At this year’s Sleep Apnea and Trucking Conference, held on May 11-12 in Baltimore, Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and driver training for Green Bay, Wisconsin-based trucking company Schneider National, was presented with the first-ever Distinguished Safety Leadership award, which was created by the Truck Safety Coalition. Osterberg’s receipt of the award was an unexpected moment […]
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A Little Known Cause Of Many Automobile Crashes: Sleep Apnea
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea can significantly increase a driver’s potential to be involved in serious automobile crashes. The National Institute on Health’s Heart, Lung and Blood Institute describes sleep apnea as a condition that causes a person to experience periodic pauses between breaths or very shallow breathing during […]
“Are Airliners So Automated That Pilots Are Becoming Complacent?”
The title question was posed by a recent New York Times article examining a trend of behavior in the cockpit that is both alarming because of its prevalence, and disturbing because of its potential for disaster: pilots relying on automated piloting systems to do their job while they shift their attention elsewhere. The topic of autopilot-based pilot […]
Nine Chicago-Area Hospitals Shown To Have Significantly Higher Than Average Infection Rates Amongst Patients, Including One With The Highest Infection Rate In Illinois
The Chicago Tribune published an investigative report yesterday on the unusually high infection rates reported by nine Chicagoland hospitals for the year 2009, and the results, released in the newest issue of the Illinois Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide to Health Care, are alarming. The infections at issue are bloodstream infections associated with the insertion of central […]
U.S. Dept. Of Labor’s OSHA Announces Alliance With Mexican Consulate In Chicago In An Effort To Heighten Safety Standards For Latino Workers In Illinois And Wisconsin
Mexico’s Consulate General in Chicago has signed an alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to foster a partnership aimed at providing Mexican and Latino workers in Illinois and Wisconsin with access to training, education and resources that seek to both protect workers’ rights and advance health and safety in the workplace. Michael […]
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, […]
Leading Lawyer Magazine Includes Feature About Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop
Document: Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop Profile – December 2009 Leading Lawyers Network Magazine/Consumer Edition Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop is honored to be included in this year’s edition of Leading Lawyers Magazine, and to announce that attorney David E. Rapoport has once again been designated as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois. We invite you to click on […]
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 […]
Personal Injury Law: Questions and Answers
How do I know if I have a personal injury claim, and what must be proven to win a personal injury lawsuit? A: Personal injury is an area of civil law that seeks to compensate a person with money damages for physical and/or emotional harm suffered as a result of a someone else’s negligent or wrongful conduct. […]
When You Have Been Through The Worst And You Want To Find The Best: How To Select The Best Personal Injury Attorney To Represent You
Lawyers are everywhere. One look in the phonebook or a simple click of the mouse will confirm that statement. But as the old saying goes: it is all about quality, not quantity. That saying rings especially true when the time comes for you, as someone who has experienced serious personal injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, to determine […]
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 […]
Attorney David Rapoport Addresses Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Loss of Consortium
Chicago personal injury and aviation negligence lawyer David E. Rapoport received a warm welcome from the members and attendees of the Kentucky Justice Association at their Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Loss of Consortium. Mr. Rapoport was honored to be asked to participate, delivering a lecture entitled, Consortium on Trial: The Hebert v. Comair Case, which drew on […]
Judge Sets July Trial Date For Second Phase Of Comair Flight 5191 Trial
United States Senior Judge Karl S. Forester has set a July 19, 2010, trial date for the punitive damages phase of the lawsuit filed against Comair by the wife and daughters of Bryan Keith Woodward, who was killed when Comair Flight 5191 crashed in August 2006 at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. The compensatory […]
NTSB Says Poor Maintenance, Including Extremely Under-Inflated Tires, Caused 2008 Plane Crash That Killed Four And Critically Injured 2 In South Carolina
On April 6, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its findings in the investigation into the fatal, September 19, 2008 plane crash of a chartered, Bombardier Learjet at South Carolina’s Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The jet, carrying 6 people on board, was operated by Global Exec Aviation and was destined for Van Nuys, California, when […]
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, […]
FAA Cracking Down On American And Northwest Airlines For Repeated Safety Maintenance Violations; Proposes Fines In The Millions
March is shaping up to be a rather expensive month for air carriers American and Northwest. On March 12, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was seeking $787,500 in fines against American Airlines stemming from three cases of alleged maintenance violations in 2008 and 2009. The first case involved the deferral of repairs to […]
