Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Blog

A new international study published by the Society for Risk Analysis has found that females are more likely than males to engage in distracted driving. The study, “Should I text or call here?” also found that drivers who are more experienced are less likely to engage in distracted driving. “More experienced” does not necessarily mean older, though there is likely some correlation between the two. The study found that as years of having been licensed as a driver increased, the possibility of driving while distracted decreased. Although it is widely known that people who text and drive are six times more likely to be involved in a car accident than those who do not, many people simply cannot put their » Read More

A school bus accident that fatally injured a New Jersey fifth grader and her teacher last May has put a new focus on school bus safety. Ten-year-old Miranda Vargas and her 51-year-old teacher were fatally injured when the driver of their school bus made an illegal turn off of a busy highway and collided with a dump truck that sheared the bus off of its chassis. An investigation into the bus accident revealed that the 77-year-old school bus driver had a long history of driving license suspensions and other driving convictions. The tragedy sparked nationwide attention to the problem of school bus safety, focusing on the lack of checkpoints in place to monitor the driving and criminal records of school » Read More

Two fatalities resulted from a tanker truck overturning in Colts Neck, New Jersey on Saturday night. Around 5 pm, the fatal accident occurred near the northbound lanes of Route 18 when a tanker truck rolled over and spilled oil on the shoulder. Both the truck driver and passenger succumbed to fatal injuries during the rollover crash. No other vehicles were involved in the accident. When large vehicles such as trucks engage in a collision, the potential for serious injuries and even fatalities may follow. If the truck contains hazardous or flammable chemicals, an accident may lead to a chemical spill or a fire, which puts all vehicles in the vicinity and their occupants in grave danger. Many times when a » Read More

Every year, more than 250,000 children are seriously injured by unsafe toys. The majority of these victims are boys, and more than 60 percent are younger than 15 years old. Although most toys sold in the United States are relatively safe, when a child you know is harmed, it can be devastating. A defective toy can cause a wide range of injuries, from scrapes, cuts and bruises to fractures or broken bones; and from burns or puncture wounds to suffocation or strangulation. Although some children are injured because they are not appropriately supervised, the fault often lies in design or manufacturing defects, or in the use of toxic or substandard production materials. Unfortunately, many toys are produced or assembled in » Read More

The recent death of a bicyclist in Arizona that was struck by a self-driving Uber test vehicle and the death of the driver of a partially-automated Tesla have raised new concerns over the safety of autonomous vehicles. While technology in self-driving cars can potentially save lives by “seeing” things the human eye cannot detect, these recent fatalities raise new concerns about the emerging technology. Uber has suspended all self-driving test vehicles until a full investigation into the pedestrian fatality is complete. The Tesla accident was investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which released a 538-page report on the accident. According to the investigation, the Tesla driver was using the self-driving technology to steer the car, accelerate and » Read More

According to recent research, bicyclists are the fastest-growing group suffering fatalities on American roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that bicycle accidents claim more than 700 lives every year. Even in non-fatal bike accidents, victims can suffer catastrophic injuries including broken bones and head, spine, and neck injuries. However, there are some things motorists and bicyclists can do to safely coexist and prevent life changing accidents. The following are some tips from the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Safety Tips for Bicyclists Choose the right bike: Even if you obey traffic laws and bike responsibly, if your bike does not fit you or is in disrepair, you can still be involved in an accident. » Read More