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Tractor Trailer Accident Closes I-10

Staff Writer — Mon, 01 May 2006 14:48:36 GMT

A semi trailer carrying hazardous gas overturned on I-10 early Sunday, closing a four mile stretch of the interstate for most of the day. The accident occurred when the truck swerved to avoid car that had stopped suddenly in the right hand lane.

The Times-Picayune reports:

Trucker William Reeves, 50, of Lake Charles swerved to avoid the car and ran off the road into a ditch on its left side. One of the trailer's five cylinders leaked.
When Reeves got out of his truck, he told Carpenter he was having trouble breathing. The officer went to help and was himself overcome by fumes, as were Washington and Ascension Parish Sheriff's Deputy Michael Richardson, who went to help.

The truck was carrying silicon tetrafluoride, which is shipped as a gas instead of liquid.

Covington Car Accident Claims Two Lives

Staff Writer — Wed, 03 May 2006 14:06:34 GMT

Two men were killed early Saturday morning in Covington when the driver lost control of his sports car and crashed into a tree along Jahncke Avenue. Authorities are still investigating the crash but estimate the vehicle was traveling between 80 and 100 miles per hour in a 25mph zone when the accident occurred.

According to the Times-Picayune:

A 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra driven by John Marino IV, 25, crashed into a tree on the lawn of St. Paul's School near a curve in the street Saturday about 2:30 a.m., Covington police said. Passenger Earl Carr III, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene, and Marino died later Saturday at St. Tammany Parish Hospital.

Jahncke Avenue is much like magazine street here in New Orleans: a quaint little street with lots of curves and bumps. Certainly not a place you would expect an accident with multiple deaths.

Read the full car wreck article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Amtrak Train Hits Pickup Truck in Plant City

Jenny Albano — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:47:32 GMT

An Amtrak train collided with a pickup truck today at 3:15 P.M. and derailed. None of the 133 passengers on the train to New York were injured in the accident.

All the passengers were evacuated by a Plant City bowling alley. All 33 train cars derailed after the crash, but none of the cars tipped over.

There was barely anything left of the pickup truck after the accident. Amtrak spokeswomen Karina Romero said the train hit a concrete truck, but reports from the Hillsborough Fire Rescue said it was a pickup truck.

This is the second train wreck since yesterday, and both collisions occurred in the Tampa Bay area. The train crash that occurred yesterday killed four passengers from the car that was struck by the train.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Airlines, Cruises, Buses, and Other Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Punitive damages for maritime claims

Timothy Young — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:40:50 GMT

In a most recent United States Supreme Court maritime decision, it was ruled that injured seamen could be awarded punitive damages in addition to their maintenance and care damages. Maintenance is the cost of lodging a person on the boat (food, room and board) after they have been injured. Care is the on-site medical attention received post-injury.

Edgar Townsend was a seaman and crewmember of the Motor Tug Thomas. He injured his arm and shoulder by falling on the steel deck. Afterwards, his Jones Act employer and the owner of the tugboat, Atlantic Sounding informed him that he would not receive maintenance and care. This was an obligation's of the owners under the Lewis federal precedent.

Townsend filed suit alleging maintenance, care and punitive damages for willfull and arbitrary failure to pay maintenance and care. An interlocutory appeal was filed which resulted in the court ruling in favor of punitive damages. This was appealed again and this time the Supreme Court firmly established that punitive damages were not only a general remedy in common law and maritime law, but that willful neglect and/or outrageous conduct was exactly the kind of behavior that punitive damages meant to deter.

The establishment of 45 Sec. (51-60) did not limit the remedies that could be sought. It merely outlined that negligence would be the measuring bar for liability. It in no way limits remedies or bars the common law rule of punitive damages or remedies in general

This new case on maintenance and cure law will help protect injured seaman and allow them to obtain medical treatment and compensation while they are injured. Now a Jones Act employer may think twice before wrongfully denying medical treatment and compensation to an injured seaman.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Timothy Young

Munire Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Fall Hazard

Jenny Albano — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:27:51 GMT

Munire Furniture, in conjunction with the CPSC, is recalling about 24,000 Majestic Curved Top and Flat Top Cribs, Essex Cribs, Brighton/Sussex Cribs and Captiva Cribs due to a fall hazard.

Hazard: The cribs fail to meet the federal safety standards for cribs. The four support brackets on the mattress support spring are too long. The brackets prevent the spring from lowering to the full 26 inch minimum height in its lowest position, allowing children inside to crawl over the railing, posing a fall hazard.

