Legal Matters

The Virginia State Police reported a crash between a bus and a tractor trailer which left 13 people injured, and a bus driver in jail. According to the Richmond-Times Dispatch, “a northbound bus from West Georgia Technical College drifted into the right lane [on I-81] and clipped a tractor-trailer…. After hitting the truck, the bus…

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act signed by President Obama in 2011 gave the Food and Drug Administration additional powers to regulate food safety. It enhanced the agency’s authority and ability to issue binding recalls of potentially dangerous and contaminated food products. However, the Department of Health and Human Services recently released a report that…

Watching your kids open up their presents is one of the best things about the holiday season. Check any social media site you like, and you can find hundreds of videos of children (and adults) opening up The Gift: the perfect game, the brand-new bicycle, or the ideal doll. Some toys and children’s products, however,…

Atlanta’s Attorney General Chris Carr announced in October that Georgia and 48 other states, plus the District of Columbia, reached a $120 million settlement with General Motors over safety issues with their ignition switches. The settlement comes after allegations that GM concealed the defect, which caused some vehicles to suddenly lose their electrical systems, resulting…

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are different than other injuries. Broken legs or arms typically heal, and you move on with your life. Traumatic brain injuries, on the other hand, can affect you for the rest of your life. Depending on the severity, TBIs can cause headaches, cognitive problems, mood swings, memory loss, abnormal speech, loss…

As personal injury attorneys, we have seen first-hand how destructive opioids can be. America is currently fighting a dangerous opioid addiction crisis, with drugs like OxyContin at the forefront. Since its release in 1995 by Purdue Pharmaceuticals, Oxycontin has generated around $35 billion in revenue – and sparked an opioid addiction crisis in this country.…

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a serious public health issue, particularly in the case of student athletes. For years, concussions were commonly misdiagnosed or ignored, while students continued to play with brain injuries. Medical professionals now assert that this type of negligence can lead to long-term brain injuries and even early deaths. In an effort…

The Atlanta-based credit reporting agency Equifax has announced a devastating security breach that could potentially result in 143 million Americans – about half of the country’s population – having their personal, sensitive information made public. The breach occurred sometime between May and July of this year, but the full effects of the hack are just…

Bus tours offer a convenient and comfortable option for touring some of Georgia’s greatest attractions. From the trolley tours of Savannah to the tour buses of Atlanta, these common carriers provide residents and tourists with a memorable experience. Sadly, these fun-seeking outings can turn tragic when vehicle owners or operators fail to meet their legal…

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that can have serious and long-term consequences. A recent story in the Washington Post reported on a new research study, which examined the link between playing high school, college, and professional football and developing CTE. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical…

Takata Corp., the Japanese firm responsible for more than 31 million motor vehicle recalls, was back in the news recently as the number of affected vehicles continues to increase. On March 2, 2017, Ford recalled 3,200 vehicles due to a faulty airbag module on the front driver side. This latest recall came only days after…

The summer is fast approaching, and everyone is ready to get out and enjoy the numerous waterways Georgia has to offer. Whether you’re enjoying a Savannah boat cruise or a dolphin tour around Tybee Island, the rivers will be filled with tourists and residents enjoying all that our state has to offer. While fun is…

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when there is a sudden blow or jolt to the head, which causes trauma and disrupts brain functioning. Motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports and recreational activities, and assaults are common causes of TBIs; falls are the most common, and almost half of all TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths are caused by…

Millions of children travel on school buses each day throughout the school year. Children and their caregivers trust that their children will safely arrive to and from school, but thousands of schoolchildren are injured every year in school bus accidents. Determining liability can be complicated in these cases. Liability is assigned based on evidence (photographs,…

Harris Lowry Manton LLP partner Jeff Harris, along with former governor Roy E. Barnes, recently argued in front of the Georgia Court of Appeals in the case of BellSouth Telecommunications LLC v. Cobb County, Georgia, et al. HLM filed claims on behalf of Cobb and Gwinnett County against BellSouth for violating the Georgia Emergency Telephone…

Historians date the concept of settling disputes using juries to the mid-400s B.C. in Athens, Greece. From then on, it became an accepted idea that citizens had the right to settle their neighbors’ grievances and the jury system spread across the western world. Being a juror is a privilege and a valuable way to serve…

Johnson & Johnson Co.’s lawyer questioned the bias of a plaintiff’s expert at trial on allegations by a cancer victim that the company knew scientific research linked its talcum powder to ovarian cancer. David C. Steinberg, a consultant and founder of the Cosmetic Preservatives Council, testified that most companies track studies and medical literature relevant…

The previous post in this series covered the dangerous effects of a seat belt spool out. In this segment, Steve Lowry explains another type of spool out, in which the seat belt loosens and can cause severe injuries. In the event of a collision, there is loosening of a taut seat belt intended to reduce…