Archive for the ‘Personal Injury’ Category

The New York Times reported on the settlement reached between an engineering company, URS Corporation, and the victims involved in the collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis that broke apart and fell into the Mississippi River.  13 people died and 145 were injured.  URS agreed to pay $52.4  million, bringing the total settlement amogst all defendants to $100 million.  At issue was whether URS was aware of a design flaw that was later uncovered, and possible punitive damages if the case went to trial.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident or hurt on the job, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.

With at least 1,300 people suffering from salmonella, and around a half-billion eggs recalled, you might say that the poultry industry is having rough few weeks.  MSNBC reported on the story, which highlights to the lack of regulatory oversight when dealing with egg moguls such as Austin “Jack” DeCoster, who owns Wright County Egg and Quality Egg.  Remember to check the labels to see if the time stamp corresponds with the bad sources.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident or hurt on the job, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.

The New York Times reported that the $20 billion oil spill compensation fund will not be disbursed in lump sums without some strings attached, most prominently a waiver of further law suits.  The fund is to be administered by a prominent Washington lawyer and the skirmishes over the terms is ongoing.  Another determining factor will be geographic proximity, which would limit many of the  secondary suppliers and distributors of Gulf Coast products who have been impacted by the spill.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident or hurt on the job, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm for your FREE Consultation today, at (865) 566-0125.

We all know that the BP oil spill is producing the largest litigation effort in US history, but the first critical issue is where are these cases to be heard?  The answer came today from the Federal Multi-district Litigation Panel, which ruled that a US judge in New Orleans will entertain the hundreds of suits that have already been filed, while a US judge in Houston will handle BP shareholder litigation.  The New York Times reports that while the plaintiffs’ attorneys were ecstatic, counsel for BP noted in what is perhaps the understatement of the year, “ We look forward to the cases proceeding as expeditiously and efficiently as possible in the selected venues.”

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident or hurt on the job, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.

Honda is having a difficult time fixing a consistent problem: a defect in the shift interlock system could allow the vehicle to be turned off and the key removed without the vehicle’s automatic transmission being in Park. That could allow the vehicle to roll away.  That is a problem.  The New York Times‘ “Wheels” blog reports that the most recent recall involved 2003-04 Accords, Civics, and Elements, but the problem goes back for several years and includes up to 1.4 million vehicles.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, hurt on the job, or harmed by defective products, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.

BMW makes some nice cars, however a recent post on DailyFinance.com details a products liability issue that owners should be aware of.  At issue are certain models’ high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP), a device that ensures that the engine is stocked with healthy supplies of gasoline to fire the cylinders.  A faulty HPFP leads to erractic engine performance or even total shutdown, which if you’re on the highway (or driving for that matter) can be very dangerous.  The National Highway Traffic  Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation is collecting data and testimonials for now.  No recall has been issued, but rest assured BMW hopes to avoid being cast in Toyota’s now infamous role.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, hurt on the job, or harmed by faulty or defective products, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation at (865) 566-0125.

Summer is in full swing and people are beating the heat by hitting the lake.  With more watercraft in action, accidents are more likely to occur. Click here to learn the rules.  The following is an example of what happens on Tennessee lakes every weekend, courtesy of the The Knoxville News-Sentinel:

RUTLEDGE – Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating a Sunday accident on Cherokee Reservoir in which two personal watercraft collided, resulting in injuries to a 21-year-old Lexington, Ky., man.

According to Allen Ricks, TWRA wildlife information specialist, Joseph W. Lucas and Travis T. Hampton, 19, of Thornton, Ky., were riding the watercraft on the Grainger County side of the reservoir about 7 p.m. Sunday.

They collided near Olen Marshall Bridge, according to TWRA.

Lucas suffered leg injuries for which he was taken to Lakeway Hospital in Morristown.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident or hurt on the job, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm for your FREE Consultation at (865) 566-0125.

A recent article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel underscores a dangerous aspect of modern transportation, the railroad crossing.

After 31 years as a Norfolk Southern Corp. train engineer, B.L. Inman has seen too many train accidents.

When he hits the emergency brakes of a train engine car in hopes of avoiding a pedestrian or automobile at a railroad crossing, he says he has done all he can.

“After I hit the emergency brake, it’s all in God’s hands,” he said.

State sponsored Operation Lifesaver teamed with Norfolk Southern to help educate area officials about railway safety early Wednesday morning.

Operation Lifesaver, which is sponsored by 22 states nationwide, is an “international, nonprofit organization education and awareness program dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way.”

Skip Stigall, superintendent for Norfolk Southern’s Knoxville terminal, said the program helps to educate the public about the dangers of breaking the law.

“We’re trying to give people an idea of what train crews go through every day,” he said. “These are dangerous situations the public puts us in when they violate the laws.”

Local law enforcement and railway officials had the opportunity to ride a three-car train consisting of two passenger cars and an exhibit car to learn what engineers like Inman encounter on a daily basis.

Before riding, passengers had the opportunity to tour the exhibit car, which was an interactive learning station on train tracks. Passengers could test their engineering skills on a Norfolk Southern engine car simulator, which guided them through real world examples of what train engineers face daily, see what the hub of a railway terminal looks like, and read about the history of Norfolk Southern.

During a nearly five-hour ride, passengers also had the opportunity to see what engineers see through a camera mounted on the train’s engine car. Stigall said while they traveled, passengers would witness citizens breaking the law, and local law enforcement were waiting to issue violators citations.

Inman said informing the public of his job and daily duties helps avoid what could be a fatal collision.

“Taking this engine versus a soda can would be the same as this engine and your car,” he said. “We can’t stop on a dime. We’re not like an automobile.”

According to 2009 Federal Railroad Administration statistics, Tennessee ranked 10th nationwide in highway-rail grade crossing collisions with 55.

Inman attributes the statistic to people not knowing how long it takes a fully loaded train, which travels about 50 mph and weighs around 16,000 tons, to come to a complete stop.

“When I throw on the brake, it takes a minimum of a mile for this train to stop,” he said.

Nash Armstrong may be reached at 865-342-6336.

If  you or a loved one have been injured in a collision with a train or other vehicle, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.

An East Tennessee woman recently rammed her Ford Explorer into a house, injuring an occupant in the process.

CLEVELAND, BRADLEY COUNTY (WRCB) – Cleveland Police say a woman had been drinking, when she crashed her car into an apartment last night.

It happened around 9:30 p.m. Monday off Charwood Trail.

As Channel 3 Eyewitness News was first to report, police say Alisha King was intoxicated when she got behind the wheel with a minor in the car.

She backed up from across the street and rammed into this house, according to authorities.

The residents say they were watching TV when the car plowed through the wall and pinned a 22-year-old under the car. He was taken to the hospital, and the driver was arrested.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of a crime or been injured in an accident, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.

The drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline orchestrated an effort to hide all data and evidence of a series of trials it conducted, starting in the late 1990’s.  The New York Times reports that it secretly began a study to find out if its diabetes medicine, Avandia, was safer for the heart than a competing pill, Actos, made by Takeda.  Turns out it wasn’t and the results should have been forwarded on to the FDA, which included proof that their drug caused potential heart attack risks.   The company settled a lawsuit arising out of another of its drugs’, Paxil, dangerous side-effects by agreeing to publicly post data from all of its trials. In 2007, Congress mandated such disclosures.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, hurt on the job, or harmed by a defective product, call the personal injury attorneys at The McKellar Law Firm today for your FREE Consultation, at (865) 566-0125.