Posts tagged Trucking Accidents

• Large Truck Crashes

  Ken Margolin | January 25, 2007 3:00 PM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Tractor-Trailer Accidents
  

  Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ("FMCSA") reported to Congress, the results of a 3-year study into the causes of large truck crashes. Large trucks were defined for the study, as any truck weighing 5 tons or more. The study was the most comprehensive yet conducted, involving a thorough review of nearly 1,000 crashes in 17 states. The purpose of the study was to gain an...

• Spinal Cord Injury

  Ken Margolin | January 22, 2007 1:00 PM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Medical Malpractice
  

  An estimated 250,000-450,000 Americans are living with spinal cord injury . The primary causes are motor vehicle accidents (nearly 50%), falls, violence (especially gunshot wounds) and sports activities. The majority of victims are males under the age of 30 (some studies indicate that the age range has risen in recent years). Spinal cord injuries are either complete or incomplete and their...

• Significant Plaintiff Recoveries Continue in 2006

  Ken Margolin | January 17, 2007 7:00 AM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Head & Brain Injuries
  

  This week's Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly contained a summary of significant plaintiffs' verdicts and settlements in Massachusetts in 2006. Fifteen jury verdicts equaling or exceeding $1 million were reported, as well as 88 seven figure settlements. A survey of these positive results gives an idea of the current thinking of juries and insurance claims personnel. I will start with the verdicts...

• Liquor Licensee Liability Laws

  Ken Margolin | January 16, 2007 5:00 PM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Head & Brain Injuries
  

  Most states in the US have some form of laws imposing liability on liquor licensees that serve liquor to clearly intoxicated persons who then go out to cause injury or wrongful death to a third party, usually by causing a car crash. The laws are known as "dram shop" acts. Organizations such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) have been quite successful in campaigning and lobbying to get...

• The Vocational Expert

  Ken Margolin | January 16, 2007 12:45 PM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Head & Brain Injuries
  

  Success in serious personal injury cases require the plaintiff's lawyer to put together many pieces in a way that makes the jury decide that justice requires a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. One of these pieces is testimony from a vocational expert. Testimony from a vocational expert is called for in any serious accident case in which the injuries permanently impair the plaintiff's ability...

• Liquor Liability for Serving Drinks to Minors

  Ken Margolin | January 11, 2007 9:30 AM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts just ruled that commercial establishments that serve drinks to underage persons (under 21 in Massachusetts) have a higher level of liability than when they serve to legal age, intoxicated patrons. The case, decided on January 9, 2007, is Nunez v. Carrabba' Italian Grille, Inc. The plaintiff, a 19 year old, spent a night drinking heavily at Carrabba's...

• Traumatic Brain Injury Act

  Ken Margolin | January 08, 2007 8:30 PM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Head & Brain Injuries
  

  A decade ago, Congress passed the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1996. The legislation reflected a recognition at the highest levels of national leadership that traumatic brain injury (TBI) was an under-recognized problem that affected millions of people. With the legislation, Congress appropriated funds to study the prevalence of TBI and to encourage innovative efforts to reduce the incidence of...

• Valuing a Car Accident Case

  Ken Margolin | January 04, 2007 7:00 AM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Head & Brain Injuries
  

  For many clients injured in a car accident, the first question asked of the attorney after "is there cream for the coffee," is "how much is my case worth?" That question is always a fair one, but not always easily answered at the beginning of a case. In any personal injury case, value depends on both tangible and intangible elements, many of which, especially the intangible, will not be known...

• Trucking Deregulation Endangers Roadway Safety

  Ken Margolin | December 26, 2006 2:30 PM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Tractor-Trailer Accidents
  

  A December 3rd article in The New York Times discusses the influence of the trucking industry and lobby in Washington, DC. Recent loosening of rules concerning the trucking industry has renewed debate about the soundness of the current administration's push to deregulate industry. Truck accidents involving passenger cars continue to be a major problem, causing injury and death on our roadways....

• When the Insurance Company Comes Calling

  Ken Margolin | December 21, 2006 7:00 AM | 0 CommentsBoston, MA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  I was recently retained by a young woman who was seriously injured in an automobile accident. She was hit while crossing the street, in a crosswalk, and suffered multiple fractures. While her injuries are not life-threatening, she will lose significant time from work, will require a lot of physical therapy, and carries the potential for long-term troublesome, and even deteriorating,...