The National Transportation Safety Board on January 13, 2015, introduced its newest Most Wanted list of improvements by stating, “Rail tank cars that carry crude oil, ethanol and other hazardous materials across the country must do it more safely.” Other priorities for the federal agency…
A 17-year-old high school student died, and 12 other schoolchildren suffered serious injuries, when the school bus in which they were riding crashed into a BNSF freight train near the town of Larimore, North Dakota (ND), on the afternoon of January 5, 2015. Although the…
A company that manufacturers a large percentage of highway guardrails used in the United States is facing growing legal pressure to redesign and replace one its most popular products. The safety device in question, known by the brand name ET-Plus and manufactured by Trinity Industries,…
Police in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC) charged a man in a hit-and-run accident that resulted in the death of a passenger riding a moped and seriously injured the moped operator. Police stated that the driver of a 2011 Infiniti rear ended a moped, which then…
The American Tort Reform Association (“ATRA”) maintained its standing as the least reputable, overtly partisan, and highly deceptive special interest group in the U.S. with its release of an annual report of so-called “judicial hellholes.” Newport News, Virginia made the watch list. I live in…
A major commuter railroad serving Connecticut and the New York City area has been ordered to pay an unfairly disciplined employee nearly $300,000. The ruling, issued on December 16, 2014, by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, includes record punitive damages of $250,000, about…
A traumatic brain injury, commonly referred to as a TBI, occurs when there is a sudden, blunt trauma to the brain. An estimated 2.4 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The leading cause of…
For smokers who work on the railroad, heed this warning – there is a disturbing synergistic effect between smoking and asbestos exposure in the proliferation of mesothelioma cancer. If you have been exposed to asbestos and smoke, you are at a much higher risk of…
When is the host of a cookout or other gathering of multiple families liable for injuries suffered by a child who is not his or her own? The Virginia Supreme Court clarified this tricky issue of civil law when ruling on October 31, 2014, that…
Many men that suffer from low testosterone (also known as Low T) are taking hormone replacement therapy drugs that are linked to serious health concerns including heart attack and stroke. Several studies associate certain testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) drugs to an increased risk of cardiovas
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 125 million people face workplace exposure to asbestos worldwide. This exposure is responsible for some 100,000 occupational deaths annually from diseases like lung cancer and asbestos. The railroad industry is one such occupation affe
Unfortunately, many drivers try to save money by having “minimum” car insurance policies. These are policies with coverage limits that would barely cover a routine fender-bender accident. If you get into a serious auto accident and the at-fault driver has this type of auto insurance…