Washington Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Regan Zambri & Long Law Firm : DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

  Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

I was contacted earlier this week to represent the family of a man who died when he fell seven stories as a result of a work accident that likely could have been prevented. All too often, employers consider profits over people, allowing their job sites to fall short of applicable safety standards, endangering American workers.   There are strict federal and local laws in place that govern workplace safety.  Unfortunately, these laws are often ignored and poorly enforced.  As a result, workers are killed or otherwise seriously injured every day.

Please take a look at a video that you can view by clicking here.  It  dramatically explains how workers are needlessly killed or injured as a result of preventable incidents.

There are workers'-compensation laws in every state that provide benefits to injured workers.  My office handles those kinds of claims routinely.  However, those laws do not make the workplace safer, which should be the primary goal.  Employers need to create safe work environments so that deaths and serious injuries can be avoided in the first place.  If they fail to adhere to the laws governing safe work environments, they should be shut down.  It's a matter of life and death.

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Posted by Catherine Bertram 

Baby Matters LLC, which produces and markets the Nap Nanny, has issued a voluntary recall of Nap Nannies sold between January 2009 and July 2010.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated the product after a Michigan infant died when her head became wedged between the Nap Nanny and her crib bumper. 

Officials emphasized that users should never place the Nap Nanny in a crib or near any other objects on the floor.  The danger is higher on earlier Nap Nanny models, which do not have D-rings.  Consumers with earlier models can obtain an $80 coupon toward a newer, safer model by calling Baby Matters LLC at (888) 240-4282 or by visiting the company's recall page.

About the author:

Catherine Bertram is board certified in civil trials and was recently nominated as a 2010 Super Lawyer for personal injury law in Washington, D.C.  Ms. Bertram has 20 years of trial experience and is unique in that she was formerly the Director of Risk Management in Washington, D.C.  Ms. Bertram is a member of the bar for the U.S. Supreme Court.  She is a partner with the firm and lectures regularly to lawyers, nationally and locally, regarding trial strategy,  complex medical issues and other related consumer safety issues. She has also recently published a chapter in a surgical textbook.   She can be reached by email at cbertram@reganfirm.com or by phone 202-822-1875 in her office in Washington, D.C.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

During a recent California court case involving the deaths of two women, executives of the country's largest car rental company admitted to renting vehicles known to be under safety recalls. According to testimony by Enterprise (parent company for Alamo and National) executives, there was no company policy to require cars under recall to be held back from rental.  A subsequent investigative report by ABC News also revealed that  neither Avis nor Hertz have company-wide policies regarding recalled vehicles, but evaluate safety recalls on a case by case basis. After the trial and admission of negligence, Enterprise issued a statement of their procedures for automobile manufacturers' recalls. 

Essentially, car rental agencies have taken the attitude that demand trumps safety.  By doing so, are they also putting profits over safety? Consumers need to become their own advocates in matters of safety and recalls.  When renting a vehicle, ask what types of vehicles are available, then do your own research at SaferCar.gov, a special portion of the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. 

As I have advocated frequently on this blog, safety and people must be put above profits.

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About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a board-certified civil trial attorney by the National Board of Trial Advocates and a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. He has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including premises liability, product liability, medical malpractice, and automobile accident claims. Mr. Zambri has also been named a "Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyer magazine (March/April 2010)--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

If you have any questions about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.

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