Personal Injury Blog | Vititoe Law Group | Westlake Village & Oxnard CA

Federal Safety Rules Aimed at Distracted Driving by Truckers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the entity responsible for promoting the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMV’s) and reducing the number and severity of crashes. In 2009 the FMCSA released crash data that showed that 4808 highway fatalities involved large trucks. These numbers, although lower than previous years, remain high due to the factor of distracted driving among CMV drivers. Restrictions were introduced jointly by the FMCSA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in 2010. The new set of rules was designed specifically to prohibit the use of hand held mobile devices for talking and texting by interstate truck [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:17:34-07:00April 26th, 2017|Truck Accidents|Comments Off

Hands Free Devices as Distracting to Drivers as Hand Held Study Shows

The fact that distracted is a leading cause of traffic accidents is well known. The behaviors to receive most of the blame are texting or talking on cell phones and tablets. Recent lawsuits have brought attention to other forms of distraction such as Facetime, GPS navigation and even playing Pokémon Go. It has been proven many times that any handheld distractions impair a driver’s ability to focus on the task of safe driving. Lately however, research has shown that hands-free devices do not offer the safety over handheld devices as originally thought. A recent study by the University of Sussex has indicated that hands-free devices can [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:18:24-07:00April 24th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off

Defective Products Injure Thousands of Children Each Year

This week 447,000 Lil Frog toys, from Little Live Pets, by Moose Toys were recalled due to exploding batteries that caused several injures to children. No matter how careful parents are when buying products for children that caution is not always enough to see the hidden dangers. It is not only toys that can be hazardous but even products designed for the safety of children. An average of 25 products per month are recalled per Kidsafe.org, a website that lists recalled, defective products every month. These are not only the obvious, like toys with removable parts that create a choking hazard, but safety products like car [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:19:29-07:00April 13th, 2017|Uncategorized|Comments Off

How Do FMCSR Violations Impact a California Truck Crash Lawsuit?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) can have an appreciable impact in a California truck crash case, involving injuries or fatalities, in regards to recovering damages. All commercial vehicles, weighing more than 10.000 lbs. or used to transport hazardous materials, and are used for interstate commerce are bound by the FMCSR. Both trucking companies and their employees are held to stringent safety standards under the FMCSR. An “employee” is defined as a full-time driver for the company or an independent contractor hired by the trip. A California truck crash attorney, equipped with the proper skills, will know exactly how to leverage FMCSR violations against the [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:20:13-07:00April 10th, 2017|Truck Accidents|Comments Off

Workplace Burn Injuries – Who is Responsible?

Injuries to four workers in an explosion were determined to be the result of failure to handle hazardous materials properly and failure to respond. The resulting inferno forced two of the workers to scale an 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire to escape certain death. An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that Arboris LLC, in Newark, Ohio, did not have an emergency shut down system in place and violated process safety management procedures for the handling of hazardous materials. The company was issued one willful safety violation as well as 35 serious and five other-than serious safety violations from OSHA on [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:20:53-07:00April 6th, 2017|Personal Injury|Comments Off

I Was Hurt in an Accident with a Parcel Delivery Truck – What Are My Rights?

The number of parcel delivery trucks on the nations roadways has increased significantly in recent years due to the popularity of consumer online purchasing. Along with the increase in delivery trucks the number of delivery truck accidents has also increased. Although not as dangerous as their larger counterparts – dump trucks and semi-trucks – these step vans still weigh between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds. Vehicles of this size can cause substantial damage to smaller vehicles and serious injury to the occupants. How Parcel Delivery Truck Accidents Happen A very familiar sight in every neighborhood at any time of day, these delivery trucks keep businesses flowing. Delivery [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:21:25-07:00April 3rd, 2017|Truck Accidents|Comments Off

April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month and an Opportunity to Save Lives

The National Safety Council (NSC) observes April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month and urges the public to pledge against driving while texting, talking on the phone, and engaging in other distracting activities which have proven to increase the chance of an accident. Adult drivers are encouraged to inform teens about the dangers of driving while distracted. However, a study showed that 94% of teen drivers are already aware of the dangers of distracted driving but 31% engage in the practice anyway. Contrary to what most adults and teens believe, teens are not the age group in the greatest percentile of texting drivers, but they are the [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:21:55-07:00March 30th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off

All Motorcycle Helmets are Not Created Equal

While many studies show that wearing motorcycle helmets saves lives, many riders still dispute the claim. Others, in states where helmet use is optional, choose to take the risk of riding without a helmet. In California, the law does not afford the option of riding helmet free, but there are several different styles of helmets to choose from. How much protection from a traumatic brain injury do these helmets provide? California law requires that all helmets sold for use by motorcycle riders meet or exceed the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218. States that implemented similar helmet requirements, have shown a significant reduction in motorcycle [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:22:32-07:00March 28th, 2017|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Safety Tips for Sharing the Road with Large Commercial Vehicles

The results from truck accidents are far more devastating on average than other motor vehicle accidents. In the U.S. one person is killed or injured in a truck crash every 16 minutes. 98% of the fatalities are people in the smaller vehicles as opposed to the occupants of the trucks. Despite these numbers, truck drivers on the average are patient and safe drivers. When truck accidents occur involving a passenger vehicle, it is the fault of the passenger vehicle driver in 75% of all cases. Only 16% of truck accidents can be attributed to the driver of the truck. Why do truck accidents happen and how [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:23:11-07:00March 26th, 2017|Personal Injury|Comments Off

New Imaging System Predicts Recovery in Concussion Patients

Thanks to a new advanced imaging system, patients, who recently suffered concussions, were accurately assessed for the likelihood of complete recovery by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health Systems. Also highlighted were the brains mechanisms for repairing or compensating for injuries in the study in the American Journal of Neuroradiology. Information that could lead to faster therapeutic development was provided in the study. Every year, 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 75% of which are concussions. Objective biomarkers or tests for diagnosing concussions were non-existent. The only available [...]

By Vititoe Law Group|2018-05-25T19:23:52-07:00March 23rd, 2017|Brain Injury|Comments Off

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