It may seem reasonable to collect hazardous materials or wastes in one location - until the location experiences a major fire. That is exactly what the New York Times reports is happening in North Carolina. And, 17,000 people have been moved out of harm's way. Blaze in North Carolina Prompts Huge Evacuation A fire at a chemical storage plant in Apex, N.C., a suburb of Raleigh, produced a plume...
"I'm not a chemical engineer, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night."One Holiday Inn Express wishes it had hosted a chemical engineer on April 9,2004.Jury awards $650,000 in chlorine leak case A Mason County jury, in a 21-page verdict, on Thursday awarded nearly $650,000 total to five plaintiffs who said they suffered physical and mental damages after a chlorine leak at the...
Department store dummies have caused their share of injuries, believe it or not. After reading this compilation of dummy lawsuits you may be more wary of these supposedly inanimate objects as you walk the aisles of your favorite store. "Attack of the Mannequins" might sound like a horror film title, but a Southern California woman insists it could be a documentary.Diana Newton sued J.C. Penney...
Structural building defects that suddenly take a live or lives have many fathers.My experience in cases where a death or serious injury occurs because of a structural defect parallels what is being reported in the New York Times about the Big Dig tragedy in Boston. Investigation almost always reveals advance warning and multiple responsible parties who each failed to do what was required.Wide...
If a young child drowns in a lake, is the owner of the body of water liable? The owner of a body of water is not liable merely because a child may be too young or of insufficient intelligence to understand the open and obvious danger of the water; the responsibility for the care of such children remains with their parents and caretakers. The body of water cases in the State of Florida are...
Lately, I have noticed more frequent injuries occurring when handicapped access features of buildings and parking areas are improperly constructed. One example, is the ramp that far exceeds the maximum slope specified in building codes. Another is the lack of safety barriers which is the situation in this report from the Columbia Daily Tribune. Lawsuit filed after injury at downtown Walgreens...
BrainInjury Blogs has just posted a very timely reminder about the importance of pool safety. Every summer there are Tampa Bay news reports of drownings and serious brain injuries as a result of swimming pool incidents. Most of the victims are children. The full article is well worth a read.Swimming Pool SafetyWith the approach of the memorial day weekend, it's important to focus on swimming...
The hurricane season is not yet upon us, but a hurricane of a different sort has injured a young boy at Cypress Gardens. The parents of a 13-old boy who fell from a roller coaster ride at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park are suing the amusement theme park for negligence. On Feb. 25, 2006, Martin Llamas fell off the Triple Hurricane -- a $2 million wooden roller coaster in operation since...
Can a school be legally liable if one of its students is struck by a vehicle while crossing a public highway between a dormitory and a building housing the cafeteria, mail center, and bus stop? According to a new appellate court decision in Florida:The school's decision to place its dormitory buildings on either side of a busy urban highway, requiring its students on one side to cross the...
Is insurance sometimes just a masquerade? That is the question a judge in Tampa will have to answer. The story on TBO.com could be headlined, Now You See It, Now You Don't. Colony Insurance Says Club Slaying Is Not CoveredTAMPA - The insurance company for an Ybor City nightclub where a man was fatally stabbed in June says it should not have to pay if the club loses a wrongful death lawsuit.On...
