The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced yesterday that the number of fatal highway accidents has dropped to a 60-year low. According to CBS News, there was a 1.6 percent decrease in the total number of deaths last year, dropping to approximately 32,000 deaths per year.

The agency applauded new and cheaper safety technology being made available for a wider range of vehicles. In fact, the announcement of the lower fatality rates came on the heels of Hyundai announcing its plans for all new vehicles to have brake override technology installed. This device prevents the vehicle from accelerating if the brake and gas pedals are being applied at the same time. The NHTSA is presently working to make this technology mandatory on all vehicles after Toyota recalled hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks due to faulty accelerators.

Other safety features to recently hit the market include:

• rearview cameras,
• lane departure warning systems,
• forward collision warning systems,
• and adaptive headlights.

A study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety estimates that if all passenger vehicles were equipped with these devices, one in three fatal collisions could be avoided.

Oklahoma Auto Accidents can be physically, emotionally, and financially devastating to each individual involved, especially if the accident wasn’t your fault. That’s why the Oklahoma Personal Injury Attorneys with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers ask that motorists always buckle up, slow down, and drive defensively at all times.

There are many people who believe colon cleansing procedures are the key to better overall health, preventing cancer and providing a number of health benefits to a patient, including:

• removing bodily toxins,
• promoting growth of healthy intestinal bacteria,
• boosting energy,
• and enhancing you immune system.

However, a recent study has shown that the procedure may be more dangerous than beneficial.

According to Oklahoma’s 9 News, research from Georgetown University has shown the procedure offers no health benefits and can be very dangerous. The results, which were published in The Journal of Family Practice, concluded that the procedure resulted in patients suffering a number of side effects ranging from cramping to kidney failure.

In other cases, more serious side effects were reported and include:

• colon and/or rectal perforation,
• sepsis,
• and death.

Many of these injuries can leave patients requiring the use of a colostomy bag for the rest of their lives.

Despite the dangers of this procedure, experts say that poorly trained individuals are still conducting the procedures, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no authority to oversee the products used.

The Oklahoma Medical Malpractice Attorneys with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers hope that understanding and educating the public about Colon Cleansing Dangers will help to persuade people that colon cleansing is an unnecessary procedure that they should stay away from. If you know someone who is considering the procedure, ask them to consider otherwise.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that while oil and gas extrication is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States today, the nature of the job also makes it one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Over a three-year period, 404 oil and gas workers died in occupational accidents, and the number continues to grow.

Take, for instance, the case of an Oklahoma City oil rig worker who died in an accident Monday night. Reports from KOCO News indicate that the incident occurred at approximately 10:45 p.m. on Southeast 59^th Street.

Officers who responded to the scene say that the worker was standing underneath the rig’s hydraulic line when it broke and a large piece of pipe came free. It fell on top of him and the worker was pinned beneath the pipe. Luckily, several co-workers witnessed the accident and were able to lift the hunk of metal and free the man. The victim’s heart had stopped, and although a co-worker attempted in vain to revive the man, a medical examiner declared him dead at the scene.

The Department of Health and Safety says it will continue to investigate the accident to determine its cause.

The Oklahoma Wrongful Death Attorneys with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers would like to send their thoughts and condolences to the family of the man who was tragically killed in this horrible accident.

A recent study published by The Hurt Report found that most motorcycle accidents are caused by other drivers who fail to see the motorcyclists. The study’s findings suggest that this is the cause of more than 30 percent of all motorcycle accidents. The results also concluded that young riders between the ages of 16 and 24-years-old were overrepresented in these statistics.

A fatal motorcycle accident in Oklahoma City similar to the crashes in the study this past week has claimed the life of a young rider and left another seriously injured. According to KOCO News, a car pulling out in front of the bike caused the accident.

The crash happened on Mustang Road near the intersection with US 152. The two boys were riding a motorcycle when a car pulled out in front of them, causing a collision. The driver of the car claimed that he never saw the motorcycle coming. Both teens were taken to a local hospital where one died three days later and the other was left in a wheelchair.

The Hurt Report also found that the chances of these types of motorcycle crashes could be significantly reduced by utilizing motorcycle headlamps while riding as well as wearing high visibility colors.

The Oklahoma Personal Injury Attorneys with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers would like to remind all bikers to be sure to wear a helmet anytime you go for a ride.

As the weather warms, children across Oklahoma are beginning to play outside again. However, that fun can quickly turn to panic if someone is injured on a piece of home recreational equipment, such as a trampoline.

According to News 9, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that in 2010, approximately 92,000 people required a visit to the emergency room after being injured on a trampoline. Many of those injuries were serious and potentially life-altering.

For instance, a professional baseball player recently broke his ankle while jumping on a trampoline at home with his 5-year-old son. The injury required surgery as well as six-weeks in a cast to heal. The ball player will then undergo several weeks of rehabilitation to strengthen the ankle that was hurt in the potentially career-ending injury.

Orthopedic surgeon and spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Dr. John Purvis, stated, “Although trampolines can be fun for both kids and adults, they pose a high risk for injuries, especially when two or more people jump at one time.”

This is why he suggests:

• Never let a child use a trampoline unsupervised.
• Spotters should always be present around a trampoline.
• One jumper at a time.
• Trampolines should be placed on level ground.
• Never let a child under 6-years-old use a trampoline.

