Ridesharing Safety

No one can deny the recent influence that ride sharing apps are having on the world of transportation. While services like Uber were originally branded controversial as they allegedly threatened the livelihood of city taxi drivers, these mobile app services remain, for most people, a standard budget conscious alternative form of transportation.

In the wake of a fatal shooting by an Uber driver in Kalamazoo, officials are considering increased vetting processes to reduce the chance of this reoccurring. But Uber claims that the shooter had passed a background check and had no prior criminal record, although the man violated the company's "no firearm" policy. When it comes to reducing the possibility for criminal acts and personal injury, we are naturally inclined to support Uber's policy against handguns, but the verdict's still out on how we can prevent more of these awful shootings from happening. It's a well-known fact that the United States has more armed civilians than most countries, but many experts disagree on how we can continue to reduce the rates of injuries and even deaths associated with guns.

Of course, as a team of personal injury attorneys, we stand by supporting our clients when needed. If you or someone close to you is injured, or require the services of a highly experienced vehicle accident lawyer, we are available to help.

Workplace Safety in the Fantasy Business

There's no getting around it, although the entertainment business is, indeed, a very large and very serious business, it's also a business that's all about the production of fantasy. So, it's always a bit jarring when something as nonfantastical as personal injury and workplace safety law finds its way into the entertainment headlines. That's exactly what happened late last week, however, as news broke that the British government is prosecuting Foodles Production (UK) Ltd. over an incident that broke the leg of actor Harrison Ford on the set of the megahit "Star Wars" installment, "The Force Awakens."

While there doesn't appear any high profile legal action involving personal injury attorneys between Ford, who was 71 at the time of the 2014 incident, and the "Star Wars" team, the UK government takes workplace safety issues seriously. In this case, the issue was a hydraulic door that apparently closed at the wrong time, and the hazard posed by this kind of malfunction is obvious. As underscored by such incidents as the tragedy on the set of the never-to-be-completed "Midnight Rider" -- which coincidentally occurred two years ago almost to this day -- the stakes in workplace safety on a film or television set really can be a matter of life or death.

Of course, whatever field you're in, workplace safety is a serious matter. If you or someone close to was injured on the job, or if you require the services of an experienced vehicle accident lawyer, we are here to help.

Legislation and Road Safety

There's been a lot of talk about proposed seat belt and motorcycle helmet laws in Missouri, and it's created a healthy amount of discussion. Ultimately, politicians and lawmakers are an an impasse when it comes to the question: is it the government's job to enforce seat belt and helmet usage, or the role of the individual? Naturally, as a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, we encourage drivers and cyclists to take every possible precaution on the roads to reduce the impact of personal injury should an accident occur.

It would be natural to assume everyone acts in accordance with this idea, but it's unfortunately not true. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the national rate of seat belt usage stands at 87 percent, while in Missouri it's at 79 percent and trending downward. One reason behind this factor may be that adults who sit in the backseat of vehicles are exempt from seat belt requirements. In order to boost seat belt compliance, lawmakers are considering making it a crime not to wear a seat belt, which would give police officers the authority to pull over more drivers and cite them.

Only time will tell to see if these measures or education campaigns will be effective in boosting seat belt compliance. While most of our work involves handling cases that require the undivided attention of an experienced vehicle accident lawyer, we look forward to the day these services will no longer be required. And as our national rate of seat belt usage remains 87 percent, let's try to bring that up to 100. Buckle up!

The Danger of Unsecured Firearms

A recent article sheds light on the tragic story of a four-year-old Maryland boy who fatally shot himself after discovering a loaded firearm in the home. While in Maryland, it is technically a crime to store or leave a loaded firearm in a location where an unsupervised child can gain access to it, it is virtually unenforceable. Nonetheless, for parents who have lost a child in this way, a $1000 fine and misdemeanor charge is essentially irrelevant.

It seems that the solution to preventing personal injury with firearms lies in gun safety training, proper gun storage, and potentially, smart gun technology. For the latter, a significant amount of backlash has been noted in response to state lawmakers proposing smart gun legislation. Some of these reasons include it being a relatively new technological innovation still undergoing testing. And while some Los Angeles personal injury attorneys believe that smart gun technology will prevent accidental firings, others are cautious; holding the belief that such technology will impede on citizens' right to bear arms.

Only time will tell which methods are most successful at preventing accidental injury. But unless some measures are taken, such tragedies will continue to occur. Nonetheless, although personal injury lawyers are well acquainted with these types of cases, it doesn't make them any less devastating for the families impacted.