Motor City Accident Attorneys: 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

New Year Celebrations Can Cause Personal Injury

The New Year is just a few short days away; how do you plan to stay safe? New Year’s Eve, although fun and festive, comes with all sorts of risky celebrations. Not only is there the obvious drunk driving that occurs on the road, but you could even harm yourself while staying in. Here are the common injuries caused on New Year’s Eve and some tips on how you can avoid it happening to you:

Be Careful About How Much You Drink

Starting the New Year off in a hospital or extremely ill from too much alcohol consumption would not be very pleasant. If you plan to drink this New Year’s Eve, be mindful about how much you do so, even if you know you have no driving obligation. Alcohol poisoning can and does happen to people. People who become overly intoxicated can suffer health complications caused by a high blood alcohol content. In some cases, people can have trouble breathing, have violent vomiting, or physically injure themselves due to their inability to think, stand, or sit properly. In extreme cases, over-intoxication can cause a person to become comatose or even cause death.

A Party’s Premises Can Cause Injuries

Many people will attend a house party or a club this New Year’s Eve. These places can have plenty of unsafe conditions. For example, clubs may be overcrowded – more than what is permitted by law – therefore causing a fire or health hazard. House parties with plenty of people can be known to get messy; floors may get wet or oily due to drinks and other liquids being spilled. This could cause someone to slip and fall. Even some decorations can create an obstacle. These conditions are never safe, but they are even more dangerous when combined with the consumption of alcohol, because an individual is less likely to be as aware and careful when intoxicated at any level. Party hosts should be mindful of these possible accidents and take necessary precautions to avoid someone becoming injured.

Proximity to Dangerous Activities

New Year’s is known for its very loud celebrations. People set off fireworks or go to places where fireworks can be seen. In some cases, people even shoot off a gun, which is against the law but can still occur. The fact is all these actions put individuals at risk of injury. If playing with fireworks, always do them outdoors away from your home or car or any other obstacle that may be damaged or make a firework celebration go wrong.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a car crash or truck accident in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor, Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Westland, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Waterford or any other city in Michigan, make sure to contact Motor City Accident Attorneys by calling 1-800-411-PAIN. Motor City Accident Attorneys know how stressful a car accident can be and want to help you get back on your feet. They will fight tirelessly for your rights and help you get the compensation you deserve, according to your specific case. Make sure to follow Motor City Accident Attorneys on Twitter (@MCAccidentAtty) and Facebook. Join the conversation by using #MCAA.

Monday, December 28, 2015

The Number 1 Safety Tip In Case of A Road Emergency This Winter

Winter is officially here. With an entire Michigan winter ahead of us, staying safe on the roads during heavy snow can be a difficult task. Weather can be a hazard when driving a vehicle and sometimes that may more easily cause an accident. Even if you don’t get involved in an accident, perhaps one day you could find yourself stranded in your car in the snow. Whatever the situation, when you’re not able to continue driving due to any obstacle, there is one simple tip for your safety: If you’re stranded on the side of the road, stay in your car and call for help.

Too many accidents have occurred after someone steps out of their vehicle and are hit by an inattentive driver. For example, there was a recent death here in Michigan of a tow truck driver who pulled over to help a woman with changing a tire on I-96.

Even the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan State
Police has recently released a PSA video to tell people to stay inside their car when something goes wrong. The video warns us that busy roads and freeways are no place for pedestrians. Stranded drivers are much better off waiting for help to arrive than they are to be walking or standing around waiting for the police or tow truck to show up. You should never wait outside your car, where the chances of being hit by a speeding car or a car that accidentally drives into the shoulder are much higher. It can especially be dangerous during winter because some shoulders may be far more narrow than usual due to piled up snow banks.

According to the State Transportation Director, there were 105 fatal crashes on freeways involving pedestrians, resulting in 108 deaths between 2007 and 2013.

Some more statistics of fatal crashes involving pedestrians between 2007 and 2013 include:

- 81% of the motor vehicle crashes occurred on the roadway.

- 68% of the car crashes occurred between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

- 57% of these accidents occurred in Metro Detroit.

- 48% of these crashes occurred in clear weather conditions.

- Monday is the day of the week with the most car accidents (19%).

If you must step outside your vehicle, be extremely aware of passing traffic and move as far away from the roadway as possible. Again, if that’s not necessary, stay inside and call and wait for help there.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

New Bill in Michigan Would Require All Motorcyclists to Wear Helmets

In 2012, Governor Snyder signed the motorcycle helmet repeal making it optional for motorcyclists to use helmets, but after many motorcycle-related deaths, there’s now a senate bill that proposes Michigan law to require motorcycle helmets again.

