The Facts About Truck Accidents and Drowsy Driving

The damages that a truck accident can give are among the most destructive incidents on the road. Not only can they cause serious damages to properties and other vehicles, they can take many lives of other motorists and pedestrians alike just by the sheer size of their vehicles. One of the leading causes of truck accidents is drowsy driving.

Drowsy driving is said to be just as dangerous, if not even more, than drunk driving. Lack of sleep is very common for truck drivers, who drive long hours with their deliveries and heavy hauls at long distances. The effects of drowsy driving are just about the same as those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A study has discovered that being awake for 24 hours can render you the same as having the blood alcohol equivalent of 0.1 percent (higher than the legal limit in all states). And just like DUI, drowsy driving has the effects such as:

1. diminished vision
2. decreased reaction time
3. impaired judgement
4. bad coordination
5. lack of concentration

Getting enough sleep is very important; however another cause of truck accidents due to drowsiness is taking medications. Many truck drivers are taking medications for various reasons, which in turn can lead to drowsiness and a risk of accident. Because of the danger that drowsiness has posed especially to truck drivers, the government has imposed a limit on the number of hours a trucker should drive. This helps to avoid sleep deprivation among truckers.

Drowsy driving is a national concern, one which everyone should know and be aware of its dangers. To avoid a truck accident, whether you are a trucker or just a regular motorist, it is best to be prepared before getting behind the wheel: get proper rest before driving, make sure to have scheduled breaks during long drives, have someone on the vehicle you can talk to or take the wheel when you are tired, and most especially, don’t take any medications or any type of alcohol.

Preventing a Refinery Accident is Cost Effective

There has been a lot on the news about the Chevron refinery accident that occurred in Richmond recently. This is mainly because Chevron was allegedly negligent in ensuring worker safety and facilities maintenance in the plant despite repeated warnings and internal recommendations to beef up these measures.

The incident brings back the well-known 2005 BP refinery accident in Texas that claimed 15 lives and injured 170 others. The key complaint by more than 300 plaintiffs against BP was their failure to adopt safety measures in the interest of cost cutting. The claims apparently have merit because BP has been consistently fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration millions of dollars for numerous safety violations since the 2005 incident.

And now BP is facing even larger claims for the Deep Water Horizon oil spill which claimed 11 lives and thousands of people affected by the economic and environmental impact of the disaster. The running bill to date for BP is surely higher than the cost of adequate safety measures that would have prevented both the refinery accident and oil spill. And the personal injury claims and regulatory sanctions will probably mount up in the future.

Wouldn’t it have been more cost effective for BP (and most probably for Chevron now as well as other petroleum companies) to ensure the safety of workers and protect the environment?

Never mind the moral and ethical imperative that should have prompted these measures in the first place. Nobody really expects big businesses to care about the little people. But from the purely financial perspective, it seems that the big players in the petroleum industry need to learn some lessons. One wonders how many more accidents it would take to bring home the wisdom of prevention.

If you or someone you know has been injured or suffered losses due to a refinery accident in Texas, contact an experienced refinery accident lawyer in the area. It is your responsibility to drive home these lessons and to get back some of that which has been lost.

Military Divorce

The process of divorce when it comes to military personnel can be different from divorce regarding two married civilians. It is not necessarily complicated, but the differences can be hard to understand at first. Complications arise from the location of filing the divorce, from the division of pension and child support, and from legal protections for the military personnel. Federal laws also affect the process of military divorce, and once you have become familiar with these laws, proceeding with the divorce will go smoothly.

One of the first obstacles for military divorces is where to file the divorce. Because of the issues with where military personnel may be stationed, it can be difficult for a spouse to know where to file for the divorce. Nevertheless, the law permits several options on where to file the divorce:

1.    File in the state where the person who wants the divorce resides.

2.    File in the state where the service member is stationed.

3.    File in the state where the service member is legally registered as a resident.

Many states allow a member of the military to file for military divorce in the state where they are based, regardless of whether either of the divorcing individuals are legal residents of the state. The options above, however, often provide for better choices, especially if issues such as child support, grounds for divorce, distribution of property, and child custody will also be considered later in the divorce proceedings.

Although there is little difference between a divorce between a civilian couple and a military couple, certain laws pertaining to the military personnel can make things a bit more complex. Factors such as being active in service or if one spouse is based permanently in another country can be a cause for longer divorce proceedings.

What To Do After A Car Accident

Transportation has become one of the necessities of modern man. With so many things to do and so many places to go, having a car of your own can be a luxury and a privilege. Knowing how to drive safely is just as important; in order to avoid harming yourself and harming other motorists, there must be mutual respect for everyone on the road. When a car accident occurs, there are various reasons that have come about that caused the incident happen. It can either be mechanical or human errors, road defects, or other factors that accumulated to cause the accident. When it does happen, certain responsibilities should be taken by both the drivers involved in the incident. One thing to remember is to never flee the scene of the car accident. There are legal obligations that each driver must adhere to when they are involved in a car crash or a collision. There are variations from each state, but they generally contain the same context, such as:

1. Stopping you vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so, without blocking traffic.
2. Find other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians who are also involved in the accident, and give them your basic information; name, address, phone numbers, driver’s license, and etc.
3. If there are injured drivers, passengers, or pedestrians, be sure to give them proper assistance by calling 911 and giving necessary information to medical responders.
4. Call the local police department in order to have them secure the scene and make the necessary reports, especially when there is death or serve injuries involved.
5. When there is nobody in the scene after the accident, be sure to leave your name and other important information in a place where the other driver or owner can see it.

Leaving the scene of the accident can fall as a “hit and run” case, and depending on the damage, can be a mere misdemeanor or a felony. Since different states have their own laws regarding this charge, it is important to know about your state laws when it comes to car accidents. You can be fined, imprisoned or both. Other penalties include suspension or revocation of your driver’s license, spiked car insurances, and personal injury claims. Here is some data from the United States Census Bureau regarding Motor Vehicle Accidents and Fatalities.

Texas Woman Accused of Murdering District Attorney

The wife of a former justice of the peace who lost his position after being convicted of felony burglary is now being accused of murdering her husband’s prosecutors.

Kim Lene Williams is being held on three counts of murder: two for killing a district attorney and his wife in March, and one for killing a prosecutor in January. The individuals she is accused of murdering worked together to convict her husband of theft and burglary in March 2012, costing him his position as a justice of the peace.

The arrest warrant said Williams confessed to her involvement in the deaths, but she claimed that her husband was the one behind the killings. He was recently arrested for making unrelated terrorist threats and is presently behind bars. He denies any involvement in these killings.

The victims of these slayings were reportedly so afraid for their safety after convicting Mr. Williams that they purchased handguns to protect themselves.

Williams’s bail is set to $10 million.