Gwinnett County Personal Injury Lawyer - Three Children Injured in Bus Accident

Sleep Apnea Clinical Trial is Good News for Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyers

Last month, I blogged about the NTSB recommendation for mandatory sleep apnea screenings for commercial truckers, to reduce the risk of fatigue-related accidents.  I expressed my hope that the FMCSA would act on the recommendation, and mandate sleep apnea screenings for bus and truck drivers.  While we wait for the FMCSA to act (and judging by the agency's speed in responding to NTSB recommendations in the past, I would say it's going to be a long wait) it's encouraging to note that a Georgia-based sleep therapy services provider and its study partners have announced positive results from a clinical trial on treatment of truckers suffering from sleep apnea.

The trial was conducted by SleepSafe Drivers Inc., a company that provides sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment programs for commercial fleets, as part of a nationwide contract with a transportation company. The trial aims to document the kind of savings possible from reduced medical costs associated with early diagnosis as well as reduced accident-related expenses. According to representatives of SleepSafe Drivers' clinical partner, Atlanta-based Fusion Sleep, the trial's goal is to determine the health benefits of sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment in truck drivers.  This will hopefully create a model that could be used by the rest of the industry to prevent fatigue-related tractor trailer crashes.

The investigators have seen some measure of success using the sleep program.  Truckers, who suffered from sleep apnea, managed to knock off dozens of pounds, and were able to reduce daytime fatigue and lethargy.

Driver fatigue and drowsiness behind the wheel is a major factor in trucking accidents in Atlanta. Until the FMCSA mandates that companies offer diagnostic programs and treatment facilities to truckers, I hope trucking companies will come forward to offer their employees such programs, to ensure everyone's safety.

Trucking Companies Continue to Operate Despite Orders to Shutdown due to Safety Violations

A study conducted by the Government Accountability Office has revealed that hundreds of trucking companies continue to operate, even after they were ordered to shut down because of federal safety violations that included suspended licenses and impaired driving.  According to the report, many of these companies continue to operate under different names.

It's a scary fact, and has prompted a response from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The agency has responded to the GAO report by saying that it has introduced a computerized screening process under which new applicants must be compared to any previous companies with poor safety records. They noted that new companies are also now required to go through a safety audit within the first 18 months.

However, it's proving to be hard to enforce those measures as strongly as they should be. The FMCSA does not have the kind of computer capabilities needed to identify companies that have used similar names and addresses, but don't match each other exactly. There is also ambiguity about whether the federal agency or the state has the power to enforce these rules. Therefore, the GAO report only considers those companies that exactly match each other. The number of such companies is likely to be higher because the report doesn't take into consideration names and addresses that may be similar to each other. There is also ambiguity about whether the federal agency or the state has the power to enforce these rules.

The GAO is warning that the reincarnation of these companies continues to place motorists at risk for serious tractor trailer accidents. There are federal rules that mandate safety standards for brakes, wheels, tires and several other components of a tractor trailer. A reincarnated company will resume operations of its vehicles without bothering to take the kind of corrective action that was ordered. That means there are several tractor trailers with possibly defective or malfunctioning components, driven by unlicensed or inexperienced drivers or even drivers with a history of drug and alcohol use. That's dangerous news for innocent motorists on the road, and deeply concerns me as a husband, father of three and a Georgia truck accident lawyer.

Texting While Driving - Deadly Mixture New Study Confirms

Even though the study dealth with large trucks and truckers that take longer to stop and are less maneuverable than cars, the findings apply to all drivers, who tend to exhibit the same behaviors as the more than 100 truckers studied.  Truckers do not appear to text more or less than typical car drivers.  Compared with other sources of driver distraction, "texting is in its own universe of risk," said Rich Hanowski, who oversaw the study at the institute.

Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech institute, one of the world's largest vehicle safety research organizations, said the study's message was clear. "You should never do this," he said of texting while driving. "It should be illegal."  Thirty-six (36) states still do no ban texting as it is a relatively new phenomenon.

Investigations into Fatal Colquitt County, Georgia Tractor Trailer Accident Continue

Investigating teams are probing a fiery truck accident that took place in Colquitt County, Georgia on Tuesday, but it will be weeks before we find out what actually happened to incinerate the vehicle that the victims were traveling in. The two women who were killed in the crash have now been identified as sisters, Juana Mezquital Severiano and Petra Mezquital Severiano. They were reportedly on their way to work in a Chevrolet Blazer, being driven by 28-year-old Juana. As the Blazer was crossing an intersection, it collided with a tractor trailer that was also passing through.

The impact of the accident sent the two vehicles hundreds of feet ahead. The Blazer came to a stop on an embankment and immediately burst into flames.  Passing motorists and the truck driver tried to pull the two women out of the burning car, but were unsuccessful. It was left to firefighting crews and rescue personnel who arrived at the scene to extricate the girl's bodies.  Sources say that the two women died on impact and were not alive when the vehicle exploded. It took a while to identify their charred remains. Initially, there was some confusion that an infant was present in the car, but that was later refuted. The sisters were identified with the help of their husbands and head trauma was ruled as the cause of death. The driver of the tractor trailer, who escaped without injury, hasn't been charged yet.

There is no information yet on any probable causes of the accident or whether speeding was a factor. Police are likely to conduct a complete investigation of the conduct of both drivers in the accident including the truck driver, Wayne Daniels. They will likely be looking into his speed at the time of the crash, as well as conducting alcohol and drug tests to rule out the possibility of driving under the influence.  Any signs of malfunctioning of the truck like faulty brakes etc. will also be investigated as well.

Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyer

 The two sisters were the third and fourth road accident deaths in Colquitt County in just the past three weeks.  If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving a large truck or tractor trailer, contact me at my Atlanta and Peachtree City personal injury lawyer firm for a free evaluation of your case.

Truck Accident on Georgia Highway 11 Injures Two

A truck accident involving a tractor trailer and a garbage truck on Georgia highway 11 close to the Newton County/Social Circle border pushed both vehicles into a roadside ditch. Both the driver of the tractor trailer and the garbage truck were rushed to the hospital with injuries.

According to this report, the garbage truck was attempting to make a turn into a driveway on the afternoon of February 27^th. The tractor trailer which was following behind was unable to slow down in time to avoid the garbage truck. The tractor trailer crashed into the smaller truck, and the impact ripped apart the front portion of the tractor trailer. No other vehicles were involved in the accident. Some fuel from the tractor trailer spilled into the highway, and emergency crews were rushed to clean up the spill.

It appears that the tractor trailer driver was either speeding or following too close to the garbage truck. A tractor trailer is a massive vehicle weighing tens of thousands of pounds, and this makes it harder for a vehicle to slow down in case of an emergency. In fact, it takes up to twice as long for a tractor trailer to slow down or halt as it does for a smaller passenger vehicle. That's why it's so important that tractor trailers avoid tailgating, and keep some distance between their rig and the vehicles in front.

Speeding is particularly foolish for large truck drivers. Slowing the vehicle becomes even harder in emergency or non emergency situations and the consequences can be disastrous. An eighty (80) thousand pound tractor trailer can easily crush smaller vehicles and the occupants inside are exposed to the significant risk of serious injury.

New Truck Driver Work Hour Rules May Impact Accident Rates

A new federal rule mandating the number of work hours truck drivers can drive went into effect in January. Debate continues to rage over how the rule will impact truck accident statistics.

The new rule which was issued in December 2008 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration increases the number of consecutive hours a truck driver can spend behind the wheel in a 14-hour work day from 10 to 11.  The rule was first issued in 2004, but debates about its effectiveness ensured that enforcement was delayed for several years. In January, the rule finally went into effect in the face of opposition by Georgia truck accident lawyers, road safety advocates and families of victims whom have died in trucking accidents in which driver fatigue was cited as the most important factor. Overwork and stress are the 2 biggest reasons why a tractor trailer driver can began to feel tired and drowsy behind the wheel. A driver nodding off at the wheel of a passenger car is dangerous enough, but when a driver at the helm of a massive 80,000 pound tractor trailer does the same, the results are devastating. Victims and survivor groups have long called for more restrictions on truck driver work hours to reduce the risk of driver fatigue.

The new rules don't account for the realities of the widespread manipulation of log books in the trucking industry. Generally, the more hours a truck driver works, the more he earns. That simple fact is the reason why truck drivers in the past have been found to maintain 2 separate log books.  The trucking industry has lobbied strongly to get the new rule passed insisting that there is enough data to show that very few accidents actually occur during the 11^th hour of the 14-hour work day. Besides, the industry stands to lose billions of dollars every year if the rule is reversed to the pervious 10 hour requirement.

Truck Accident Lawyers

In an accident involving large trucks like a tractor trailer, victims can claim compensation from the trucking company that employed the driver.  It is extremely important to contact a lawyer well versed in this area of law to require the trucking company to preserve supporting information that will prove or disprove the truth of the paper log books.  If you have been injured in a truck accident, contact a Georgia truck accident lawyer at my office for a free consultation.

FDA Approves Stem Cell Trial for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

As an Atlanta, Peachtree City and Newnan car accident lawyer, I constantly see the devastating effects that these crashes can have and the life altering injuries caused by others negligence. Spinal cord injuries are some of the most serious injuries related to automobile collisions, and so far, a complete cure has been elusive. Hope has arrived for these patients.  The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the world's first stem cell clinical trial for treatment of spinal cord injuries.

That is news bound to cheer spinal cord injury patients as well as stem cell research proponents, who have long been calling for increased funding to realize their ambitions of a cure through embryonic stem cell therapy.  This summer, a California-based company will kick off a trial, injecting embryonic cells into eight to ten spinal cord injury patients.  Currently, the trial has modest aims, hoping to  ascertain the safety of stem cell therapy.  It is a small step forward, in a field that has often been the focus of bitter and controversial debate.  While nobody is expecting quick miracles from these new trials, medical researchers are excited about the possibilities for a cure over time.

Spinal cord injury is caused by a sudden and violent impact to your spine that results in damage to one or more of the vertebrae.  This damage could be in the form of crushed, fractured, or dislocated vertebrae, and the level of disability varies from patient to patient.  Most spinal cord injuries caused in the US are the result of automobile accidents, including car accidents and truck accidents, accounting for close to half of all spinal cord injuries each year.  Falls, such as those that may occur as part of a construction accident when a worker falls off scaffolding or a crane, account for 15 percent of all spinal cord injuries.  The rest are caused by disease, gunshot wounds, and sporting accidents.

An accident victim with serious injuries may be eligible for compensation, not just for immediate and ongoing medical treatment expenses, but also for the long term care that spinal curd injury patients require.  There may be physiotherapy expenses, as well as the costs of making lifestyle changes to help the victim cope with his injuries, such as modifications to his house and/or car to facilitate access.

If you have suffered serious injuries in a car or truck accident, an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney can help recover the compensation to cover the short term as well as long term care expenses.  Contact your Peachtree City personal injury lawyer for a free evaluation of your case.