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Oct 11, 2011 - Workers' Compensation/Work Injury by Cross & Smith

Just a decade ago, more than a dozen coal miners were killed because of multiple explosions that happened during the Jim Walter Resources coal mine accident in Brookwood, Alabama. The disaster is the most catastrophic mining accident that happened in the U.S. in the last 20 years. The explosions were caused by methane gas, which is a common danger underground, according to NPR. One miner was trapped alone after the first explosion. A dozen rescuers were killed in a second explosion. Our Tuscaloosa workers compensation attorneys understand how dangerous mining work can be. Mine owners have an obligation to keep work sites safe for employees. The properties have to be secure for all others who may visit, regardless of whether they’re entering the mine or not. After the accident was examined, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) hit the mining company with nearly $450,000 in fines. These fines were later reduced to $5,000.

Oct 10, 2011 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Workplace injuries and accidents kill about 4,500 people a year – 15 so far this year in Alabama – and cost U.S. businesses billions. Elizabeth Maples is the deputy director for the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Ryals School of Public Health. It is one of 17 national academic research and teaching centers chartered by the legislation that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) in 1971. The center offers graduate-level courses on how to identify, prevent and fix workplace hazards. “Others include Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, the University of South Florida and the University of Washington,” Maples said. “We are in good company.”

Oct 4, 2011 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Our Alabama pedestrian accident attorneys remind residents that International Walk to School Day is this week. You don’t have to be in school to participate either. Take the hike to schools with your child or get outdoors after school and take a walk with them. The idea of the event is raise awareness about pedestrian dangers, to encourage kids to get moving to get healthy, to campaign for more walkable streets and to help to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. While we want our children to get outside and play and we want them to do it safely. To help to encourage fitness-related activities, to increase self- confidence and responsibility, parents are urged to speak with their children about pedestrian safety. These tips can turn into lifelong safe traveling habits and can help to decrease their risks of being involved in a pedestrian accident in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham or elsewhere in Alabama.

Sep 27, 2011 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently released a report that analyzed pedestrian accidents in Alabama and elsewhere. The aim was to come up with a number of ways that officials can help reduce the risks of pedestrian accidents in communities nationwide. Fortunately, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) may be one step ahead of the game as it has already constructed a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to help reduce the risks of pedestrian accidents. Our Alabama pedestrian accident attorneys recognize that this plan is backed by excellent intentions. But there’s no decreasing the risks for these types of accidents until this plan is put into motion and motorists start to react accordingly. The plan aims to promote pedestrian safe roadways in the state and to minimize the impacts of future projects on non-motorized travelers. ALDOT also is establishing a list of recommendations for pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

Sep 20, 2011 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Police say text messaging is at least partly to blame for a Birmingham car accident that claimed the life of a young mother and her 10-month-old son. FOX News reported that the 18-year-old mother was texting in the minutes before her car crossed the median and slammed into a dump truck. Police responding to the crash reportedly found an unsent text message on her phone. Recently, our Alabama personal injury attorneys noted a push by the federal government to prohibit all bus and truck drivers from using a cell phone while behind the wheel — either hand-held or hands-free. Distracted driving continues to claim more than 5,000 lives a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Alabama Department of Public Safety reports at least six people this year have died in Alabama car accidents that involved cell phone use or text messaging.

Sep 14, 2011 - Truck Accidents by Cross & Smith

The National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) has proposed that truckers and other commercial drivers be banned from talking on the phone and texting when they are driving. The NTSB said the ban should include use of hands-free devices. The NTSB endorsed the ban during a hearing in Washington after ruling that a truck driver using his cellphone caused a crash that killed 11 people on a Kentucky interstate in 2010. A Jasper, Alabama truck driver had just made a call that lasted one second at the time of the March 26, 2010, accident on Interstate 65 near Munfordville, Kentucky, investigators said. The NTSB’s proposal builds on previous recommendations and a push by federal authorities to stop commercial drivers from using hand-held cellphones and texting while operating large truck and buses. The NTSB sent its proposal to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and all 50 states for action.

Sep 13, 2011 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Football season is here. Unfortunately, the beginning of fall football season also launches the three deadliest months of the year for Alabama drunk driving accidents and fatal accidents involving alcohol elsewhere in the United States. The football season will lead us right into Thanksgiving and the year-end holiday season. Our Alabama injury lawyers understand the risks; drinking and driving too often leads to devastating accidents that destroy the lives of both the victims and the defendants. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports someone dies in an alcohol-related traffic accident every 48 minutes in the United States. Nationwide, one-third of all fatal traffic accidents involve a drunk driver, resulting in the deaths of more than 11,000 motorists a year. Alabama drunk driving accidents claimed 325 lives in 2009. We all know tailgating can be a good time. But the pre-game tailgate parties often increase the risk of post-game drunk driving accidents. A recent study by the University of Minnesota found that nearly half of those leaving a professional baseball or football game had alcohol in their system and nearly 1 in 10 were legally drunk. Those under 35 were most likely to be intoxicated and those who tailgated were 14 times more likely to be drunk, according to Businessweek.

Sep 8, 2011 - Bus Accidents by Cross & Smith

Our Alabama personal injury lawyers note with sadness a school bus accident that claimed the life of a Southern Choctaw High School football player and injured 30 others. As we reported recently on our

Aug 31, 2011 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Our Tuscaloosa personal injury attorneys wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Please celebrate responsibly and don’t drink and drive. Car accidents in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Bessemer and elsewhere in Alabama are a real threat during this final summer holiday weekend of the year. AAA is reporting 27.3 million travelers are expected to make a trip of at least 50 miles by car over the three-day holiday weekend, CNN Money reports. Authorities in Alabama will be joining law enforcement in Florida and several other states as part of the “Hands Across the Border” drunk driving enforcement program. The National Safety Council expects 400 motorists will be killed in traffic accidents nationwide. Nearly 40,000 will be seriously injured.

Aug 26, 2011 - Workers' Compensation/Work Injury by Cross & Smith

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is conducting an all-out blitz on the dangers of heat-related work injuries in Alabama and elsewhere. Heading into fall harvest season, the government’s top work-safety watchdog is also sounding the alarm about the risks of silo entrapment, and other farming accidents. Our Birmingham workers’ compensation lawyers encourage employees to be mindful of the risks — and employers to do their part in preventing work injuries in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and elsewhere in Alabama. OSHA is pushing a web-based app aimed at helping employers keep workers safe in the sun. “Summer heat presents a serious issue that affects some of the most vulnerable workers in our country, and education is crucial to keeping them safe,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Heat-related illnesses are preventable. This new app is just one way the Labor Department is getting that message out.” The app uses the heat index as published by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine necessary protective measures. Download here.