Carr & Carr

Approximately 140,000 people are treated in emergency rooms each year for injuries sustained while riding four-wheel vehicles. In a twenty-year period, from 1982 to 2002, 6,500 people died in four-wheeler accident, and nearly a third of those deaths were children under the age of sixteen. Due to the immense popularity of these vehicles, these numbers are only expected to rise. These vehicles are prone to rollover accidents, which can result in crushing injuries and death and loss of limbs.

An infamous name we hear about in the ATV cases we deal is Yahama Rhino. These very popular four-wheel all-terrain vehicles were introduced in 2003.. In August, 2007, Yamaha Motor Corporation announced that it was offering to make modifications to the defective Rhino 660 and 450 ATVs in an effort to make the vehicles safer.

The Yamaha Rhino is basically a vehicle for off road use. As such, vehicle safety principles should be applied to the Yamaha Rhino. First, the roll cage should be reinforced properly. Second, the restraint system should provide proper restraint. Third, there should be doors to help prevent ejection. Lastly, the fuel tank should be protected to prevent fires in the event of an accident.

Sadly, these safety principles known as crashworthiness principles are not being followed. Accordingly, people are being needlessly injured and killed in rollover accidents involving the Rhino.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or was killed by a Rhino ATV or any other kind, please contact the experienced vehicle accident attorneys at Carr & Carr, Attorneys at Law today.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans take medication prescribed by their doctor. These patients expect that their prescriptions will help them and make them feel better. However, there are a number of defective drugs that cause more harm than good.

Some drugs may have been mistakenly labeled, which may cause people to take much higher doses than they actually needed. In other cases, the drug causes adverse side-effects that may have been known about by the pharmaceutical company, but pushed through to consumers anyway. Then there are drugs, such as Heparin, that were contaminated with another substance before they reached the manufacturer. In all these cases, patients have been sickened or have died.

When you or a loved one is injured by a medication that was supposed to make you feel better, you have the right to compensation. If you are taking a medication that has been recalled recently, you need to take notice of what is going on with it. The FDA will often issue a black box warning, which is one step short of a full recall on medication that may have caused harm. And while no amount of compensation can make up for the death of a loved one, you certainly should be able to file a claim to cover any damages you deserve.

If you have been harmed or suffered the loss of a loved one because of a defective pharmaceutical, please contact the experienced pharmaceutical litigation attorneys at Carr & Carr to find out if you can file a claim.

It has been estimated by the government that around 11 percent of all accidents are hit and runs. Some states report a much higher percentage, and in most states, this percentage has risen in the last ten years. If you read the news, you may see a story about a hit and run accident more than once a week, either locally or nationally.

A hit and run is defined as someone not stopping after an accident has occurred. This may be the case whether a pedestrian or another vehicle was hit. You are required by law to stop and exchange information when you are involved in an accident. If you have hit a car and there are no witnesses around, you must leave a note with your information. Failing to do this may get you in serious trouble.

If you are the victim of a hit and run, it is important that you know what you should do. The first, and perhaps most obvious thing, is to assess your or your passenger's condition. Calling the police and giving them all the information you can about the party who fled is also an important step. If there were any witnesses, any information they can provide is extremely helpful.

You should contact your insurance company to make sure you are covered for hit and run accidents. If you have been injured or your vehicle damaged and your insurance policy does not cover this type of accident, you should speak with an attorney with experience in these types of cases.

If you are the perpetrator in a hit and run accident, you need to understand that punishment is steep. While it depends on the state the accident occurred, the extent of the damage, any injuries, and your cooperation with authorities, civil and criminal penalties may be forthcoming. These include fines, loss or suspension of your license, insurance or points from the DMV, and possible probation or jail time.

If you have been involved in a hit and run accident, please contact the experienced attorneys at Carr & Carr for legal guidance.

It's nearing that season again when parents scour the toys stores for gifts for the holidays. While the popular toys kids positively need changes each year, sometimes the fallout from these popular toys has the additional cost of an emergency room visit. And that's no way to spend Christmas night.

While many young kids prefer video game systems these days, there are a number of toys aimed at younger kids that don't revolve around the television or the computer. However, no matter what kind of toy it is, there are ways it can harm your child or another one in your care.

Some of the most common causes of injury include:

• Choking on small parts of toys, including balloons
• Strangulation caused by cords, such as those found on video game controllers, or ropes
• Eye injuries or blindness caused by toys with projectiles
• Burns or electrocution caused by defective or misused electronic toys
• Exposure to toxic chemicals or metals, such as lead or phthalates
• Allergic reactions caused by something in stuffed animals or blankets

While parents want to give their children toys that will make them happy, it is important that you make sure your child's toys are as free from dangers or defects as they can be.

If your child has been injured due to a defective or dangerous toy, please contact Carr & Carr for an initial case evaluation.

The first blizzards of the season have already hit areas of the Northeast and northern Great Plains, and snow is already falling in other parts of the country. Add freezing temperatures to areas where it rains, and black ice forms. Then add drivers to the mix, and accidents will happen.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows that and overwhelming amount of auto accidents occur during normal weather conditions, but the other two conditions listed are snow/sleet and rain. They consist of roughly ten percent of all accidents. Ten percent doesn't seem like much, but if you consider that many of these accidents could have been avoided had the driver slowed down or not slammed on their brakes, then this percentage could have been much lower.

