The American Association for Justice has released a new primer separating the myths about the need for tort reform from the facts. Among the myths dispelled are “the number of lawsuits filed is skyrocketing.” In reality, AAJ cites statistics from the United States Department of Justice revealing a massive decrease in tort lawsuits. The statistics show that […]
Legal News
Consumer Wins Major Legal Battle Against Prosthetic Hip Manufacturer
In recent years medical device manufacturers have increasingly been using what is known in the industry as “federal preemption” defenses to defeat personal injury lawsuits soon after they are filed. In many of these cases dismissal comes so fast the manufacturer is not even required to produce a single document addressing whether the medical device […]
Jury awards $2M to injured factory worker
On December 6, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, an eight member jury returned a verdict of $2,003,002.58 in favor of Rita Thakore, a 54 year old woman from Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Ms. Thakore was represented by Michael L. Teich and Joshua L. Weisberg of Rapoport […]
FAA Hits American Airlines With Biggest Civil Penalty Fine In History
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced last week that it has decided to fine American Airlines a whopping $24.2 Million for the airline’s alleged failure to inspect and repair elements in the wiring systems and rudder components of its fleet of McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 and Boeing 757 jets. The record-setting fine relates to FAA inspections of American’s fleet, conducted in 2008 […]
NTSB Issues Recommendations To U.S. Coast Guard In Effort To Crack Down On Distractions Caused By Wireless Devices
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued two recommendations yesterday to the U.S. Coast Guard regarding the use of wireless devices during the operation of Coast Guard watercraft. The recommendations decry a need for regulations governing such use amongst both the Coast Guard and the maritime industry in an effort to prevent the consequences of […]
Unintentional Injuries: The Economic Effect Is Felt By More Than Just The Person Injured
According to estimates made by the National Safety Council (NSC), fatal and non-fatal unintended injuries have a surprisingly large economic impact on a national scale, an impact that the NSC says underscores the importance prevention work. The most recent estimate, based on data from 2008, sets forth the approximated cost incurred by society for these deaths […]
University of Illinois At Chicago’s Institute For Patient Safety Granted $3 Million To Evaluate Patient-Safety Policies And Procedures At Chicagoland Hospitals
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Patient Safety Excellent has received $3 million of a $23.2 million dollar federal grant given to local governments and aimed at improving safety standards and procedures at medical facilities in an effort to prevent malpractice. Illinois is one of 16 states awarded a portion of the grant, […]
U.S. Senator Schumer Asks Food and Drug Administration To Publicly Distribute Data Showing A Possible Link Between Sunscreen Chemicals And Cancer
A recent study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has revealed a possible link between a chemical found in most popular sunscreens and the acceleration of the development of skin cancer, and United States Senator Charles Schumer wants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release that information to the public. Retinyl palmitate is a […]
New NTSB Alert Seeks To Inform Parents Of The Perils Of Opting To Fly With Children Unsecured On Their Lap
In the U.S., parents flying with children under the age of two can avoid having to purchase tickets for those children by agreeing to hold them in their laps during the flight. However, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently issued a Safety Alert urging parents to consider the many safety concerns related to children flying […]
U.S Department Of Transportation’s FMCSA Launches National Pre-Employment Screening Program Granting Employers Access To Drivers’ Inspections And Crash Records
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced today the launch of its Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), a uniform investigatory system that will allow commercial motor carriers access to the crash and inspection records of all candidates seeking employment as commercial vehicle drivers. The PSP is part of the FMCSA’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 […]
Illinois Driver Polishing Her Nails In Traffic Found Guilty Of Hitting, Killing Woman; Just One Day Before, The 25th State Passed Ban Cracking Down On Distracted Driving
On May 5, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Wisconsin had become the 25th state in the U.S. to ban texting while driving, calling distracted driving “an epidemic” responsible for killing and injuring thousands of people every year. That statistic is a very unfortunate reality for the family of Anita Zaffke, the […]
OSHA: 14 Workers Are Killed Every Day On The Job; President Obama Declares April 28 “Worker’s Memorial Day”
President Barack Obama, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), proclaimed April 28, 2010 to be Worker’s Memorial Day to celebrate and preserve the memory “of those who have been killed due to unsafe working conditions.” This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as […]
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt: “We Can Never Stop Working Toward That Next Level Of Safety”
At the 2010 World Aviation Training Seminar on April 27th, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Randy Babbitt delivered a speech that focused on the crucial role that human involvement plays alongside the ever-advancing realm of flight technology. In his speech, Administrator Babbitt underscored the point that the availability of flight technology should supplement, […]
U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Fines Three Wisconsin Companies Over $231,000 For Workplace Safety and Health Violations
Three different companies in Wisconsin were hit with proposed fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the months of March and April for alleged violations of federal workplace health and safety regulations. On March 29, 2010, Val-O-Mo Farm, Inc. in Elmwood was cited and fined after an October 2009 investigation into the […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Fines Three Illinois Companies Over $185,000 For Workplace Safety Violations
Three different Illinois companies were slapped with fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the month of April for alleged violations of federal workplace standards. On April 14, 2010, OSHA announced a $61,500 penalty against Fleetpride, Inc., a nationwide distributor of trucking parts located in Willowbrook, for alleged violations discovered during a February 2010 inspection. The […]
DOT Denies Airlines’ Requests For Exemptions From New Rule Limiting Time They Can Keep Passengers On Tarmac
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has denied the exemptions requests made by five airlines in relation to a new federal rule that will limit the amount of time an airline can force passengers to remain onboard a flight stopped on the tarmac. JetBlue Airways, Delta Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines and American Airlines all petitioned the DOT […]
U.S. Department Of Transportation Issues New Rule Requiring Repeat Offender Motor Carriers To Install Devices That Record Hours Of Vehicle Operation
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it was implementing a new rule that, according to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, is aimed at “cracking down on carriers and drivers who put people on our roads and highways at risk” by violating federal hours-of-service (HOS) regulations. Pursuant to the new rule, […]
NTSB Study Reveals “Glass Cockpits” No Safer In Single Engine Planes Than Traditional Instruments
In a somewhat surprising conclusion to a study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), it was recently announced that airplanes equipped with ‘glass cockpits’, or digitized flight data displays, have not proven to be any safer than planes that operate with conventional, non-digital instrumentation. The study, which examined over 8,000 single engine planes […]
Bus Company Responsible For Fatal Phoenix Interstate Crash Was Operating Illegally; FMCSA Granted Emergency Action To Shut Down Carrier
The company involved in the fatal, March 5 bus crash outside of Phoenix, Arizona had been denied passenger carrier operating authority in April, 2009, but continued to operate anyways, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Pursuant to an emergency request by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Tierra Santa, Inc., was ordered […]
NTSB Releases Its 2010 List Of ‘Most Wanted’ Transportation Safety Improvements: Aircraft Icing and Reducing Operator Fatigue Included
In the middle of February, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced its 2010 Federal Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, addressing concerns in the areas of rail, marine, aviation and highway safety. Each issue within the individual areas was assigned a status color related to actions taken thus far in response to the […]
