PINELLAS COUNTY – Two men are confirmed dead in the crash of an Ultra-light aircraft that went down in Boca Ciega Bay off John’s Pass, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The Coast Guard was contacted shortly after 9:30 a.m. by someone who saw what looked like an airplane heading toward the water off…
SEMINOLE COUNTY — A crash on Interstate 4 in Seminole County shut down all eastbound lanes for more than an hour early Saturday morning. Two cars collided around 4:45 a.m. just past the State Road 434 exit in Longwood. According to Seminole County Fire and Rescue, one person was slightly entrapped in one of the…
According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune (9/4, Kessler) reports, “The number of Chinese drywall manufacturers responsible for corrosion and potential health problems plaguing U.S. homeowners may be about to increase substantially.” On Thursday, lawyers involved in the case “revealed that 36 separate variations of tainted drywall have been found — a much higher number than…
NATIONWIDE – In a blog at the New York Times (9/3), Christopher Jensen reported, “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether Honda delayed the recall of almost 440,000 vehicles for an air bag defect that could allow shards of metal to hit the driver. Last November, Honda notified the safety agency that it…
NATIONWIDE – OfficeMax Inc., of Naperville, Ill. is recalling around 216,000 Office Max Task Chairs because of a fall hazard. According to the recall notice, OfficeMax has received about 35 reports of the chair backs or posts breaking, including 15 reports of injuries involving lacerations, muscle strains, contusions and concussions. The recall involves OfficeMax Task…
FT. MYERS – The South Florida Business Journal (9/2, Brinkmann) reported, “Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp has joined hundreds of other Floridians in filing suit over defective Chinese drywall in his home.” He and his wife, “Cynthia Kottkamp, filed federal suit Monday in Fort Myers against manufacturer Knauf Gips KG and Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. The…
Fatigued driving is the #1 safety problem in the trucking industry today, and is a factor in nearly 40% of all crashes nationwide. Unfortunately, it is routine practice for many trucking companies to violate the hours of service and related FMCSR safety rules. Greedy, profit-driven motives have made fatigued driving in the trucking industry a…
NATIONWIDE – A new analysis of government data reveals that more than 28,000 motor carrier companies that operate 200,000 trucks have violated federal safety regulations. According to the FMCSA, more than 4,000 people die every year in collisions with trucks and 80,000 more are seriously injured. Also, though trucks make up less than four percent…
According to the LA TIMES, “Toyota spent years concealing evidence from victims of hundreds of rollover accidents that resulted in death and injury, a former top lawyer for the automaker says.” Dimitrios P. Biller of Pacific Palisades, “a former managing counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., said in the suit that the company repeatedly…
NATIONWIDE – In a column in the Wall Street Journal (8/25), Joseph White writes that beginning with 2010 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will require that vehicles meet higher standards for roof strength in order to receive its top safety pick rating. In addition, starting with 2011 models, the National Highway Traffic Safety…