Findlay Personal Injury Lawyer - Car Accidents

Video shows how new technology could prevent pedestrian car accidents

Chuck Boyk — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:57:00 GMT

What can you do to prevent pedestrian car accidents? Check out the video below to see what General Motors is doing to create technology that could save lives.

New technology, called V2P, or Vehicle to Pedestrian, is designed to help drivers spot pedestrians and bicyclists nearby. Small devices the size of a cell phone release signals to cars with the built-in receivers.

Our fatal car accident lawyers handle on a regular basis car accidents that involve pedestrians or auto accidents involving bicyclists. We can help you if you have been struck by a car while walking or on your bike. Contact our office to order your FREE copy of The Ohio Accident Book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzjVXOih4Ps

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chuck Boyk

Prevent truck accidents this winter, be extra cautious on ice and snow

Chuck Boyk — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:48:00 GMT

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in eight fatal car accidents in 2004 resulted from a collision involving a large truck.

The heavy weight of the vehicle makes it harder for semi-trucks to stop, especially when there is snow and ice on the ground. Since the trailer is only connected to the truck’s cab in one place, it is easy for the trailer to jack-knife, or sway on icy roads. Help truck drivers avoid an Ohio truck accident by never cutting off a driver, and by maintaining proper speed around them.

Our Toledo, Ohio truck accident lawyers want to urge drivers to be extra careful this winter as the snow and ice make it difficult for semi-trucks to maneuver on roadways.

Stay out of a trucker’s blind spot. If you cannot see their rear-view mirrors, the truck drivers cannot see you. Avoid Ohio truck accidents by keeping extra distance between you and trucks this winter. But if you or someone you know has been injured in an Ohio truck accident, contact our Ohio truck accident attorneys to order your FREE copy of The Ohio Accident Book today.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chuck Boyk

Prevent car accidents, be extra careful during Daylight Savings Time

Chuck Boyk — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:08:00 GMT

The sun goes down earlier this time of year, due to Daylight Savings Time, which means that kids who walk and adults who drive need to be extra careful when traveling, in order to prevent car accidents.

According to CNN.com, pedestrians walking at dusk are three times more likely to be struck and suffer wrongful death in a car accident than before the clocks moved back. The highest personal injury and wrongful death risk for pedestrians occurs around 6pm during the month of November.

Obey all posted driving rules and speed limits, and keep an extra eye out for pedestrians. Since most pedestrian auto accidents occur at intersections, it is important not to speed through lights or make turns without looking – even if you have a green light or the right of way.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a pedestrian car accident, order your free copy of The Ohio Accident Book to learn your rights. Our attorneys can meet with you, for free, to discuss your options and give you a complimentary case evaluation.

This year, clocks are to be turned back one hour at 2am on Sunday, November 2, 2008. However, it might be easier to turn them back before going to bed Saturday night!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chuck Boyk

Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorney gives answers to general legal questions

Chuck Boyk — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:24:00 GMT

Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorney Dale Emch answers general legal questions in his Toledo Blade “Legal Briefs” column. Attorney Emch answers questions on all topics, including those on car accidents, dog bites, and wrongful death.

Dear Dale: My sister has been living with a guy for about three years. She has recently been trying to get him to leave because he has become verbally abusive and sometimes destructive, but he refuses. I would think that being abusive, which her neighbors
Answer: My initial take on this situation is that your sister probably can throw the guy out as long as some provision is made for him to retrieve his belongings.

But your question doesn’t address a few key details, so I’ll try to deal with the “what-ifs” in hopes they’ll be helpful to you or other readers. My main concern about booting the guy out and changing the locks would be if he can be construed to be a tenant who is renting from your sister. If he’s the type of guy who would push the matter on a legal front, it could be a hassle for her to get him out.

In Ohio, a tenant is someone entitled by a rental agreement to use and occupy a residence. A rental agreement can be written or oral. A tenant can be evicted in certain situations, but those evictions have to follow rules spelled out under the law.

For instance, a tenant can be evicted for such things as not paying rent or for holding over past the term of the lease agreement. In that event, the landlord must give the tenant proper notice that he’s being asked to leave and that his eviction could be sought. A complaint would then have to be filed in court and a hearing would be held.

Rental agreements also can be terminated without evictions. For instance, a landlord renting to a tenant on a month-to-month basis without a lease can end the agreement by giving the tenant a month’s notice that he has to move.

So, what does that mean for your sister? It really depends on what their agreement was when he moved in. If they formally agreed that he would pay a set amount of money each month to live there, he’d have an argument that he was a tenant. In that case, to be safe legally, she could give him a 30-day written notice that he must leave.

I’m guessing, though, that they didn’t have a formal agreement. If that’s the case, I don’t think he’d be a tenant under Ohio law, and therefore wouldn’t be entitled to the protections available under the law. He’d be no different than a guest, and his refusal to leave would be a trespass. If that’s the situation, my view is that she can kick the guy out today, change the locks, and make his belongings available to him somehow.

The problem is that in these situations there’s always a rub between the legal and the practical. It’s simply bizarre that your sister has told the guy to get out, but he won’t. He may be the type of guy who is going to make things ugly or messy before she can finally get him out the door, regardless of whether the law is on her side. If he has no rental agreement with her, she should ask him to leave again in front of witnesses, and if he doesn’t, she should call the police.

If he is paying rent and he won’t leave after getting written notice, have your sister contact a lawyer who deals with property-law issues so the process can be done in a legally proper way.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chuck Boyk

Nearly half of teens admit to texting while driving, increasing risk of car accidents

Chuck Boyk — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:23:00 GMT

Distracted driving can cause serious car accidents and personal injury.

While cell phone use behind the wheel has always been a main source of distracted driving, text messaging while driving has also become a popular phenomenon among young drivers.

A recent study by Findlaw.com found that nearly half of drivers 18-24 admit to texting or emailing via cell phone while driving. The study of 1,000 Americans also found that 27 percent of adults aged 25 to 34 and 19 percent of adults aged 35 to 44 admit to texting as well.

Ohio is the process trying to make texting while driving against the law, according to Toledo Legal News. The prospective law would cost a driver caught texting behind the wheel $250 in fines.

The University of Utah found that the risk for a car accident increases by 50 percent for those who text while driving. AAA reports that the risk for a car accident also double for those drivers who take their eyes off the road for only two seconds, and that 80 percent of car accidents involve some sort of inattention.

Our Toledo, Ohio car accident attorneys have seen time and time again the devastation that car accidents can bring to a family. We urge drivers to leave their cell phones alone while driving. If a call must be made or received, our Toledo, Ohio car accident attorneys encourage drivers to pull over to use their phones or use a wireless headset such as a Bluetooth.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, contact our office to order your FREE copy of The Ohio Accident Book. The book will teach you the proper steps to take after an injury, as well as inform you of your rights under Ohio law.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chuck Boyk