When gas prices began their stratospheric rise over last spring and summer, more New Jersey residents threw away their car keys, and dusted off their bicycles to be able to cope, a move that is being pointed to an increase in the number of deaths in bicycle accidents across the state.

As of early December, a total of 22 people had been killed in bicycle accidents in New Jersey compared to last year, as well as the year before. In fact, the fatality numbers this year are the highest they have been in six years. Most of the fatalities that occurred as a result of bicycle accidents this year, including the three that took place in Morris County, were related to people who were going to or returning from work at the time of the crash.  The numbers have been distressing enough for the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic to plan new safety initiatives targeted at the bicycling community before the new year.

Bicycle Accident Litigation                     

Pursuing a civil lawsuit for injuries sustained in a bicycle accident requires proving that the motorist involved was neglectful of the rights of the bicyclist, and that this resulted in severe injuries. An experienced New Jersey bicycle accident attorney can help build a case that results in the compensation the bicyclist deserves. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident, contact an experienced bicycle accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Scott D. Grossman for a free initial consultation.

Pedestrian accidents have become far too frequent on this stretch that has the distinction of being voted the most dangerous road in New Jersey by a transportation advocacy group. In all, between 2005 and 2007, a total of nine pedestrians were killed on the road. Now, city authorities are making efforts to stem these growing numbers of accidents.   Since the beginning of September, traffic enforcement officers have stepped up efforts on Route 130, and over 200 vehicles have been stopped. 199 traffic summons have been issued, including several for running red lights, using a cell phone while driving, speeding, and the rest for seat belt, and stop sign violations. 

Burlington City Mayor James Fazzone is looking at other ways to reduce the high accident rate on the much used stretch of road. On the anvil are plans for a pedestrian overpass that should be able to lessen the congestion on the road. Other ideas being proposed include the installation of blinking lights just before the intersection to act as a warning to motorists about the school crossing. 

Whatever the City plans to do, they need to do it fast. Too many innocent people are getting killed because of brazen violations on the street.

Dangerous Roads

When there are defects on a roadway because of the design of the road, improper maintenance, inadequate lighting or signage, then the chances of an accident increase significantly.  Construction defects in a road can cause motorists to lose control of their vehicle, while the lack of signage can lead to confusion, causing auto accidents. It’s the duty of federal, state and county authorities to make sure that the roadways are safely designed, properly constructed, and maintained regularly. If an accident occurs because of the failure of these agencies to provide safe conditions for you to drive in, then they can be held liable in a court of law for any injuries that may occur because of these accidents.

Proving that defects in road design or maintenance were the cause of your accident and injuries requires the expertise of an experienced New Jersey accident lawyer. More than one agency may have been responsible for the negligence, and may be held accountable for damages. Contact an experienced New Jersey car accident lawyer for an evaluation of your case.

This bill titled "The Pharmacy Quality Improvement and Error Prevention Act S-409" has been introduced by Senator Jeff Van Drew, and claims to seek to establish strong measures to prevent pharmacy errors across New Jersey. These measures include the creation of a Medication Error Prevention Task Force consisting of 24 members, that would be responsible for providing guidelines for the improvement of pharmacy quality control standards, and to reduce the number of errors that occur at New Jersey pharmacies.   The bill also require pharmacies in the state to monitor and review any pharmacy errors that may occur, and also mandates the State Board of Pharmacy to release regular alerts about prescriptions drugs that have similar sounding names, so that the frequency of errors is reduced. Pharmacists are required to report any medication errors occurring on their watch to the Board of Pharmacy.

So far, so good. 

The wheels seem to be spinning fast as this legislation moves ahead on its way to becoming a full fledged law. It will now proceed to the full Senate for consideration. Unfortunately, New Jerseyans seem to be unaware of the potential implications that this legislation has for their right to protect themselves, and claim compensation in the event of a pharmacy error-related injury. It removes any compulsion that big name pharmacy chains have to maintain quality standards in the dispensation of medicines to patients. Just a few weeks ago, I mentioned how CVS in North Carolina had an incentive scheme in place that rewarded employees for filling the maximum number of prescriptions in a single day. Lured by the incentives, pharmacists were topping 500 prescriptions a day, when the acceptable limit in that state is 150. A mad rush to fill prescriptions inevitably lead to mistakes, even fatal ones. If the bill is passed, customers who suffer from the consequences of these practices, will lose any rights they have to be compensated for their injuries.

It's become imperative that we draw attention to this issue that threatens to impact all New Jerseyans. To learn more about how this bill is bound to affect your lives, please contact me at my pharmacy error lawyers office.

