San Francisco Personal Injury Blog

All it took was two words from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood - "deadly epidemic" - to inspire physicist Mike Watkins to find a way to fight texting while driving.

Watkins correctly theorized that when people are texting and driving, their texting looks as distracted as their driving. Based on this, Watkins, along with fellow scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, developed a mathematical equation that is 99 percent accurate in detecting the chaotic texting pattern created while driving.

The scientists believe their equation can be developed into a cellphone application that can prevent car accidents. The application would let the driver know he or she is driving dangerously or could shut the phone off when the pattern is detected.

ABC News recently reported on a California woman's efforts in support of a federal law that would prohibit car rental companies from keeping cars in their fleets without fixing safety risks outlined in federal recalls. As sensible as this proposal sounds, she had to launch a petition drive to get industry heavyweight Enterprise to back down from its opposition to this necessary reform.

Cally Houck has tireless advocated for elimination of loopholes that allow rentals of recalled vehicles after her daughters Raechel and Jacquie died when the PT Cruiser they had rented from Enterprise caught fire before crashing into a semi. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had issued a recall that warned of the potential that a power steering hose defect could cause vehicle fires in the Chrysler model.

Under California state law, car dealers cannot sell recalled vehicles without first addressing identified defects, but the law does not explicitly include car rental agencies. Houck's effort to change this shortcoming in California law, the Houck Rental Car Safety Act (Assembly Bill 753), was passed by the California House in 2011 but remains stuck in committee in the state senate.

Pharmacists have a term for physicians who over prescribe painkillers such as opiates to their patients. They are affectionately known as "candy doctors". While it may seem humorous to some, quite often the outcome is not.

Narcotic painkillers are prescribed at epidemic levels in the U.S. While most pain management cases are legitimate, the problem is addiction potential. One in ten individuals become drug addicts. Currently, the United States is experiencing some of the highest levels of drug addiction than at any time in its history. And while many drugs that were popular in the 1970′s are no longer as commonly abused today, the numbers are still staggering overall. For example, since 1990, the number of individuals who take prescription drugs illegally is believed to have risen by over 500 percent.

Prescription painkillers are the third most abused drug behind alcohol and marijuana. While there is a familial and genetic link to addiction, the disease of addiction itself is often triggered in prescription narcotics. It becomes very difficult for a patient to quit painkillers even after the pain itself resolves. If a patient is not weaned off of chronic pain prescriptions under medical supervision, the withdrawals can be painful.

The amount of people addicted to narcotics is staggering here in the U.S. Once the patient has been cut off from narcotics and if they have addiction potential, they will quite often do anything to seek out the drug including criminal acts such as fake prescriptions (written and call-ins), stealing or burglary and faking injuries with physicians.

If you or a loved one has been hurt by prescription narcotics, call The Venardi Law Firm for a free consult.

A female cyclist was hurt in San Francisco when a U.S. Postal truck struck the rider in the Richmond district of the city. The rider sustained minor injuries as reported by the San Francisco Police Department.

The 39 year-old cyclist was traveling east on Clement Street at 4:48pm when she was hit by the mail truck which was heading north on 18^th Avenue, police said.

The cyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered minor head trauma and was released from S.F. General Hospital an hour after the crash, said officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.

Police had initially reported that the cyclist had life-threatening injuries. A preliminary investigation showed that the postal truck did not come to a complete stop before entering the intersection and the cyclist had the right-of-way, Esparza said.

The postal worker cooperated with police and was not cited, Esparza said.

Always remember to wear a helmet when riding your bicycle even with short trips to the store or in town. This cyclist was extremely lucky that she did not sustain more serious head trauma.

If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bicycle accident, call The Venardi Law Firm for a free initial consult.