A New Big Rig Danger: Bogus Medical Checks for Truckers

Federal medical certification of truckers must be improved to reduce the risk of serious and fatal truck accidents.

2010-10-31

October 31, 2010 (Press-News.org) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has responsibility in several important areas: investigating the causes of accidents involving trains, aircraft, and a variety of other vehicles and vessels; promoting transportation safety; and helping victims of transportation-related accidents as well as the families of fatal accident victims. One important aspect of this mission is the board's oversight of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which directly regulates commercial trucks, buses and other vehicles to prevent fatal truck accidents and catastrophic injuries.

But a recent report by NEWS21, a journalism coalition, reveals an alarming trend: NTSB recommendations are taking longer to produce results in the Washington bureaucracy, and some important safety measures are simply being ignored. A disturbing recent example is the nonexistent response to the NTSB's 2002 call for enhanced medical standards for truckers. Over the ensuing six years, over 800 fatal crashes were blamed, at least in part, on medically unqualified drivers.

A recent MS-NBC story revealed just how easy it is for a long-haul trucker to renew his or her required medical certification. In some states, truckers can visit a chiropractor or advance practice nurse at a truck stop medical clinic and have their certification renewed in 20 minutes. Worse yet, truck drivers who are denied certification for any reason can simply head down the road and try another "med stop" because data tracking of this issue is nonexistent. And even when a trucker is caught without proper medical certification, immediate license revocation may not result.

Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., head of the U.S. House Transportation Committee, expressed concern "that FMCSA has allowed this situation to continue despite the overwhelming evidence that drivers are finding ways to circumvent the medical requirements for a Commercial Driver's License." Oberstar has pledged congressional review of the issue next year.

Personal Injury Lawyers Assist Victims After the System Has Failed Them

Fortunately for serious injury victims and surviving family members, our legal system allows a private action for damages from negligent drivers, irresponsible trucking companies and manufacturers of defective vehicles. Truck accidents and bus crashes have one consistent feature: the massive impact involved frequently results in brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones and other serious harm to innocent victims.

Government regulation tends to move as slowly as rush-hour gridlock. But when a high-speed truck accident brings sudden tragedy because of a truck driver's medical condition, swift action is crucial to fully protecting an injury victim's rights. By immediately consulting with an attorney who understands how to prosecute truck accident injury claims, vital evidence can be identified and the long-term effect of all injuries can be fully assessed.

Article provided by Charles G. Monnett III & Associates
Visit us at www.carolinalaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Driving by Gender: Who Causes More Motor Vehicle Accidents?

2010-10-31

It's a debate as old as the internal combustion engine and the advent of headlights: Are women better drivers than men, or vice versa? While media stereotypes once led to the acceptance of "woman driver" as an inherently critical label, the truth is that men are significantly more likely to get into crashes. This fact has long been known by the insurance company actuaries who set policy rates for individuals, but the precise differences are well described in recent statistics. On the high end, the New York Times reported in August on a city traffic study that revealed ...

Excising the Gall Bladder: The Risks of 'Band-Aid' Surgery

2010-10-31

In routine gall bladder surgery, the surgeon mistakenly punctures the patient's aorta, a major artery supplying oxygen-rich blood to the body. The patient is 20-year-old Airman Colton Reid. His fiance watches as Reid's feet turn blue from lack of blood flow; yet there are more than eight hours of delay before Reid is transferred from the teaching hospital at Travis Air Force Base to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where Reid can get adequate treatment. Because of the lack of blood flow from the punctured aorta, and the delay, doctors at UC Davis are ultimately forced ...

EPA's Broad Study Targets the Safety of Shale Drilling

2010-10-31

Hydraulic fracturing, also commonly called hydrofracking or fracking, is the process of drilling into shale and then turning the drill horizontally to tap pockets of natural gas. The Post-Standard says Ron Bishop, a chemistry professor at the State University College at Oneonta, explains that the procedure involves pumping in thick chemical slurry to keep the drill bit clear of debris. Concrete seals the well and large amounts of water -- potentially millions of gallons -- are pumped in under pressure to hydrofracture the shale and release natural gas. The polluted water ...