According to witnesses, a woman walked into the store with an extra large cat that not everybody instantly recognized as a bobcat. The animal was already antsy, what with all the pet dogs who had gathered with their owners for their photo shoot, and when it was placed on Santa's lap for the photo session, it bit his hand and wrist ferociously. Bebbington suffered a number of wounds that actually bled. As he said later, the cat had a vicious and strong bite, and if it had been a little child or baby instead of him, he or she could have ended up with a severed hand.

The woman who owned the exotic pet, apparently, walked away from the store after the incident, claiming that she had a license to keep the cat, and it had been through all its vaccinations. She didn't leave her name and address, and Bebbington is worried about the vaccination status of the cat. If he doesn't get in touch with her soon, he will have no choice, but to go ahead and receive painful rabies shots for the wounds.

PetsMart meanwhile, has stepped in to take care of his medical bills. Bebbington is no stranger to handling exotic animals for photo shoots. In his years of playing Santa, he says, he has posed with snakes, horses and a range of other animals, and never been attacked like this.
 

It's extremely fortunate that this animal attack incident was focused around an adult who has some experience handling animals. Bobcats can grow up to 50 pounds, and can pack a big punch in their jaws. The possibilities of what could have happened if the bobcat had panicked at the sight of all the people in the store and run amok, does not bear thinking of. With other people, including children in the vicinity, there was definitely a possibility for more injuries to result from this incident. The woman who owned the cat, apparently told people at the store before she left that she kept the cat on a dog lead in her yard, tethered for safety. How negligent is it to bring an animal that's normally leashed at home, to a public place with children around, and how irresponsible that she should leave without even asking if she could pay for Beddington's medical bills caused by her pet?

Building an Animal Attack Lawsuit

Fatalities and injuries from animal attacks are more common than we'd like. When a person is attacked by an animal, and suffers injuries, he can claim compensation from the owner of the pet, for his pain, suffering and physical disfigurement. Establishing liability in an animal attack case, whether it's a dog bite or a cat attack, can be difficult, and requires the experienced counsel of an experienced animal attack attorney. Contact a New Jersey animal attack lawyer for a free consultation and evaluation of your case.
 

Now, an identical bill “The Pharmacy Quality Improvement and Error Prevention Act A-1803" has been introduced in the Assembly by Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle. She has been busy promoting her legislation, hailing it as an effective measure to prevent the number of injuries that occur because of prescription mistakes in New Jersey.  

A registered pharmacist, who reports information to the board relating to a medication-related error, as required pursuant to subsection a. of this section, shall be immune from liability in a civil action for any injury or damages in connection with that medication-related error.

If the bill becomes law, what it will mean for New Jerseyans, is that in the event that they are injured because of a prescription error, the pharmacist who was responsible for filling the prescription will not be held liable for any injuries that were caused by his mistake. All that's required for the pharmacist is essentially to report his error to the New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy, to get away with a slap on the wrist, and not much more.

As a pharmacy error lawyer, I am all for legislation to prevent errors, and the establishment of an oversight committee that will act as a watchdog to prevent innocent consumers from having to suffer the often dangerous effects of prescription mistakes. What I cannot understand however, is the establishment of a Task Force that has just two members out of its 17 public members, representing the needs of health care consumers. The remainder of the members is made up heavily of chain pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and other allied interests.

Throughout the country, we're seeing big name pharmaceutical interests taking increasing precedence over the protection of the consumer. Whether it’s the eagerly awaited outcome of the currently ongoing Wyeth-Levine lawsuit that threatens to take away an individual's right to sue a company for injuries sustained by an FDA-approved drug, or this bill that jeopardizes the rights of New Jersey residents to claim liability when they have been injured because of pharmacy error, increasing legislative interference with the rights of citizens is a dangerous and continuing trend that must be curbed.  

The three plaintiffs, Kelly Mace, Jordan Speisman, and Lance Sager, all Florida residents, began taking Accutane about a decade ago for treatment of acne. They were in their teens, and the drug had been prescribed to them by their doctors. Soon after, the three began to experience symptoms of Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) that soon flared into full fledged forms of the condition, including Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn's Disease.  Speisman will soon undergo surgery to remove his colon, while Sager and Mace will need to continue drug therapy to control their symptoms for the rest of their lives. Worse, all three are faced with a life that has an increased risk of colon cancer. 

