Far and away the greatest danger that a driver of a minivan, SUV, or pickup truck faces is the possibility of a rollover accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, reports that almost 300,000 of these incidents occur annually, with a death toll totaling over 10,000 lives.

The problem in these cases is that top-heavy vehicles have a higher center of gravity, making them extremely vulnerable to tipping over when traveling even at moderate speeds. With the percentage of fatal SUV rollovers being more than double that of other passenger cars, the risk for driver and passenger alike is clear.

Causes

Rollovers are caused by the ratio of track width, or how far about the vehicles’ wheels are apart, to center of gravity as it applies to stability during turns. Trucks and SUVs are designed with a premise of off-road capability in mind that translates into a narrow track in conjunction with a high center of gravity for greater ground clearance.

Unfortunately, on the open road, this means that when a vehicle starts to skid, it is much more likely to tip over. Other factors that seem to contribute to the likelihood of a serious event include age and gender demographics, with males under the age of 25 most frequently behind the wheel in a single-vehicle accident.

Responses

The disproportionate number of rollover incidents involving SUVs has come to greater social attention as these types of vehicles have soared in popularity in recent years, resulting in pressure on the federal government to implement safety regulations. While no enforced standards exist as yet in terms of rollover prevention, the NHTSA has introduced a five-star safety rating system to keep consumers alert and informed.

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If you or someone you love has been involved in a rollover accident and you believe another party’s negligence was at fault for any injuries, contact the experienced Chicago car wreck lawyers of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C., today by calling 312-466-82000 for help during this difficult time.

Behind the timber industry, commercial fishing represents that greatest threat to worker safety in the United States. With a fatality rate of 71-per-100,000, fishermen and other members of sea crews face constant threats from a number of sources.

For starters, there’s the setting. A great deal of fishing is done in stormy, freezing conditions hundreds of miles from shore. The Alaskan crabbing industry is a perfect example. Ice in the Bering Sea can be so thick that it capsizes the boat, and workers must grapple with swinging steel cages that weigh hundred of pounds a piece. In the 1990’s, this particular field alone was responsible for 400 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Compounding the issue is the pressure that fishing crews feel to haul in a good load. Most seasons in dangerous waters last only three or four weeks, so all involved are in a frenzy to catch as much as they can, as fast as they can. In fact, when the getting is good, a commercial fisherman can rake in as much as $1,000 in a single day.

Apart from cages and nets, other common pieces of equipment and conditions that can inflict damage include:

• Winches and ropes

• Vacuum hoses

• Unsafe docks (slippery, worn-out wood, for example)

• Reckless behavior of fellow workers

• Boat collisions

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If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a fishing industry accident and you think another party’s negligence may have played a role, or if you are being denied your fair share of compensation by an insurance agency, contact the experienced Chicago boating accident attorneys at the law offices of Friedman and Bonebrake, P.C., today by calling 312-466-8200 for help during this difficult time.

To many people, the timber industry brings up some quaint image of a rugged lumberjack happily hacking away in the forest, going home satisfied after a long hard day of honest work. Unfortunately, while logging might indeed be fulfilling to many, this stereotype easily masks the fact that the timber industry is the most dangerous one in the United States.

In 2002, 104 people in this line of work were killed on the job, equating to a rate of 118 fatalities per 100,000 employed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this makes them almost 30 times more likely to be hurt than the average American worker. In fact, the next most dangerous line of work, commercial fishing, had almost 50 fewer accidents-per-100,000.

The top-ten list of most hazardous jobs for that year was rounded out by pilots and navigators, metal workers, driver-sales workers, roofers, electrical power installers, farm workers, construction crew members, and truck drivers.

In addition to the danger of falling trees and rolling logs, which accounts for about 70% of logging injuries, timber workers also face the threat of mechanical malfunctions involving powerful, fast-spinning saw blades. Unlike most slip-and-fall accidents in a mailroom or typical occupational hazards in other settings, even the smallest mistake in a timber industry position can lead to lifelong complications and even death.

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For more information on what to do if you or someone you love has been affected by an accident while on the job in a timber industry setting, talk to an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney today by calling 312-466-8200.

America is a nation of car-drivers, with over 250,000,000 registered passenger vehicles on the road. It is also the historic homeland of the consumer automobile, of Henry Ford’s Model T and the “Motor City” of Detroit.

Although the U.S. automobile industry is currently facing a major crisis, it still employs hundreds of thousands of men and women who work day in and day out to assemble Buicks, Chevys, Cadillacs, and a host of other quality vehicles. These jobs are often physical demanding and dangerous, involving long hours and heavy machinery.

Too many people who do not have first-hand exposure to the real world of automobile plants assume that everything today is automated and that no real risk remains for major harm. While it is true that advances in robotics technology have greatly improved auto production efficiency and output, the component of human labor remains absolutely essential, and the possibility of serious bodily injury to auto factory workers has not disappeared.

Every year, thousands of workers for major American car companies are injured on the job. Apart from the damage that virtually any piece of equipment in a plant can do, the chemicals involved in production can be highly toxic and cause deadly complications for those handling them if strict safety guidelines are not met.

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Injuries resulting from accidents or poor oversight at automobile plants cannot and should not be taken lightly or seen as just “part of the job.” If you or someone you love has been hurt on the job at a vehicle plant, contact the experienced team of Chicago personal injury lawyers at the offices of Friedman and Bonebrake, P.C. by calling 312-466-8200.

When it comes to the dangers posed by other drivers on the highway, few situations are as instantly nerve-wracking as finding yourself behind, beside, or otherwise too-close-for-comfort to an 18-wheeler. The statistics only confirm this fear: a staggering half-million trucking-related accidents occur in the U.S. every year, accounting for 5,000 annual deaths, or one in eight traffic fatalities.

Semi-trailer wrecks happen for a number of reasons. The combination of the truck's size (a typical weight being 80,000 pounds and length between 65 and 75 feet), the speeding invovled with the company's pressure to deliver shipments on time, and the fact that many drivers are subject to extreme fatigue essentially create the perfect storm for a horrible accident. Other contributers to such incidents include:

• Brake failure
• Deregulation of laws concerning the trucking industry
  
• The influence of drugs or alcohol
• Tire malfunction; and
  
• Loose cargo in the freight area 
  

We typically like to think of our society as becoming safer over time, but 18-wheeler accidents are one area that alarmingly breaks this trend, with the number of accidents actually growing every year. Moreover, when a car collides with or is otherwise affected by an 18-wheeler, the truck driver often escapes with minimal injuries as compared to those less-protected in the other vehicle.

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State and federal laws are in place that seek to protect drivers from the negligence of truckers and the companies for which they work, but fault in these cases must nevertheless be vigorously and smartly pursued. To speak with an experienced semi-truck crash attorney about your case, contact the Chicago law offices of Friedman and Bonebrake, P.C. by calling 312-466-8200.