Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has signed legislation that will give many motorcyclists the option to ride without a helmet. According to a news report in ClickonDetroit.com, the new measure will allow riders 21 or older to ride a motorcycle without a helmet if they carry extra insurance and meet training or experience criteria. The Republican governor’s action has essentially ended a long drawn out effort to change the state’s helmet laws. Earlier legislations to repeal the motorcycle helmet law were vetoed by then Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Some riders believe that wearing or not wearing a helmet is up to the rider. To them, it is all about freedom. Gov. Snyder told the media that although he expects many riders to continue wearing helmets, those who choose not to wear one should have the latitude to make their own “informed judgments” provided they meet other legal requirements. However, critics of this legislation say that the change will lead to more motorcycle accident fatalities. Michigan is the 31st state to make motorcycle helmets optional.

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Summer is just around the corner. For many Pennsylvania residents, summer is the time to go on road trips or travel. In Pennsylvania, we also see more motorcycles on the roadways during the summer season. As Allentown motorcycle accident lawyers who routinely represent victims of car and motorcycle crashes, we often see that a number of collisions involving motorcycles are fueled by alcohol. Sometimes, the other driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, there are times when motorcycle riders operate under the influence of alcohol. Operating a motorcycle under the influence can become deadly for riders and passengers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009 fatal crashes, a higher percentage of motorcycle riders had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. In 2009, 1,230 or 20 percent of all fatally injured motorcycle riders had BAC level of 0.08 percent or higher. An additional 308 or 7 percent had lower blood alcohol levels (between 0.01 and 0.07 percent). Also, 42 percent of motorcycle riders who died in solo motorcycle accidents in 2009 had BAC levels of 0.08 percent or higher.

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This April has been designated as National Distracted Driving Awareness month. Things have changed quite a bit in the last decade or so. In 1995 distracted driving was not even an issue. In fact, cell phone subscriptions covered only 11 percent of the United States population. That number grew to 93 percent in 2010. As the number of cell phone subscriptions went up, the number of distracted driving car accidents also skyrocketed. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5,474 fatalities and 448,000 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents involving cell phone distracted driving.

What makes driving while talking on a cell phone so dangerous? Drivers who are talking on cell phones while driving are four times as likely to crash. When you talk on a cell phone, your brain is forced to multi-task. It is not the device itself that creates the danger, but the conversation. So, many experts believe that even talking on a cell phone by using a hands-free device can be dangerous because it takes your attention away from driving.

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If you have been in a car accident that has damaged your vehicle, your car would likely be towed either to a body shop or auto repair shop or a holding yard. As Allentown car accident lawyers who routinely help and counsel motor vehicle accident victims, we believe that it is important to get an understanding of how to go about repairing your vehicle after a collision.

Soon after your vehicle has been towed, you will be asked if you would like your car to be repaired or where you would like it to be repaired. If you have auto insurance, your insurance company will recommend a preferred auto repair shop that is within their network. However, you are not obligated to take your vehicle to that repair shop. As a car owner, you have the choice as to where you would like your vehicle to be repaired. You may want to choose a shop that is closer, familiar or more convenient. You may want to take a referral from a friend or family member.

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Nursing homes are not only responsible for the proper care of their residents, but also their safety and security. As Jersey City personal injury lawyers who represent the rights of nursing home abuse victims, we are extremely concerned about the safety of nursing home residents in New Jersey. When nursing homes fail to perform proper background checks on their employees, the consequences can be disastrous.

Three residents in Ohio were hospitalized with injuries after a meth lab exploded inside a nursing home. In that case, the nursing home had been cited several times by the Ohio Department of Health for a variety of health and safety violations. In another egregious case in New Jersey, a nursing home employee took pictures of an elderly resident’s genitals and posted it on Facebook.

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The Michigan personal injury lawyers of Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. are happy and proud to announce our new and improved web site, www.BuckfireLaw.com. Our site offers an array of information about our areas of expertise, which we hope visitors will find extremely useful. Our practice areas include personal injury cases relating to auto accidents, medical malpractice, slip-and-fall, nursing home negligence and abuse, dog bites, and other injury accident cases that are caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing.

