Dogs may bite a person for any of several different reasons:

• To protect themselves or their puppies from a perceived threat
• To protect their food or water, resting places, or owner from a perceived threat
• Because they are injured, sick, or impatient, particularly with small children
• Because the dog has been hurt, either deliberately or by accident
• Due to over-excitement while playing or misunderstanding a person’s actions as play
• As part of an attempt to “herd” people, especially children.

Although a dog bite can seem unexpected, dogs rarely bite “out of the blue.”  There is usually a reason for the bite that makes sense from the dog’s point of view, even if it’s not immediately obvious to humans.

While this doesn’t absolve an owner from responsibility when his or her dog bites, it can help owners and visitors protect themselves by recognizing the signals a dog might give that it may bite.

These signals include:

• Getting up and moving away, or turning its head away, from a person petting or playing with the dog
• Gives a pleading expression, especially if the whites of the eyes can be seen
• Whines, barks, or growls when someone attempts to touch the dog.

Owners must be aware of their dog’s needs and work to prevent dogs from biting others, especially children who cannot always understand or interpret a dog’s behavior.

Now, although no recall has been issued, the NHTSA is urging owners of Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans who live in warmer areas like San Diego to keep an eye on their own vehicles, as rust could also cause problems in these minivans even without regular contact with road salt and other chemicals.  So far, the agency has received only a single complaint about rust problems in a minivan used in warm-weather areas.

Owners of 2004-2007 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans are encouraged to examine the rear wheel wells of the vehicle, since rust that begins in these areas can lead to problems with third-seat safety or stability. Owners can also contact Ford or take their vehicles to a dealership for examination and repairs if needed.

When a vehicle defect causes an accident or other injury, serious harm can result. If you’ve been injured by a hidden defect in a vehicle, contact the dedicated San Diego car accident attorneys at Jurewitz Law Group. Our number is (888) 233-5020, and your initial consultation is free and confidential.

How can you and your family help protect yourselves from vehicle accidents? One way is by celebrating Better Sleep Week.  According to a study published last month by the Better Sleep Council, most Americans know what they need to do in order to get better sleep – they just aren’t doing it.  Better Sleep Week, May 5-13, is a great time to start.

Here are just a few ways in which you can improve the quality of your sleep, making you more alert at home, in the car, and at work:

• Choose the right mattress.  Your mattress forms the foundation of a good night’s sleep by providing the comfort and support your body needs to deeply relax.  On average, a mattress should be reevaluated after five to seven years of use. Check for sags, lumps, broken springs, and other problems that suggest it’s time for a replacement.
• Create a sleep sanctuary.  Reserve your bedroom for sleeping and sexual activity only.  Choose sheets and bedding that feel good to you.  Create a relaxing bedtime routine that doesn’t involve TV or computer screens, and stick to it.  Choosing lighting and colors that you find soothing can also improve your sleep.
• Pay attention to how you feel when traveling.  If you feel fatigued or drowsy, avoid driving, or find a place to take a short nap before driving.

Work-related injuries and illnesses harm thousands of California workers each year. In most cases, the first place a worker goes for benefits is California’s workers’ compensation system. When a defective product or the negligence of a third party causes injury, however, an injured worker may also need the help of an experienced San Diego injury attorney to secure the full amount of compensation due.

NAOSH Week is celebrated in both the U.S. and Canada and includes events sponsored by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and other agencies. This year’s theme is “Worker Safety Works for Everyone.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4,609 people lost their lives on the job in 2011, and thousands more were injured.  One of the key goals of NAOSH Week is to encourage workplaces to focus on worker safety and health, reducing the risk of death and injury on the job.  Not only does worker safety help keep employees safe, it also helps protect an employer’s bottom line by ensuring that a workplace injury or illness doesn’t take valuable employees out of commission, even temporarily.

If you’ve been injured on the job, call Jurewitz Law Group for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.

In an effort to prevent distracted driving accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently issued voluntary guidelines to automakers.  These guidelines encourage all car manufacturers to create a built-in car system that limits the following in-car technology while in motion: info-tainment systems, navigational systems, and mobile phone communication (only when connected to the built-in system).  The government wants to ensure that drivers will not take their eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds and will complete a task within 12 seconds total.

Although these guidelines are the first attempt to modify vehicles to reduce distracted driving, not all driving distractions are caused by built-in technology.  According to USA Today, only 2% of distracted driving accidents were caused by a car’s built-in system, which leaves 98% of distracted driving accidents caused by other factors (cell phones, daydreaming, etc).  Also, concerns were raised that placing a limit on built-in car technology will only cause drivers to not connect mobile phones to the built-in system.

Since these optional guidelines will take effect in three years, it is quite unclear as to how effective these in-car technology limitations will be in reducing distracted driving accidents.  We applaud the government’s efforts in reducing distracted driving fatalities, but also want to encourage further consideration in dealing with more prominent distractions, such as cell phones.

If you or a loved one were injured as a result of a distracted driver, do not wait to call the San Diego auto accident attorneys at the Jurewitz Law Group. Call us at (888) 233-5020 for a free initial consultation.