The Oklahoma Personal Injury Attorneys with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers suggest following these recommendations closely if you are intending to use a trampoline.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction workers have the most dangerous job in the United States. This is due to the fact that the industry accounts for more fatal accidents than any other. In 2010 alone, 193 fatal construction accidents occurred.

An Oklahoma construction worker was recently injured in Moore, Oklahoma, after being struck by a vehicle on a job site. A report by KOCO News says the accident happened around 11:00 a.m. Monday at Northwest 5th Street and North Telephone Road.

Witnesses and co-workers of the victim say a white Jaguar sedan pulled into a blocked off section of 5^th Street where construction was taking place. When workers told the man he would have to move the car, he became agitated, began cursing, and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. When he accelerated the vehicle and attempted to make a U-turn, he collided with a nearby worker and ran him over. The driver then fled the scene.

The injured worker was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries to his arms and legs, and he also complained of head pain.

The driver turned himself into police a short time later and now faces charges of hit-and-run connected to the case.

The Oklahoma Construction Accident Lawyers with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers would like to wish the worker injured in this senseless accident a speedy and full recovery from his injuries.

An Oklahoma City woman was critically injured in a head-on collision earlier today. According to KOCO News, the accident happened at the intersection of Northeast 23^rd St. and Sooner Road.

Officers with the Oklahoma City Metro Police Department say that the woman was driving with a 2-year-old child in the backseat when she accidentally crossed the center yellow divider lines and struck a pickup truck head-on.

While the driver of the pickup escaped the crash unscathed, both the female driver and the child suffered injuries. They were taken to a local hospital where the woman remains in critical condition.

Three victims of a separate head-on collision that occurred in Graham, Oklahoma, yesterday were not so lucky and died as a result of the crash. Troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol say that the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic and struck a 2001 Mercury Marquis that was carrying the three victims.

Head-on collisions are often more deadly than other types of crashes because of the proximity of the site of impact to the driver and the direction of the force put on the body by the impact of the collision.

The Oklahoma Auto Accident Lawyers with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers wish the victim of the first accident a speedy recovery and would also like to send their deepest sympathies to the family of the victims of the fatal crash.

A two-vehicle collision in Carter County, Oklahoma, yesterday took the lives of two people and left two others critically injured. According to reports from Tulsa’s 8 News, the crash happened around 7:30 a.m. on State Highway 53, just outside the town of Graham, Oklahoma.

Troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol say that the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder was driving west on the road when she suddenly crossed over into the oncoming lane of traffic. The SUV collided with another vehicle carrying two women and a child.

The driver of the Pathfinder was trapped in the wreckage of her vehicle for around 20 minutes before rescue crews were able to cut the woman free. She was transported to Mercy Memorial Hospital in Ardmore before being transferred to the OU Medical Center in critical condition. The 12-year-old girl who was riding in the vehicle that was struck was also airlifted to OU Medical Center in critical condition.

The driver and passenger in the vehicle that were struck died at the scene of the crash.

Investigators say they will continue to probe as to what made the driver of the Pathfinder cross the centerline.

The Oklahoma Auto Accident Lawyers with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers would like to send their thoughts and condolences to the families of the two women who were killed in this tragic accident. The firm would also like to wish those who were injured a speedy recovery.

MedPage Today says that a new British study concluded patients who received metal-on-metal (MOM) total hip replacements much more commonly had to undergo revision surgery within five years due to complications and/or problems than those with other types of implants.

Researchers with the National Joint Registry of England and Wales collected data from more than 400,000 case files of patients who underwent total hip replacement surgeries between the years of 2003 and 2011. Of those cases, 31,171 involved metal on metal replacements.

Results showed that MOM hip replacements had a 6.2 percent cumulative risk of revision within five years, versus 3.3 percent for ceramic-on-ceramic and 1.8 percent for metal-on-polyethylene devices.

Women, especially younger women, with MOM hip replacements tended to be at a higher risk of device malfunction within the five-year time frame as well. Women aged 55-years-old had a 4.8 percent risk of revision versus a 70-year-old woman’s 2.6 percent risk with the same device. Women also tended to be at a greater risk of device malfunction than men.

Problems associated with hip replacement malfunctions include inflammation and infection from particles to ions from metal particles being absorbed into the body.

The Oklahoma DePuy Hip Replacement Lawyers with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers may be able to help you if you are suffering from complications associated with a hip replacement device. Call us today at 1-877-579-6800 to discuss any questions you may have.

A 24-year-old worker at the Remington Park horse race track in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was killed Sunday night in a tragic pre-race accident. According to reports from KOCO News, the man had been employed as a member of the maintenance department at the facility for just over a year.

Scott Wells, president and general manager of Remington Park, stated that the worker was approximately 300 yards from the starting gate when one of the horses in the upcoming race, Jimi Jive, crashed through the starting gate and sprinted for another gate at a track exit that led back to the barn area.

The victim attempted to prevent the horse from escaping the track by holding the gate shut, but the horse crashed through and crushed the worker against the gate. The injured employee was taken to Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center for treatment, but died just several hours after his arrival due to internal injuries he suffered in the accident.

Wells added that Global Gaming Solutions, the parent company of Remington Park, intends to establish an education fund for the victim’s nine-year-old daughter and will also provide insurance provisions for the family

The Oklahoma City Wrongful Death Attorneys with J. Colbert Injury Lawyers understand how difficult this sudden loss must be and would like to send out their deepest sympathies to the family of the young worker who tragically died as a result of this terrible accident.