Personal Injury Law Blog

Government officials at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public forum in Washington D.C. to discuss methods of improving pedestrian safety, as state and federal data shows pedestrian injuries and deaths have continued to increase in recent years. The forum, held on May 10 2016, featured four panels, each of which looked at different facets of pedestrian safety.

A team of researchers from the University of Houston and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute compared three common types of driving distractions, finding a sixth sense protects distracted drivers, but not while texting.

Last year saw 32 recreational boating accidents in Maine, and eight fatalities, reports The U.S. Coast Guard. According to its 2015 Recreational Boating Statistics, national boating accident related injuries are significantly lower than recent years, with 2,613 injuries in 2015. Boating deaths spiked just 2.6 percent from 2014, with 626 deaths last year.

Last week, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced its new data reporting rule aimed at modernizing injury data collection. According to a recent OSHA news release, the new rule, which goes into effect August 10, 2016, is intended to “nudge” employers to increase precautions that reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.

Early last week, traffic on the Maine Turnpike near Farmingdale came to a virtual standstill following an incident in which a tractor-trailer driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing his vehicle to collide with a guardrail, according to officials from the Maine State Police.

As Spring rolls out warmer temperatures and inviting landscapes, Maine motorcyclists can finally enjoy roadways that are free of ice and snow. But as legions of bikers return to the road for the riding season, their safety remains a chief concern.

In mid-April, a Nevada jury awarded a Lowe’s customer more than $16 million for a permanent head injury suffered at the store. Her lawyers hope that the decision will sway the hardware chain to reevaluate its safety practices. In 2013, Kelly Hendrickson, 42, slipped and fell in the water and garden department while browsing for a palm tree.

Hardy, Wolf & Downing would like to spread the word about the National Safety Council’s annual Distracted Driving Awareness Month, held in April. The NSC hopes to draw attention to the role that cell phones play in thousands of deadly car crashes and encourage people to put safety first.

It has been estimated that the total of Maine residents aged 85 and up will grow by approximately 90 percent by 2030. Clearly, this sizable segment of the population will place a heavy demand on the state’s long-term and residential nursing care resources which already serve a large number of the region’s seniors.

A man who jumped from a sixth story window in the Richards Tower of the Maine Medical Center last month was not attempting suicide but, rather, suffering from impaired judgment due to a brain injury, according to his family.  The man, identified as Paul Cady of Hollis, was recovering from a motorcycle accident that took place on March 9.