Image Courtesy: Flickr - {dpade1337}

At the trial, the jury saw evidence that the company had for long been aware of the fact that Accutane damaged the gastrointestinal tract, triggering IBD. It was back in 1984 that the company warned doctors of a possible association between the medication and IBD, but when studies later proved that there was more than just a "possibility" of the drug causing serious gastrointestinal disorders, the company chose to remain silent about these effects.  The labels on the products that should have carried warnings of these side effects were not altered at all, with the consequence that several users found themselves facing IBD symptoms. There are presently at least 600 cases relating to Accutane against Hoffman La-Roche around the country.

Although the spotlight has focused on Accutane and its links to IBD, the drug has also given the FDA several headaches, relating to its effects on pregnant women, as well as its psychiatric side effects. Accutane has been found linked to severe birth defects, including mental retardation, missing ears, heart defects and other deformities in the fetus. Legislation has made it harder for women of child bearing age to obtain access to this medication, and potential users are even required to sign a consent form before they can access the drug.   Accutane has also been found linked to suicidal fantasies, suicides, and anxiety, and has found itself the focus of lawsuits relating to these.

Everyday, more patients are pursuing lawsuits against Hoffman La-Roche for its negligence in promoting Accutane, even as it continued to be aware of its serious side effects. If you or a loved one have suffered Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), Ulcerative Colitis, or Crohn's' Disease as a result of taking Accutane, it's important to know that you have legal rights that you can protect. Contact our New Jersey personal injury lawyers' office, for more information on how you can obtain compensation for your injuries.

The case goes back to April 2000, when a patron at the bar, 23-year-old Humberto Herrera-Salas was served alcohol even after it was obvious that he was intoxicated. Other regulars at the bar were quick to notice that Herrera-Salas was already drunk as he walked into the bar, and drunk driving experts later calculated that his blood alcohol level had to have been at least .18 by the time he entered Cheerleaders. At the bar, Herrera-Salas went on to down three shots of tequila and three beers. When it became obvious that he was too intoxicated to be hanging around the bar any longer, employees forced him outside, and even called a cab to drop him home. 

What happened next seems to have been the crux on which the appellate court upheld the decision to repeal the bar license. The employees should have made sure that Herrera-Salas was safely inside the car, and on his way home. Instead, they left him to his own devices, and went back inside the establishment. Herrera-Salas, too drunk to care, simply got into his car, and sped out of the parking lot.  A few minutes later, he was driving south in the northbound lanes of Route 130. The car accident when it did occur, was devastating in impact. Herrera-Salas' car crashed head on into a vehicle carrying a couple from Gloucester City. Patricia and Robert Reed were killed in the crash, and at least two passengers in their car were seriously injured. 

Tests after the car accident revealed that Herrera-Salas' blood alcohol level was close to .28, almost three times the limit of .10.   He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

It's evident that the staff at Cheerleaders was negligent in its responsibility, and that the establishment deserved the repealing of its license. Dram shop liability laws allow an injured person of the family of someone who has died in a drunk driving accident, where it can be proved that the establishment in question continued to serve alcohol even after being aware that the driver was intoxicated, to seek compensation from the establishment for their suffering.

Throughout the country, drunk driving is one of the major causes of auto accidents, causing hundreds of injuries and fatalities every year. New Jersey is no exception. Although we have been fortunate enough to witness a steady drop in our drunk driving accident rates, we still have a lot to do to deal with this menace. What we need is a combined initiative that includes all levels of society, including the establishments that serve alcohol to their customers. There's only so much that New Jersey car accident lawyers, the police and courts can do to tackle this problem.

The company in question is CVS, which has the highest number of stores – 285 of them - in the state out of all the nationwide chains. According to the report, the distinction with other chains doesn't quite end there. CVS also has the highest number of citations from  the North Carolina Pharmacy Board for prescription errors. In fact, the Board has repeatedly cited the chain for creating a work environment in which employees are likely to make mistakes.

Regular customers who get their prescriptions filled at CVS are noticing the difference in service, the report says. Staff members often seem to be in a hurry to rush through prescriptions. It's not simply a desire to squeeze more out of their workday that's behind this high speed work environment. As the report points out, the company has incentive systems in place that reward employees based on the volume of prescriptions they fill. In fact, CVS pharmacists routinely receive updates on the amount of extra cash they stand to make depending on how quickly they can fill bottles with pills.

The extent to which CVS has been able to continue this practice unchecked, is shocking. Consider these statistics – the Board of Pharmacy stipulates 150 as the number of prescriptions that can safely be filled by a pharmacist in a single day. At CVS, some former employees have gone on record to claim that on a busy day, it's not unusual for pharmacists to fill as many as 500 prescriptions.  

