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Hoover Dam bypass clean-up after crane collapse

Staff Writer — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:38:41 GMT

On September 15, 2006, high winds caused two 280-foot-tall steel cranes to collapse in a major construction accident at the site of the $234 million Hoover Dam bypass project. This week, a crew of divers is working to clean up the debris from the Colorado River.

A story in Central Utah's Daily Herald details the construction accident that caused $50 million in damages and set back the project's completion date two years. The Hoover Dam Bypass project will build 3.5 miles of four-lane highway and a 1,900-foot bridge over the Colorado River to connect with U.S. 93.

The September crane collapse forced contractors Obayashi Corp. and PSM Construction USA Inc. to find the resources to remove 300,000 pounds of steel cable and debris at the bottom of the Colorado River.

Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of the construction accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Text-Messaging Causing Car Accidents

Staff Writer — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 19:50:36 GMT

State troopers say cell phone text messaging is causing more accidents than ever before. The problem is that while it's easy to spot people talking at the wheel, it is much harder to catch people texting at the wheel. Troopers
are convinced cell phone use is causing wrecks, but drivers never admit to it.

Trooper Lonnie Haschell sees drivers do it, but he can't stop them. "Unless there is another traffic violation that occurs. If you're concentrating on your Blackberry and then you cross that center line, you cross that white line on the side of the road, you have another traffic violation," Haschell said.

Three states and 50 countries ban phone use in cars. But so far in Texas, only common sense limits texting while driving

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Horrible Car Crash Kills Three

April Armani — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:20:03 GMT

A horrible motor vehicle collision has left a mother, father and son dead with another toddler injured. The crash happened south of E. Mississippi Avenue and S. Chambers Road around 11 pm last night. A red 2002 Ford F650 tow truck was headed northbound on Chambers and hit a 1997 Honda CRV traveling in the same direction. The two truck then crossed the center median where it hit a 2003 Nissan Murano, the truck kept going and then hit a 1999 silver Chrysler 300M killing three people from the same family and continuing north.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have suffered a tremendous loss due to the actions of another.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by April Armani

Age Discrimination Decision against Wal-Mart/Sam's Club

Staff Writer — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:38:00 GMT

In a recent decision from the 10th Circuit, the Court ruled against Wal-Mart/Sam's Club, and affirmed a jury's verdict finding that the Company had engaged in age discrimination by failing to promote. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, known as ADEA, makes it unlawful for an employer to "discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's age." 29 U.S.C. Â§ 623(a)(1).

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Parents Sue Bully. School District Next?

Linda Snyder — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:45:02 GMT

I find the whole concept of bullying to be interesting. You get a bunch of kids who decide that another kid is, for whatever reason, is a target for mental and physical abuse. And because bullying has been around since the time of cavemen, it's a somewhat socially acceptable behavior. The school district in Fayetteville, Arkansas may proclaim that they have a zero tolerance policy, but clearly they have chosen to look the other way in the case of Billy Wolfe.

I don't know Billy Wolfe. He may be the nerdiest kid on the planet. He may be the most annoying kid on the planet. He may be the nicest kid on the planet. But nobody should have to endure what he's gone through since grade school. I find it incredible that school officials actually tried to blame Billy for the bullies behavior, claiming "perhaps he brought this on himself."
There are video tapes showing the beatings Billy has suffered at the hands of these bullies, and yet no criminal charges have been filed. So, I guess that means in Fayetteville, Arkansas, if you're a high school student and your victim is Billy Wolfe, then it's not assault. It's just some high school kids having a little fun. If these were adults just having a little bit of the same kind of fun, they'd be in jail right now.

The Wolfes had tried talking to the parents of the bullies and appealing to school officials, to no avail. Now the Wolfes are taking a more aggressive approach, not only are they suing at least one of the bullies, they've also gone public, with Billy's story on the front page on the New York Times and an appearance on the TODAY show. Unfortunately, many times it takes filing a lawsuit in order to secure justice. It's my hope that they hold the Fayetteville school district accountable as well.

And people wonder why the tragedies like Columbine or the Virginia Tech shootings occur. I hope Billy Wolfe would never feel that desperate, but at least he knows his parents are willing to fight for him. What happened at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech will never be okay, but it's a little easier to understand. How much does a kid have to take before he snaps?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

Risks of Cell Phone Use While Driving

Margaret Embry — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:14:50 GMT

A year ago, Michelle Smith hit and killed a 9-year-old girl, Erica Forney, riding her bike in the bike lane in Fort Collins. Though she doesn't have a clear memory of the crash, it is believed that Smith was distracted after finishing a cell phone call while driving. As part of her plea agreement, Smith was required to write a letter of apology to the victim's family which was recently published, according to The Denver Channel, ABC 7 News.

