Arizona Accident Lawyer Blog

The Christensen Law Firm of Utah recently created an infographic about bicycle accidents and the injuries that often result. The Christensen Law Firm believes strongly in providing integrity and compassion to their clients that have been the victim of a Utah bicycle accident. This infographic helps to explain the importance of wearing a helmet and ways in which bicycle injuries affect a rider. The law firm represents numerous bicycle accidents ranging from cyclists, tri-athletes, and children that have been injured.

The infographic discuses the most common places to ride bikes, the reasons people ride, and statistics about helmet safety. The most common place to ride is on paved roads and the most common reasons people ride bicycles are for recreation purposes and exercise. Even though 48.1% of bicyclists ride on paved roads among cars, only 19 states require drivers to stay at least 3 feet away from cyclists while on the road.

Injuries on bicycles result in 580,000 emergency department visits every year. In 2008 it was reported that 91% of the bicyclists killed were not wearing helmets at the time of their accident. Research has found that helmets reduce to risk of head injury by 85% and severe brain injury by more than 75%. Two-thirds of accident deaths are from traumatic brain injuries.

Arizona personal injury and wrongful death attorneys Alexis and Mark Breyer, “The Husband and Wife Law Team”, represent numerous bicycle accident victims all over Arizona. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a bicycle accident please call for a free consultation.

As parents of seven children with our 8th to be arriving in January, as well as Phoenix product liability attorneys, we are always trying to stay on top of the latest safety findings for kids. This latest product ban comes, we fear, too late for many families.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has outlawed the manufacture, sale, and re-sale of drop-side cribs. The products, designed with one side rail that moves up and down to make it easier for parents to remove the child, have been made by many different manufacturers over the past 10 years.

Over 30 infant and toddler deaths have been caused by this terrible design.

Recently these cribs have been examined more closely for their cheaper designs and manufacture, resulting in faulty parts, unsafe materials, and defective assembly. These problems or the combination of which has lead in many cases to the rail becoming detached partially or completely from the crib. The resulting “V”-like gap between the mattress and side rail provided opportunity for children to become trapped and suffocate or become strangled.

If you or someone you know has one of these cribs in their home, please share this information with them and ask them to remove it. We don’t want to see any more injuries or deaths; there have been too many already. If your child has been seriously injured by a faulty crib or other product, please don’t hesitate to give us a call today at (602) 267-1280 to get your questions answered.

Many Arizona residents are actually transplants from other states around the country; it can be difficult to find an “Arizona native.” Arizona’s draw is oftentimes the single-digit days of rain per year, but also Arizona is recognized for being a safe family state. As parents, Arizona transplants, and accident attorneys, we chose Phoenix because we felt at home. Now our sentiments are being confirmed!

November’s issue of Parents magazine has rated several cities in Arizona in the top 100 best U.S. cities to raise a baby (Arizona Republic via AZ Central 10/7/10). Scottsdale was awarded the “Golden Binky” as it was rated number one on the list; Phoenix was 7th; Mesa was 11th; Gilbert was 14th; Chandler was 17th; Glendale was 25th; and Tucson was 30th. Child injury rates, availability of car seat checks, baby-accessible parks, and number of pediatricians are some of the criteria measured every year by Parents Magazine to determine the rankings.

Scottsdale alone has 20 certified car seat technicians who have helped to correctly install over 2,500 car seats since 2005. Every second and fourth Saturday of each month, parents can go to Scottsdale police and fire departments for a car seat inspection.

An improperly installed car seat can lead to a serious injury for a child in an accident. Safe Kids USA estimates that 84% of child restraint systems showed critical misuses. If your child is of car or booster seat age, take advantage of these free inspections to keep your children safe.

Continue reading "Scottsdale, Arizona Ranked Top City in the U.S. to Raise a Baby" »

Multitasking may be one of the best advantages to having opposable thumbs. However, while driving, those thumbs should remain on the wheel and not on a Qwerty keyboard. In Arizona, there is no ban on texting while driving except in the city of Phoenix. As Arizona car accident attorneys, we hope all drivers keep 100% of their attention on the road in front of them and around them.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a study on the effectiveness of texting bans (USA Today via AZ Central 9/28/10). Thirty states and the District of Columbia have a ban on texting while driving. The Insurance Institute found that the bans have not decreased the number of accidents at all; in fact, they found rates had risen in three states. Instead of refraining from texting, drivers now may be focusing more on hiding the fact to evade the police, which lowers their eyes from the road even more, and for longer periods of time.

