What is my Case Worth?
The residential freight and moving truck sector is a $19 billion a year industry coming from almost 14,000 retail outlets. Largely to protect business owners, Congress sharply limited the tort liability for these franchisees and owners if vehicle lessees cause car crashes during their rental periods. However, in some situations, traditional negligent entrustment theory still [...]
In 2015, American homeowners insurance companies paid over $530 million to settle dog bite claims. That figure has increased almost every year since 2013, and the $530 million level is 15 percent higher than it was in 2014. Observers say the nature of these attacks is mostly responsible for the near-perennial increases. In addition to [...]
Each year, medical misdiagnosis results in over 40,000 deaths per year. That’s essentially the same figure as breast cancer fatalities. Overall, misdiagnosis may affect up to 20 percent of all medical cases, a number that far exceeds surgical mistakes and medication errors. Despite these statistics, doctors have done little or nothing to stem the rising [...]
The government estimates that drowsy drivers cause about 72,000 serious injury crashes a year, and that number may be underreported. Much like alcohol, fatigue slows reaction time, inhibits concentration, and impairs judgment ability. All these things significantly increase the risk of a serious car crash. In fact, driving after eighteen hours without sleep is like [...]
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children under four, and for every one fatality, five are treated in hospital emergency rooms for serious injuries. A submerged person develops serious brain damage in about four minutes, and after just six minutes, there is a significant risk of coma and death. These statistics, as [...]
In 2016, there were over 99,000 hit-and-run crashes in Florida, and half of the 19,000 injured victims were pedestrians. There were 94,000 such accidents in 2015 and 85,000 in 2014. Many of these cases are closed quickly because the driver is apprehended at or near the scene. Other cases drag on for months or even [...]
Utah may soon become the first state in the country to lower the BAC limit from .08 to .05 for noncommercial drivers over 21. Could Florida be next? After passing the House and clearing a Senate panel, House Bill 155 now heads to the full Senate for consideration. Rep. Norm Thurston (R-Provo) said that the [...]
Over 8 million victims a year visit hospital emergency rooms after a serious fall, making these incidents the most common reason for such trips. Similarly, workplace falls cause more days of missed work than any other type of job injury. Many falls occur at home, but many other happen at shopping malls, office buildings, parking [...]
Many pundits claim that the “dog bite” danger is incredibly overblown, because the so-called mastiff breeds, large dogs like labradors, boxers, terriers and rottweilers, are unfairly singled out as dangerous when, in the proper environment, these animals are really just large teddy bears. Alternatively, these pundits often argue that the dog bite victims are to [...]
According to one prominent study, about a third of motorcycle crashes happen when the motorist makes an unprotected turn in traffic and steers directly into a rider’s path. Typically, that maneuver is a U-turn, an unprotected left turn across traffic, or a sudden lane change. SMIDSY (sorry, mate, I didn’t see you) crashes might be [...]