Our site includes information including professional profiles of all our experienced attorneys, our track record of verdicts and settlements and informational articles on personal injury topics. If you are a victim of personal injury in Michigan, you may have a number of questions relating to your claim. Our frequently asked questions sections provide detailed answers to the most common questions posed by injury victims in Michigan. The Buckfire Law Blog not only answers questions, but also fills in visitors about the most current legal news and events relating to personal injury topics.

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The Michigan personal injury lawyers at Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Macomb County apartment complex in connection with the death of a 1-year-old girl. The child died on October 19, 2011 of strangulation injuries after becoming entangled in the mini-blind cord near her bed in her family’s rented unit in a Chesterfield Township apartment complex. Police did not press criminal charges against the girl’s parents as they found no wrongdoing.

However, the mini-blinds in which the girl was strangled to death had a dangerous loop cord. Putting in a simple safety device or shortening the blind cords and providing tassels could have prevented this tragedy. But the apartment owner or manager did not make these safety devices available to this family. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), over the past decade or so, 102 children have been reported strangled by cords attached to window coverings. Hundreds of others have been severely injured. Many children have even suffered brain damage because when a child is strangled, oxygen to the brain can get cut off causing irreversible brain damage.

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Individuals who have been injured in a Massachusetts car accident as the result of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing may be able to file a personal injury claim against the at-fault motorist seeking compensation for damages. Some people decide to do so with an experienced Massachusetts personal injury lawyer on their side. Others choose to do it on their own. Regardless of the decision you make, it is important that you understand some of the most common myths about accident injury cases. Buying into these myths or believing them to be true can seriously affect your ability to obtain fair compensation for your losses.

The first myth is that the insurance companies are here to help you in your time of need. Believing that myth can land you in serious trouble. Insurance companies have always been well-oiled money making machines. Insurance adjusters are trained to ensure that your claim’s value is reduced if not completely eliminated. Paying you will affect their bottom line. Do not be bullied or intimidated by the insurance company. You do not have to talk to them or provide recorded statements. Always wait until you get legal advice.

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Drivers in Massachusetts would be banned from using hand-held cell phones under a bill that has been unanimously approved by the state Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee. This is yet another step, which takes a Massachusetts cell phone ban one step closer to reality. If this becomes law, Massachusetts will become the tenth state in the nation to prohibit even holding a cellphone while driving illegal. The bill would still need to make its way through the House and Senate and may also be evaluated by the Ways and Means Committee before it becomes the law of the land.

In 2010, Massachusetts passed a law banning drivers under the age of 18 from using a hand-held cellphone and also prohibited texting while driving for motorists of all ages. However, there was no action taken at that time to extend the hand-held cell phone ban to drivers over the age of 18.

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Grief wears a lot of different faces. Some people sink into depression, others lash out in anger. Some try to drown their pain in work, and yet others might tend to dwell on their loss. But among all its various forms, the survivors of killed victims share one common desire: justice. What constitute justice, though, depends on the situation. For instance, when it comes to deaths born of another party’s negligence or reckless behavior, as opposed to an intentional killing, justice might change. If a person decides to kill her neighbor because she is angry about the leaves in her yard, the punishment she deserves would be much different than if she killed her neighbor because she failed to look behind her as she backed up her car.

Although the justice system took care of the first type of killing, it didn’t have a remedy for the second. For years, this hole in the law went unfilled, and the families of victims had virtually no recourse or compensation for the loss of a family member.

Today, however, that hole has been filled by the creation of wrongful death statutes, which every state in the country has now adopted. These laws allow you to file a civil lawsuit against a party who wrongfully causes a death of a family member, and if the court finds in your favor, the party will be obligated to pay you a certain amount in monetary compensation for their act. A Utah wrongful death lawyer can help you when experiencing a wrongful death.

What is a Wrongful Death?

A wrongful death is a death that occurs because of the negligence or carelessness of another party. In most cases this involves a situation where the guilty party did not intend to kill the victim, but because of a careless or unwise act on their part, still resulted in the death of the victim. (more…)