Current 11 Hour Truck Driver Rule Maintained

Posted on December 12, 2007 by - Car Accidents, Hot Topics, Legal News

Rather than endorsing a court order sought by consumer advocates requring one less truck driving hour behind the wheel, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a final interim rule maintaining the current 11 hour truck driving limit. Consumer advocates had pressed for the new rule because the current 11 hour restriction allows for fatigued truck drivers to continue to drive their trucks on our highways and roadways placing the general public at risk. The FMCSA claims that the agency’s data does not support the notion that there is an increase in truck accidents during the truck driver’s 11th hour of driving.  It would be very interesting to see the agency’s data and how the data was created for the purpose of assessing its credibility.

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Jury Award For Construction Worker Injured By Nail Gun

Posted on December 11, 2007 by - Defective Products, Legal News

A construction worker who was severely injured when a nail from a nail gun became embedded in his head was awarded $3.4 million from a Hartford, Connecticut jury.

Jerry Crutchfield, 51, of Hartford had sued toolmaker Stanley Works and Home Depot, which sold the nail gun, claiming they were partly liable for the injuries he sustained Feb. 3, 2003.

The jury stated that Crutchfield was 55% liable for his injuries because he was the one to fire the nail gun into metal instead of a wood surface. This action caused the nail to backfire at him. But nevertheless, the jury ordered Stanley Works and Home Depot to pay $3.4 million for their percentage of the liability. The two companies have not decided if they will appeal the verdict yet.

The assistant general counsel for Stanley disagrees with the verdict. He stated that the nail gun met industry standards and is used every day without injuries. Also, the case for the nail gun warns consumers to follow all instructions.

Crutchfield was doing carpentry in a church when the incident occurred. The 3 in. nail went through his cheek and into his brain, which has partially paralyzed him and causes him to have seizures.

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Connecticut Slip and Fall Injuries – Personal Injury Lawyers

Posted on December 10, 2007 by - General, Slip and Falls

Connecticut slip and fall injuries routinely occur as a result of a property owner’s failure to inspect or repair the property. If you have suffered a slip and fall injury, it is important to take the following steps: 1) report the incident to the property owner or manager; 2) seek medical attention; 3) photograph the defective condition if possible; 4) if the defective condition has been fixed or removed, photograph the location of the fall; and 5) contact our attorneys. Due to certain statute of limitations and statutory notification provisions for certain slip and fall claims, it is vital to contact our Hartford slip and fall personal injury lawyers as soon as possible following the slip and fall incident.

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Connecticut Truck Accident Causes Mutliple Injuries

Posted on December 9, 2007 by - Car Accidents

A tractor-trailer that lost its brakes on I-84 eastbound Saturday afternoon caused a chain reaction crash that ultimately involved five vehicles and caused several minor injuries. State police said the tractor-trailer, driven by Mark Drake of Lynne, Pa., rear-ended a box truck and pushed it into three cars before the box truck overturned on the highway. The crash, which occurred about 3:15 p.m., shut down the highway for about three hours, police said.

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More Lawsuits Filed Against St. Francis Hospital

Posted on December 7, 2007 by - Legal News

Two more men who say they were sexually molested by Dr. George Reardon filed lawsuits Thursday against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, claiming the hospital was negligent in its supervision of the doctor during the 30 years he practiced there. In the latest suits, the men say Reardon fondled and photographed them in his private St. Francis office during the 1970s or early 1980s. One suit claims Reardon took as many as 1,000 “sexualized” pictures of the plaintiff, both alone and posed with his three brothers. The lawsuits assert that St. Francis bears responsibility for the abuse because it failed to properly supervise Dr. Reardon, who was an employee of the hospital.? At least 80 people so far have come forward with allegations of sexual molestation by Dr. Reardon during the time that he was employed by St. Francis Hospital.

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