Archive for category Auto Accidents
Fall River MA attorneys weigh in on work injuries and sequester
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on April 19, 2013
In Massachusetts, there are many laws in place intended to protect workers. Some of those laws exist at the state level and others exist at the federal level. Many of the laws are enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 
Unfortunately, Massachusetts workers could find themselves facing greater risk of work injuries in upcoming months. This is because of the impact of something called the “sequester.” Our Fall River, MA work injury attorneys know that any work accident can have a devastating impact on a person’s earning potential, health and life. We urge all workers to be aware of the new potential risks that they may face.
The Sequester and MA Work Injuries
The “sequester” is a term that refers to $85 billion in cuts to the federal budget that went into effect on March 1, 2013. The cuts were arbitrary cuts to both domestic programs and to the military. They were never intended to actually go into effect, but instead were part of a game of political brinksmanship that America lost.
The cuts were put into place and set to trigger automatically if Democrats and Republicans were unable to agree on a deal to cut spending. They were intended to be so onerous that neither side would let them go into effect. However, the parties could not agree and the sequester cuts were triggered. Now, workers in Falls River, MA and throughout the state of Massachusetts could pay the price.
Departments have used the cuts as an excuse to make voters as miserable as possible, and everything from TSA agents and air traffic control towers to funding cuts at the National Weather Service have already been announced.
The sequester cuts may affect workplace safety because:
- Federal employers may need to furlough employees, both in military positions and in civilian positions. Furloughed employees means that workplaces may be left shorthanded, which increases the chances of workers getting hurt. This is especially true if workers are trying to fill in for their furloughed coworkers and do jobs they normally don’t.
- OSHA inspectors are being furloughed, and fewer workplace inspections will occur. According to the National Safety Council, the number of inspections may decrease dramatically and as many as 1,200 possibly dangerous worksites will go without being inspected. Without proper oversight, employers lose incentive to follow safety rules and workers on dangerous worksites don’t get relief from OSHA inspectors that could improve their conditions.
- Employers who are hurt by the economic implications of sequester may try to reduce their budgets by becoming more lax in obeying safety rules. Sequester is expected to result in slower economic growth so even employers not affiliated with the federal government may be forced to cut back. Some employers could chose to do this in a way that hurts their workers.
Outgoing Social Security Commissioner Answers Questions on SSD Program
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on February 26, 2013
On February 14, My Fox Phoenix published excerpts from an interview with Michael J. Astrue, the outgoing Social Security Commissioner. Astrue had harsh words for politicians in Washington. However, he also answered some important questions about disability benefits available from the Social Security Administration.
Our Flagstaff AZ disability attorney were not surprised to hear many of the comments that Astrue made about how and why it is difficult to successfully apply for disability benefits. However, we believe it is important that everyone considering a benefits claim review the answers provided by Astrue to shed some light into what they can expect as they make a claim to obtain disability compensation.
Applying For Disability a Tough Process, Commissioner Reports
The main focus of Astrue’s comments was to caution that the future of the entire Social Security program is in jeopardy due to upcoming budget shortfalls. Astrue indicated that politicians generally treat the program as a political issue and that no one actually has made any substantive changes that could ensure the future longevity of this important program.
However, Astrue also answered some specific questions about disability benefits. For example:
Mike Slocumb LAw Firm Videos Injury Lawyers Assisting Chicago, Dc, Birmingham, al as well as Ga
Posted by Lawyer in Hit-and-Run Accidents on February 10, 2013
We aggressively move personal injury cases forward. Call for a free consultation: 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 To pursue compensation, contact the Mike Slocumb Law Firm: http://www.slocumblaw.com
Chicago : http://www.slocumblaw.com/chicago-lawyer/personal-injury-lawyer-in-chicago
DC: http://www.slocumblaw.com/washington-dc-lawyer/personal-injury-lawyer-in-washington-dc
Video Transcript:
From the minute you call the Mike Slocumb Law Firm, our staff gets to work quickly on your case. Your case will be assigned to an attorney and a case manager whose sole responsibility is moving your case forward. Moving your case towards settlement. And building your case from a damages perspective so that when we present your case to the insurance company, we ensure maximum compensation for your case. You want to put the insurance company in a position to make a decision. And until your case is ready for trial there’s no decision for the insurance company to make.
Our client calls less then a week after she’s been discharged from the hospital. She has a traumatic brain injury, with in a day or two we come to the understanding that it was a commercial vehical that had caused the accident. We immediately sent notification to the insurance company and to the defendant to not destroy their vehicle. Because we wanted to download the airbag control module.
When you’re dealing with a case which has severe injuries often times the air bag control module can give you a reconstruction of how the accident actually happened. Let me explain. Air bag control module will tell you up to five seconds before the accident happened how fast the driver was going, whether the vehicle had the break circuit switch applied, what were the RPM’s of the vehicle, did the driver have the accelerator pressed, and all of those items (the speed, the RPM, and the break switch) are important in understanding what the drivers actions were leading up to the collision.
None of this would have been possible if a lawsuit had not been filed. The insurance company would have likely destroyed the vehicle, it would have been sent to an impound yard and then it would have been shipped for scrap metal. We also immediately began requesting deposition dates. The reason we request deposition dates is because it moves the case closer to being ready to go to trial.
The sooner we can get the case ready for trial, the better the client is going to be because it puts the insurance company in a position to make a decision. With in three to four months we have downloaded the airbag control module. We have initiated taking depositions, we deposed the defendants, we’ve deposed the driver, we’ve deposed the physicians that treated our client and we’re ready for trial.
The insurance company made a decision to settle the case for the policy limits of two million dollars.
Mike Slocumb Attorneys
http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeSlocumbLawFirm
Energy Employees Consider Retirement Maritime Staff members’ Projects, International Safety Worries Come up
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on February 8, 2013
Drastic changes are taking place in the oil industry workforce, with a major shift in the average age and expertise of oil industry employees. This mass changing of the guard is due to many longtime employees retiring and leaving the brunt of responsibilities in the hands of younger, less experienced workers. Though the idea of new jobs opening up for oil rig workers is a positive one overall, it also means a reduction in collective expertise, particularly in maritime safety practices, and could increase the likelihood of more offshore injuries occurring, including deaths at sea.
Tulsa, Oklahoma (All of Oklahoma) Hansen Dirani & Associates disability lawyer Each SSDI or
SSI case is unique. Social Security issues may come up in one case that may not exist in any other case. We know how to handle the tough cases. We put our resources and knowledge to work for
clients. Whatever type of medical condition or disability you are facing, you can rely on the tough-minded Social Security disability lawyers at Hansen Dirani & Associates Law Offices.
Vice president of accreditation and certification at the International Association of Drilling Contractors, Mark Denkowski, told NPR that in-depth safety training programs are now mandatory and a distinct contrast from his own experience in the oil industry. “No longer would you have a person that’s just hired and literally put on a boat or on a helicopter and flown out to a rig with little or no orientation or training,” he said. “Companies are going to be required to prove that that individual has been through that orientation.”
