Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyer - Spinal Cord Injury

Carnival Safety in Arizona

Staff Writer — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:42:29 GMT

Have you been to the State Fair? The Renaissance Festival in Casa Grande? Have you ever gone to any makeshift carnivals anywhere throughout the valley? If you have, then chances are great that you saw and rode on some temporary carnival rides. Have you ever wondered about the safety of these rides? Well you are not alone. According to a recent article discussing carnival ride safety in the Arizona Republic,

Arizona is one of the few states that does not require temporary amusement rides to be inspected or carry insurance, which leaves cities to decide how much or how little carnivals are regulated.

A bill pending before the Arizona legislature standardizes requirements that temporary carnival operators carry minimum liability insurance and subjects all carnival rides to periodic inspections.

At stake is whether Arizonans can count on the safety of the rides when regulations vary from city to city. Rides that continually are reassembled need to be scrutinized by inspectors who can head off accidents, industry standards recommend.

The bill has not yet passed the legislature but could serve a useful purpose by standardizing minimum safety and insurance requirements for carnival operators. What are your thoughts?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Cellphone Use and Driving

Staff Writer — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 22:01:10 GMT

An article in today's Arizona Republic described the dangers of distractions and driving. According to the Republic, distracted drivers heighten risks of auto accidents:

Driver distractions, ranging from cellphones to eating behind the wheel, are blamed for as many as half the 139,000 collisions that occurred in Arizona during 2005, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring 70,000 others, said DPS Officer Tim Mason, a department spokesman.

The article suggests that distracted drivers increase the odds of a motor vehicle collision by fifty percent.

One form of distraction concerns cellphone use. A recent study published in the Summer, 2006 publication Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society compared the distraction of cellphone use to drinking and driving. Interestingly, the study found that based on risks of motor vehicle accidents, cellphone use in vehicles can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving.

In Arizona based upon the substantial and known risks of harm associated with drinking and driving, a person who makes a conscious decision to drink and drive and as a result causes a collision may subject themselves to an award of punitive damages. If the same substantial and known risks of harm exist for a person who talks on a cellphone and causes a crash, should that person also be subject to an award of punitive damages? What do you think?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Preventing Spinal Cord Injuries

Staff Writer — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:39:37 GMT

According to the Arizona Governor's Council on Spinal and Head Injuries, in the United States, about 10,000 people each year suffer from a spinal cord injury. The Governor's office defines a spinal cord injury as,

a severance or injury to the spinal cord, which may result in partial or total paralysis of the arms, legs or both and may also impair vital functions.

The Governor's Council suggests that we all take simple preventative steps to avoid becoming a victim of such horrific injuries.

According to the Governor's Council, automobile collisions and violent intentional attacks are the highest source of spinal cord injuries. Simple preventative step can be taken to minimize the risk of traumatic spinal cord injury. According to the Governor's Council,

The best way to prevent many of these injuries is to exercise diligent care in everything that you do. For example, use seat belts and don't take unnecessary risks such as drinking and driving.

I believe that acting diligenty and cautiously in general minimizes the risk of any injuries. Mandating that adequate consumer safety devices exist on equipment requires government intervention, however, the threat of litigation motivates product manufacturers, distributors and suppliers to ensure that all proper safety precautions exist to prevent the risk of serious spinal cord injuires to consumers. So next time you drive a car and attach your seatbelt, keep in mind that seatbelts likely would not have existed if it were not for litigation. Also, keep in mind that wearing your safety belt is perhaps the simplest way to minimize the possibility of a spinal cord injury.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer