Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Parents often find it difficult to secure their child car seat to the rear seat. This isn't always the parents fault, however. According to a new study, many automakers simply do not make it easy for parents to secure the car seat.

The study was conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the researchers evaluated approximately 98 automobiles from the 2010 and 2011 model year. They were specifically looking for the Latch systems of these automobiles, and how easy these were for parents to use.

They found that out of the 98.automobiles, only 21 had Latch systems that were easy to use. The Latch or Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system is found in all automobiles from the 2003 model year on. The federal administration has made it mandatory for all automobiles to have these installed in standard models.

Continue reading "Children at Risk of Injuries from Unsecured Car Seats" »

In 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a national plan to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections across the country. Three years on, the initiative has yielded success. According to the Department of Human Services, there has been a decline in the number of healthcare-associated infections over the past 3 years.

In a statement released on its website, the Department Of Health And Human Services has confirmed that since the National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare Associated Infections: Roadmap for Elimination was implemented in 2009, there has been a reduction in hospital-acquired infections in hospitals across the country. The Department of Health and Human Services has submitted hospital infection prevention data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Care Safety Network.

Continue reading "Feds Report Decline in Hospital-Acquired Infections" »

Seat belt manufacturers in Indiana have seen a spike in the demand for school bus seat belts, after a deadly accident killed a 5-year-old child last month. Meanwhile, school bus driver groups as well as the school bus industry continue to oppose any mandate for seat belts on school buses.

Indiana does not have a mandate that requires seat belts to be installed on all school buses. That is in sharp contrast to many other states across the country that have mandated these most basic safety aids on school buses.

California has a rule that requires buses with more than 60 passengers to come with restraint systems, while Florida requires that buses purchased after December 2000 be equipped with seat belts. Even Texas, a state that is notoriously immune to safety laws as exhibited in its failure to enact laws banning the use of cell phones while driving, has a law that requires seat belts on school buses. Under the Texas law, school buses purchased on or after September 2010 must be equipped with 3-point seat belt systems.

Continue reading "Increased Demand for Seatbelts in Indiana School Buses" »

Even as parents of children who were injured in a school bus accident in Indiana last month consider legal action, authorities are waiting for the autopsy results of the truck driver. The results will provide major clues into the cause of the accident that killed the truck driver, as well as a 5-year-old child passenger on the bus.

This has been one of the deadliest school accidents in Indiana in recent years. It also comes as a series of accidents have been reported from Pennsylvania, Missouri and Washington. Several students were critically or severely injured in those crashes too.

In the Indiana accident, the bus which was making its morning rounds, crashed into a support pillar on the Southeast side of Indianapolis. A 5-year-old girl and the truck driver were killed in the accident. Many students on the bus suffered serious injuries that included head and neck injuries and fractures. The children also complained of trauma after the accident.

Continue reading "Investigations into Indiana School Bus Accident Continue" »