In one complaint of pharmacy error against CVS that was filed with the Board, a pregnant woman took home what she thought was anti-morning sickness medication from her local Salisbury CVS store.   Only, it turned out to be a drug that's prescribed for patients with spinal injuries. When the Board investigated the number of prescriptions that were filled on the day of the potentially tragic mistake – a common practice when pharmacy errors are reported – it was found that the pharmacist responsible had filled 513 prescriptions on that particular day.

CVS itself sees nothing wrong with the speed at which prescriptions are filled at its stores. According to a spokesperson, certain speed is necessary in "specific defined circumstances."   The blasé attitude at CVS towards the concerns of the Board and the public, as well as the company's focus on volume and profits at the cost of patient safety, is appalling. But it's far from an isolated case. The push for profits over safety is common to most of the major nationwide pharmacies. The kind of prescription errors that result when pharmacists are counting the dollars that will be chalked up on their incentive sheets, instead of focusing on the name of the medication they are filling out, should be a cause for worry, not only for pharmacy error lawyers, but also consumers.

Our sincerest condolences go out to her family.

Data released by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, 2% of the American population is bitten by a dog annually. That’s over 4.5 million people, and of those bitten by a dog, most of them are children between the ages of five and nine. And of those 4.5 million people who are attacked by a dog, 20% receive treatment from a medical professional, and 20 people suffer fatal injuries.

            As a dog bite attorney lawyer covering Freehold, Manalapan, Marlboro, Howell, Jackson, Paterson and all of central and northern New Jersey and know how physically painful and emotionally traumatizing a dog bite can be. The article cited above provides a lot of good information on how to handle dog bite attacks and how to care for the injury afterwards. Some important statistics cited are “In the US alone, nearly 5 million people are attacked by dogs per year, and 1,000 people go to emergency rooms per day as a result of a dog attack; many of them are children, and about half of them have been bitten in the face.” Dog attacks are a serious problem throughout the country and New Jersey is no different. I suggest reading the article several times so you can be well informed on what to do if a situation arises. I hope this information can be useful to your family and friends in helping to prevent dog bite attacks.

Of course when a highly publicized incident occurs, legislative officials often take swift action to introduce legislation that will attempt to minimize or avoid the likelihood of the same type of events occurring in the future. This undertaking may be borne out of a genuine concern for doing what an individual believes is the right thing to do or may be the result of political pressures or a combination of the two.   Unfortunately, portions of “Congo’s Law” would likely, in my humble opinion, place New Jerseyans in actual danger of additional vicious dog bite attacks while sparing the lives of dogs that have already attacked persons that resulted in serious bodily injury or even death.  Now don’t get me wrong, I want to be clear that I am a dog and animal lover. I believe wholeheartedly that animals should never be abused for purposes of someone’s warped entertainment and any individual intentionally abusing an animal should be fully prosecuted under animal cruelty laws.  However, common sense mandates that if a domestic animal attacks a human being resulting in serious bodily injury or death, now we put the risk of harming persons above the value of the animal’s life.  We cannot put the safety of our children or our loved ones at risk of physical harm in order to preserve the highest burdens of proof.  Most rational persons would agree that to grant animals the same rights as our citizens is purely absurd. Believe it or not, this in essence is what certain provisions of the Congo Law would require if enacted.  For example, under the current law if after an attack the dog is declared vicious by a municipal court judge, meaning it killed a person or caused serious bodily injury then the dog shall be destroyed in a humane manner. See N.J.S.A. 4:19-22.  The Congo law would allow the municipal judge discretion in allowing the dog to return home even if an attack occurred resulting in serious bodily injury or death and where it found that the dog is declared vicious.  Then the court would require its owner to obtain a special municipal vicious dog license, orange identification tag, a municipal registration number, and maintain liability insurance.

Under the provisions of Congo’s law, the municipal court shall declare the dog vicious if it finds that the dog “beyond a reasonable doubt” killed or caused serious bodily injury to a person and “poses a continuing or future serious threat of serious bodily injury or death to a person."  So in other words, the burden of proof in these proceedings will be changed to the highest burden of proof that is only used in criminal prosecutions.  Practically speaking, how can a judge determine “beyond a reasonable doubt” if the dog poses a future serious threat of serious bodily injury or death?   Yes, believe it or not these are some of the amendments that are actually in the bill. 

It is the existing laws that are codified in N.J.S.A. 4:19-17. et seq. that already require certain procedures to be followed by animal control officers and municipal courts after a dog bite attack occurs in order to determine whether or not the dog shall be deemed vicious or potentially dangerous that need to be better enforced. I find that often times after a dog bite attack, the victim and the community’s right to be safe are too often overlooked and the vicious or potentially dangerous dog is returned back to the owner only to hold the community and the victim hostage. All too often, the same dog is a recidivist which results in another future attack or attacks.  Now we have created more victim’s whose attacks could have been easily prevented had the law been properly enforced.

