Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of motorcycle accident data found that when a motorcycle and one or more other vehicles collide, motorcyclists face a far higher risk of death. This risk is higher than the risk faced by others involved in the collision, and it is also higher than the risk of death when a motorcycle crashes without colliding with another vehicle.

The study examined 4,553 fatal motorcycle accidents from 2005. Researchers found that multi-vehicle accidents accounted for 56 percent of motorcyclist deaths, while single-vehicle crashes - situations where the bike crashed without colliding with another vehicle - resulted in 44 percent of recorded motorcyclist deaths. Eighty-nine percent of the motorcyclists who lost their lives were involved in a crash with just one other vehicle.

Researchers also found that the overwhelming majority of those who lost their lives in multi-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles were on the motorcycle at the time of the accident. A total of 98 percent of deaths occurred to motorcycle drivers or passengers, while only 2 percent of motor vehicle occupants were killed when a crash involved a car and a motorcycle.

Although two-vehicle motorcycle accident rates dropped in the 1980s and 1990s, they have since been increasing. The rate of deaths in these types of accidents doubled between 1997 and 2005, according to researchers.

Riding a motorcycle in summer can be exhilarating as well as practical, but it can also be dangerous. At Page Law, our knowledgeable motorcycle accident lawyers in St. Charles County can help you seek the compensation you need after a crash. For a free consultation, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

Missouri has faced extremely dry weather this summer, increasing the risk of fires started by backyard fireworks. As a result, the State Fire Marshal is encouraging Missouri families to take extra precautions with home fireworks, or to skip them altogether in favor of professional fireworks shows.

This past May was one of the driest May months in the history of Missouri, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Overall, the year from June 2011 to May 2012 was one of the warmest on record for Missouri. The combination of higher temperatures and decreased rainfall makes everything drier and therefore more likely to catch fire, even from small sparks.

To help protect yourself and your family from the risk of fire this Fourth of July, the State Fire Marshal recommends that families follow basic safety rules. Buy fireworks only from a retailer licensed to sell them in Missouri. Whenever you use the fireworks, light only one piece at a time. Assign one adult to do the lighting, and keep everyone else well back from the lighting area.

Keep a hose or a bucket of water near the lighting area in case of an accident. Wet down the lighting area first to help keep sparks under control. Soak used fireworks in water before putting them in a trash can.

Fireworks are both fun and traditional, but they can cause harm, even when care is taken. If you or someone you love is injured by fireworks this summer, an experienced St. Louis County personal injury attorney at Page Law may be able to help. Call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free consultation.

In a Missouri motorcycle accident, the driver and/or passenger on the motorcycle are far more likely to suffer injury or death than anyone in a passenger vehicle, regardless of who is the at-fault party, according to a study by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The study, which examined statistics from 2007, found that about 0.06 percent of all passenger vehicles in Missouri each year are involved in deadly crashes. For motorcycles, however, that percentage is much higher: 4.09 percent of all Missouri motorcycles on the road will be involved in at least one accident that takes a life.

Missouri motorcycle accidents also involve a significant rate of personal injury and/or property damage. While 61 motorcyclists lost their lives in fatal MO motorcycle accidents in 2007, another 1,306 were injured, and 240 crashes involved property damage of some kind.

When the deaths and accidents are added together, the statistics show that 97.9 percent of Missouri motorcycle accidents result in the death or serious injury of at least one person. By contrast, only 41.5 percent of passenger car accidents in 2007 in Missouri caused death or serious injury; the rest resulted in property damage only.

A fewer total number of Missouri motorcyclists are injured or killed each year than the total number of people in cars. However, the rate of death or injury for motorcyclists indicates that, when a bike does crash, the motorcyclist is highly likely to be hurt.

At Page Law, our knowledgeable Missouri motorcycle accident attorneys are dedicated to helping those injured in Missouri bike crashes get the compensation they need to recover from their injuries. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a crash, call us today at (314) 322-8515. Your initial telephone consultation is free and completely confidential.

Watch this video for information on why motorcycle accident damages can be severe:

Researchers in Sweden have found promise in studies of the use of certain enzymes to prevent brain cell death in infants who suffer certain types of birth injuries, according to an article in Science Daily.

Some types of birth injuries cause a condition called “asphyxia,” in which the infant’s brain does not get enough oxygen. Traditionally, infants with asphyxia are treated by cooling them down to decrease brain temperature and slow down cell damage. However, this technique only helps about one in every nine infants. Infants who don’t benefit from the cooling technique often suffer lifelong disabilities, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation.

The new study indicates that medications that affect enzymes involved in the death of brain cells may be helpful in preventing brain damage in children with asphyxia. Versions of these drugs are already used to treat brain-damaging conditions in adults, including stroke and Alzheimer’s. Preliminary research indicates that combining enzyme-affecting medications with the traditional cooling technique may provide additional benefits that aren’t available if either type of therapy is used on its own.

