Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

It was a proud moment for Indiana personal injury attorneys and auto safety advocates in the state. Last week, the Indiana Senate voted to approve a bill that would ban texting while driving for all motorists. The bill was approved 29-21 in the Indiana Senate, and will likely be merged with another similar bill that was passed in the House.

The bill that has passed the Senate would extend the state's current laws banning text while driving for all drivers below 18, to all motorists. Last month, the House passed a bill that imposed a ban on texting while driving for all drivers. That bill was approved 85-11 and makes texting while driving an infraction. Under the bill, motorists would be fined up to $500 if they are caught texting while at the wheel. Once these two bills are merged, it will be sent to the governor for his signature.

Continue reading "Indiana Close to Law to Prevent Distracted Driving Accidents" »

Last month, Triad Group announced a recall of alcohol swabs due to fears of bacterial contamination. According to Triad, the risk of someone actually falling sick from these contaminated swabs was actually quite small. The parents of a two-year-old boy, who died from a hospital-acquired infection, have now filed a lawsuit against Triad, claiming that the swabs were responsible for his fatal infection.

Two-year-old Harrison Kothari had been admitted to the hospital for a routine surgery, and had been scheduled to be discharged in a few days time, but on 1 December, he began to suffer acute organ failure from bacterial meningitis. Harrison died soon after. His parents struggled to understand the cause of their son's death, until they came across reports of a recall of the alcohol swabs that had been used during his procedure. That recall notice by Triad Group warned consumers of the contaminated alcohol swabs, and cautioned medical professional against using these swabs even for cleaning the site of an injection. According to Triad, the risk of an infection developing from these contaminated swabs is very minute.

Continue reading "Indiana Patients Follow Legal Case Linking Hospital-Acquired Infection and Alcohol Pads" »

A new study indicates to Indiana personal injury lawyers that red light cameras could actually save hundreds of lives in Indiana accidents every year, even as a piece of legislation introduced in the Indiana Senate seeks to allow towns and cities in the state to contract with red light camera companies to catch violators.

It's almost perfect timing. This week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released the findings of a new study that indicates that the use of red light cameras would prevent hundreds of red light violation-related accidents every year. The study looked at 14 American cities that had red light cameras installed between 2004 and 2008. The accident statistics of these American cities during this time period were compared to the period from 1992 to 1990, when these cities did not have red light cameras. Further, for comparison purposes, the researchers at the Insurance Institute looked at 48 other American cities that have never had red light cameras.

Continue reading "Indiana Red Light Cameras Could Save More Lives " »

A study of the safest states in the country based on the number of accident fatalities in 2009, places Indiana at number 24. With 690 accident fatalities in 2009, Indiana has a vehicle death rate of 10.8. That is slightly better than the national average of 11.0, but much worse than the District of Columbia and Massachusetts. In fact, Indiana fares worse than crowded New York and New Jersey with their notoriously bad roads.

As Indiana personal injury attorneys, we find that the accident fatality numbers in the state are unacceptably high. So, why does Indiana continue to struggle with high accident fatality numbers? The answer could lie in the number of rural roads we have. One look at the results of the study indicates that states that have fewer accident fatalities and lower vehicle death rates, have more urban roads than rural roads.

Continue reading "Rural Roads Add to Indiana Accident Fatality Toll" »

Winter weather and speed combined yesterday resulting in another road-side injury to a police officer in Wayne county. The officer, handling another traffic accident, was struck when a box truck, unable to slow enough to avoid another collision caused a chain reaction accident. His truck hit the deputy and knocked him into the ditch. The deputy was standing behind his vehicle at the time.

While the deputy is scheduled to be released from the hospital, he was lucky to come away from the accident with his life.

Too often, semi and box truck drivers pay little attention to the conditions of the road, putting pedestrians and safety officials at greater risk. This is another incident in which a driver, unaware of the conditions and the circumstances, caused property damage and personal injury.

Continue reading "Wayne County Sherriff's Deputy Injured" »

Indiana weather forecasters are reporting that the catastrophic ice storm has passed and clean up is underway. Local school corporations, daycare centers and businesses have closed for another day. Many state employees will stay home today. Cities remain closed. Even state universities have closed for another day. As of this writing more than 950 closings and delays have been reported.

As the wind subsides and the snow stops falling, salt trucks will pass through your neighborhood and scrape the layers of ice away. Schools will reopen and business will get back to normal. The attorneys Montross Miller Muller Mendelson & Kennedy urge Indiana drivers to proceed with caution for the next several days. While the road may appear clear, blowing winds and drifting snow has combined with sub-zero temperatures to keep the roads icy and slick. Black ice, snow drifts, and inattentive drivers can still pose hazards to unsuspecting and unprepared travelers.