tennessee personal injury lawyer « John Michael Bailey

Posts Tagged ‘ tennessee personal injury lawyer ’

May

Three Killed In Two Separate Tennessee Boat Accidents

May 20, 2013

Warm weather in May tends to bring more boats onto the waterways of Tennessee, and this year has been no exception. With the increase in boating volume comes an increase in the number of accidents involving watercrafts. Again, this year has been no exception, considering three people have been killed as the result of two separate Tennessee Boat Accidents that occurred on the waters of Reelfoot Lake this month.

The first accident occurred on May 1 after two boaters were trying to get off the lake before a storm hit. As they made their way to shore, they struck a submerged log, which caused the boat to flip. Both men died as a result of the crash.

Then, on May 9, Channel 3 News reported that a man died after high winds flipped his vessel.

Such accidents have many boaters wondering what they can do to reduce their chances of being involved in an accident while on the water. Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency explain that having a life preserver for every person on board a boat is the best way to ensure safe travel. Just having them on board is not enough though. Boaters should have a life preserver on at all times when the vessel is in motion.

The Tennessee Personal Injury Lawyers with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers hope this tip will help to keep boaters safe while on the water this summer!

Feb

Tennessee Working To Reduce Car Accidents Caused By Texting And Driving

February 11, 2013

Despite Tennessee having a law banning texting and driving for several years, data seems to show the number of accidents involving the behavior continues to rise. The Tullahoma News examined these findings and what the state is doing to curb the problem.

Numbers from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security show that the use of handheld electronic devices has contributed to 40,000 Tennessee Car Accidents and 126 deaths in the state over the last two years alone. The number of accidents and fatalities associated with texting and driving has risen steadily over the last five years and shows no sign of slowing. In fact, a study conducted by Nielsen shows more than half of all cellphones in the United States today are smartphones, an increase of more than three percent over the previous year.

To combat the problem, the state has authorized law enforcement to pull over any drivers they catch texting and driving; however, officials believe the best way to solve the problem is through educating the public about the dangers of texting and driving. That is why the state will be displaying messages on electronic signs placed strategically along the state’s highways that will promote drivers putting their phones down while driving.

The Tennessee Personal Injury Lawyers with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers would like to applaud state officials for working to improve highway safety by reducing the number of motorists who are texting and driving.

Jan

OSHA Gives Awards for Workplace Safety App Contest

January 21, 2013

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says more than 4,600 fatal work-related accidents were recorded in 2011 alone, which resulted in many workers needing Workers’ Compensation benefits just to get by. To combat this problem, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) held a contest challenging participants to come up with innovative ways to prevent on-the-job accidents through an application that can be accessed via computer or smartphone.

EHS Today highlighted some of the winning entries and how they are being used to improve workplace safety in the U.S. One of the most discussed designs of the “Worker Safety and Health App Challenge” was a website aimed at educating workers between the ages of 13 and 24-years-old about workplace rights and some of the most common on-the-job risks. The website designed by The University of Tennessee Construction Industry Research and Policy Center and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, called “Working Safely Is No Accident,” won the group a $15,000 grand prize.

Three other awards were issued as well. The winners of the Safety and Health Data Award and the Workers’ Rights Award each received a $6,000 prize, while the winner of the People’s Choice Award received a $3,000 prize.

The Memphis Personal Injury Lawyers at John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers would like to congratulate each of the winners involved in this year’s contest and hope the technology developed can be used to better protect workers across the country.

Nov

Failure To “Move Over” Results In The Death Of Tow Truck Driver

November 5, 2012

A Tennessee car accident last week claimed the life of the 35-year-old owner of a Union City, Tennessee, towing service. Northwest TN Today stated the crash happened on Halloween night at around 10:40 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 22 in Weakley County.

Reports from troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol indicate the victim was working to hook a disabled 2001 Jeep to his Ford F-350 wrecker when a 24-year-old driver of a 1999 Oldsmobile veered into the emergency lane and struck not only the Jeep and tow truck, but also the truck’s operator. The victim was rushed to a Memphis-area hospital, but died several hours after arrival from complications.

The Tennessee Department of Safety stated that while neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the crash, charges and tickets against the Oldsmobile’s driver are pending the outcome of a full investigation into the Memphis Car Accident.

The driver also may be charged with breaking Tennessee’s “Move Over” law, which states motorists are required to shift over a lane in traffic when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights activated in order to allow workers plenty of space to do their jobs.

The Memphis Personal Injury Lawyers with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers understand the difficulties that can come with suddenly losing a loved one in a tragic accident and would like to send their condolences to the family of the victim.

Oct

Tennessee Airplane Accident Leaves Two Seriously Injured

October 29, 2012

Two people were injured in an airplane accident that occurred earlier this week. WATE News reports the crash happened around 2:00 p.m. Sunday on the slopes of Bluff Mountain just moments after taking off from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport.

Officials believe that during the aircraft’s ascent to a cruising altitude, the airplane struck a set of power lines. The collision forced the plane to become inverted where it then crashed into a grove of trees. The plane caught fire while stuck in the canopy of the trees, causing a woman to fall roughly 20 feet to the ground from the wreckage and leaving her seriously injured. The remaining wreckage eventually fell from the tree and the other four passengers were able to free themselves.

The woman and her son were rushed to a Knoxville, Tennessee, hospital to be treated for injuries sustained in the Tennessee Airplane Accident ranging from severe burns over half the body to fractured bones.

Experts agree the leading causes of plane accidents are either pilot error or an equipment malfunction, accounting for nearly 70 percent of all airplane accidents. Research also tends to show a majority of airplane accidents involve small, personal aircraft like the one that recently crashed.

That is why the Memphis Personal Injury Lawyers with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers would encourage you to discuss your legal rights with a qualified attorney if you have been hurt in a plane crash.

Jun

Memphis Awarded Grant To Install Bicycle Lanes Throughout The City

June 4, 2012

Although Memphis isn’t known to be a convenient location for bicyclists, city officials have been busy working to make the streets safer for those who prefer to commute on two wheels. According to an article released by Action 5 News, a grant from Bikes Belong Foundation will allow the city to install bike lanes on roads with heavy traffic.

The bike lanes will be implemented over the next two years, and experts believe they will reduce the number of injuries and deaths in the city caused by accidents where bicycles are involved. A Bike Belong Foundation spokesman stated that, “Green lanes are dedicated, inviting spaces for people on bikes in the roadway, protected by curbs, planters, posts or parked cars.” while explaining how the lanes will reduce the number of accidents.

The project comes on the heels of Memphis installing more than 35 miles of bike lanes throughout the city, causing it to improve from being considered one of the worst cities to ride a bike in 2008 to most improved city for biking just four years later.

Other cities that will see improvements from grants stemming from the project include:

Austin,
Chicago,
Portland,
San Francisco,
and Washington, D.C.

The Memphis Personal Injury Law Firm of John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers hope that the new measures will help reduce the number of Brain Injuries and Spinal Cord Injuries which can often result from a bicycle accident.

May

Federal And State Governments Settle With Drug Manufacturer

May 7, 2012

Pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories stated today that it has reached a settlement with the federal and 47 state governments regarding the illegal marketing of its drug Depakote. According to The New York Times, the drug manufacturer has agreed to pay $1.6 billion after company representatives were caught advertising the medication for uses it wasn’t approved for by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The drug is approved for use in patients suffering from seizures, mania brought on by bipolar disorder, and migraines, but over an eight-year period, the company trained drug reps to market the drug to schizophrenia patients living in nursing homes—despite research showing it was less effective than anti-psychotic medications.

As part of the settlement, the drug manufacturer has agreed to pay $800 million to settle civil cases filed by the federal government, as well as $700 million in criminal fines and $100 million to state governments. The company will also plead guilty to one charge of breaking the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Of that money, Tennessee will receive approximately $1.9 million from the total amount of the settlement.