However, researchers caution against simply giving infants medication meant for adults. In studies of mice, results showed that medications that helped adult mice actually made problems worse in infant mice, since an infant brain and an adult brain are vastly different. Instead, researchers urge more research to develop medications that will help protect an infant’s brain without causing additional damage.

At Page Law, our dedicated Franklin County medical malpractice lawyers can help you find out how a medical injury occurred and seek the compensation you need. For a free consultation, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

Triumph Motorcycles America LTD recently issued a recall through the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of two models, the Tiger 800 and the Tiger 800 XC. Both motorcycles have a defect in their center stands that can increase the risk of a crash.

The recall addresses Triumph Tiger 800 and 800 XC motorcycles from the 2011 and 2012 model years. The motorcycles have a defective spring in the center stand. This spring may break or weaken while someone is riding the motorcycle, allowing the center stand to fall and bump, drag, or catch on the roadway. If this occurs, the risk for a motorcycle accident increases sharply.

Owners of these motorcycles may bring them to any Triumph dealer to have the problem corrected free of charge. The dealership will replace the defective spring in the center stand with a spring strong enough to keep the stand in place while the motorcycle is in motion. Motorcycle owners who have questions or concerns can call the company at 1(678) 854-2010 for more information or visit the NHTSA’s recall website at www.safercar.gov.

Motorcycle accidents aren’t always caused by bad roads or negligent motorists. Defects in a motorcycle can also cause accidents and injuries. If you’ve been injured by a defective bike, the experienced St. Louis defective motorcycle lawyers at Page Law can help. Call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free, confidential telephone consultation.

A railroad accident at Fort Leonard Wood in central Missouri left one person dead and three injured recently, according to a news report from KMOV. The U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigative Command and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the accident.

The MO on-the-job accident occurred while the four men were doing maintenance on a railroad spur that leads into Fort Leonard Wood, according to officials. All four were civilian contractors. The man who lost his life, a 45-year-old from Oklahoma, was a railroad maintenance vehicle operator.

Rescue workers took the three injured workers to various hospitals in the area. Two of them remain in the hospital in stable condition, though the hospital has not yet released any information on the outlook for their overall health. The third worker was taken to a Rolla, Missouri hospital for treatment of minor injuries and for observation.

Three Missouri National Guard members were also injured in a separate accident at Fort Leonard Wood this week when they suffered electrical shocks while working with a tactical antenna. The Army and OSHA are also investigating this accident, which was not related to the railroad accident.

Railroad accidents are not as common as car accidents, but when they do happen, the risk of death and permanently disabling injuries is much higher. At Page law, an experienced Missouri accident attorney can help you thoroughly investigate a railroad accident and fight for the compensation you need. Call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free, confidential consultation.

In response to recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (ACCLPP), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently lowered the limits of lead exposure in children.

The new guidelines call for a limit of 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. This limit is half of the previous limit of 10 micrograms per deciliter. The CDC has also adopted the ACCLPP recommendation to stop referring to the lead limit as a “level of concern,” since this term minimizes the risks that lead poisoning poses, especially to children.

Children under age 6 are at the greatest risk of lead poisoning, since their bodies and especially their nervous systems are growing rapidly. Lead and lead paint has been banned in the U.S. from use in children’s products, but products occasionally end up on the market that have unacceptably high lead limits, especially children’s toys imported from countries with less strict lead requirements.

When a child is injured by lead in a defective toy, he or she may need significant medical care. The family also needs support as they help their child heal from lead exposure.

Lead poisoning can cause serious, lifelong health problems, but it can also be prevented. If you or someone you care about has been injured by lead exposure from a defective product, the experienced defective product injury lawyers in St. Louis County at Page Law can help. To learn more, call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free, confidential telephone consultation.

In many areas of highway safety, including the rate of motor vehicle accidents and deaths, progress has been made over the past several years in the form of reduced injury and death rates. Unfortunately, this progress has not been extended to motorcycle safety, according to a recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

In 2011, about 4,500 motorcyclists lost their lives on U.S. roads, the same number as in 2010, according to the GHSA. By comparison, deaths in car, truck, and bus crashes dropped 1.4 percent, saving thousands of lives. Missouri was one of many states that saw a decrease in car accident and pedestrian accident rates, but did not see a decrease in MO motorcycle accident deaths.

Some states did, however, see an overall decrease in motorcyclist deaths. The GHSA notes that many of these states have kicked their motorcycle safety programs into high gear, tightening helmet requirements or pushing drivers to wear gear that both provides protection in a fall and makes it easier for other drivers to see them. The GHSA recommends all states take steps like these to help reduce the rate of motorcycle accident deaths.

Motorcycle accidents can cause serious injuries or even death. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a motorcycle crash, don’t wait: call an experienced St. Charles County motorcycle accident attorney at Page Law. We can help you determine exactly what caused the accident and fight for the compensation you and your loved ones need. For a free consultation, call us today at (314) 322-8515.

Watch this video to learn about one of the major causes of motorcycle accidents: