Did you make any new years resolutions this winter? For the driving safety parent, cutting down on your child’s use of cell phones behind the wheel is a great... Read More
There are two sides to the debate about whether state bar associations should enforce stricter regulations on attorney advertising. First, there’s the question of whether the courts should regulate... Read More
Due to the increased likelihood of drunk driving and adverse road conditions, winter holidays always carry an extra risk of car accidents. This year, warns the auto advocate AAA,... Read More
Distracted driving is not just dangerous and thoughtless. It’s also a major crime when associated with the most terrifying circumstances. On September 15, 20-year-old Ani Voskanian caused an accident... Read More
It’s not a good sign if your city’s police officers are getting in distracted driving car accidents. That’s the case in Portland, Oregon, where police officer Ty Garrison struck... Read More
At a meeting in San Francisco late last week, the city’s pedestrian advocacy organization WalkSF met with members of the Board of Supervisors to brainstorm methods to best reduce... Read More
For the past few months, public opinion concerning the Toyota unintended acceleration lawsuits has largely favored the Japanese auto giant. But last week, a federal judge declined to dismiss... Read More
In a unique report released last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the number of drivers fatally injured in car accidents who tested positive for drug... Read More
Back in April, one of Portland’s TriMet busses struck five pedestrians while turning left onto a busy street. Danielle Sale, 22, and Jenee Hammel, 26, were both killed. Families... Read More
For months, national lawmakers have been sparring over the benefits of a proposed auto safety overhaul, potentially the largest update for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since it... Read More
The insurance industry is at it again. Addressing the fact that distracted driving causes more than 6,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries each year, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has... Read More
When DePuy Orthopedics launched its recall of thousands of their ASR hip implant models about two months ago, preliminary discussions indicated that San Francisco was on the short list... Read More
In his manifesto against motorcycle helmet laws in the Chicago Tribune last week, columnist Steve Chapman listed a number of actions people can legally take to endanger their health:... Read More
Just under two months ago, the Food and Drug Administration began recalling hip implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopedics, citing complaints it has received for more than two years about... Read More
Two months ago, the Food and Drug Administration announced its recall of hip implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson. Since, complaints about the recalled... Read More
As I wrote last week, holiday weekends inevitably carry an increased risk of car accidents and other holiday-related injuries. While this holds true for 2010, there were fortunately no... Read More
We spend a lot of time on the GJEL blog discussing distracted driving and the implications of the dangerous practice on a large scale. Since distracted driving contributes to... Read More
Just under two months ago, the Food and Drug Administration began recalling hip implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, citing complaints it has received for more than two years about... Read More
The National Transportation Safety Board is taking on a tough crowd in its effort to implement a national law requiring motorcycle helmets for all ages. The Wall Street Journal... Read More
This won’t surprise you: bicycle injuries are bad for your health. That’s (partially) the conclusion of a yearlong bicycle commuter study released by the Oregon Health & Science University... Read More
Practicing law for the past 35 years, GJEL Partner Luke Ellis has developed an outstanding reputation in the courtroom. For the past ten of those years, he has worked... Read More
In the past, study of age-related driving dangers has generally focused on teenagers and twenty somethings, the demographics with the most questionable driving records. More recently, safety experts have... Read More
Pedestrians beware, as we head into the holiday months, generally considered the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists due to increased traffic, worsening road conditions, and dimmed visibility. Thanks... Read More
Sadly, vehicle seat belts do not represent a catchall solution to end car accident deaths. In fact, a recent Supreme Court case indicates that one victim may have “jackknifed... Read More
Pleasant Hill, a town of about 33,000 located between Walnut Creek and Concord in California's Contra Costa County, is moving forward with a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plan designed... Read More
As voters went to the polls yesterday, candidates, propositions, and the direction of the country were no doubt on their minds. Oddly enough, some Maryland voters were also likely... Read More
When is it time for aging drivers to put the keys away due to declining vision and reaction time? That’s the subject of yesterday’s great Oregonian story probing the... Read More
The pendulum of public opinion about Toyota continues to swing. Last month, the mainstream media ran with early information that unintended acceleration accidents may have been the result of... Read More
In it's forthcoming November issue, US News and World Report has ranked California as the best state for teen drivers, placing second only behind the District of Colombia. California... Read More
Halloween is many different things to many different people. To kids, it's a fun time to dress up, walk around town, and gather as much candy as possible. For... Read More
To round out National Teen Driver Safety Week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an optimistic study showing that car accident deaths caused by teenagers has dropped... Read More
We've been focusing a lot on bicycle helmets on this blog over the past few weeks, but not as much on helmets to prevent other sports-related injuries. On its... Read More
As National Teen Driver Safety Week, this has been an opportunity for teenagers, parents, and government officials to discuss important facts related to distracted driving, graduated licensing laws, and... Read More
