New Haven Personal Injury Law Blog

Understanding school bus safety

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Monday, October 14, 2019.

School buses should be a safe method of transportation for Connecticut students. When drivers and students respect the rules and commit to proper behavior, the bus can be one of the safest ways for children to get to school.

The rules surrounding school bus transport are important, but many drivers disregard them. This is why the National Association for Pupil Transportation sponsors National School Bus Safety Week each October. The National Safety Council informs the public that this year, this important awareness event will be held during the week of October 21 through 25.

You can take steps to avoid a dog bite on Halloween

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Dog Bites on Sunday, October 13, 2019.

If you or your child is dealing with the aftermath of a dog bite, you may be thinking twice about going trick-or-treating this Halloween. Even normally calm, well-behaved dogs can get excited by small people coming to the door in flowing costumes to collect candy and they may behave in ways they normally wouldn't.

Unfortunately, not all dog owners are vigilant about keeping their dogs secured safely away from the door on Halloween. However, you can still take steps to minimize the chances of being bitten.

Thanksgiving driving safety tips

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.

Every year, millions of Americans take to the road over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It doesn't matter if you're traveling to the other side of town or the other side of the country, your safety and well-being are top priority.

With so many vehicles on the road, driving safely over the Thanksgiving holiday is easier said than done. Fortunately, a bit of planning and knowledge can go a long way in keeping you and your family safe.

Prepare your vehicle: A lack of maintenance can result in an accident or breakdown. Prepare your vehicle by testing your battery, changing fluids, checking tire pressure and inspecting tire tread depth. If you don't know how to do these things, schedule an appointment with your local mechanic.
Get some rest: Make sure you get enough sleep before you get behind the wheel. This is particularly important if you're embarking on a long road trip. Drowsy driving is responsible for many accidents, injuries and deaths every year.
Travel during off-peak days and hours: For example, you can expect the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to be one of the busiest times on the road. If possible, avoid this travel day. Not only does it enhance your safety, but it will also help you reach your destination in a timelier manner.
Plan your route: There's probably more than one way to reach your destination. Plan your route in advance with an eye toward your safety, avoiding traffic and saving time.
Share the road: Even if you're traveling on an off-peak day during an off-peak hour, you're sure to find yourself driving in close proximity to all types of vehicles. Sharing the road means taking care when merging, using turn signals when changing lanes, leaving a greater following distance and generally being courteous to other drivers.

Can motorcyclists suffer from crush injuries?

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, October 4, 2019.

Connecticut motorcyclists understand that you are at risk for more severe injury than some of your counterparts on the road. This is because you don't have a lot of coverage. The lack of coverage can also lend itself to crush injuries, which can be quite brutal.

Crush injuries are defined by Medline Plus as an injury that happens when pressure or force is applied to your body. The pressure is usually intense or held over an extended period of time. Crush injuries can lead to numerous side effects that can include issues like:

Fractured or broken bones
Lacerations or open wounds
Secondary infection
Nerve injury
Bleeding and bruising
Soft tissue damage

What causes asphalt to deteriorate?

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Slip-And-Fall Accidents on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

The parking lot of your local shopping center in Connecticut can be hazardous to you once you exit your vehicle. Parking lots are common sites of slip-and-fall accidents. Sometimes the cause is pavement that becomes wet and slippery due to weather conditions. At other times, the asphalt deteriorates and causes a hazardous condition.

According to the Asphalt Institute, a number of different factors can damage asphalt, causing it to deteriorate. The effect can be cumulative. In other words, a pothole, which is a form of asphalt disintegration, can form after the pavement cracks and lets water in. A few examples of these factors include the following.

Who are most at risk for dog bites?

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Dog Bites on Tuesday, September 17, 2019.

Although many will never do so, any dog in Connecticut has the potential to bite a human being. This means that any human being who ever comes in contact with a dog has at least some chance of receiving a bite, even though the chance may be very small in most circumstances. Nevertheless, the Centers for Disease Control have put together some intriguing statistics about the people who are at greatest risk for dog bites.

You may think that you are most at risk from strays and other dogs that are unknown to you. This is not true, however. The likelihood of a bite actually increases with the presence of pet dogs in your home. Despite the specter of strange dogs biting unsuspecting victims, over half of all dog bites come from animals that were familiar to the victim, sometimes their own pets. Your chances for a bite increase the more dogs you keep in your home.

The dangers of fall driving are very real

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

Driving in Connecticut during the fall months provides the opportunity to take in the surrounding beauty. From the changing of the leaves to the wildlife, there's always something to catch your attention.

Unfortunately, there are many dangers associated with fall driving, all of which can result in a serious accident.

Connecticut car crash injures 4 and kills 2

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Monday, September 9, 2019.

Stamford, Connecticut, was the site of a deadly one-car accident approximately two weeks ago when a sedan carrying one 20-year-old and five teenagers crashed into two utility poles at a high rate of speed. As a result of the collision, two of the teenagers are dead and the four other vehicle occupants, including the driver, sustained significant injuries. Authorities hope to eventually interview the survivors to gain more information into the cause of the crash.

Apart from the 20-year-old, victims of the crash include three 19-year-olds and two 18-year-olds, one of whom was driving the sedan. There was an even mix of males and females among the six young vehicle occupants. Although the investigation is still ongoing, authorities believe that a major contributing factor to the crash was excess speed. While it is unclear precisely how fast the sedan was traveling, the force of the collision was sufficient to smash each of the two utility poles that it struck into separate pieces upon impact.

What are the four types of falls?

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Slip-And-Fall Accidents on Saturday, August 31, 2019.

Whenever you are walking in Connecticut, you are particularly vulnerable to a fall at the point when your weight shifts from one foot to the other and your body is momentarily off-balance. Any fall from a standing height has the potential to cause serious injury, but according to Occupational Health and Safety, a slip-and-fall incident is actually only one of the four types of falls that can occur.

People often use the terms denoting different falls interchangeably. However, each one is distinct and has its own specific cause.

Brake failure a frequent cause of commercial truck crashes

On behalf of Loughlin FitzGerald, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

Because of their size and weight, commercial trucks gain considerable speed when traveling down Connecticut hills, and if the professionals driving those trucks do not know how to effectively slow their vehicles, they pose a serious safety threat to everyone on the roadway. At Loughlin Fitzgerald, P.C., we understand that brake failure issues are frequent factors in many of today’s semi-truck crashes, and we also recognize that many crashes resulting from brake failure issues could be avoidable if truckers had adequate experience and training.

Per Transport Topics, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revealed that brake failure is today’s most common cause of equipment-related truck crashes, causing nearly 30% of them. Just how can air brakes malfunction and potentially endanger everyone in a truck’s path?