Senate Bill 527 provides for a requirement for motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, as well as moped riders who are 19 and under. The current helmet law states that riders 21 and older may ride without a helmet if they’ve passed a safety course or have at least two years of riding experience. They’re also required to carry $20,000 in medical insurance. The law previous to this required all riders to wear a helmet, however.

This new bill hopes to save lives, as it’s incredibly important for all motorcyclists to use a helmet. Riding a motorcycle is much more dangerous than driving a vehicle because it provides the person no protection. The least one can do is wear a helmet. It can not only save one’s life, but also hopefully prevent traumatic brain injury. Here are some statistics that show how much of a difference a helmet makes:

- Roughly one-fourth of motorcyclists in Michican currently ride without a helmet. But helmetless riders accounted for nearly one-half of motorcycle fatalities in 2013.

- Reduced helmet use accounts for approximately 24 more deaths and 71 more serious injuries in a year in Michigan.

- Non-helmet motorcyclists die more frequently on the scene, spend more time in the intensive care unit, require longer ventilator support, and have higher medical costs.

Just as in many states it is the law for vehicle drivers to wear their seatbelts, making helmets mandatory is equally as important. If you drive a motorcycle or know someone who does, always use and encourage helmet use. It could make all the difference in an accident and save your life.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Your Hoverboard Could Catch Fire: What You Should Know

One of the hottest new products right now might be a little too hot, literally. If you’re thinking about gifting someone a Hoverboard this holiday season, you should know this trendy new gadget has been catching fire in many cases. Hoverboards, in case you haven’t seen people riding them around, are a self-balancing handle-less motorized scooter. It’s like a Segway without the handlebars. They are powered by large lithium-ion batteries that can apparently overheat and explode under rare circumstances.

There have been many reports made in 2015 of these hoverboards combusting or exploding. In one instance, a family actually lost their home to a fire due to a Hoverboard that was plugged in to charge its battery. There is also a video online that has gone viral that shows a Hoverboard on fire on a sidewalk.

Many states have actually banned the boards from being used on streets and sidewalks. Most major airlines have also banned the boards and are not allowed in any checked or carry-on luggage. Even major retailers such as Amazon and Target have stopped selling the boards after the safety concern for the product.

Experts say the problem with these Hoverboards has to do with the quality of the batteries being used. All lithium-ion batteries have a flammable electrolyte in them and a lot of these batteries are cheap and of poor quality. A professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University says that a lot of the hoverboards are probably using second-tier battery sources, which could make for a higher rate of defects. The product uses more lithium-ion batteries than most things because they’re used to move you around, so they require the power energy to do that. Because there’s so much energy in a small space, if something goes wrong, it can turn out really bad.

Because of that danger, it is advised you should not overcharge your hoverboard and it’d be safest to not use or charge indoors.

So you may want to think again about owning one of these boards or use caution about how you use them. While they’re supposed to be safe, there’s a risk of getting a defected one or one that may overheat and become a danger. It could cause serious injuries if it happens to catch on fire. Hopefully manufacturers can look into the issue and correct this danger soon, but for now you should know they could be faulty.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Shopping Cart Injuries from Children On The Rise

Sitting your child on a shopping cart seems harmless doesn’t it? Many parents planning to do some holiday shopping this season with their children will load them into the front seat of the shopping cart without a second thought. But you may want to start paying closer attention and be careful about having your child sit there.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a safety alert issue after a study that was released last year that showed a rise in child injuries due to falling from shopping carts. Researchers published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics reported that more than 24,000 children annually, or 66 children a day, go to the ER for shopping cart-related injuries.

71 percent of all child injuries are due to falls out of a shopping cart. Falls most often occur when children stand up in the cart seat or the cart basket. They also occur when children unbuckle or wiggle out of the restraint, or the restraint is missing. Children can also fall from the cart seat even when an infant seat, infant carrier, or a car seat is placed on the cart seat. Other related injuries include being run over by a cart, falling over the cart, having a body part stuck or trapped in the cart, or having the cart tip over.

The most common cart-related injuries were head injuries, which accounted for 78 percent of the total.

Researchers believe a primary issue to the cause of these falls is the design of the shopping carts. They suggest restraint systems should be improved by placing shopping cart child seats closer to the floor. Parents should also be educated about shopping cart safety and stores should promote the use of cart safety belts.

Here are some tips for keeping your child safe from shopping carts:

- Make sure they are always in your sight where you can keep an eye on them.

- Always use the shopping cart safety straps. If the straps are missing or broken, use another cart.

- Make sure your child is sat properly on the cart seat with their legs through each leg opening.

- Avoid placing infant carriers on top of shopping carts. If you must take your infant with you, it’s better to use a front or back-pack carrier or a stroller.

- Don’t allow your child to ride in the cart basket.

- Don’t allow a child to push the cart with another child in it.