Blog Archive - July, 2012

Considering that sixty children have died and 170 have been injured in playpens—also known as play yards—between November of 2007 and December of 2011, tough new safety rules issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission should come as no surprise to consumers and manufacturers alike. Up until this point voluntary safety standards were in place, however the new ruling makes these standards mandatory.

Two people were killed in Oconee County, Georgia when the driver of an SUV ran the light at an intersection and struck their car. Drivers running stop signs and red lights on our roadways kill thousands of people every year.

An emerging technology may soon provide additional safety for bicycle accident victims and assist Georgia bicycle accident victims in seeking financial compensation in a personal injury lawsuit for their injuries.

The beleaguered auto giant, General Motors, has suffered yet another setback in the recall of over 413,000 Chevy Cruzes. Up until 2008, when the company was edged out by Toyota, GM proudly held the title of world's largest auto manufacturer. Then financial woes hit and GM was forced into filing bankruptcy in 2009. Struggling out of that bankruptcy in September of 2010, GM unveiled their strongest hope for recovery: the Chevy Cruze.

Since states including Georgia began adopting graduated license programs to reduce teenage accident rates, most data has suggested the programs were successful at reducing auto accidents involving new teen drivers.

In what has been called the hottest summer on record, stories of two babies—both left strapped inside vehicles by forgetful parents—brings shock, sadness and outrage that not one but two parents could be so careless during a heat wave. Advocates for child safety report that this very thing happens much more often than we realize—and it happens to parents from all walks of life.

Sometimes you simply have to scratch your head and wonder what parents were thinking. A parent is the first and last line of defense against their child suffering serious injury and even fatalities in car accidents.

As we have reported previously in this blog, there has been a substantial number of drugs and medical products recalled by Johnson and Johnson (J&J) over the last several years. These recalls have been based on a wide range of quality control issues including foreign objects in the drugs, foul odors being emitted and excessive amounts of the active ingredient.

Distracted driving while using a mobile phone continues to be one of the most dangerous forms of unsafe driving in Georgia. Federal regulators have unveiled a new plan designed to drastically reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents caused by drivers talking on a cell phone or engaged in text messaging while driving. The Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, has promoted the plan as a “blueprint” for eliminating distracted driving involving mobile phones.

Drivers who drink and drive take a substantial risk that puts everyone else on Georgia’s roads in danger. The human toll in the form of permanent life-altering injuries and wrongful death claimed by drunk drivers in Georgia is both unacceptable and preventable.

The Voting Stage is now underway for Montlick & Associates' Most Deserving Military Family Contest. To kick off this year’s contest, which launched on Memorial Day, the public was invited to nominate deserving military families by sending in their stories and photographs. In the second phase of the contest, which is underway now through July 13^th, the public will vote to determine which of the five finalist families will win the Grand Prize 5-Day Vacation to Orlando, Florida, including 4 round-trip airfares, 4 nights accommodations at the Coco Key Hotel and Water Park, car rental with gas allowance plus four 2-day Disney Park Hopper passes, courtesy of Montlick & Associates and VisitFlorida. The four Runner-Up Families will each win hotel accommodations and Disney passes.

We hope that everyone will enjoy the July 4th celebrations, and that you and your family stay safe. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fireworks injuries each year.

While fatal accidents are a tragic reality of annual New Year’s celebrations in Atlanta, they remain completely avoidable tragedies if drivers avoid drinking and driving. On this past New Year’s Day, a drunk driver hit a 5-year-old child and then fled the scene rather than stay and render assistance. This type of pedestrian accident is particularly upsetting because it involves both a drunken driver hitting a child, and the refusal to stay and assist the injured child.

While firearms can be a fun source of recreation and valuable tool for self-defense, a gunshot injury can result in life-changing injuries or wrongful death in the blink of an eye. A gunshot victim may suffer severe injuries including loss of blood, spinal cord injuries, severe damage to internal organs and wrongful death.