Synopsis According to a 2016 Johns Hopkins Medicine comprehensive study on medical errors, negligent lapses in patient care result in 250,000 deaths each year and remain the third leading cause of death in the United States. Medical professionals should be held responsible for permanent injuries or fatalities made to patients through surgical errors, missed and delayed... read more
Synopsis Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace. More than 2.8 billion workers are injured on the job each year and thousands more die from work-related accidents that could have been prevented by proper trainings and protections. The top 10 most frequently cited... read more
Pedestrian Dies After Being Struck at Owensboro Intersection The Owensboro Police Department recently released news that the pedestrian who was struck by a Volkswagen passenger car at the intersection of West 2nd Street at Frayser Avenue on Feb. 22 has passed away from her related accident injuries. The 48-year-old victim was from Owensboro and the... read more
4 Common Causes of Forklift Operator Injury or Death Forklifts are common work vehicles used by most of Kentucky’s construction and manufacturing industries. Also known as powered industrial trucks (PITS), forklifts are used most often to lift heavy loads and transport supplies and can either be operated by a trained worker or controlled by a... read more
First Kentucky Coal Miner Death for 2019 Reported in Bell County Rhoads & Rhoads is a law firm with a devoted history protecting the rights of Kentucky coal workers and their families. In 1974, Jerry Rhoads started the law firm in Madisonville with the majority of the practice focusing on representing the United Mine Workers’... read more
Workplace Fatalities Dropped in 2017 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) report released on December 18, 2018, there were 43 fewer workplace fatalities in 2017 than the previous year. A rate that also decreased from 3.6 percent in 2016 to 3.5 percent in 2017 nationwide. In Kentucky, the rate... read more
Investigators & Employers Knew of Coal Miners Risk of Black Lung Disease The multiyear investigation led by NPR and the PBS program Frontline is continuing to release more information about the rise in Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP), an epidemic commonly referred to as black lung disease. The groups continued their reporting on December 18, 2018 stating that... read more
Stay Sober: Impaired Driving on The Rise Over Holiday Season While drunk driving related-collision numbers have declined over the years, Kentucky was still home to 175 alcohol related fatalities and 1,974 injuries in 2016 with increases noted during the Thanksgiving thru New Year’s holidays. Also on the rise are the more than 1,400 drug-related collisions,... read more
Injury and Fatal Truck Crashes Increase in Kentucky In Kentucky, a truck is defined as a vehicle with a registered weight of 10,000 pounds or more. Most drivers may recognize these vehicles as tractor-trailers, big-rigs, and semi-truck haulers. An alarming review of the Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report (2012-2017) trend analysis shows a steady increase... read more
Kentucky Joins Nation in Declining Trend of Highway Fatalities The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 2017 highway fatality numbers showed a downward trend following two consecutive years of large increases. These numbers were released in an NHTSA report on October 3, 2018 and showed that motor vehicle fatalities had decreased... read more