Regardless of how you feel about Toyota, the embattled auto giant that has recently recalled nearly 9 million vehicles worldwide, the company can be credited taking the crisis and... Read More
In July, Iowa joined the 30 states that have boosted highway safety by enacting laws against distracted driving. Iowa police cannot impose fines on drivers who disobey the law... Read More
It's natural that National Teen Driver Safety Week would ignite discussions about teen safety issues related to distracted driving, reckless actions, and graduated licensing laws. What's unusual about this... Read More
Each year, more than 130 cyclists are killed on city streets in California alone, and nearly 700 are killed nationwide. Of these bicycle deaths, nine of ten were at... Read More
Although it's an incredibily difficult discussion to have, safety experts nationwide are beginning to question when aging drivers should begin to consider cutting down on the amount that they... Read More
Over the past year, Internet giant Google has grown closer to developing a car that can drive itself. The company, which has overseen seven cars traveling more than 140,000... Read More
Last week, 22-year-old Derek Allen was struck and killed by a Muni bus in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond neighborhood. Allen is the second cyclist to be killed on San... Read More
Since TV first hit households more than a half-century ago, legal dramas and legal comedies have been two of the most consistent and quality genres. Legal dramas have pointed... Read More
In mid-August, German tourist Nils Yannick Linke was struck and killed by a drunk driver at the intersection of Masonic and Turk streets in San Francisco. Soon after, a... Read More
When news outlets reported four dead in the days after this month's tragic PG&E pipeline explosion in San Bruno, observers here in California and nationwide hoped the number wouldn't... Read More
Last week, when Insurance Institute for Highway Safety president Adrian Lund doubled down on past criticism of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's anti-distracted driving campaign, I hoped LaHood would respond.... Read More
Thanks to the ever-changing role of the Internet in public and private life, the role of eDiscovery is constantly evolving. Adding weight to this, a New York judge recently... Read More
As more Americans take to the streets on bicycles in order to reduce their carbon footprints, unclog the streets, and get some additional exercise, traffic laws often prove insufficient... Read More
As elected leaders, transportation officials, and safety advocates converge in Washington DC today for the second annual distracted driving summit, the level of impact existing anti-distraction laws have had... Read More
It's a big week for raising awareness about the dangers of driving while distracted. On Friday, AAA and Seventeen Magazine teamed up with the Department of Transportation to urge... Read More
I wish this had happened before, but I suppose it's one of those 'better late than never' scenarios. In response to last week's devastating pipeline explosion in San Bruno,... Read More
Last week's PG&E pipeline explosion in San Bruno which killed four, injured more than 50, and left nearly 40 homes destroyed was far from an isolated incident. In fact,... Read More
In the aftermath of last week's pipeline explosion in San Bruno, civilians and government officials have probed the cause of the blast, and what, if any, responsibility the utilities... Read More
A San Bruno neighborhood was devastated by an uncontrollable fire last night when a PG&E pipeline exploded at 6:24 pm. The explosion, which left behind a 30-foot-wide crater, has... Read More
Each year, more Americans ride their bikes to work in order to save money, reduce their carbon footprints, and get some additional exercise. But since our roads have been... Read More
Following a year in which Toyota has been plagued by a constant stream of claims that unintended acceleration caused car accidents, leading to the recall of more than 9... Read More
Most people outside the legal profession don’t know the incredible amount of work that goes in to a lawsuit before settlement negotiations or courtroom procedure begins. A major part... Read More
Like we're back in school, 34.4 million Americans, including more than 4 million Californians will join me this Friday night to travel more than 50 miles to a vacation... Read More
Motoring during Holiday Weekend Popular for Families; Expect Crack Down on Drunken Driving. Orinda, CA August 30, 2010 — California and states nationwide are cracking down on intoxicated motorists... Read More
No one wants to be told that they can't drive. For teenagers, restrictions on driving are set in stone until 16 (at least), making obtaining a drivers license a... Read More
In an odd policy statement this week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety criticized the government for focusing too much on distracted driving and unintended acceleration, and ignoring more... Read More
This past week, tech blogs have asked an important question for the future of distracted driving: why haven’t we mastered the technology to make cell phone use behind the... Read More
Time and time again, plaintiffs trying to get what they deserve from negligent companies run into an unexpected obstacle. Not the team of lawyers hired to defend giant corporations... Read More
The benefits of the internet are too numerous to count. The web has made information easily searchable, revolutionized the news industry, and boosted access to entertainment. But one of... Read More
Since this blog focuses mostly on consumer safety, there’s not much opportunity to write about legal humor. But there’s a lot to go around, and every once in a... Read More
San Francisco isn't the only region cracking down on distracted driving this month. Here in Contra Costa County, California Highway Patrol officers have cited more than 300 drivers this... Read More
"Click it or Ticket," is the threat that has prompted thousands more Americans to buckle up since the punitive campaign launched two years ago. Since more than 15,000 people... Read More
As cell phones continue to become more advanced, enabling users to send text messages, emails, and even photographs from behind the wheel, the dangers of distracted driving have become... Read More
In what will become additional ammunition for Toyota supporters who say the company's unintended acceleration problems were the result of driver error rather than electronic or mechanical errors, the... Read More
In a major win for plaintiffs, the multidistrict litigation for wrongful death and economic damages victims of the BP oil spill will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Oil... Read More
Part of the auto safety overhaul languishing in Congress would require the addition of black box recording devices that would indicate the cause of car accidents. While Senators try... Read More
Two weeks ago, a Greyhound bus carrying 31 passengers collided with an overturned SUV near Fresno, California. The accident, which killed six and injured dozens, was tragic and proved... Read More
Gearing up for its second annual distracted driving summit in September, the Department of Transportation has teamed up with Seventeen Magazine and AAA to sponsor a contest to promote... Read More
It's slowly becoming an undisputed reality that distracted driving is dangerous and state governments should ban the use of hand held devices behind the wheel. Calling for more research... Read More
For the past few months, Congress has been debating an auto safety overhaul to help make vehicles safer in the wake of Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems that led to... Read More
A Greyhound bus driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento collided with an overturned SUV in California's Central Valley on Highway 99 near Fresno early Thursday morning. To avoid a... Read More
Last week a group of Toyota supporters and anti-attorney advocates celebrated when the Wall Street Journal reported that early findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that... Read More
Each season comes with a new set of activities made possible by the change in schedules and weather. Though summer tends to be a little depressing for me for... Read More
We wrote months ago that Detroit was poised to fight back against the proposed auto safety overhaul in Congress. In what became a caricature of the obstacles to pass... Read More
We all love stories about renegade do-gooders taking on large corporations to expose wrongdoing or an attempts to deceive the public. To some, that's the story of David Gilbert,... Read More
Fireworks are very fun. Even as an adult, it's nearly impossible not to enjoy staring up at the mini explosions above your head, whether it's the Fourth of July... Read More
Many Oakland residents were disappointed last night by the conviction of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle on involuntary manslaughter charges. Some who thought Mehserle should have been convicted... Read More
Now that Congress has passed a set of bills to (hopefully) improve the economy and mitigate the impact of the recession on poor Americans, it's clear that a full... Read More
We wrote in May that California lawmakers were considering a bill that would end a liability loophole for adults responsible for teen drinking. Currently, California is one of only... Read More
Lawyer hating is nothing new. Over the years, thanks to some attorneys who manipulated their positions to make the largest profit possible, the legal profession writ large earned itself... Read More
At the end of each month, we at hte GJEL blog have been compiling a list of celebrities wrapped up in the news due to personal injury or wrongful... Read More
Six years ago, the UC Hastings College of Law, a state-funded institution, ended its offical recognition of the religious group Christian Legal Society when it announced that members had... Read More
For a state bogged down by a $19 billion budget deficit, any idea to raise money without increasing taxes is attractive. That's why a handful of California lawmakers have... Read More
There's no point in letting BP take all the blame for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Since the oil rig exploded more than two months ago, Texas-based petroleum company... Read More
The drug maker GlaxoSmithKline seems permanently out of fighting mode, as it agrees to settle nearly 200 lawsuits with patients who say the antidepressant Paxil was responsible for birth... Read More
Last week, I pushed back against the assertions that Toyota plaintiffs will be disappointed by the fate of their lawsuits against the Japanese automaker that has recalled nearly 9... Read More
Even better than finding a $20 bill in your ski jacket! The New York Times reported on Monday that a group of law schools is inflating grades retroactively to... Read More
There are a handful of great reasons to drive safely. If you want to avoid vehicular injuries, car damage, or just dodge tickets from police officers, obeying traffic signs... Read More
A front-page story in the San Francisco Daily Journal yesterday predicted that plaintiffs filing lawsuits against Toyota based on unintended acceleration problems could be disappointed by the results. The... Read More
President Obama got tough on the British oil giant turned Gulf spill villain BP last night in a nationally televised primetime speech detailing the administration's plan to contain the... Read More
Reacting to the growing public denunciation of distracted driving and consumer distrust of the auto industry following Toyota's massive worldwide safety recall, an auto safety overhaul is moving rapidly... Read More
Is your teenager getting enough sleep? If not, he or she could be in danger of an early morning collision, says a new report by Eastern Virginia Medical School... Read More
Catastrophic injury and wrongful death lawsuits are not your regular personal injury fare, writes GJEL Accident Attorneys' managing partner Andy Gillin this month for California Lawyer Magazine. In the... Read More
Graduation can bring out the best and worst in freedom-bound high school students. Oftentimes, each productive achievement and accolade is met with a destructive antidote in the form of... Read More
New and improved laws against distracted driving are popping up nationwide. This is partially thanks to the statistical consensus that talking, texting, and typing while driving has a significant... Read More
Your car's definitely not supposed to catch on fire. Recognizing this, General Motors has announced a recall of nearly 1.5 million trucks and SUVs over windshield wiper fluid that... Read More
