On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Aviation on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Both pilots were able to walk away from a mid-air collision that brought a plane and a helicopter down on Sunday. The aviation accident occurred on Sunday evening between Sacramento and San Francisco. Despite significant damage to the helicopter, the pilot was only shaken up after coming down in a field a few miles outside of the nearest airport. The pilot of the airplane, a single-engine plane, was able to fly the craft 20 miles south before coming down near Byron Airport. The fact that no one was seriously injured in a mid-air collision was incredibly fortunate.
The helicopter came to rest in an empty field. Its tail rotor came down almost 50 feet away from the main body of the vehicle. The collision apparently caused the tail rotor to be severed from the helicopter's fuselage. The pilot would have had no choice but to get the helicopter on the ground, and very quickly, without a functioning tail rotor.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Sunday, February 19, 2012
When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposed new restrictions on the hours of service a truck driver could operate, there was no doubt there would be controversy. Trucking industry insiders believe that the new rules are needlessly restrictive and will not make a significant difference in the number of truck accidents. The American Trucking Association (ATA) is petitioning the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review the validity of the newly proposed rules.
The new rules are designed to reduce the number of truck drivers who drive while fatigued. Tired drivers are a serious threat to themselves and to other motorists. By further limiting the hours a truck driver can work in a seven day period, and by further requiring a rest period during every eight hour shift, the FMCSA is attempting to ensure that drivers are not forced to operate their trucks in a state of exhaustion.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
While many states have adopted bans on texting while driving, the acceptance for a total ban on portable electronic device use while driving has not caught on to the same level. The National Transportation Safety Board called for such a ban last December in response to mounting evidence that cell phones are a growing cause of serious car and truck accidents. The Vice Chairman of the NTSB is testifying on that recommendation for the New York State Senate Committee on Transportation today as part of the effort to gain the support of lawmakers across the nation.
The NTSB has not focused solely on the impact of cell phones on our nation's roadways. Cell phones have been linked to aviation accidents, boating disasters, railroad accidents and other transportation incidents. Cell phones have caused dozens of fatal accidents and led to hundreds of injuries. With cell phone use rising steeply, the problem of distracted driving is only likely to increase. The NTSB has been the leader in gathering evidence about distracted driving and cell phone use.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Aviation on Sunday, February 12, 2012
The A380 had a tumultuous beginning, suffering significant delays before finally beginning passenger flights in 2007. Last month, technicians discovered numerous cracks in the wing ribs of an A380 that had been grounded after having an engine disintegrate in 2010. To prevent an airline accident, the European Aviation Safety Agency ordered roughly 100 of the aircraft inspected and repaired. On Wednesday, Qantas workers found similar cracks in the wing rib feet of one of their A380s and ordered the plane grounded. This has prompted questions over how widespread the cracking problem is and what threat, if any, that poses to passengers and flight crew operating the planes.
Qantas was conducting a check based on reports of substantial turbulence on a flight last month. The airplane manufacturer, Airbus, asked that the wings receive additional inspections. Those inspections turned up 36 small cracks in the brackets where the wing's ribs attach to the surface of the wing. Qantas says those cracks are not the result of turbulence. They believe the issue is related to how the planes were built.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Wrongful Death on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Indiana State Fair disaster that left seven people dead and 58 seriously injured drew national headlines. The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited three groups in connection with the fatal accident. The Mid-America Sound Corp. of Greenfield, Indiana, the Indiana State Fair Commission and the International Alliance of Theatrical and State Employees Local 30 all received hefty fines for actions related to the stage collapse. The findings point to violations of workplace safety. It is not clear what impact the findings will have on the individuals who were harmed and the loved ones of those who lost their lives in the disaster.
In terms of workplace safety, the most serious violations were attributed to the sound company. That company was in charge of the stage rigging and of selecting workers to assemble it. The company was cited for three "knowing" violations of state safety regulations. Along with the union, which failed to follow proper procedure in securing guide wires, the sound company completed construction which the report determined was not competent according to industry standards. The State Fair Commission was cited for failure to protect its employees from those hazards, as well as for not having appropriate emergency plans in place.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Wrongful Death on Monday, February 6, 2012
An Illinois truck driver was struck and killed over the weekend when a trailer towed by an SUV came loose, crossed the median and struck the semi on Interstate 80-90. The driver of the UPS semi truck was declared dead on the scene from blunt force trauma caused by the trailer. The fatal truck accident raises questions as to how the empty trailer became un-hitched from the SUV. According to police, the driver of the SUV was not intoxicated and was not swerving when the trailer came off. He did not receive a traffic citation, nor is he facing criminal charges at this time.
The 12-foot horse trailer was empty as it was towed behind a Chevrolet Suburban on the Indiana Toll Road. The weight of such a trailer should have been no problem for an SUV of that size. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guide to towing, the fact that the trailer was empty could have led to a tongue weight that was too low, leading to excessive swaying. With no evidence of erratic driving or swaying, the most likely causes of the trailer becoming un-hitched are equipment failure or a mistake made in securing the trailer in the first place.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Trucking Negligence on Thursday, February 2, 2012
An Amtrak train headed to Chicago derailed yesterday, injuring at least ten people. The train collided with a semi truck at a railroad crossing in Michigan. The engine was overturned and all 68 passengers and five crew members had to be evacuated. The truck driver was also taken to the hospital. Thankfully, none of the injuries suffered were life-threatening.
At least one passenger indicated that the train was able to slow before it struck the tractor trailer. With two locomotives carrying six passenger cars, the train was far too heavy to stop completely in time. Two cars came off the rails, but only the engine overturned. The injury toll would have been far worse if any of the passenger cars tipped over.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Aviation on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Two investigations conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board were concluded last week with very similar results. The deadly aviation crashes both involved medical helicopters which were returning home after delivering patients. The NTSB was already aware of an increase in medical helicopter crashes. The safety organization had identified a number of factors that contributed to this increase. These two accidents demonstrated that the concerns have not yet been properly addressed.
A medical helicopter pilot may face a difficult decision after dropping off a patient. While these aircraft are required to follow precise guidelines when transporting patients, they leave much to the pilots' discretion regarding the return trip. Both pilots of these fateful flights made the decision to attempt to get home ahead of predicted bad weather. Unfortunately for them, and for the nurses on board, the storms caught up with them and caused the vehicles to crash. There were no survivors.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Aviation on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The National Weather Service is receiving a significant upgrade in its radar technology this year. By improving the ability to forecast precipitation and storms, it is hoped that the new radar system will help prevent deaths, including aviation fatalities related to bad weather. The upgrade is being compared to the installation of Doppler radar that started nationwide in the early 1990s.
Hundreds of Americans were killed by severe weather in 2011. Hurricanes, flash floods and tornadoes were among the leading causes of weather-related fatalities. The new technology, called dual-polarization radar, is intended to improve the ability of meteorologists to accurately predict severe weather, thus giving people a chance to seek shelter or take other safety measures to protect themselves.
On behalf of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. posted in Aviation on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
An air traffic controller with a history of disciplinary problems almost caused an airline disaster at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport last year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The narrowly averted airline accident involved an Embraer ER145 jet with 53 passengers and crew and a Cessna 172. The two planes took off at the nearly the same time on two runways that crossed each other. The planes passed within 300 feet of one another in the air over the airport. One air traffic manager called it a "miracle" that no one was killed in the incident.
The air traffic controller in question had been cited for failing to comply with proper procedure in the past. He had been suspended multiple times recently for being late, for not showing up, and for failing to report that he had been arrested for driving under the influence. He is still working as an air traffic controller in Gulfport to this day.
Social Networking