Category: Construction, Engineering, Personal Injury, Property Damage, Safety Electrical Equipment Failures Cause and Liability TASA ID: 419 Many insurance claims and lawsuits are the result of electrical system failures. The basis for such actions is frequently personal injury and/or property damage that can be caused by fire or other degradation of related systems, vehicles or structures. It will be shown that electrical systems can have high inherent reliability to minimize end-product field service costs, safety hazards and, of course, liability. Failures of electrical systems are most frequently due to external factors such as poor design, improper use, faulty manufacturing, substandard service, mishandling and other causes. System malfunctions are rarely caused by random component failures and a properly executed failure analysis will almost always identify an entity liable for resultant damages. Read more
Category: Automotive/Trucking, Construction, Engineering, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Resources for Experts, Safety, Transportation Preservation of Weld Fractures for Evidence Evaluation TASA ID: 1850 Sometimes when a weld fractures, it may result in personal injury, property damage or even a fatality. If litigation is the result of a weld fracture, it is important to retain and preserve the weld and the fractured weld surfaces for evaluation by the experts. Read more
Category: Construction, Safety Excavating Accidents TASA ID: 1092 OSHA states that workers have a right to a safe and healthy work environment, including construction workers handling excavations in trenches. A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully or ditch) and narrow compared to its length (as opposed to a simple hole). Trenches are used on many construction sites to lay pipe, cables and conduits among other reasons. Read more
Category: Personal Injury, Safety Judge the Deed (and, more importantly, what lead up to it), Not the Breed TASA ID: 2287 Calls often come in asking me to opine on the inherent dangerous nature of certain breeds (i.e., American Pit Bull Terrier or Rottweiler). Attorneys are often both surprised and annoyed when I tell them, “No.” Instead, I advise looking into the stewardship of the dog, whereupon neglect is usually found. Lack of responsibility towards a dog’s emotional, mental, and physical well-being, possibly combined with a dog’s inherent breed tendencies, are always the true culprit in dog bite cases. Read more
Category: Safety, School Safety/Violence Escalating Violence and Parental Litigation: The National Call for Student Safety Plans in School Districts and Universities TASA ID: 1646 If there is any university president or school superintendent in the nation who currently operates without formalized school safety plans in place (quite apart from the noticeable but ignored "thou-shalt-nots" festooned on campus walls, doors and fences), s/he needs to regard-as a wake-up scream-the thunderous allegations of negligence, child endangerment, foreseen traumatic event, breach of duty of care, sexual molestation, dereliction of duty, and reckless disregard hurled by a passing parade of aggrieved and angry parents. Read more
