The U.S. Chemical Safety Board approved a list of 18 urgent recommendations to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Fire Protection Association, and other organizations in a 4-1 vote in Middletown, Connecticut Monday evening.

Board members believe that gas-fired plants need improved safety precautions, especially when it comes to the cleaning of natural gas pipes.  The similarities found after the investigation of two explosions led members to take a second look at the planned releases of gas in industrial facilities.  The most recent accident occurred in Middletown at the Kleen Energy power plant in February, injuring at least fifty workers and killing six.  A similar accident occurred in June 2009 in Garner, North Carolina at the ConAgra Foods Slim Jim plant, leaving sixty-seven workers injured and four dead.

U.S. Chemical Safety Board member John Bresland stated, “CBS investigators have determined that no specific federal workplace safety standards prohibit intentional, planned releases of natural gas into workplaces…We also determined that there are safe, feasible, economical alternatives to the unsafe gas-handling practices that caused this accident”.

If your or someone you love has been injured in the workplace, contact the Charlotte workers’ compensation lawyers of the Law Offices of William K. Goldfarb at 866-298-0768 to learn more about your rights.

Four Tennessee Department of Transportation employees were injured in a construction accident Tuesday afternoon after the crane they were using collapsed.

The accident occurred in Carroll County, Tennessee at a bridge the TDOT was repairing on State Route 424.  The exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined.

The four men injured in the accident were identified as Ricky Sanders, Odell March, Richard Stone, and Ron Flemming.  Sanders, March and Flemming were released from the hospital Wednesday, but Stone remains in a Memphis hospital in unknown condition.  The extent and type of the men’s injuries was not released to the public.

TDOT spokesperson Nichole Lawrence stated, “We’re just hoping for the best that everyone recovers as soon as possible…It’s a testament to how dangerous these guys’ jobs are”.

If you or someone you love has been injured in the workplace, contact the Charlotte workers’ compensation lawyers of the Law Offices of William K. Goldfarb at 866-298-0768 to learn more about your rights.

The Obama administration made good on a promise made to Republicans last fall to place funds in reducing medical malpractice lawsuits and costs earlier this month.

25 million dollars worth of grants is being distributed to state health departments, universities, and medical centers in an attempt to improve doctor/patient communications and reduce injury, and as a result minimize malpractice lawsuits and lower liability insurance premiums.

In an address to Congress last September, President Obama stated, “I don’t believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I’ve talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs”.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of medical malpractice, contact the Charlotte medical malpractice attorneys of the Law Offices of William K. Goldfarb at 866-298-0768 to learn more about your rights.

Two weeks ago today, a North Carolina Department of Transportation employee, 21-year old Jonathan King, was killed in a tragic accident while setting up a work site off I-40.

King and other DOT employees were setting up a construction site off Interstate 40 in Duplin County when a man driving a tractor-trailer took his eyes off the road and veered into the shoulder, pinning King between two vehicles.

The North Carolina DOT had not lost another employee on the job in the past three years.  A Transportation Supervisor stated that they have the most difficulty getting drivers to slow down in construction zones.

Another employee was injured in the accident, but was released from the hospital in stable condition.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the worker’s family and friends.

A dangerous intersection in Charlotte, North Carolina is being reviewed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to see if a traffic light or other safety precaution is needed.

The intersection is between Highway 87 and Highway 11 in Charlotte.   This past memorial day weekend, a woman died in an accident at the intersection, causing many nearby residents to call for the DOT to take action in making it a safer intersection.

The non-emergency See Click Fix reports issued by concerned citizens grabbed the North Carolina DOT’s attention, and because there was a fatality at the intersection, the DOT will investigate the intersection’s accident history and determine what the best step to take is.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, contact the Charlotte car accident lawyers of the Law Offices of William K. Goldfarb at 866-298-0768 to learn more about your rights.

Early yesterday morning, an accident involving a tractor and Ford Thunderbird occurred on southbound I-77 around the North Carolina and South Carolina border.

The Ford became trapped underneath the trailer of a tractor in front of it and was dragged down the interstate until the tractor was able to stop.  Fort Mill firefighters arrived at the scene and helped the driver and passenger of the Ford out of the vehicle.

The driver of the Ford was uninjured, but the passenger was taken to a local hospital for unspecified minor injuries.

Police officials cite the tractor and Ford coming too close to each other as the cause for the accident.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, contact the Charlotte car accident lawyers of William K. Goldfarb Law at 866-298-0768 to learn more about your rights.

27-year old Abner Saul Mejia Armendariz from Four Oaks, North Carolina was rescued Monday evening after being trapped in a 30-foot deep tunnel early that day.

Armendariz was working for Blount Excavating Inc. on excavating a horizontal channel for a sewage line for the University of Tennessee’s future Sorority Village.   Monday afternoon, Armendariz became trapped between an auger, or large drill, and the wall of the channel.   Armendariz’ leg was caught in the blades of the drill and lost circulation for about an hour before being rescued.   Workers worried if his femoral artery had been cut, but were unable to tell as the pressure on his leg prevented him from losing too much blood.

Armendariz was taken to the UT Medical Center in critical condition.

If your or someone you love has been injured on the job, contact the Charlotte personal injury attorneys of William K. Goldfarb Law at 866-298-0768 to learn more about your rights.

Jordan Myria Hutchins, 19, and Tonya Johnson Watkins, 20, were driving southbound on Rocky Road outside of Lenoir, North Carolina this Tuesday afternoon when the two were involved in a tragic car accident.

Hutchins was driving when she dropped her cell phone and proceeded to lean down and pick it up. The vehicle was only going 35 mph but she ran off the right side of the road and into a cement guardrail in the process.

Highway Patrol official, D.W. Church claims that when Hutchins looked up it was too late and she was unable to react. Futhermore, he stated, “People don’t think 35 mph is all that fast, but it is…She just hit the worst possible thing to hit on a roadway”.

The vehicle hit on the passenger side leaving Watkins trapped inside. A helicopter was sent from Charlotte but she died soon after being removed from the car. Hutchins suffered from only minor injuries.

Hutchins is being charged with reckless driving, but Watkin’s family does not wish for her to be charged in the accident with a misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

With holidays like this past Memorial Day weekend and summer coming up, more drivers are out on the road and over 20 drivers were arrested for drunk driving just this past weekend in Columbus and Bladen counties. The police prepared for this by sending officers out in full force, specifically focusing on “high speed traffic roads such as US 74 and NC 130, along with any beach corridor road in the counties.”

Unfortunately, despite their efforts a 27 year old woman from Charlotte was killed Saturday when another driver failed to yield and hit her head on.  17 people so far this year have died on roads in Columbus county. 

Officials state that the majority of accidents happen on two lane roads due to the proximity of vehicles to oncoming traffic.  They also note that drivers often take greater risks, such as speeding, on two lane country roads under the assumption that they are safer because there is generally less traffic. 

The other driver is still in the hospital with critical injuries. 

If you or someone you love has been injured in an automobile accident contact the Charlotte personal injury attorneys at William K. Goldfarb law at 866-298-0768.