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The Stoddard Firm Blog

Taking an Overseas Vacation Does Not Mean Waiving All U.S Legal Protection

American tourists looking to explore more of the globe are often inundated with warnings about the risk of travel in different countries, and advice on how to protect themselves. Some of this advice is well-intentioned and valuable. Being disconnected from your support system in unfamiliar surroundings is a vulnerable position to be in, and no two countries have exactly the same dangers or safety standards. An activity that’s perfectly safe at home could be deadly somewhere else, and vice-...

MARTA Is Still Liable for Its Past and Ongoing Safety Issues

Last month, we talked about some promising new developments for the safety of MARTA commuters. Following multiple civil suits against MARTA, both OSHA and GDOT are investigating the transit service’s history of accidents and violence, and GDOT is attempting to impose a significant safety overhaul. However, as we noted then, actual changes have been slow arriving. Past tragedies have not been fully addressed, and in most cases, the issues that allowed them to happen in the first place are s...

Safety Remains an Issue for Even the Most Trusted Small Aircraft Companies

Small airplanes, built for personal or private business use, currently account for a staggering majority of aviation accidents. The rate of crashes and fatalities for commercial airlines doesn’t even come close to comparing with the rate for small, private planes. The FAA and NTSB are quick to blame small plane crashes on pilot error. However, an independent investigation in 2014 found that many of these accidents are actually traceable to design and manufacturing defects in the most popul...

Agricultural Propane Users Need Safer Equipment and Services

Propane is a common fuel for both household and commercial purposes across the U.S, particularly in rural areas. Lots of Georgia farmers rely on propane to keep livestock warm through winter, dry out harvested crops, and even perform some organic weeding processes. The use of propane isn’t something a farming operation, even a large one, can handle completely in-house. It’s a utility, controlled in any given region by a few highly specialized companies. Propane suppliers are responsible fo...

MARTA May Finally Be Forced to Make Real Safety Improvements

This blog has reported time after time (after time, after time), on the MARTA transportation system’s abysmal safety record. After each new tragic incident, we’ve had to draw the frustrating conclusion that not much has changed, and not much appears to be changing. At long last, this pattern may have broken. Right now, the transit system is working with multiple private consulting firms, at a cost of $2.2 million, to overhaul its safety and incident-response policies. Of course, MART...

Construction Workers’ Lives Depend on Strong Safety Protocols, Onsite and Offsite

When a structure is unsafe and needs to be repaired or rebuilt, construction workers are the ones who venture into close proximity with the danger, in order to correct it. This is one part of why construction is one of the most dangerous careers in the U.S. Quality construction work is essential to making the world safe for everyone, but it is possible to make the work itself safer as well. When a construction worker is injured, it’s almost always due to a faulty piece of equipment, a safe...

There’s Still No Sign of Safety Improvements at MARTA Train Stations

Train stations don’t need to be dangerous places. There’s no ironclad reason why MARTA commuters should have to stand next to sheer drops, leading down to electrified rails and into the path of the trains themselves, without so much as a handrail to protect them. Airports don’t gather passengers along the side of the runway as they wait for their planes. High rise buildings don’t leave their elevator shafts hanging open when the elevator car itself is elsewhere. Yet train stations, includi...

Apartment Complexes with Swimming Pools Must Follow Safety Codes

Swimming pools are understandably popular amenities, especially in warm states like Georgia. In the absence of solid safety precautions, however, they can also be extremely dangerous. Nearly 4,000 people die by drowning in the U.S every year, and children are especially vulnerable. Drowning is the top cause of death for children aged 1-4, with residential pools being the most common setting. According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, most of these drownings happen outside of d...

How much do construction accident lawsuit settlements pay out?

Working on a construction site is one of the most dangerous jobs around. Not only is there heavy equipment everywhere, but huge steel beams, two-by-fours, concrete, welding equipment, nails, and other potentially hazardous objects are all over the construction site. Falls from roofs or scaffolding are also common. Every day a construction worker shows up on the job, injury or even death is possible. About 20% of all employee fatalities in private industry in 2019 were on construction sit...

Low Prices Are No Excuse for Unsafe Products at Walmart

Differences in quality from brand to brand are, of course, extremely common across almost every type of consumer product. People are so used to these differences, and the often-correlating differences in price, that we tend to associate low prices with an element of risk. Expressions like “buyer beware” and “you get what you pay for” reinforce the inaccurate idea that consumers are responsible for whatever consequences come from cheap purchases. There are some situations where it does m...