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Speed and Lack of Seatbelt Implicated As Factors in Death of Bob Simon in Fatal Traffic Accident

Doug / 02-13-2015 / Auto Accidents

Bob Simon, CBS New correspondent, was killed in a car accident in New York City on February 11, 2015. He had become well known for his work on 60 minutes, as well as his international reporting throughout his career. Members of the newscast world, from Scott Pelley of CBS to Anderson Cooper of CNN, have […]

Doug / 11-05-2014 / Dangerous

Of approximately 3 million non-fatal injuries and illnesses reported in 2012, more than 2.9 million (94.8%) were workplace injuries. Among the reported injuries 75.2% occurred in service-producing industries, while the remaining 24.8% occurred in goods-producing industries. A preliminary total of 4,405 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2013, which is down […]

Doug / 09-30-2014 / Confidentiality

This past June, the nation was taken over by the news that Tracy Morgan, the hilariously funny comedian from NBC’s 30 ROCK, was involved in a horrific crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in the early morning hours of June 7th. Stories from every single media outlet reported that a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer struck a limo […]

Doug / 06-12-2014 / Attorney

Over the weekend, the country woke to news that famed comedian, star of NBC’s 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan, along with a handful of others, were involved in a deadly multi-vehicle collision on the New Jersey Turnpike. According to authorities, the accident was caused when a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer crashed into a limousine bus carrying Mr. Morgan and […]

Doug / 05-27-2014 / Auto Accidents

With Memorial Day marking the unofficial start to the summer, millions of people are making their way to Florida’s beaches to cool off and enjoy the sun. This past Memorial Day Weekend saw an overwhelming amount of individuals and crowds of people. Every year we’re faced with stories of tragic injuries caused by inattentive drivers […]

Doug / 05-20-2014 / Auto Accidents

The National Complete Streets Coalition released its latest report on Tuesday naming Orlando as the most dangerous metro area for pedestrians. Tampa, Jacksonville, and South Florida follow right behind, with Memphis closing out the Top 5. This map shows the number of fatalities due to vehicle/pedestrian accidents within Central Florida from 2003-2012. The Orlando-Kissimmee area […]

Doug / 03-24-2014 / Auto Accidents

Last week, a man in Orlando was hit and killed while crossing Colonial Drive near John Young Parkway. WESH reported that the crash happened just past midnight and it does not appear initially that the driver was at fault. According to the report, 50 pedestrians were killed by cars last year in the metro Orlando […]

Doug / 08-21-2013 / Consumer Safety

It’s that time of the year again: kids are going back to school. And with that comes the endless nights of waiting until the last minute to finish that pesky art project, cram the unread chapters for the quiz the next day, or frantically finish a mid-term paper. In the past 10 years or so, […]

Doug / 07-23-2013 / Theme park accidents

While no injuries have been reported on the Iron Rattler, a Six Flags roller coaster in Texas, its operation has been shuttered. This temporary shutdown comes in the wake of the tragic death this past weekend. While the reason behind the latest closure seems to be preventative, the original accident has many wondering if the […]

Doug / 07-22-2013 / Dangerous

Little did she know, but Rosy Esperaza’s first trip to Six Flags, would also be her last. This past weekend, Rosy Esperaza lost her life while riding The Texas Giant, one of the monstrous rides at Six Flags Over Texas, and what they coin as the “the world’s steepest drop!” Rosy Esperaza was seated alongside […]

Doug / 06-19-2013 / Consumer Safety

Parents be warned, there have been a large number of baby bath seat recalls recently. In fact there were three just yesterday. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC) has issued these recalls because the bath seats do not meet federal safety standards. Specifically these three bath seats show a stability issue and have a propensity […]

Doug / 04-22-2013 / Medical Malpractice

Cyanosis is the appearance of blue, purple, or darkening of the skin or mucous membranes when someone isn’t receiving enough oxygen in their blood. Cyanosis is the result of exposure to extreme cold, arterial or venous obstruction, reduced cardiac output, or even potential heart failure. When signs of cyanosis appear, they should be addressed immediately, as the person showing […]

