Blog Archive - December, 2011

Children’s toys are one of the most common types of Christmas presents. While children all over the world excitedly open Christmas presents, many parents have no idea what serious dangers may lurk beneath the Christmas tree.

With Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve only days away, many people are excitedly packing for trips around Georgia or even out of state to spend the holidays with family. While this is a wonderful time of year for spending time with family, it is also a dangerous time to be on the roads. There are more vehicles on the road, an increased number of intoxicated drivers and far too many fatigued drivers.

If you are like many other people, you may dread a visit to the dentist. One of the most painful and least welcome trips to the dentist involves having one’s wisdom teeth removed. This painful procedure is virtually a rite of passage because almost every young adult suffers through this procedure.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision this past summer regarding the obligations of the manufacturers of generic drugs regarding labeling and warning the public of adverse side effects may leave many injured by defective drugs without a legal remedy.

Cell phone usage has grown to include 5 billion people worldwide. While this statistic may seem staggering, the number of cell phones and intensity of use will likely grow at a rapid rate as cell phones continue to evolve from limited voice communication devices to do-everything electronic gadgets that provide GPS, Internet surfing, emailing, text messaging, online multi-media and more.

Compared to the previous year, the cases of pedestrian fatalities went up by almost 4% since 2010. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that there were almost 70,000 cases of pedestrian injuries caused by motor vehicles. The rate of of these auto-pedestrian accidents has been sharply climbing in recent years.

The federal government released statistics concerning the impact of distracted driving and traffic accident deaths. It is believed that 1 out of every 11 traffic accident deaths in the U.S. is caused by distracted drivers. In the United States there were 3,092 deaths stemming from distracted driver accidents last year.

A recent tragic accident serves as a sad reminder of the sudden, unexpected tragedy that can occur when basic traffic safety rules are violated. An elderly Gwinnett County couple was involved in a fatal collision when a driver ran a red light while driving southbound on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, according to a police spokesman.

Despite all the media attention and recent legislation regarding the subject, the number of people who text and drive continues to rise. The problem is especially prevalent in younger drivers.

Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division that produces the popular pain and fever medication Tylenol (“acetaminophen”) recently announced another in a long line of recalls of Tylenol related to serious adverse side effects, notably serious damage to the liver and liver failure.

When a pedestrian is struck by a motor vehicle on our Atlanta streets and highways, it is generally a serious accident that results in major injuries and even wrongful death. Because pedestrians are so vulnerable to serious injury when hit by a motor vehicle, it is essential that a driver involved in such a collision stop immediately to assist the pedestrian and summon emergency medical personnel.

Holiday periods are notorious for increases in the number of accidents and car accident-related fatalities. During the Thanksgiving holiday that just passed, a dozen people were killed in car crashes in Blue Ridge, Cartersville, Columbus, Forsyth, Gwinnett County, Richmond County, Toccoa and Villa Rica.

Because of the substantial risk posed to other motorists by commercial trucks, trucking companies engaged in interstate trucking are required by federal and state regulations to conduct a pre-employment screening to ensure that unsafe drivers are not entrusted with these massive motor vehicles. While most truck drivers are professional and conscientious, trucking companies are required to take actions to make sure that unsafe drivers are not permitted to get behind the wheel.

Over the summer two serious car crashes tied up interstates, creating havoc for motorists in the Atlanta area for hours. During the early morning commute, an eight car pile up brought the flow of traffic to a standstill on I-85 southbound at the height of the morning commute.

Motor vehicles pose a number of risks for children, which includes but is not limited to being the leading cause of death for children according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Motor vehicles cause the death of over 1,300 children under the age of 14 and result in injury to another 184,000 children annually.

A frightening new trend threatens to make the roads of Atlanta more dangerous. “Pill mills” that have proliferated in Florida are now starting to crop up in Georgia. A study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that during a recent ten-year period abuse of prescription painkillers increased 400 percent.

Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law is proud to honor Marcus Sayles from Johns Creek, Georgia, as the "2011 Montlick & Associates' Athlete of the Year." On game night Marcus is rarely off the field, excelling as a wide receiver and a defensive back for the Chattahoochee High School Cougars. Those who know him best say Marcus achieves goals both in the classroom and on the field. Coach Terry Crowder says, "It's very rare that you have such a good player that practices so hard. That is what he does, he leads by example."