The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2016 has come under fire from the American Bar Association. According to the ABA, states have had the authority to determine medical liability law for over 200 years. The HEALTH ACT seeks to eliminate the rights of states to determine medical liability law in numerous […]
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Pedestrian Accident Fatalities Rose in 2015
Recent reports indicate that 2015 was a bad year for traffic safety. Fatal car and truck accidents increased in the first nine months of the year, according to preliminary data. Now, a report issued by the Governors Highway safety Association suggests that pedestrian deaths rose by an estimated 10 percent in 2015. The report indicated […]
Report Calls for Research Into Truck Driver Fatigue and Safety
A committee at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently prepared a report concerning fatigue in the trucking industry. The report called for greater research and analysis by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The conclusion was that there is insufficient information gathered concerning truck driver fatigue and its impact on highway safety […]
Proposed License Requirements for Truck Drivers
A new proposal from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration could change the training necessary to get a Commercial Driver’s License. The proposal was released today and will be open for public commentary for the next 60 days. The FMCSA could then submit the rule to the Department of Transportation and the Office of Management […]
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit for the Wrongful Death of 37-Year-Old Mother
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. filed a lawsuit today in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, for the wrongful death of a 37-year-old mother who died of a pulmonary embolism during a hospital admission after undergoing surgery for a fractured shinbone. The lawsuit alleges that due to the negligence of the hospital and physicians […]
Trucking Accidents, Exemptions and Roadside Inspections
Roadside inspections are conducted to ensure that commercial trucks and truck drivers are complying with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Hazardous Materials Regulations. According to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, roadside inspectors are facing undue burdens in performing their duties. The CVSA wrote a letter to the FMCSA about concerns that the number of […]
Preventing Auto Accidents with an Airline Safety Model
The U.S. Department of Transportation includes 12 agencies dedicated to various transportation concerns. Among those agencies are the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Secretary of the USDOT, Anthony Foxx, is pushing the NHTSA to use FAA programs and culture as a model for the future. The NHTSA has been […]
Call for New Rules to Prevent Airplane Fires
An investigation into a 2011 Asiana Airlines fire prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to call for stricter rules about the transport of lithium-ion batteries. The batteries in question are used in a number of applications, including cell phones, laptops and cars. The rechargeable batteries can heat up and ignite if they become damaged or […]
Distracted Driving Accidents and Cultural Change
Among the ten items listed on the National Transportation Safety Board’s Most Wanted List for 2016 is a call to disconnect from deadly distractions. Distracted driving has been identified as a large and growing problem among highway safety experts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 3,179 died in fatal accidents in 2014 due […]
Decals and Teen Drivers
In Illinois, a person who is under the age of 18 and who violates the nighttime driving restriction may have his or her driving privileges suspended. This is one aspect of the Illinois Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program. GDL programs are in place in a number of states across the country. A common problem in […]
Super Lawyers 2016 Acknowledges Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C.’s Attorneys for Acclaimed Legal Services
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. is proud to announce that partners David E. Rapoport and Joshua L. Weisberg have again been selected by Thomson Reuters for its 2016 Edition of Super Lawyers. Mr. Rapoport and Mr. Weisberg have consistently been recognized by Thomson Reuters in previous editions of Super Lawyers, with Mr. Rapoport having been […]
Lawsuit Filed Following Collision Involving a School Bus
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. and Stephen Rapp recently filed suit against a school bus driver and his employer after the school bus driver failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign and pulled in front of an oncoming motorist, a schoolteacher, in a Jeep traveling at highway speeds. The schoolteacher did […]
US Airways Flight 1702 Airplane Crash in Philadelphia: Lawsuit Filed
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. recently filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas against US Airways and other defendants including the pilots of US Airways Flight 1702, which crashed in Philadelphia after the pilot aborted the takeoff after leaving the ground. The lawsuit alleges that the pilots failed to enter necessary takeoff […]
NTSB Targets Unfit Drivers in Truck Accidents
Among the ten entries in the 2016 Most Wanted List of safety improvements put forth by the National Transportation Safety Board are four that potentially address the ability of truck drivers to operate their vehicles safely. The following goals are all known issues in the commercial trucking industry: In each case, the NTSB specifically discusses […]
NTSB Releases Safety Advocacy Most Wanted List for 2016
The Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Christopher A. Hart, held a press conference yesterday to announce the organization’s Most Wanted List of safety improvements for 2016. The NTSB has compiled yearly lists for more than 25 years. While the Board does not have the authority to compel legislators and transportation industry members to […]
Rapoport Law Offices, P.C., Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit for Delayed Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. filed a medical malpractice case today in the Circuit Court of Kane County, Illinois, on behalf of a 43-year-old woman for the delayed diagnosis of her ovarian cancer. Despite an ultrasound revealing findings suspicious for ovarian cancer, medical providers failed to take action to diagnose and timely treat the cancer. […]
Regulated Sleep and Truck Driver Fatigue Accidents
Fatigue is a serious issue for many drivers. Lack of sleep can cause a driver to make a number of driving errors, including drifting into the other lane and failing to take evasive action when traffic demands. For truck drivers, economic pressure can push them toward driving in a fatigued state. Hours-of-service regulations exist to […]
New Most Wanted List for Safety Improvements
Each year, the National Transportation Safety Board releases a list of the safety improvements it wants to target. The “Most Wanted List” identifies areas that the NTSB believes should be a priority in improving transportation safety. The 2016 list is scheduled to be released on January 13, 2016, at a press conference in Washington D.C. […]
Trailer Guards and Fatal Trucking Accidents
Commercial trucks in the United States come equipped with underride guards. Underride guards are the metal pieces that hang down the back end of a box trailer. The purpose of these guards is to reduce the chances of a fatality if a passenger vehicle strikes the back of the truck. Without the guard, the back […]
Aviation Safety and the Laser Problem
The aviation industry faces many hazards that must be overcome to prevent accidents. Most of those hazards can be addressed with proper training and equipment. One hazard has proven more difficult to control, however. The proliferation of cheap, handheld lasers has created a problem that the Federal Aviation Administration and pilot associations have been unable […]