Some people who live in areas where snow or ice is likely in the winter are sometimes slow to remember how to drive in these conditions. This is especially true of young drivers and those who have never had to drive in this kind of weather. However, even experienced drivers can lose control on icy roads.

Tips for Driving in Snow and Ice

• Slow down and leave room between you and the vehicle in front of you. You should leave more room than you would on a normal day
• Brake gently to avoid skidding. Take your foot off the brake if your wheels lock up
• Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other drivers
• Keep your windshield and lights clean and clear of snow
• Use low gears to increase traction, especially on slopes
• Be extremely cautious on bridges, overpasses, or roads where there is little traffic since these will freeze first. Places that are shaded may also remain frozen even if temperatures begin to warm up and thaw out the roads
• Snow plows and sand trucks have limited visibility, so do not try to pass them. Also, the road ahead of them may be worse, so it's best to stay behind them where the road is clearer
• Do not assume that your four-wheel or front-wheel drive vehicle or SUV can handle snow or ice as well as it can in normal conditions. All vehicles can have problems on winter roads.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident due to another party's negligent driving on winter roads, please contact the experienced auto accident attorneys at Carr & Carr.

As a driver in Oklahoma you are held financially liable for any injuries or property damage you cause. This is not a “no-fault” state. If you are found to be only partially responsible for causing injury or damage, you will be assessed for “comparative negligence” and pay a reduced amount.

Oklahoma requires drivers to carry at least $25,000 for bodily injury. This is the minimum and most insurance companies will urge you to carry more. Medical costs are not minimum these days and your insurance coverage needs to keep up.

Uninsured Motorists
When you are in an accident and discover that the other driver has no insurance, or has less than the required minimum insurance (under-insured motorist), you will have to dip into your own pocket – unless you have uninsured motorist insurance. They are packaged together in Oklahoma. You can buy this coverage at the state’s minimum level of bodily injury -- $25,000. Or you can buy less than that; it’s your call.

Here’s some good news:
If the other driver in your accident is uninsured and you have to use your own insurance to cover costs, your insurance company cannot cancel your policy, fail to renew it, or raise your premium.

What Determines Your Insurance Rates
Insurance companies hire fleets of actuaries to analyze the company’s statistical records and figure out what types of policy holders are costing the company the most money. Insurance premiums are calculated separately for each group of policy holders, according to how expensive they are for the company.

So for example, if you are young male driver, your rate will be higher than for a young female driver, because as a group, young males cost the company more in accident claims.

To best protect yourself and your loved ones on the road, purchase as much auto insurance as you can. It’s a gamble, but one that we all have to take. You may regard yourself as an excellent driver, and may never be involved an accident at all – but the day that you are suddenly thrown onto the roadside by a big rig out of control you’ll quickly wish you had invested in more auto insurance.

If you have been injured in an auto accident and would like to know more about your legal rights and options, please contact our auto accident attorneys today for a free consultation.

We have all noticed the increase of 18 wheelers on our roads and highways in recent years, as trains have been used less for transporting goods. A typical passenger vehicle weighs a bit over two tons (4,000 pounds or so) whereas a big rig fully loaded can weigh as much as 40 tons (80,000 pounds). There’s no doubt as to who has the advantage in the event of an accident.

Even though the trucking industry is highly regulated, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that over 400,000 big trucks are involved in accidents each year. In most of the accidents it is the driver or passengers in the smaller vehicle who are hurt and perhaps killed, while the truck driver sustains only minor injuries, if any at all.

Driver Fatigue a Big Factor
Trucking companies keep their drivers on tight schedules. Drivers keep logs of their driving time and rest time, and there are regulations as to how long they can drive without taking a rest. But logbooks can be falsified if necessary when a deadline must be met.

Truckers can be delayed by many unforeseen factors such as traffic congestion, bad weather, or a problem with the truck’s load. Trucks are often loaded by a separate loading company who may or may not have done a good job. Truckers may often load their own trucks, but in both cases the driver is required to inspect the load for safety.

When the driver is behind in his schedule he must drive more quickly and may get overtired and less attentive to road conditions. Some newer trucks have two drivers, with a bed and kitchen behind the cabin so that one driver can relax while the other drives. If this becomes more common perhaps it will help in avoiding accidents.

Give the Trucks Space
Meanwhile, people continue to be injured by truck accidents, often with severe injuries such as brain or spinal cord injuries which then require daily assistance with living. If you are driving near an 18-wheeler, be sure and allow plenty of space for that heavy truck to slow down and speed up when necessary, or change lanes. Remember that the driver has large blind spots on all four sides of his truck. If you are driving where you cannot see the driver, you know that he cannot see you either.

At Carr & Carr we have long experience in fighting for people injured in truck accidents. Please contact our office if you have been in such an accident, or if you have a loved one injured in that way. We will be glad to give you a free consultation and case evaluation.