Doug / 09-28-2012 / Auto Accidents

Central Florida has been identified by experts as the most dangerous region in America for pedestrians, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Transportation for America, a non-profit, released the study. It is particularly disturbing to see the top 10 most dangerous cities—Florida was over represented. The Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater area ranked second, Jacksonville was third and Miami/Fort […]

Doug / 09-24-2012 / Boat Accidents

A man was killed in a boating accident over Labor Day Weekend near Miami’s Venetian Causeway Bridge. According to reports, the victim was speeding on a personal watercraft and collided with a 22-foot boat just after 10 p.m. A Sea Tow operator heard the crash and saw two men in the water, one unconscious. The […]

Doug / 09-17-2012 / Auto Accidents

Florida has recently failed to pass legislation to ban drivers from texting behind the wheel, but that won’t stop some counties from taking measures to make their roadways safer. Florida is one of only six states across the nation to not have distracted driving legislation on its books. According to the Orlando Sentinel, employers and […]

Doug / 09-14-2012 / Boat Accidents

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a recreational boating accident that occurred at Fort De Soto Park near Tampa in Pinellas County, according to sources. The accident occurred around 8 p.m. on the Friday before Labor Day Weekend, and investigators believe alcohol may have been a factor. A 20-foot Mako boat carrying […]

Doug / 09-10-2012 / Auto Accidents

A car accident on State Road 408 killed two on the morning of August 30, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Reports from the Florida Highway Patrol say the driver of a black Hyundai Elantra crossed over into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lanes, colliding head-on with a Toyota Corolla. Shortly after the collision, the Hyundai […]

Doug / 08-31-2012 / Boat Accidents

A Connecticut woman on vacation with her husband in Florida died in a tragic parasailing accident on August 15, according to sources. Stephen Miskell, 31, and his wife Kathleen Miskell, 28, were parasailing together 200 feet above the ground off the coast of Pompano Beach when Kathleen’s harness broke. Kathleen plummeted into the water and […]

Doug / 08-24-2012 / Auto Accidents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO9bbTGhL0c&feature=youtu.be On Monday, we discussed the “How is my KID driving?” app created by Cooper City father Mike McManigal to help parents monitor their teens’ driving. However, here are 10 other apps currently available which can also reduce “driving while intexticated”: Drive First — This Sprint app locks the phone when your car is traveling […]

Doug / 08-20-2012 / Auto Accidents

Last week, we noted the comments of Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Lieutenant Tim Frith to WPTV-TV regarding the increase in traffic fatalities in Broward and Palm Beach counties. “I know for a fact distractions play a large role in traffic crashes,” Frith told WPTV. “We need to attack driver distraction like we did with DUI […]

Doug / 08-13-2012 / Auto Accidents

After traffic crash fatalities during the first quarter of the year declined by about 30 percent between 2006 to 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said last month that the number of deaths in the first three months of 2012 represented a 13.5 percent increase from the same period in 2011. On […]

Doug / 08-10-2012 / Auto Accidents

On Monday, we began discussing a July 26, 2012, article in the USA Today that examined how motorists should deal with distracted—and thus dangerous—drivers. Among the many pieces of advice that were offered in the piece, here are some of the things you should do if you encounter a motorist who is “driving while intexticated”: […]

Doug / 08-06-2012 / Auto Accidents

While Florida is now one of only 11 states that does not make it illegal to text while driving, it was still interesting to read how authorities in the other 39 states are identifying distracted drivers and enforcing their cell phone bans. “Police look for the same telltale signs they would employ if they were […]

Doug / 08-03-2012 / Auto Accidents

Traffic on Interstate 4 in Lakeland was a mess for hours on July 18, 2012, when the tanker truck in the image above (clicking on the photo will open video in a new window) crashed and spilled more than 1,100 gallons of fuel onto the roadway. According to the Tampa Bay Tribune, all eastbound lanes […]