The recalled cribs include Majestic Curved Top cribs with the model number 9500; Majestic Flat Top cribs with the model number 9000; Essex cribs with model number 7100; Brighton/Sussex cribs with the model number 9100 and Captiva cribs with the model number 5100 and all the cribs are wooden.

The model number is listed on a white label on the bottom inside of the right side rail of the crib. The manufacture date is on the white label near the model number or on the white label that is on the bottom of the headboard. Cribs that have a green sticker on the mattress frame are not included in the recall.

The recalled cribs were available at specialty kid product stores across the U.S. from November 2005 to November 2007 and were manufactured in Indonesia.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

New Rules on Trucking Hours Struck Down by Appeals Court

Jenny Albano — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:22:43 GMT

A federal appeals court voided a new rule that increased limits on the amount of hours truck drivers could drive in a week. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration increased the maximum driving hours for truck drivers to 77 hours from 60 over 7 days, and 88 hours from 70 over 8 days, in 2005.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that there was not enough evidence provided to justify and support the safety of the increase in driving hours for truck drivers. The court found that the agency ignored that results of a study that showed 50,000 trucking accidents from 1991 to 2002. The study found that there is a substantially higher risk of fatigue-related accidents since the new rules were put into action.

The new rules had been adopted after heavy lobbying by politically influential leaders of the trucking industry. They were part of a broader strategy by the Bush administration to reduce regulations on businesses.

Safety experts and insurance companies stated that longer hours on the road contributed to more truck accidents. But supporters of the new law said that adding time to the maximum driving hours made moving goods across the country cheaper and faster to move.

The agency tried to defend the law by claiming that the economic costs to the industry outweighed the safety benefits, but the court said that the analysis was flawed.

The case, filed by a consumer advocacy group called Public Citizen, is the third in three years brought against the motor carrier agency.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Murphy Oil Tank Leaks into Mississippi River

Tim Young — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:15:28 GMT

Oil from a Murphy Oil owned cooling tank leaked into the Mississippi River Tuesday. The Coast Guard investigated the spill which consisted of a diesel-gasoline mixture. There was no information on whether the Coast Guard would issue a fine in this maritime associated spill.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tim Young

Disney "Handy Manny" Toys Recalled For Choking Hazard

Chrissie Cole — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:56:00 GMT

Disney Store USA, in cooperation with CPSC, announced a recall of about 20,000 Playhouse Disney “Handy Manny” Tool Toy Sets because the tools contain eyes that can separate, posing a choking hazard to small children.

To date, there have been no reports of injury, but the company has received three reports of detached eyes, including two reports of children starting to choke on the pieces.

The toy recall includes Playhouse Disney “Handy Manny” Tool Sets that include 8 pieces – a tool box, hammer, saw, pliers, wrench, tape measure and 2 screwdrivers. The UPC codes are: #405144100614 or #422147400633.

The agency advises consumers to take the recalled toy from small children immediately and to return the toys to any Disney Store to receive a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact the Disney Store toll-free at (866) 902-2798 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.DisneyStore.com

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Accident on I-12 kills one, leaves two injured

Tim Young — Tue, 08 May 2007 07:34:45 GMT

An accident caused by a white SUV occurred yesterday on I-12 by Covington, La., leaving one dead and two seriously injured. The white SUV left the scene after causing the accident, and police are still looking for the vehicle. Read more from NOLA.com.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tim Young

Sixth L'Oreal Factory Honored by OSHA

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:54:34 GMT

L'Oreal operates six manufacturing plants in the United States and it was just awarded it's last OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) "Star" Flag. The award recognizes effective workplace safety. On average plants that have been awarded VPP status have an injury rate that is 50 percent lower than other plants in the same field.

"L'Oreal is clearly committed to protecting the safety and health of its employees and, with recognition of today's achievement, the company has set an extraordinary example for other U.S. manufacturers," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "L'Oreal's investment in employee safety and health was the right thing to do, and I am certain it will provide great benefits in morale, productivity and competitiveness."
"We put the health and safety of our employees first and have achieved VPP compliance in all of our manufacturing facilities with their active collaboration," says Vince Serpico, senior vice president, corporate manufacturing, L'Oreal USA. "The certification of our Florence, Ky., facility is a further demonstration of our rigorous commitment to maintaining safe and productive work environments for our employees, our plants and the communities in which we have facilities."

Around 1700 workplaces have been awarded the VPP by OSHA. In 2003 L'Oreal set out to have the VPP awarded to all six of the plants it operates in the U.S.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann