Legal

The Legal section covers court rulings, statutory changes, liability trends, and key developments in Alabama and federal law that shape personal-injury claims. We explain how case law and regulation affect claims strategy, statutes of limitations, damages, and the rights of injured people pursuing justice.

Motorcycle crash kills man

A two-vehicle accident Wednesday night left one man dead on the Causeway near Battleship Memorial Park, a Press-Register article reported. This accident included a motorcycle and a Toyota pickup truck. A man driving the pickup truck was experiencing engine problems that caused his vehicle to partial

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 6 Nov 2006

Coal mine accidents cause 43 deaths this year

The coal mining industry is facing one of the most difficult years it has had in history, as the year’s death toll has already reached 43. This is the highest number of deaths resulting from coal mining accidents in more than a decade, according to an article in The Daily Athenaeum Interactive of We

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 3 Nov 2006

Improving safety in the workplace

Unfortunately, worksite injuries continue to plague America’s workplaces, even with the improvements that have been made. An interesting article in Looking Fit Magazine offers some helpful advice to both employers and employees in all types of workplaces looking to become safer. The Occupational Saf

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 2 Nov 2006

Accidents on Alabama 20 totaled 83 last year

According to a report from DecaturDaily.com yesterday, a stretch of just over two miles on Alabama 20 between I-65 and U.S. 31 has seen 83 motor vehicle accidents last year alone. Many drivers treat this dangerous stretch of four-lane country highway like it’s an interstate. The story reports that a

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 30 Oct 2006

Disturbing trucking accident statistics

Tractor-trailers, otherwise known as semis or large trucks, are involved in nearly 500,000 traffic accidents each year. Of these, nearly 5,000 result in death, and many others in severe injuries. Another disturbing statistic is that one out of every eight motor vehicle accident fatalities involves a

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 26 Oct 2006

Merck in the News

Today Merck introduced a new shingles vaccine called Zostavax, which is apparently backed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The company’s new drug is put in a positive light after the recent Vioxx scandal, which included thousands of lawsuits from patients who suffered from st

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 26 Oct 2006

Osteoporosis drugs linked to jaw disease

A number of drugs which are often used to treat osteoporosis and cancer patients are believed to cause a terrible jaw disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw or “dead jaw.” Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Skelid, Adedia, Bonefos, Didronel and Zometa are part of a drug category called bisphosphonates. Thes

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 25 Oct 2006

Latest Study On Celebrex Confirms Cardiovascular Risk

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom is the equivalent of the FDA in the U.S. A new study was reported by MHRA on March 1, 2006, regarding Celebrex. It lists a new study by several authors, including Dr. Brent Caldwell, citing a medical journal. The we

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 25 Oct 2006

Merck's 18-Month Myth Is Now Totally Deflated

Merck & Co. has been playing fast and loose with the truth for years relating to its testing and marketing of Vioxx. Finally, in an admission that undermines its core defense in Vioxx-related lawsuits, Merck has finally decided to tell the truth. Merck now says it erred when it reported in early 200

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 24 Oct 2006

Alabama state court in Vioxx spotlight

One of today’s top Reuters headlines talks of a new barrage of Vioxx litigation over this defective drug that has been proven to cause strokes and heart attacks. Though a case in Texas was recently dropped by a plaintiff just two weeks before trial, several others move forward and will soon go to tr

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 24 Oct 2006

Alabama traffic and pedestrian accidents high

Sadly, one need only scan recent headlines pointing to Alabama traffic and pedestrian accidents to see that the roads continue to be a dangerous place. One article on the Press-Register’s al.com details the problem for pedestrians and how the government is addressing it. Two weeks in September broug

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 23 Oct 2006

OSHA reports targeted inspection plan for 2005

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that its 2005 site-specific targeting (SST) plan will focus on approximately 4,400 high-hazard worksites for unannounced comprehensive inspections over the coming year. Jonathan Snare, Deputy Assistant Decretary of Labor for

By Legal Examiner Staffer

/ 20 Oct 2006