Birmingham Personal Injury And Criminal Defense Law Blog

Falls are a significant source of injury, disability and death to older adults -- and by "older" we mean pretty much anybody 45 years of age or older. Younger people and kids simply tend to endure better -- and heal faster -- when they fall than people who have reached midlife or later.

Here's the thing: Research has long indicated that the majority of falls taken by adults out-of-doors are entirely preventable through just a little bit of environmental management. So what contributes to many falls in adults when they're out and about?

1. Uneven curbs, sidewalks and streets: The vast majority of falls outside -- around 70% -- occur on a hard surface like asphalt or concrete. Most people were simply walking along when they fell -- essentially losing their balance on uneven or damaged ground.
2. Badly-designed parking garages: A large number of people who fall outside do so in a parking deck or garage. Most of the time, they're tripping over the short curbs that are placed in and around spaces as guides for vehicles. This indicates that parking garages aren't being designed with human beings in mind so much as being designed simply to store vehicles.
3. Objects on the ground: Naturally, objects on the ground that shouldn't be there are also a significant source of falls and injuries. Far too often, debris is allowed to accumulate in a parking lot or on a store's floor -- and that's a prescription for trouble when there are shoppers around.

According to government statistics, about 40% of all traffic fatalities during Christmas and New Year's are related to drunk driving. That's a big jump from the 28% of fatalities attributed to that cause during the rest of the year.

You can be sure that the Alabama police will be on the lookout for drunk drivers this Christmas and New Year's once again. They'll also be looking for drivers who are just "buzzed" -- or anybody else who might have had a drink or two before hitting the road.

A three-year effort by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force resulted in the arrest of a 34-year-old drug "kingpin" and 17 others on a bevy of charges related to what authorities say was a multimillion-dollar drug operation in Jefferson County.

In total, there are 58 charges leveled at the defendants, which represents different crimes committed over the last six years, including money laundering, the conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and marijuana.

The average person in the greater Birmingham area probably spends a substantial amount of time in their car every week. Commuting to and from work, as well as making trips for errands and the benefit of your family, can mean that you spend several hours every day behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Given that their use is so prevalent, the average person tends to ignore the risk that comes with motor vehicles. However, just because you don't think about the potential for a crash doesn't mean the risk suddenly disappears.