Kansas City Injury Lawyer Blog

An increase in the number of older Americans in the workforce has meant an increase in the number of injuries involving these workers in workplace and industrial accidents in the US. Those statistics come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that there has been an increase in the number of older worker-related injuries over the past seven years.

In 2003, older worker-related injuries in the workforce accounted for 12% of all workplace injuries, and that number has increased to 17% in the latest tally. Besides, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also warning that the percentage of injuries involving older workers could actually increase to 19% by the year 2018, unless American employers increase focus on safety for older workers.

Missouri industrial accident lawyers believe that there are a number of reasons that are contributing to this increase in older worker-related injuries. Firstly, there has been an increase in the number of senior citizens returning to the workforce because of the recession. Additionally, many seniors are returning to a workforce that has not been equipped with safety aids for them. Employers have failed to take seriously senior safety considerations like slip and fall accidents, into account while recruiting older workers. This has had a disastrous impact on their safety.

However, there has been some encouraging news. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study does not seem to indicate that older workers are at a much higher overall risk of injuries than younger workers. However, their risk of certain types of accidents seems to be higher. For instance, these workers are much more susceptible to slip and fall accidents, falls from elevations, and other such risks. Besides, these workers are also at a much higher risk of suffering fractures, broken bones and ribs and other such injuries in accidents. These injuries can have a devastating impact on worker safety, because seniors are already at a much higher risk of osteoporosis which can lead to brittle or weak bones. Such injuries take a much longer time to heal in older workers.

Employers could be doing more to reduce the risk of injuries among older workers through increased training, and adoption of better fall prevention techniques.

A string of fatal bus accidents across the country recently has spurred the federal administration into action. The agency has announced a series of new bus safety measures, aimed at minimizing the number of serious accidents across the country. The new measures were announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week, and Missouri bus accident attorneys believe that these rules could possibly eliminate some of the loopholes that threaten passenger safety.

One of the biggest safety issues in the US today has to do with the inability of the federal administration to ensure that only qualified bus companies operate fleets on the country's roads. The new rules would do just that. Under the new rules, the Department of Transportation would require new motor coach companies to undergo a complete safety audit before they become eligible for Department of Transportation operating authority.
Besides, the agency is also attacking the problem of rogue bus companies simply slipping under the radar after an accident and reemerging under a new name. Under the new rules, the Department of Transportation would have increased powers to go after such companies.

The Department of Transportation will also set a national standard for commercial driver's licensing testing to be followed by states across the country. Currently there is no national standard in place, and states have their own CDL procedures. Under the new rules, single nationwide testing standard would be established, which makes the process of selection, recruitment and hiring of drivers more uniform. Additionally, the Department of Transportation would also establish a website that allows passengers to gauge the safety of a particular motor coach company before they board a bus.

A new edition of Transportation for America's pedestrian safety report was released earlier this week.

This report analyzed the last 10 years of statistics, reporting 47,000 pedestrian deaths and 688,000 pedestrian injuries from walking on our nation's streets. A new plan of action, Dangerous by Design 2011, looks to examine the problem and come up with potential solutions for this epidemic. Carelessness is often the cause of pedestrian accidents in Kansas City and elsewhere. Dangerous by Design 2011 aims to wake up motorists and pedestrians and reverse the deadly trend of interaction between the two.

Our Kansas City injury attorneys note 12 percent of those killed in traffic accidents are pedestrians. Unfortunately, most state departments of transportation neglect to recognize pedestrian safety from a budgetary perspective. Most departments allot less than 2 percent of their federal funds to pedestrian safety projects.

The new edition of the Transportation for American national report comes with data and a fact sheet providing statistics for all 50 states. The new edition also comes with an interactive pedestrian map that allows users to look at the streets and roads in their specific area to see just how safe or unsafe they may be.

Nationwide, the majority of pedestrian fatalities happen along roadways that are dangerous by design. These streets are typically engineered for fast traveling traffic with virtually little or no provision for pedestrians, in wheelchairs, on foot or on bicycles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the United States witnessed more than 4,000 pedestrian fatalities from traffic accidents in 2009. Another 59,000 pedestrians were injured. Most of these accidents happened in urban settings at non-intersections during normal daytime weather conditions. Missouri experienced nearly 100 of these pedestrian fatalities in 2009.

Missouri experienced more than 800 pedestrian fatalities between 2000 and 2009. A number of these fatalities are distributed among these main areas:

-Kansas City, 234

-Springfield, 49

-Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, 46

-Columbia, 19

-Joplin, 19

-St. Joseph, 16

The fatal pedestrian accidents that occurred during the studied period cost the state nearly $3.5 billion.

Again, pedestrian safety rests in the hands of motorists. As motor vehicles can be a pedestrian's biggest threat, a focused and aware driver may be the only thing to save our sidewalk travelers.

Continue reading "National Study Looks at Risk of Pedestrian Accidents in Kansas City" »

According to a study from Allstate Insurance, Kansas City makes the top ten list for most dangerous cities for teens to drive during holidays. With the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend, many parents and law enforcement agencies worry about the risks our young drivers will face in being involved in Missouri teen car accident.

"The biggest thing now is technology," said said Officer Randy Davis, operator of the Teen Scene Driving Academy. "Technology has created so many distractions for these kids. This generation is all about texting, cell phones and iPods, and they all are distractions when driving."

Our Kansas City personal injury lawyers urge you to speak with your teenager about the importance of safe driving habits this summer. Truth is, we've got to let them grow up some time. As parents we can only do our best to help educate our young drivers to prepare them for the dangers that lurk on our roadways.

Top 10 most dangerous cities for teen car accidents during a holiday:

-Jacksonville

-Kansas City

-Birmingham

-Phoenix

-Tampa Bay

-Orlando

-Las Vegas

-Oklahoma City

-Louisville

-Richmond

Parents are urged to help their teens along with driving education and practice. Driver education courses are highly recommended and they can also help you to catch a break on their car insurance policies.

We recommend that parents take the following steps to help their teens to fully prepare for their driving career:

-Allow your child ride along with you as much as possible so they are able to witness your safe driving habits.

-Allow them to drive once and a while, even if it's only up the street to the grocery store. This way you will be able to monitor your young driver's progress.

-Try allowing them to drive in as many weather and road conditions as possible. Well, as many as your stomach can handle.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were nearly 2,500 drivers ages 15- to 20-years old killed in traffic accidents in the United States in 2009. Missouri experienced nearly 200 teen deaths from car accidents in 2009.

Of the 208.3 million licensed drivers there were in the U.S. in 2008, young drivers ages 15 to 20 accounted for nearly 18 percent. With spring and summer upon on us and with proms, graduations and schools letting out for summer, teen are at high risk for a serious or fatal car accident. Parents are urged to equip their young drivers with the tools they need to navigate our roads safety.

To help parents enforce some safe driving rules with your teen, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered you this parent-teen driving contract to review and commit to with your young driver.

Continue reading "Kansas City Ranks in Top 10 Most Dangerous for Teen Car Accidents during Holidays" »

An auto salvage employee died earlier this week after he was injured in a Missouri work accident. The employee was inflating a tire when it exploded at the business at roughly 8:00 a.m., according to KY 3.

The employee was taken to the hospital where he died around 12:00 p.m.

Our Kansas City workers' compensation lawyers work to help ensure that workers receive benefits they are entitled to under Missouri Workers' Compensation law. In our state, and employer is required to carry workers' compensation insurance if the company employs five or more employees. The construction industry is the only field that requires insurance regardless of the number of employees. When a worker is killed on the job, a wrongful death suit may be warranted. The same is true of a personal injury lawsuit in cases where someone other than an employer is at fault.

An employee has the rights to receive medical benefits in the event of a work injury and they're also to be granted temporary total disability benefits and permanent partial or permanent total disability benefits if necessary. If the injury results in death, certain surviving individuals may be entitled to weekly benefits from the employer or the insurer. Funding, up to $5,000, for funeral services will also be provided if the claim is filed correctly.

An Area Office Spokesman of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Kansas City says it will send an investigator to Christian County to investigate the incident.

According to a letter from Area Director, the Kansas City Area Office for Occupational Safety & Hazard Administration has seen a dramatic decline in work accidents over the last four decades. At the turn of 20th century, workplace fatalities in America were all too common as working conditions were dreadful and so were the few laws existed to protect employees. That's why, since OSHA's inception in 1970, workplace deaths have decrease by nearly 70 percent.

Significant progress has been made in reducing serious and fatal accidents, even as the U.S. workforce has doubled. However, thousands of workers remain at risk of serious injury or death on the job each year.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 4,500 were killed in work accidents in 2009, compared to 5,200 in 2008. The 2009 statistics represent the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program began in 1992.

Workers are asked to remain cautious on the job and report any unsafe findings to either your employer or directly to OSHA. You are also urged to contact an experienced attorney if you've suffered an on the job injury as an attorney can help you fight for your rights and fight for the appropriate compensation.

Continue reading "Exploding Tire Kills Auto Employee in Missouri Work Accident" »

A motorcyclist suffered serious injury after he lost control of his bike on Interstate 29 earlier this month, according to The Kansas City Star.

The Platte County motorcycle accident happened when the motorcyclist was exiting Interstate 29 at Missouri Highway 92. His bike left the road and flipped just before midnight, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. The injured rider was taken to North Kansas City Hospital for treatment.

Our Kansas City motorcycle accident attorneys urge all motorists to be safe when riding on Missouri roadways.

As beautiful weather fills the Missouri skies, motorcyclists will continue to take to Missouri's byways this summer. Whether they're dealing with oblivious drivers or poor road conditions, motorcyclists are the most at-risk motorists on the road. Motorcyclists are hoping to raise awareness as they, and other motorcycle advocates in Missouri, use the entire month of May to promote Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

The theme of this month's awareness campaign is "Share the Road" as it urges all motorists to be considerate of motorcyclist presence, according to Northwest MoInfo. While efforts are focused on educating motorists to actively recognize motorcyclists on the road, motorcyclists are encouraged to make themselves more visible to other drivers as well.

"An increase of interest in human factors, looking for ways to improve rider skills and influence attitudes toward risk and decision-making, may be the wisest path to safer riding," said Tim Buche, President of Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that, per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are nearly 40 percent more likely to die in a traffic accident than an occupant of a passenger vehicle.

There were nearly 5,300 motorcyclists killed in the United Sates in 2008. Another 96,000 were injured in the same year. These statistics show a 2 percent increase from the previous year, illustrating the need for motorcycle awareness now more than ever. In Missouri, more than 100 motorcycle riders lost their lives in traffic accidents in 2009.

Motorcyclists are encourage to complete the proper training before hitting the roadway to decrease risks for being involved in a traffic accident. There are more than 25 motorcycle training locations in Missouri.

Continue reading " Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month Aims to Reduce the Recent Increase in Motorcycle Accidents in Missouri" »