Tennessee Drug Injuries can affect hundreds of thousands of patients and their families every year across the state. That’s why the Tennessee Personal Injury Lawyers with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers encourage anyone who has experienced adverse effects from taking a drug to contact an experienced attorney immediately to discuss your case.

Mar

Uranium-Contaminated Breathing Apparatuses Discovered At TN Nuclear Facility

March 19, 2012

Most people spend a large portion of their day—roughly one third of it—at the workplace. So, what if your workplace was putting your health at risk? That situation is the reality for workers at the Y-12 Nuclear weapons facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who have been using contaminated breathing equipment.

WMCTV 5 News reported Saturday that officials at the plant had announced that workers may have been using breathing apparatuses contaminated with radioactive uranium particles since 2009. Y-12 stated that it had been using a Maryland-based company, Global Solutions, to decontaminate equipment for several years. It wasn’t until the equipment was recently tested by Y-12 that the high levels of radiation were discovered.

In all, 503 respirator masks and 101 breathing tubes have been found to have levels of radiation up to 10 percent higher than acceptable levels. There is no way to tell how much equipment was contaminated and used or for how long.

Plant executives are saying workers need not worry though, as high levels of the contaminants would have been uncovered in urine and fecal samples taken from workers if the levels were dangerously high.

The Tennessee Environmental Injury Attorneys with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers know employers have a responsibility to supply workers with a safe work environment and are here to help you if you have been caused serious harm by being exposed to toxic chemicals while on the job.

Mar

Murfreesboro Fire Department Provides Smoke Detectors To Hearing Impaired

March 12, 2012

Some Murfreesboro, Tennessee, residents who have vision and hearing impairments are safer today after Murfreesboro firefighters installed special alarms in their homes. According to the The Daily News Journal, a federal grant allowed the Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department (MFRD) to purchase 200 specialized alarms and 2,000 regular alarms for donation to households without smoke detectors.

The LifeTone HL 150 “Bed Shaker” alarms work by wiring into a normal smoke detector system, and when the standard alarm goes off, a low-frequency signal is emitted, causing a pad placed under a pillow or mattress to vibrate. Strobe lights will also flash as part of the warning system.

Allen Swader, assistant chief of the MFRD, says that 30 of the specialized alarms have already been installed in homes, and 70 devices are still left to be donated. Swader asks that anyone interested in receiving one of the units to contact the MFRD.

According to the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Fire Administration, home usage of smoke alarms in the U.S. rose from less than 10% in 1975 to at least 95% in 2000, while the number of home fire deaths was cut nearly in half.

The Tennessee Fire and Burn Injury Lawyers with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers would encourage anyone in the Murfreesboro area without smoke detectors installed in their home to contact the MFRD to receive a free fire alarm. It could save your life.

Feb

TN Family Seriously Injured After Boat Falls On Them

February 27, 2012

An accident at a Tennessee sporting goods store last week has injured a family of three. According to reports from WMCTV Channel 5 News, the accident happened in an outdoor display that was set up in the store’s parking lot at Opry Mills in Nashville, Tennessee.

At 12:15 on Friday, witnesses say that a pickup truck hopped a curb in the parking lot and hit a boat that was on a trailer. The boat was knocked off and toppled on top of the family that was standing nearby.

The family was trapped between the boat and a wall for nearly 20 minutes until rescue crews could get the boat lifted and the victims could be pulled to safety.

An ambulance transported the family to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where they were treated for serious injuries. The mother was last listed in critical condition.

The 73-year-old driver of the pickup, who said his foot was stuck on the accelerator, was charged with failure to exercise due care.

The unfortunate part of this accident is that these victims will likely spend more time recovering than the person responsible will spend paying for causing their injuries.

This is why the Tennessee Premise Liability Attorneys with John Michael Bailey Injury Lawyers are here to help. We work with injury victims to help them get the compensation they need in order to live a productive and happy life after a serious accident.

John Michael Bailey | Injury Law Blog