Posted on April 03, 2014 in Uncategorized

Nissan has announced a recall of approximately 1 million vehicles because of issues with front passenger side airbags not inflating in crashes. According to the company, both 2013 and 2014 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are affected by what appears to be a defect in the software that controls the airbags.

The models being recalled include:

• 2013-2014 Nissan Altima;
• 2013-2014 Nissan Leaf;
• 2013 Nissan NV200;
• 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder;
• 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra;
• 2013 Infiniti JX35;
• 2014 Infiniti Q50; and
• 2014 Infiniti QX60 .

Nissan reports that the issue may be the occupant classification system in the cars are not detecting a passenger in the seat. Therefore, when a crash occurs, the airbag doesn’t deploy. The manufacturer says the problem occurs when “a combination of factors such as high engine vibration at idle when the seat is initially empty and then becomes occupied” and also says it can happen if someone sits in the seat with “unusual” posture.

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 Posted on March 31, 2014 in Uncategorized

According to a report by ABC 17 News, at least 12 people are dead due to a flaw in the ignition switch of certain General Motors vehicles. More than 1.6 million vehicles are affected by the flaw. Even worse, the families of the victims are still in the dark because the identities of the 12 victims have not yet been revealed. The CEO of GM conceded that the families of the victims were not yet aware of the deaths when she was part of a media roundtable in Detroit on Tuesday.

This case is a vivid reminder of the stakes when manufacturers of consumer goods, including cars, allow defective products onto the marketplace.

The Scope of the Flaw

In a statistics report released by GM, it is revealed that the ignition switch flaw resulted in approximately 31 frontal accidents in addition to at least 12 deaths. GM previously admitted that they were aware of particular problems with the ignition switch in small cars around 2004, yet the 1.6 million cars with the faulty switch were not recalled until last month.

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 Posted on March 27, 2014 in Uncategorized

The warmer weather comes with barbeques, pool parties, baseball games, and summer vacations. But the spring and summer are also filled with another trend that Texans enjoy far less–road construction. The past few years in particular have seen a surge in local capital projects, planting construction work zones throughout some of the busiest roadways in the state. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) explains that this is the time of year when it is easiest to work with construction materials that depend on temperature, such as concrete and asphalt. At any given time there may be over a thousand work zones throughout the state.

While these projects are critical to expanding travel options and improving safety, the actual construction process itself is a well-known driving hazard. TxDOT officials report that each year there are thousands of accidents and injuries. In fact, some years have seen more than a hundred deaths annually in construction zone accidents. Considering the risks, safety advocates urge Texas residents to act cautiously whenever driving in or near a construction zone. Data suggests that the most common cause of auto accidents and injuries in works zones is speeding drivers. This is why these areas should have very clearly posted lower speed limits. It is also why law enforcement officers often crack down on moving violations in construction zones, with ticket prices increased for the offense. In recent years, distracted driving has also played a role in construction zone accidents. According to TxDOT data, a shocking 70 percent of work zone fatalities were connected in some way to either drunk or distracted driving. Work Zone Accident Liability Auto accidents that strike in construction zones often include unique legal issues. That is because there is always the chance that third parties may be implicated in the accident in addition to the drivers involved. For example, signage placement may be confusing or incorrectly used, maintenance equipment could be used dangerously or left in the line of traffic, or construction cones or barriers can be moved accidentally, also leading to collisions and other accidents.

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 Posted on March 24, 2014 in Uncategorized

When someone hits their head, whether it is against the ground, the ceiling, a car door, or another head, there is no way of knowing immediately what happens inside the brain. Sometimes it’s nothing, sometimes it’s a concussion, and sometimes it’s even more serious. Brain injuries vary immensely and it’s often hard to understand doctor lingo without having gone to med school. Below is what happens when you suffer from a mild brain injury.

If the head has any type of rotational movement during a trauma, it causes the brain to move, twist, and experience other forces that cause brain matter to move. This can cause brain tissue to move, sometimes squeezing, stretching, and even tearing neural cells. When this occurs, the precise balance and space between cells is thrown off and creates problems for how the brain processes information. If the head is hit by a blunts force, the brain, which is typically floating in the skull, is thrown against the inside of the skull. The hard and rough interior can damage the soft tissue of the brain. This quick movement if the brain can also cause it to stretch and strain nerve cells called axons, which are very small and threadlike. As a person recovers from a mild brain injury, the cells regain the balance and proper spacing between them for correct information processing, but this may include compensation. The more cells have to compensate, however, the longer it will take for tasks to be completed if they are completed at all. To help heal a mild brain injury, rest, support like modifications, and exercises like therapy are all important. Every injury is different, though, and proper care should be determined by a doctor based on the specific injury. If you have suffered from a mild brain injury due to a car accident, a fall on someone’s dangerous property, at work, or in some other way, contact the Bettersworth Law Firm. These New Braunfels accidents attorneys can help you in a Texas court today.