At Intraligi Law Firm, we were curious as to the reasons behind these increases, which are the first in the last seven years. This led us to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, Americans are among the world’s most notorious users of cell phones while driving. Sixty-nine percent of survey responders indicated that they had talked on their cell phone while driving at least once in the last month, and 31 percent said they had texted or sent e-mails in that same time frame. As we can imagine, the problem is of even greater concern because these percentages are a lot higher among younger drivers, and we get the distinct feeling that unless something is done to change the texting/calling while driving culture, it will become more and more common.

Many distractions are listed which existed before the advent of modern technology such as eating, grooming or reading, but of particular importance seem to be the currently growing epidemic of distractions such as calling, texting, use of navigation, and use of mp3 players among others.

According to distraction.gov, you are 23 times more likely to crash if you are texting while driving. They say that sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds, enough to blindly travel the distance of an entire football field at 55 miles per hour.

We car accident lawyers in Toronto are used to Ontario law which makes it illegal to use a cell phone for calls or texting while driving. We and our friends at Jurewitz Law Group both encourage all drivers to focus on the road and to avoid all types of distractions for your safety and the safety of others.

Mr. Intraligi is a personal injury lawyer in Toronto, and also offers consultations as an injury lawyer in Ottawa to all victims of car accidents, slip and falls, and all other type of personal injury related matters.

This blog post brought to you by Stephan Intraligi, Hon.B.A., J.D., Esq.

For instance, the makers of Alert.Us are actively considering ways to get kids to adopt and promote the app – a change from the usual method of marketing such apps, which are aimed at parents. The makers of Alert.Us believe that if kids can be encouraged to adopt the app as their own, they’ll be more likely to use it, making it more effective than an app kids try to avoid using.

Currently, the Alert.Us app incorporates functions common to family-safety apps, like GPS tracking. However, it also offers a family-specific message board for non-emergency communications, and it contains a battery-tracking feature. If a child’s cell phone battery dies, the app alerts parents, so they’ll know if the battery is the reason a child isn’t answering his or her phone. The company is also considering adding “quantified self” apps that let families track things like exercise and other personal information.

If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident, please don’t hesitate to contact the dedicated San Diego accident attorneys at Jurewitz Law Group.

The 37-year-old pilot, James Freudenberg, only had five hours of sleep before his 12 hour shift that ended in tragedy.  Although Freudenberg was notified at the beginning of his shift that the helicopter was low on fuel, he disregarded fueling the helicopter and did not do appropriate flight checks until it was too late.  Evidence also showed that while Freudenberg was on the ground and during flight, he was constantly text messaging throughout his shift to an off-duty female co-worker/friend.

The pilot sent a total of 25 text messages and received 60 text messages.  Although there were no text messages in the last 11 minutes before the crash, the constant text messaging prior to the accident could have easily kept his mind occupied from his important duties as a pilot.

The dangers of texting and driving have been more prominent for vehicle drivers since there is a clear risk from the amount of other drivers and pedestrians on the road.   Even though the sky is not congested with aircraft traffic, it is still not safe to use cell phones or any other distracting device while flying..  Flying distraction free is just as important, which is why the Jurewitz Law Group encourages, not only car drivers, but also aircraft pilots to be focused while flying.

Ensure the safety of yourself and everyone traveling along through adequate rest and proper attention.  In the unfortunate event of a helicopter accident, make sure to get professional advice from our specialized San Diego aviation accident lawyers at Jurewitz Law Group.

One such situation may be brewing at Disneyland, where regulators from the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) are considering fining the park after workers were injured while performing maintenance on various park rides.  While cleaning the outside of the Space Mountain ride in November 2012, a contract worker slipped and fell, suffering injuries that included broken bones.

Now, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health has proposed fining the park approximately $235,000.  The fine is based on the agency’s findings that the park violated several health and safety regulations leading to the worker’s injuries in the November accident.  Space Mountain and two other rides were closed recently so that the park could review its safety procedures with regards to repair and maintenance. Space Mountain and one other ride, Soarin’ Over California at Disney California Adventure, remain closed.

Amusement park rides cause both deaths and injuries each year.  According to a 2010 survey by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), 1,207 people were injured on amusement park rides in the U.S.’s 400 amusement parks that year.  About 59 of these injured people required hospitalization for the treatment of serious injuries. The IAAPA survey did not provide the number of amusement-park-related deaths in 2010.

The man was crossing University Avenue at its intersection with 36th Street in his wheelchair when the accident occurred, according to San Diego police when he was hit by the pickup. The impact caused fractures to the man’s pelvis and bleeding in his brain, which proved fatal within a few hours despite rescue workers’ attempts to secure emergency hospital care for the man.

The driver of the pickup, a 46-year-old man, stopped at the scene to help the wheelchair-using 70-year-old and to speak to police. He was not injured in the crash. Investigation continues, and police have not yet released any statements on what they believe caused the accident. The crash occurred around 8:00 in the evening on a Tuesday, so poor visibility caused by lack of light may not have been a factor.

As many pedestrian accident attorneys know, wheelchair users face the same risks when using crosswalks as other pedestrians.  In some cases, a wheelchair user’s risk may actually be higher than the risk for an average walking adult. Since they are sitting, wheelchair users tend to be shorter than the average adult, making it easier for drivers to fail to see them in the crucial seconds needed to avoid a crash. Drivers must pay attention when approaching crosswalks with the understanding that not all pedestrians are as easy to see as a full-sized, standing adult.