you suffer...