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 Posted on March 20, 2014 in Uncategorized

Drivers and road conditions can be unpredictable, and when a car crash occurs, the results can be devastating. Many people do whatever they can to stay safe on the roads, but they cannot do anything about other drivers, especially when those other drivers have been consuming alcohol. Even off the road drunk drivers can still be a danger.

Recently, at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX that attracts over 200,000 people, a suspected drunk driver struck a crowd of people while fleeing the police. So far, three people have died from injuries sustained in the incident.

Rashad Owens, who was driving the car under the influence of alcohol, crashed through a barricade and hit the gas, accelerating into the crowd of people at Austin’s Red River Entertainment District. Two people were killed at the scene and 21 others were injured, including one person who recently died in the hospital. She had been in critical condition since the crash.

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 Posted on March 19, 2014 in Uncategorized

Dogs can be friendly and many love when people pet them and play with them, but if a dog is mistreated or in a bad mood, he or she can become very dangerous. Dogs are just like any other animal in that they will do what it takes to protect themselves and their families from harm, and their weapons are their teeth. Dog bites can be extremely harmful to people and can lead to serious injuries.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a study in 2010 that showed, over a 15 year period, Americans hospitalized for dog bites had nearly doubled. DogsBite.org released the study highlights as follows:

• In 2008 alone, there were about 316,200 visits to the emergency department involving dog bites, which equals about 103.9 visits per every 100,000 people in the entire population. People that stayed in the hospital for dog bites made up about 9,500 of the total hospital stays, or 3.1 stays per 100,000 people.

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 Posted on March 14, 2014 in Uncategorized

When you are involved in a car accident, even if it is a minor, knowing what to do can be nerve wracking. You may be upset at the person that hit you or scared that the person you hit is mad and you may also be concerned about the damage to the cars and how to take care of everything. It is important to stay level-headed and remember these seven steps from Progressive Insurance when you are involved in a car accident.

1. Stay calm. Keeping calm can help you get through discussing with the other drivers and/or police officers about what happened and can help you remember everything that you need to do to care of your car and everyone involved.
2. Make sure the passengers in your car are okay. If your passengers have been injured, tend to them as much as you can and get help immediately.

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 Posted on March 05, 2014 in Uncategorized

Semi-trucks are responsible for delivering goods all around the United States. By design, they are very large to fit as much stuff as possible. But their tall frame means that they have a higher possibility of rolling over and damaging other cars on the road. Heavy trucks are also slow to accelerate to the speed of other traffic on the road and take longer to brake. If a car is involved in an accident with a large truck going at a high rate of speed, the result can be devastating and fatal. It is always important to exercise caution when driving but especially around semi trucks. Take certain steps to avoid a dangerous situation with a large truck:

• View large trucks as potential dangers on the road and take extra steps to drive defensively;

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 Posted on February 28, 2014 in Uncategorized

New products are constantly released on the market, and sometimes they’re recalled due to safety concerns. Many times, products are recalled before they cause injury or impairment to too many consumers, but that is not always the case. If you are somehow impaired from a defective medication, you can likely be compensated for the damages.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is constantly looking for food and drugs that may be dangerous to people and “when an FDA-regulated product is either defective or potentially harmful, recalling that product is the most effective means for protecting the public.”

Companies that become aware of faults in their products frequently recall their products without any intervention of the FDA, or they are cooperative with the FDA after concerns are brought to their attention.

Various ways that the FDA may hear about an issue with a product include:

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 Posted on February 25, 2014 in Uncategorized

It is fairly common to have a fear of planes and flying; commercial planes are so large, you never know when one might fall out of the sky. It is a real possibility, though, that passengers may get injured in a plane crash unexpectedly.

In late October of 2013, two people on board a World-War II-era P-51 Mustang airplane were killed when the plane, owned by a Texas museum, crashed in shallow water near Galveston, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The captain of the charter boat saw the vintage plane crash and notified authorities, said Petty Officer Steve Lehmann. The plane crashed in about four feet of water between Galveston Bay and Chocolate Bay. After searching Chocolate Bay for about an hour, the bodies were recovered by emergency crews called to the accident scene.

The plane, nicknamed the “Galveston Gal,” was built in 1944 and served in the El Salvador Air Force in the 1960s, when it was converted to its current state with two-seats and dual controls.

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