According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 2.9 million people suffered seat belt injuries, and 43,000 people died as a result of seat belt injuries in 2002.  Due to the inadequacy of many seat belt systems, a growing number of products liability and negligence suits have been filed for personal injury and wrongful death.

            In the event of a motor vehicle collision, a restraint system should help to keep the occupant in the vehicle, dissipate energy, and prevent second interior occupant collisions.  Several defects have been exposed in the design, manufacture, assembly, installation, and warnings of the restraint systems.  However, the industry has yet to correct these problems.

            There are four main components of a seat belt restraint system.  These include: (1) the webbing (2) the buckle (3) the retractor; and (4) the anchorage.  If any of these mechanisms fail, the occupant may suffer serious injury or death.  In order to recover for any damages, the plaintiff must prove that the system was defective when it was in the possession, control, or responsibility of the defendant.  The plaintiff must also prove that the defect caused the injury.

            If you believe you may have suffered from a potential seat belt injury, please contact the attorneys at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-800-460-0606.  Our attorneys have years of experience in motor vehicle and products liability cases, and look forward to helping you.

A nation-wide 55-mile-per-hour speed limit is once again being discussed in Congress. Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia has suggested that he may introduce the bill before he retires at the end of his term.

Warner has asked the Energy Department to research the most fuel efficient national speed, and points to a Congressional Research Study report that reduced speed limit law introduced in the 1970s reduced oil consumption and vehicular deaths.

While most consumers are against reviving the “Fifty-Five Alive” legislature, truckers have been the most receptive to the idea. Trucking associations would like to see the speed limit set at 65mph, which would increase truck mileage by more than 25 percent.

The 55mph national speed limit was originally enacted during the energy crisis of 1974. It was nullified in 1996 after twenty years of frustrated drivers and county court houses overflowing with speeding violations.

By now, most states have raised their speed limits to 65mph. A few allow up to 70mph, and Texas’ is as high as 80mph in some parts of the state.

Have you been injured in a car wreck due to a manufacturing defect or someone else’s negligence? Contact experienced attorneys at the law office of Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP today, at 1-800-460-0606.

On January 25, 2006, a Florida truck driver fell asleep behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer truck and collided with a car filled with children waiting for the school bus. Seven children were killed in the car wreck.

On June 12, 2008, he driver of the tractor-trailer was sentenced to seven years in prison. He faced seven counts of vehicular homicide, among other related charges. He pleaded no contest.

The driver did not have alcohol or drugs in his system. He did exceed the federal standards for tractor-trailer drivers by being behind the wheel for over 34 hours without sleeping.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, tired and inattentive drivers may be at fault for about 75 percent of car wrecks. In 2006, about 5,000 people were killed in truck accidents and 106,000 people were injured.

Car wreck attorneys are working to prevent serious injuries and fatalities that result from the negligence of drivers.