Doug / 07-30-2012 / Auto Accidents

The video above is from an accident that occurred a few years ago in Missouri. We are posting it not because of why this truck overturned, but to point out that a crane was needed to clear this section of US Route 50 of the 40,000 pounds tons of logs that spilled from the trailer. […]

Doug / 07-27-2012 / Auto Accidents

It was just after midnight last month when a semi driver did not stop in a construction zone on Interstate 4, crashing into a Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s cruiser. The 35-year-old truck driver was cited for careless driving, and while troopers did not say how he missed numerous signs, tow truck operator Brian Harris told […]

Doug / 07-23-2012 / Auto Accidents

The video above shows some of the events in conjunction with the National Technology Day celebration at Anna University (AU) in India. The school has been celebrating this day for the past few years to commemorate the test explosions of nuclear devices at the Pokhran test range on May 11, 1998. We are posting the […]

Doug / 07-20-2012 / Consumer Safety

On Monday, we began to discuss the record settlement British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay at the beginning of the month for illegally marketing and failing to report accurate safety information about defective drugs. However, as author Charles Seife noted in a July 9, 2012, article for the online magazine Slate, “When you sell some […]

Doug / 07-16-2012 / Consumer Safety

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on July 2, 2012, that British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will pay $3 billion in fines in the largest settlement involving a pharmaceutical company. GSK will plead guilty to marketing drugs for unapproved uses and failing to report drug safety information to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). […]

Doug / 07-13-2012 / Auto Accidents

As we mentioned on Monday, one study presented at the recent Lifesavers Conference held here in Orlando found that drivers using phones are four times more likely to get into a crash—regardless of whether the phone is hands-free or handheld. In a Consumer Reports article published on June 14, 2012, hands-free devices were one of […]

Doug / 07-09-2012 / Auto Accidents

Intexticated drivers remain a serious public safety issue, and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote on his blog that he was “particularly pleased” that there were several sessions on distracted driving during the Lifesavers Conference in Orlando last month. The event was held by the National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities and was the group’s […]

Doug / 07-06-2012 / Auto Accidents

On Monday, we discussed the inherent danger involved with fireworks that is associated with this past Wednesday’s Fourth of July holiday. However, as we noted, there are thousands of injuries from fireworks throughout the months before and after Independence Day. As Captain Joe Bruni notes in the video above, it is not only common for […]

Doug / 07-02-2012 / Consumer Safety

With millions of Americans celebrating the Fourth of July this coming Wednesday, there are certain to be thousands of fireworks as part of the festivities. Unfortunately, thousands are injured by fireworks every year around this time. The video above from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) demonstrates some of the dangers of fireworks. It […]

Doug / 06-29-2012 / Auto Accidents

We posted a video on Monday that discussed the myth of multitasking, but the video above featuring productivity trainer Jan Wencel actually puts a viewer’s multitasking ability to the test. Her company, Life Contained, runs a workshop entitled “Multitasking Makes You Stupid.” Wencel notes that in these workshops, “we often have students who not only […]

Doug / 06-25-2012 / Auto Accidents

David Teater is the senior director of Transportation Initiatives at the National Safety Council (NSC), the nonprofit organization dedicated to accident prevention and promoting health issues. As we mentioned last week, the NSC has designated June as National Safety Month, and this final week has been dedicated specifically to driving safety. We have posted videos […]

Doug / 06-08-2012 / Auto Accidents

“About 98 percent of the time, driving is a very uneventful thing,” David Teater, senior director of Transportation Initiatives at the National Safety Council (NSC), says in the video above. “It’s that 2 percent of the time where a life depends upon making the right decision that it’s critical and we’ve got to be fully […]

Doug / 06-04-2012 / Car Accident

Many of us are aware of the risks and penalties inherent in driving while intoxicated, but driving while “intexticated” is every bit as dangerous. The video above effectively demonstrates the difficulty the average driver might have in acquiring a driver’s license if the test required him or her to pass a texting test at the […]