Exempt or Nonexempt: Do You Receive Overtime Pay?

2010-10-31

When it comes to the idea of overtime pay, most think that only the laborer, manufacturer or other "blue collar" worker is eligible to receive overtime, not the professional, executive, supervisor or manager. In today's workplace, however, the old blue collar/white collar doesn't' always apply. A worker can be entitled to overtime pay regardless of the color of his or her collar. Employees eligible to receive overtime pay are generally referred to as "nonexempt." Other employees, who are exempted from federal and state overtime laws in certain instances, are called "exempt ...

Record Number of Unsafe Drugs Recalled in 2009

2010-10-31

Last year saw a record number of prescription and over-the-counter drug recalls, 1,472 different types in all. That number is four times the number of drugs recalled in 2008. While it is difficult to attribute the increase in defective and dangerous drugs to a single reason, the overseas manufacture of medications, the increase in prescription drug use and faulty labeling all contribute to the dramatic rise in recalls. Based on the recalls of more than 130 million bottles of over-the-counter children's medications like Tylenol and Motrin, the trend has continued in 2010. A ...

Prudential Announces Boost for Income Choice Annuity Awards

2010-10-31

Prudential has announced that, at a time when rates on conventional annuities have been falling, Prudential's innovative Income Choice Annuity is bucking the trend with starting incomes being increased by 1.5 per cent. Prudential has passed on a fall in guarantee costs for the product which offers a secure minimum income for life as well as giving customers the opportunity to benefit from potential growth. The new pricing applies to quotes issued from 11th October and to all new business where funds have been received from 11th October. Prudential was able to increase ...

Sky Announces Sky+HD Party Offer

2010-10-31

Sky is giving customers the chance to share the ultimate TV experience with their friends by hosting their very own Sky+HD Party. Each host will be given one complimentary film to watch in stunning high definition from a choice of three new movie releases from Sky Box Office HD worth GBP3.91, plus a GBP10 M&S voucher to kick off the party in style. Sky+HD customers have a choice of three films to choose from - Inception, Sex and the City 2 and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore - shown exclusively from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th December. To qualify for ...

Thistle Hotels Announces General Manager to Relocate to Kent

2010-10-31

Thistle Hotels has announced the appointment of Alan Whiteley as general manager of Thistle Brands Hatch hotel. Already a respected general manager within the company, Whiteley makes the move from Thistle Middlesbrough, where he was responsible for significantly raising the profile of the hotel in the region and helping it become the star performer of the group. Starting his hotel career as a kitchen porter when he left school, Whiteley has built up a wealth of experience over the 17 years he has worked in the hotel industry. Not content with being a porter for long, ...

Bupa Reveal that Bad Sleeping Habits are Costing Employers Over GBP1 Billion

2010-10-31

According to Bupa, the British workplace is losing an estimated GBP1.6 billion a year due to lack of sleep. The Bupa 'How Are You Britain?' report* reveals sleep-starved workers are taking three extra days sick leave a year compared to their well rested colleagues - costing UK businesses over GBP280 per annum for every employee. The report reveals that over a quarter (27 per cent) of the working nation wakes up feeling tired and unrefreshed, with Sunday being the worst night of the week for a bad night's sleep. Bupa sleep expert, Dr Ian Mak from the ...

Prudential Reports Pensions Death Risk for Unprepared Couples

2010-10-31

Prudential has conducted new research* that reveals more than half of UK adults aged 40-plus and who are not yet retired are at risk of losing all or part of their private pension income if one partner dies because they are failing to make any pension provision for each other. The study reveals 39 per cent of couples do not have arrangements in place to ensure that pension income continues to be paid after the death of one partner, and another 13 per cent do not know what will happen to their retirement income and other investments if their partner dies. Only 48 per ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study shows psychedelic drug psilocybin gives comparable long-term antidepressant effects to standard antidepressants, but may offer additional benefits

Study finds symptoms of depression during pregnancy linked to specific brain activity: scientists hope to develop test for “baby blues” risk

UK study shows there is less stigma against LGBTQ people than you might think, but people with mental health problems continue to experience higher levels of stigma