Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
Helmet Laws for Children - Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Over 100,000 children in the U.S. sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from bicycle accidents each year. Some states already have laws requiring children to wear helmets when riding, but like motorcycle helmet and seat belt laws, the effectiveness of bicycle helmet laws in preventing injuries remains a matter of controversy.A recent review of five studies involving child helmet laws, published in The Cochrane Library, suggests that the laws do significantly increase helmet use and help to reduce brain injuries. One of the reviewed studies showed an 18% drop in bicycle-related TBI in children in California, over the course of 10 years after helmet laws went into effect. Another found that provinces in Canada which had helmet laws had a 45% decrease in child head injuries, while those without the laws had a 27% decrease. The studies did not address concerns that the laws may reduce bicycle riding in general or that they may encourage riding in riskier situations.
Recall Warning of Ford Fire Danger Still Affecting Owners - Tuesday, September 9, 2008
A recall announcement that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put out in February has been announced again due to concerns that millions of Ford owners have not brought in their vehicles to be repaired. The recall pertains to a defective cruise control switch that may spark a fire even if the vehicle is turned off. Nearly five million of the 12 million affected vehicles have yet to be repaired.
The affected vehicles are:
- 1993-2004 Ford F150
- 1993-1999 Ford F250 (gasoline engine)
- 1993-1996 Ford Bronco
- 1994-1996 Ford Econoline
- 1997-2002 Ford Expedition
- 1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator
- 1998-2002 Ford Ranger
- 1992-1998 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car
- 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
- 1993-1995 Ford Taurus SHO with automatic transmission
- 1994-Mercury Capri
- 1998-2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer
- 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac
- 1992-1993 and 1997-2003 Ford E-150-350 gasoline or natural gas vehicles
- 2002 Ford E-550 gasoline engine vehicles
- 1996-2003 Ford E-450 gasoline or natural gas vehicles
- 1994-2002 Ford F-250 through F-550 super Duty trucks (gasoline engine)
- 2000-2002 Ford Excursion (gasoline engine)
- 2003 F250 - F550 Super Duty, Ford Excursion
- 1995-2002 Ford F53 Motor home chassis
- 2002-2003 Lincoln Blackwood
The NHTSA has also begun investigating Ford Windstar vans after receiving over 130 complaints of fires allegedly caused by the faulty cruise control switch.
If you own one of these vehicles and have not had your cruise control switch repaired, do so immediately. Reports of fires destroying vehicles and some homes have been made to the NHTSA.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a defective part on a vehicle that should have been recalled, please contact an experienced injury lawyer in your area.
Lax Campus Security at Center of Wrongful Death Case - Monday, September 8, 2008
The University of Delaware has been named in a wrongful death and negligence case by the parents of a student who died after taking a mixture of cocaine and Fentanyl. Laura Shanks died at the beginning of the 2006 school year after being given the mixture by her then-boyfriend, Kevin Hamilton. The suit claims that Hamilton was on the Newark campus even though he had been expelled in 2005 after police found 53.4 grams of marijuana in his dorm room.
The suit alleges in part, "By reason of the University of Delaware's completely inadequate and substandard security system, this former drug-dealing student, Kevin Hamilton, returned to campus on the morning hours of Aug. 28, 2006, entered a University dormitory building without being stopped, or even observed, by any live security personnel, and provided a street drug laced with a dangerous chemical substance to another student…who died shortly thereafter from its ingestion."
The suit also accuses UD of breach of contract because the university's website and brochures claim the school has a "nationally renowned" security system. This then gave the Shanks family "a false understanding of the high level of security at the university, and created an unjustifiable peace of mind as to the safety of Laura." Statistics from 2005 show that the university had 62 police and security officers to watch over 19,000 students and 4000 employees on the 968 acre campus.
Furthermore, the suit claims security on campus is a "chronic problem," and documents thefts, trespassing, burglaries, and stoppage of local fugitives from 2004 to Shanks' death in August, 2006.
Hamilton pleaded guilty to giving Shanks the mixture of drugs and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was also sentenced to spend Shanks' birthday in solitary confinement.
University of Delaware is not the only campus where security problems have made the news. With several shootings and campus murders, along with what some might consider "garden variety" crimes, campuses seem to be more than places parents send their kids for an education. They are small cities unto themselves. However, asking that those in charge of campuses ensure the safety of kids who are only a year or two out of high school shouldn't be too much to ask for.
If you have lost a loved one due to a breach or through negligence in campus security, please contact an experienced wrongful death attorney in your area.
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