Doug / 06-01-2012 / Auto Accidents

On Monday, we began discussing the number of annual alcohol-related fatalities involving victims under the age of 21 that occur across the county during the three months that are considered prom and graduation season. The video above from NBC’s “Today” deals with another contributing factor in that issue: Parents who provide alcohol to their teenagers. […]

Doug / 05-25-2012 / Auto Accidents

The video above features NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya in a 2010 promotional spot for the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign. We began discussing the campaign on Monday and discussed how it focuses on the threat of citations for unbuckled motorists to encourage seat belt use. While we also pointed out a number of […]

Doug / 05-11-2012 / Medical Negligence

On Monday, we discussed how May is Older Americans Month and began using the campaign as an opportunity to talk about nursing home abuse and neglect. The video above is fairly humorous advertisement for an assisted living home, but elder abuse and neglect is a problem that often occurs out of sight and, thus, stays […]

Doug / 05-07-2012 / Dangerous

President John F. Kennedy’s meeting with the National Council of Senior Citizens served as a prelude to designating May as “Senior Citizens Month” in 1963. President Jimmy Carter’s 1980 designation led to the annual observance being renamed Older Americans Month, but the Administration on Aging (AoA) says every president since Kennedy has issued a formal […]

Doug / 05-04-2012 / Dangerous

Jaclyn Raulerson was bullied so severely in the fifth grade that she had to change schools. She was teased because of her height, telling the Tampa Bay Times, “I was more willing to take the abuse than to tell someone.” She began to use beauty pageants as a refuge from the bullying and, as you […]

Doug / 04-30-2012 / Auto Accidents

The video above is a public service announcement put out by the village of Romeoville, Illinois, in regards to “Keep Kids Alive Drive 25,” a nationwide campaign “put an end to deaths and injuries caused by speeding and distracted driving on our nation’s roads.” We are posting this video today because tomorrow is the sixth […]

Doug / 04-16-2012 / Auto Accidents

The video above is another in the “Faces of Distracted Driving” series from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Distraction.gov website. It features the mother of a 13-year-old Citra, Florida girl who was killed when a semi truck slammed into the back of a school bus that the teenager was riding in. The truck driver […]

Doug / 04-13-2012 / Auto Accidents

The video above is another news segment, this one from WFTS-TV, regarding the campaign by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) to crack down on aggressive driving that we began discussing on Monday. While aggressive driving behaviors contribute to a majority of all auto accidents, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) notes that aggressive driving is […]

Doug / 04-09-2012 / Auto Accidents

This video is a segment from WPTV-TV discussing a crackdown by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) on aggressive driving during the final three days of February this year. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on March 8, 2012, that the statewide campaign resulted in 67 citations for aggressive driving, which involves two or more violations at […]

Doug / 03-30-2012 / Auto Accidents

Five Canandaigua Academy students submitted the video above to a Distracted Driving Video Contest held in 2011 by the New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company (NYCM), and we particularly agreed with the final thought at the end: “All Distracted Drivers Send the Same Message.” We have been getting a better idea of how people […]

Doug / 03-26-2012 / Auto Accidents

This an incredibly effective and powerful video that AT&T put out a little more than a year ago, entitled “The Last Text.” We encourage you to watch it and let us know which portion stood out the most to you, as there are many powerful moments throughout this less than 11-minute video. You can also […]

Doug / 03-02-2012 / Consumer Safety

With spring fast approaching, parents and children alike are getting excited for little league baseball and other youth sports and activities. Sports are a great way to teach children about staying in shape, the importance of teamwork, and developing confidence and overcoming obstacles. However, all these sports come with associated risks, some more than others. […]

Doug / 02-27-2012 / Boat Accidents

With spring approaching, swimming season in Florida will be here soon. Swimming in pools, lakes and Florida’s many beaches is one of the most popular spring and summer activities, especially for children and teenagers. While it can be fun, it remains one of the most dangerous activities as well. Here are some statistics about swimming […]