The newspaper [Fort Collins Coloradan] reported that Smith wrote in the letter that, if she had appreciated the risks associated with cell-phone use while driving, Erica Forney might still be alive.“My heart and prayers are and will always be with the Forneys,” she concluded in her letter.

Below are some cell phone driving statistics provided by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver's reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08%. (University of Utah)

The No.1 source of driver inattention is use of a wireless device. (Virginia Tech /NHTSA)

Drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

10% of drivers aged 16 to 24 years old are on their phone at any one time.

Driving while distracted is a factor in 25% of police reported crashes.

Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. (Carnegie Mellon)

Please see the Governors Highway Safety Association to check your state cell phone driving laws.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Margaret Embry

Wagner Paint Sprayers Recalled

Chrissie Cole — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:07:00 GMT

Wagner Paint Sprayers has voluntarily recalled its Paint Sprayers because the on-off switch can be dislodged from the casing resulting in exposure to electrical connections which poses a shock hazard to users.

To date, the company has not received any reports of incidents or injuries.

The recall includes the Wagner Control Spray Plus Model No. 0414248.

The following date codes are affected by the recall:

	Model Number	Manufactured Date Code
Control Spray Plus	0414248	Y182R thru Y365R
		Z001R thru Z366R
		A001R thru A021R

Consumers should immediately unplug and stop using the sprayers, and contact Wagner for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Wagner toll-free at (888) 925-6244 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s web site at www.wagnerspraytech.com

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Powers Fasteners Inc. settles $6 million wrongful-death lawsuit

Linda Snyder — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:34:26 GMT

A $6 million settlement was reached earlier this week for a wrongful-death lawsuit involving the family of a woman who was killed when a Big Dig highway tunnel in Boston collapsed on her car in 2006.

The lawsuit involved the epoxy supplier, Powers Fasteners Inc. The woman, Milena Del Valle, was crushed when 26 tons of concreted ceiling panels collapsed while driving through the tunnel.

It was later found by investigators that the ceiling collapsed due to workers only securing it with a fast-drying depoxy which was not safe for overhead loads.

15 other contractors and agencies are being sued by the Del Valle family, however Powers Fasteners Inc. is the only one to face criminal charges.

The Big Dig highway project is the most expensive of its kind in United States history, totaling $14.8 billion.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

New Colorado Insurance Law Effects Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Linda Snyder — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:54:55 GMT

Founding partners Kyle Bachus and Darin Schanker of Bachus & Schanker, LLC, recently worked with numerous others who advocate for Colorado consumers as well as the Colorado Senate in enacting a proposed bill in the field of auto insurance. As a result of all their hard work, this bill became a new Colorado Insurance Law that will impact your un-insured/under-insured motorist coverage (UM/UIM).

This new law will help consumers receive the coverage they pay for if injured by an uninsured driver. Effective January 1, 2008, this new law will change Colorado's UM coverage in two important ways:

1.) Before the January 1, 2008 law change an insurance company could "offset" the amount paid by the at-fault driver's insurance company against the amount available under your own UM policy;

2.) Before January 1, 2008, insurance companies were able to include "anti-stacking" language in their UM coverage's that prevented those who pay for multiple policies on multiple cars in the same household from adding the UM coverage's on each separate policy together in order to maximize coverage.

This new law makes the UM coverage you purchase "stack" on top of the total amount of insurance available from the "at-fault" driver. For example, beginning January 1, 2008, if you buy $50,000 of UM coverage to protect your family, the entire $50,000 will be available to you on top of the insurance available from the at-fault driver if you need it.

"This is a very important coverage that should not be waived. We see many insurance companies reacting to this new law by sending their policy holders letters asking them to waive the coverage altogether. This is not a good idea under any circumstances," exclaimed Kyle Bachus.

This bill, which is now law, can be found on the Colorado Legislature website.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Linda Snyder

6 Face Charges In Drunk Driving Accident That Killed Teen

Chrissie Cole — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:09:51 GMT

Six people are facing criminal charges in a drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a teenage girl, 17, in a head-on car crash in March.

Her friend was also seriously injured in the accident. Authorities say, another teen, 17, was driving drunk when she crossed the median into oncoming traffic. Now, charges are being filed against all the teenagers in the vehicle and the liquor store clerk who sold them the alcohol. The girl is being charged as an adult.

Documents claim the girl was drinking vodka, beer and smoking marjuana on the evening of the fatal crash. She is being charged with nine counts including vehicular homicide along with an attempt to influence a public servant by lying to police about who was driving the vehicle.

During the investigation, there were contradictory statements and information about who was driving the vehicle at the tiem of the accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole