Author Archives: maryalexander
Falling TVs pose a growing safety threat to young children
Television is often blamed for a host of childhood maladies, from eye strain to obesity, but rarely is it viewed as a source of physical trauma. According to recent research, however, children are injured by TV sets at a frequency that may surprise many parents. In fact, on average, a child in the U.S…. Read More »
$1.15 Billion Verdict Against Lead Paint Companies
$1.15 Billion Verdict Against Lead Paint Companies in Case Involving Lead Poisoning of Children from Lead Paint in Homes A state Judge in Santa Clara County, California, has ordered three lead paint companies to pay $1.1 billion into a fund to be used to remove the lead in hundreds of thousands of homes in… Read More »
Judge Kleinberg’s Final Decision
Judge Kleinberg’s Final Decision endorse_109122_StatementxofxDecisionxFINAL-1
Employees Fatally Injured In A Workplace Accident
Two California employees recently lost their lives after being suffocated by slabs of stone, which trapped workers at a granite company. The stone slabs were not extremely thick; however, they were large and heavy. Firefighters and emergency personnel arrived at the worksite and discovered a supervisor and other employee stuck under large sheets of… Read More »
Streets of San Francisco unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists?
The streets of San Francisco have long had a reputation as being very dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. Even when these individuals take all possible safety precautions, there is still a very substantial risk that they will be involved in an accident. Officials have taken many steps in their efforts to reduce the number… Read More »
Distracted Driving Awareness Month” highlights risks on California roads
April is national “Distracted Driving Awareness Month,” and both the federal government and the state of California are taking advantage of the media attention to drive home the numerous risks associated with the dangerous practice of distracted driving. The U.S. government, particularly the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is… Read More »
Driverless cars in California raise interesting issues of accident liability
The time is coming when self-driving cars will be on California roads. The new technology will have people wondering, who is to blame if there is no driver? Just weeks ago, Google announced that cars driven by computers – not humans – will soon be available for testing on California roads. The California Department… Read More »
Drivers older than 75 pose increased risks of injury to other motorists
NBC Bay Area News recently reported on a 90-year-old automobile driver who plowed into a Palo Alto sidewalk cafe while trying to parallel park. Two people sustained serious injuries while four others suffered minor injuries. Apparently, the driver accidentally hit the gas, struck another vehicle and then drove up onto the sidewalk. According to… Read More »
Tragic Berkeley balcony collapse provides lessons in premises liability
A fatal balcony collapse provides lessons in an offshoot of personal injury claims: premises liability. A birthday party took a tragic turn in Berkeley recently when the balcony of the apartment collapsed. The collapse occurred during the celebration of a birthday and led to the death of six young adults and injured seven more…. Read More »