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Legal News

Truck Accident and Tractor Trailer Injuries

• Fiery Collision in Michigan Causes Overpass to Collapse
  Jul 16, 2009

  A car and two trucks, one of which was carrying thousands of galllons of fuel were involved in a major highway accident just outside of Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday.  The explosion erupted upward, causing the overpass, carrying two lanes in each direction, to collapse.  Firefighters put out the blaze late Wednesday and were able to locate all three drivers of the vehicles involved in the crash. The three suffered minor injuries.
  
  Accidents such as this one happen every day and in more cases than not, at least one person involved will require the services of a great attorney who is highly knowledgeable in the field of auto and truck accidents.  If you are in an accident call a Rutter Mills Attorney for help.

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• Two Faulkner Football Players Killed in Tractor-Trailer Crash
  Apr 23, 2009

  Two football players from Faulkner University in Montgomery died early Tuesday morning when their car was struck by a tractor-trailer.

  The University released the following statement regarding their deaths:

  Faulkner University is mourning the death of two of its student-athletes who died in a tractor-trailer accident early Tuesday morning. Teirson Hollis and Ryne Wilhite, both sophomores on the Eagles' football team, died instantly when their car struck an 18-wheeler on Highway 82 in Chilton County. The truck accident happened at 5:10 Thursday morning in Maplesville. The two were returning to Montgomery after visiting a friend in Tuscaloosa.

  
  If you or a love one has been injured in a tractor-trailer accident it is important to contact a truck accident attorney. The rules and regulations regarding tractor-trailer accidents are different than those dealing with small automobile accidents and only a truck accident lawyer will be able to get you and your loved ones the help needed. Contact the tractor-trailer lawyers at Rutter Mills. - 32 - 40

• Tractor-Trailer Wreck in Suffolk
  Mar 16, 2009

  A tractor-trailer overturned and blocked the westbound lanes of Route 58 in Suffolk late Sunday night. The single-vehicle accident sent the driver to the hospital with serious leg injuries. The accident happened just before midnight Sunday about a quarter-mile west of the downtown Suffolk exit. The truck was carrying 75,000 pounds of food which proceeded to spill out onto the road.

  Tractor-trailer injuries are often very serious. If you have been injured by a truck or tractor-trailer contact an attorney who knows how to handle tractor-trailer injury laws. The law offices of Rutter Mills has attorneys that specialize in tractor-trailer accidents.

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Workers’ Compensation

• Police Officer Wins Worker's Compensation Dispute
  Jan 26, 2010

  A police officer has been seeking workers' compensation benefits from the county he worked after being permanently disabled in a motorcycle wreck that occured on his way to work.
  
  The officer was traveling to back up a fellow officer that called for help when his motorcycle crashed. "He spent four months in various hospitals and, after his personal insurance covered 20 percent of his expenses, he still faced more than $600,000 in unpaid medical bills."
  
  The dispute occured because the county stated that the officer was not on duty but was reporting to work when the motorcycle accident happened. The main issue was whether the officer was on duty at the time of the crash or only reporting to work.

  An initial determination that the officer was eligible for worker's compensation benefits successfully was challenged by the county before a worker's compensation appeals board however later won favorable ruling in the state court that was upheld in the Court of Appeals.

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• Company Settles Workers' Compensation Underpayment Case for $20M
  Jan 26, 2010

  Los Angeles Times: Staffing firm pays $20 million to settle fraud allegation

  January 25, 2010 

  A Bellflower company that provides temporary workers to businesses has agreed to pay $20 million in restitution and penalties in a workers' compensation insurance fraud case brought by California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.

  Staffing Services Inc. was accused of underpaying premiums to the State Compensation Insurance Fund, the state's workers' compensation carrier of last resort. Regulators filed charges against the company on Nov. 26, 2008, accusing it of misrepresenting the number of employees and their job descriptions so it would pay smaller insurance premiums.

  "Business owners have to realize that they have a moral and legal obligation to report the correct number and types of employees and then make sure they have adequate workers' compensation insurance for those employees," said Poizner. "This is not a victimless crime. We all pay when a company chooses not to play by the rules as the rest of us."

  The Los Angeles County district attorney's office prosecuted the case against Staffing Services, which was settled with a plea bargain on Jan. 15.