There are many distractions drivers must juggle while on the road, many of which can not be avoided. One action that can be controlled is cell phone use. While texting bans may not be as effective as many originally thought, the practice is still very dangerous. The No Phone Zone project says 16 people every day are killed due to distracted drivers and encourages drivers to declare their cars “no phone zones” to prevent distracted driving. To take the pledge, visit www.nophonezone.com.

Continue reading "Laws Banning Texting While Driving May Increase Accident Rates" »

With our own children approaching driving age, we are reminded nearly every day of the safe driving practices we want our children to utilize. All too often, car accidents are caused by distracted drivers who are rubbernecking, texting, eating, or talking on the phone. As Arizona car accident attorneys, we hope all drivers minimize their distractions in the car.

This weekend at the Tempe Diablo Stadium, the National Driving Safety Institute and Cricket Communications are hosting a safe driving program for teens (KPHO 9/24/10). The program, the XCD Driving Challenge, is expecting over 100 teens to participate in programs designed to teach teens how to ignore distractions, including activities such as the “Safe Text Driving Challenge.”

Teens are well aware of the dangers of texting and driving, yet surveys show that 86% still do it. As part of the American Lawyer Academy, we are sponsoring a scholarship program to help teach teens about the dangers of distracted driving. There is $25,000 available in scholarships to high school seniors and college students who enter the contest. Full entry rules and requirements are available on our website at www.breyerlaw.com/viral-video-scholarship-contest-southwest-region.html.

Continue reading "Teen Driving Course Warns of Dangers of Distracted Driving" »

Phoenix car accident lawyers are often asked all the time whether or not a person should file a claim after a car accident. Mark Breyer is a top rated attorney through AVVO. In answering this question, people who are involved in a car accident are very vulnerable and many times have lots of questions. This is a very important question because it usually means that the person has not yet spoken to the insurance company.

The answer to whether or not you should file a claim is that YES a claim has to be filed, but NO the person who was in the accident should not be filing the claim. Typically, after a car accident, a person is shaken-up and the adjuster wants to ask lots of questions and wants detail. Many times the adjuster will ask that the conversation be recorded.

Continue reading "After a Car Accident: Filing a Claim" »

Phoenix Personal Injury Attorney, Mark Breyer, has received the highest rating of "superb" from AVVO. AVVO is currently one of the top attorney ranking services throughout the Nation. AVVO is a top notch organization that ranks lawyers all over the country to give potential clients a better understanding of each lawyer's different expertise. Lawyers are acknowledged for their stated area of practice and each attorney has their own profile. The ranking includes evaluations by former clients, endorsements by other lawyers, awards the lawyers have received, associations that the attorneys are a part of, the lawyer's professional conduct, and recognition by the entire industry. Although Mark Breyer is a certified specialist in injury and wrongful death law by the State Bar of Arizona, AVVO rates attorneys not just in injury and wrongful death law, but every area of law, including criminal, bankruptcy and family law.

Learn more about Phoenix Personal Injury Attorney Receives Highest Rating - Phoenix Personal Injury Attorney here.

Severe injuries to a child. An allegation and evidence of a dangerous, defective product. How will this get resolved? Fortunately, through our jury system. I recently read about this tragic case where Trevor Dennis, a minor, suffered severe burns due to an alleged defective heater. The defendant, Coleman Company, has thus far refused to accept responsibility or settle the case. To some, this may sound like a story destined for injustice. However, perhaps those people do not realize the strength of our civil justice system: the jury. Nationally renowned law firm Bisnar Chase is handling the matter for the plaintiffs, so we know the plaintiffs are going to get a fair shot at justice. Without prejudging the case – it is the job of the jury to decide the facts of what happened and come to a final conclusion – I think it is fair to say that many defendants that have wrongfully denied justice have had to answer to the jury.

This, then, is not a final judgment of what occurred, but a great testament to the fact that everybody – from the young child to the international corporation – all can, for a day, sit on the same playing field, having to answer to the same jury. Justice can be delayed, but it should not be denied. We look forward to awaiting the outcome of the jury trial and hope that justice is done: whatever the jury deems that to be.

Source report:http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS152701+20-Mar-2008+BW20080320

Phoenix car accident lawyer Mark Breyer has received the honor of being rated "superb" by AVVO, the nation's top lawyer rating service. AVVO is an organization that rates attorneys throughout the United States. AVVO rates and recognizes attorneys in every area of practice. Lawyers are rated based on numerous meaningful criteria, including the lawyer's experience, client feedback, professional conduct, and industry recognition. The ratings are from a 1 to 10 and a very small percentage of lawyers receive a perfect 10 rating. Mark Breyer has been awarded a perfect "10" rating by AVVO.

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