Archive for June, 2011

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29
Jun

Nashville Woman Sentenced In Hit-And-Run Case

June 29, 2011

A Nashville, Tennessee, judge handed down a rather unusual sentence last Thursday. A criminal court judge sentenced a 37-year-old woman to spend a week in jail twice a year, on Father’s Day and Christmas weekends, for the next ten years.

In addition to the unusual jail time, the drunken driver will also be required to speak at schools across the state on the dangers of drinking and driving on the victim’s birthday and the anniversary of the accident. Additionally, the woman’s license was suspended for at least three years and must complete a drug and alcohol treatment program.

News Channel 5 reports, the accident occurred on October 27, 2009, on the westbound shoulder of I-40 near Spence Lane in Nashville. The victim was a 44-year-old tow truck driver who was loading his daughter’s broken down car onto his truck, when he was struck. He later died at Vanderbilt Medical Center. The woman fled the scene, and was found asleep in her car in a parking lot. She was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication.

The victim took pride in his role as president for the Nashville chapter of the Iron Order MC, a Nationally recognized motorcycle club. An article by News 2 reported hundreds attended his funeral by motorcycle following the accident.

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22
Jun

A Child Drowns Every Five Days In Summer Months

June 22, 2011

News Channel 2 reported on a study conducted by a Nationwide Children’s Hospital doctor, who used data complied by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to determine that a child drowns every five days in a portable “kiddie” pool during the summer months.

Statistics showed that:

  • 209 children below the age of 12-years-old died in portable pools from 2001 to 2009
  • 94% of the accidents involved children younger than 5-years-old
  • 81% of the events took place in the summer
  • Boys accounted for 56% of the accidents

Sarah Haverstick of the Safe Children Program at the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center says that a child can drown in less than an inch of water.

Several suggestions were given in order to keep children safe around the pool this summer, such as:

  • adult supervision
  • fencing and gating
  • after use, portable pools should always be drained to empty and stored upside down

The article stated Vanderbilt Medical Center saw five times more drowning’s in 2010 than in 2009.

The Tennessee Personal Injury Attorneys at Hughes and Coleman care about the safety of children and have even put on an annual Children’s Safety Day since 1995. Founding attorney, J. Marshall Hughes, discussed the event in a recent news report.

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15
Jun

Building Collapses And Injures Kentucky Worker

June 15, 2011

Emergency officials in LaGrange, Kentucky, have freed a man from rubble and debris after a building he was working in collapsed on top of him.

MSNBC reports that authorities were called to a vacant concrete manufacturing facility at 8:24 AM Tuesday morning. Upon arrival at the scene, rescuers found a 25-year old man pinned under wood and metal that had fallen across his body. The reports states that the man was removing parts from the building when the structure collapsed and fell on top of him.

Authorities were able to pull the man from underneath the pile of rubble. He was flown to University of Louisville’s Trauma Unit to be treated for a fracture, as well as chest and stomach pain. Authorities say another man was working at the site as well when the collapse occurred, but he suffered no injuries.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) records show that this is the first accident to be reported at the site.

Often times, workers can easily be compensated for injuries without having to file suit. Insurance companies can be tricky though, and will often deny a legitimate claim.

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8
Jun

Two Die In Multi-Car Accident

June 8, 2011

A toddler and a driver died following a multi-car accident on Nolensville Road in South Nashville on Saturday. News Channel 5 reports that the accident happened just before noon when a black Honda heading southbound swerved into oncoming traffic. Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) said the Honda traveled a short distance in the wrong lane before slamming head-on into another vehicle. The driver of the Honda died at the scene, but this was not the only fatality involved in the crash.

Officials say that a 4-year-old girl was thrown from the backseat of a Nissan Maxima that was involved in the accident. She died on the way to the hospital to be treated for her injuries. The driver of the Maxima was also transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center to be treated for injuries.

There was one common factor leading to the deaths of both victims from Saturday. Neither person who died was wearing a seatbelt. Lt. Richard Cash, with THP was quoted as saying,  “If these two individuals had been restrained properly, there’s no doubt in my mind, that they would be here today.”

Wearing your seatbelt is one of the easiest ways to prevent fatalities in car accidents. See founding attorney, J. Marshall Hughes, discuss some common injuries from car accidents here.

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1
Jun

Two Workers Dead in Gallatin Industrial Fire

June 1, 2011

An industrial fire that started last Friday at a Gallatin factory has claimed the lives of two workers that were injured according to a report released this morning by Nashville’s Channel 4 News. A Vanderbilt University spokeswoman said that one individual died Tuesday night, and the other Wednesday morning. One other man remains in critical condition. This makes a total of four employees who have died in accidents at the Hoeganaes Corp. plant this year.

The United States Chemical Safety Board and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are still investigating the cause of the fire; however, Gallatin Assistant Fire Chief, Tommy Dale, has said the fire was caused by a gas leak.

The accident occurred just days after OSHA fined the company close to $50,000 for violations that caused a fire in January that killed two employees. In that case, Iron dust that the factory produces had built up on machinery and started a flash fire. The newest fire occurred eerily on the same day as the funeral for a man who died in the January fire.

Victims of workplace injuries have a long road ahead of them after the accident takes place. The paperwork can be confusing and the battle with insurance companies can be a headache.

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