Oct
31
2013
Source
Our lawyers know that insurance companies use many different criteria in setting the cost of insurance policies for drivers. The safety features of the car a person drives, a person’s age, a person’s martial status, a person’s gender, and the driving record of the insurance applicant are all considered when an insurer quotes a policy.
Some factors that most people agree should not be considered, however, include income, education and career status. In June of 2012, 1,010 adult Americans responding to a survey were against insurance companies counting either educational status or occupation in setting insurance rates. In fact, 68 percent of those who responded disagreed with the use of education as a factor and 65 percent felt that insurance companies shouldn’t consider education.
Unfortunately, insurance companies aren’t listening to the public. In fact, a recent study conducted by the Consumer Federation of America has revealed that insurance companies are charging lower income and less educated people significantly more for their car insurance.
Are Lower-Income People Being Priced Out of the Car Insurance Market?
The Consumer Federation of America secured quotes from many of the largest insurance companies in the United States. When obtaining quotes, all variables were kept the same except adjustments were made to career, income and education. The results were startling as there was a vast difference in what educated, higher income professionals were being charged as compared with lower income workers.
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car accident lawyers
Oct
30
2013
Source
Malpractice attorneys in Chicago know that birth injuries are among the most devastating types of injuries that can occur. Birth injuries generally have two primary causes: hypoxia (deprivation of oxygen) or trauma. Unfortunately, the larger a baby is, the more likely it is that the baby and mother will be harmed during the labor process. As such, a recent trend in big babies has medical professionals concerned and is something that doctors need to be aware of and respond to properly.
Oversized Babies Increase the Risk of Birth Injuries
According to NBC News Health, a growing number of infants are far larger than the standard at birth. Just this summer alone, mothers gave birth to a 13.5 pound German baby girl, a 13-pound, 10-ounce California baby and a 13-pound, 11-ounce little girl born in Spain.
The increase in big babies may be explained by two risk factors: (1) later-in-life births, increasing the number of mothers with gestational diabetes, and (2) rising rates of obesity, resulting in more obese mothers giving birth. These conditions have resulted in a 15 to 25 percent increase in babies weighing more than eight pounds, 13 ounces, in developed countries. A baby larger than this weight is generally considered oversized.
As more big babies are born, there is a greater chance of birth injuries occurring due to the inherent difficulties in birthing an oversized child. A larger baby, for example, is at risk of shoulder dystocia and bone fractures. Shoulder dystocia happens when the baby becomes lodged behind the mother’s pubic bone.
Doctors have to act quickly to extract the baby to minimize the risk of fetal distress and oxygen deprivation.
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Malpractice Lawyers
Oct
26
2013
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Car accident attorneys in Louisville know that car accident prevention campaigns have had a significant impact on reducing the number of auto accidents in the past several decades. Now, law enforcement agencies from 30 states have met in Louisville to work to find ways to make drivers safer across the country.
While much progress has been made in reducing some of the most dangerous behaviors including drunk driving, law enforcement are considering three persistent problems that continue to cause fatalities: speeding, impaired driving and a failure to buckle up. WHAS 11 reports the safety conference also included a discussion on texting while driving and on how the legalization of marijuana for medicinal or recreational use will affect traffic stops and driving safety.
Accident Reduction Campaigns Have Been a Success, But Drivers are Ultimately Responsible for Their Own Behaviors
In 1949, there were 30,000 car accident fatalities and there was a fatality rate of four deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled over the course of the year. The peak in car accident fatalities, however, occurred in 1970 when there were over 50,000 deaths. The fatality rate during this dangerous time exceeded seven deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
By 2010, however, the NHTSA indicates that the fatality rate fell to a historic low of just over one death per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. As the overall death rate has declined, the number of non-occupants and pedestrians killed in auto accidents has also experienced dramatic decreases. From 1975 to 2009, the death rate for non-occupants declined by just over 60 percent.
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Traffic Deaths
Oct
25
2013
Louisiana Premises Liability – Crane Accident at Recycler Blamed for Injury
Source
According to the Louisiana Record, a recycling company is being sued by two Louisiana men who were injured on its premises. The men were harmed by a crane that was being used to try to remove scrap metal from a trailer. Lawyers in Louisiana know that when a company provides a service to the public and opens its doors to do business, the company has an obligation to ensure the safety of patrons. In this case, it will be important to determine if the company fell short in its obligation in a way that led to the crane accident and resulting injuries.
What is the Recycling Company’s Responsibility?
The Louisiana Record reports that the two men injured at the recycling company were hurt as a result of a crane attached to a trailer belonging to one of the men. The crane was attached to help remove scrap metal when it got stuck and allegedly lifted. The trailer was shaken by the crane and hit the rear of one of the men’s trucks. Both of the men were reportedly injured as a result of the impact.
The two men filed a lawsuit in the Central District Court and the defendant recycling company has been accused of failing to properly train its employs, improperly entrusting a crane to its employees, and operating a business with unsafe practices and unsafe operations.
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Personal injury lawyers