  -- Marc Lifsher

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• Smithfield Virginia Officer Wants Workers' Compensation Law Changed
  Jan 13, 2010

  A workers' compensation law that restricts the time workers have to file claims for certain illnesses contracted in the line of duty is under fire by a Virginia officer looking to change the law.
  
  Health problems can be intensified with red tape, created by a state law that requires workers' compensation claims to be filed within five years of the worker's exposure to the disease. It is very hard to change workers' compensation laws because they result in higher coverage which creates higher costs.
  
  If you are looking to file a workers' compensation claim it is important to contact a workers' compensation lawyer to help you with the strenuous process. The workers' compensation attorneys of Rutter Mills in Norfolk, Virginia will work to get you the compensation you deserve. To contact Rutter Mills workers' compensation attorney call 757.622.5000. All consultations are free for victims of work related injuries and illnesses. - 36 - 40

• Judge Denies Poultry Workers Compensation for Time Spent Changing Gear
  Jan 06, 2010

  A class of 250 unionized Delaware poultry plant workers are not due wages or compensation for the time they have spent “donning and doffing” their protective gear each day, a federal appellate court in Richmond has affirmed, clarifying the issue for Maryland’s district court and adding another pro-employer decision to the national circuit split.

  In a decision that affects thousands of assembly line workers in the mid-Atlantic, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that putting on and taking off the gear, which includes a plastic apron and safety glasses, is “changing clothes” and thus is not necessarily compensable under the Federal Labor Standards Act.

  Instead, whether the predominantly non-English-speaking Latino workforce at the Harbeson, Del., plant should be paid for the roughly 15 minutes spent donning and doffing each day is the province of negotiations between the line workers’ union and Allen Family Foods. The company had rejected the union’s proposal for workers compensation during the changing of clothes.
  
  The Daily Record
  by Brendan Kearney
  Posted: 8:00 PM SUN, JANUARY 3, 2010

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• Companies Are Not Reporting All Injuries
  Nov 18, 2009

  Employers are pressuring workers not to report illnesses and injuries which has led to widespread underreporting of workplace safety issues and filing for workers compensation. 

  The Government Accountability Office report said "workplace injuries and illnesses went unreported because companies pressured employees to withhold the information, and about a third of health providers said they were pressured to withhold medical treatment so companies could avoid filing reports with OSHA."

  It is a companies responsibility to protect its employees and do right by them. The thought of employeers pressuring workers not to report workplace injuries is absured. If you have been injured on the job it is important to report the injury and file a workers compensation claim. If workers compensation is not filed and serious issues result from your injuries down the road, you may not be able to get compensation for the injuries, especially if your injuries are not reported.
  
  If you have been injured on the job and your employeer is pressuring you not to report the injuries or file workers compensation contact the workers compensation attorneys at Rutter Mills. We handle workers compensation claims in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and all of Hampton Roads.

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• Vermont fines cable-installation firm $217K for workplace safety violations
  Aug 27, 2009

  Vermont issued one of its largest workplace safety fines against a firm that formerly worked with Comcast. Six violations were discovered by the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An investigation found "vehicles with cracked windshields, inoperative lights, missing windshield wipers and missing or expired inspection stickers."
  
  These types of violations can put employees at serious risk while on the job. If you are injured while on the job it is important that you contact a workers' compensation attorney. Many times employers will try and deny an injured worker the benefits they deserve. The workers' compensation lawyers at Rutter Mills will work for you.
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• Supreme Court Reverses Workers Compensation Benefit Case
  Aug 21, 2009

  "The Wyoming Supreme Court has overturned a decision by the state Workers Compensation Division medical commission to deny additional benefits to an injured worker.

  Paul Glaze suffered a 2002 injury on the job, leading to treatment that included surgery to fuse a herniated disc.

  The state granted Glaze permanent partial impairment benefits and a permanent partial disability award in 2003 and 2004.

  The commission later denied additional benefits on the grounds that his back problems were the result of natural degeneration.

  The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued an opinion saying there's "undisputed evidence" that Glaze had no problem until after the spinal fusion.

  The court remanded the case to the state division with directions to award Glaze additional temporary total disability benefits."

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