 The goal of amending the current laws to more clearly define the burden of proof by the municipal courts to demonstrate the dog wasn’t provoked makes sense however; Congo’s Law goes too far by placing future human life and liberty at risk of harm.  Maybe the only good to come out of Congo’s repeated attacks is that it will raise awareness to the public of the importance of strict enforcement of the procedural requirements by our municipal officials of the current dog bite laws.
       

 As Monmouth County and New Jersey motorcycle accident attorney I have witnessed first hand the devastating life altering effects of motorcycle crashes. In this particular situation there could be many factors that made the rider swerve into the opposite lane leading him to strike the curb. What ever the cause of the accident may be, drivers on the road have to make sure they are careful around motorcycle riders. A simple act of having your high beams on can blind a driver and when the driver is a motorcycle rider they can more easily lose control and crash. One way to simply lower the motorcycle fatalities is to always keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the motorcycle and always proceed with caution before entering into a turn or a lane change. Motor vehicle drivers can do their part by being more responsible on the road and hopefully motorcycle riders will do their part by taking the right safety precautions.

 As a Monmouth County and New Jersey car accident attorney I have represented hundreds of victims that suffered critical injuries because of alcohol related car accidents.  This news story above highlights a all too common scenario whereby alcohol appears to have impaired this driver’s sense of judgment. The alleged intoxicated driver may have destroyed the lives of these innocent grocery shoppers who never would have imagined that they would fall victim to a drunk driver while going through their normal every day routine of pushing their grocery carts at their local supermarket.  Drinking and driving frequently leads to victim's extreme suffering.  I have witnessed first hand clients that have suffered at the hands of drunk drivers’ : traumatic brain injury, loss of limbs, spinal cord injuries including paralysis fractures, herniated disc injuries leading to spinal fusion or inter-body fusion surgery and a myriad of other life altering injuries and even death.  So as a seasoned New Jersey and Monmouth County accident attorney lawyer I can attest unequivocally that alcohol mixed with driving of motor vehicles, motorcycles or trucks many times equates with the total destruction of innocent life and also destroys both individuals and their families.  We can significantly reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities in New Jersey by never ever driving while intoxicated or in any way impaired.  

New Jersey has very busy roads during the summer months especially in Monmouth County. As an attorney representing many motor vehicle accident clients throughout the New Jersey and the Monmouth County area, I ask you to be extra careful driving this summer because the roads will get busy as people travel towards the shore to beat the summer heat. According to AARP, the likelihood of attendees being involved in an auto accident or receiving a traffic ticket should decrease by 15 percent following the completion of the two sessions. Being a Monmouth County and New Jersey injury lawyer I would recommend completing some of these courses to help improve driving safety and to help reduce those outrageously over priced New Jersey auto insurance rates.

State Police Deputy Superintendent of Operations Juan Mattos said, "Four of the seven fatal motor vehicle accidents on Memorial Day 2007 were alcohol related. This is a pointless waste of lives we will attempt to avoid by relentlessly pursuing intoxicated drivers." Superintendent Fuentes added "We can only do so much to encourage safe behavior. In the end, New Jersey's drivers must decide to act responsibly."

As a Monmouth County and New Jersey auto accident lawyer attorney, I have witnessed over the past decade the horrific shattering of lives far too often as the direct result of alcohol consumption while driving cars, trucks and motorcycles. Obviously, we should never ever drink and drive. More safety tips can be found at The American Society of Civil Engineers link and I hope this information will be useful and if applied may even help to reduce the number of traffic related fatalities and severe injuries.

As a Monmouth County New Jersey Motorcycle accident lawyer attorney I have seen first hand the devastating toll that motorcycle accidents have taken on its victims and families. It was not reported in the above article whether the car in front of the motorcycle suddenly stopped short (a very possible scenario).  Regardless of whose fault the crash was, we know for certain that New Jersey's over crowed highways and major roads can be a most dangerous place for motorcycle riders.

According to an article from the American Medical News, a shocking 11% of child patients have adverse drug events during hospital stays. Most of the results came from children staying in adult hospitals and given adult sized doses instead of the pediatric size. Dr. Sharek, chief clinical patient safety officer at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. said “We are so used to writing pediatric, weight-based doses and when children are being cared for at adult hospitals staffed by adult-based nurses and adult-based pharmacists, that's a type of error that could theoretically occur a lot more frequently." The American Medical News goes on to say “The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies more than 15,000 U.S. health care organizations and programs, said in its sentinel event alert that children are at greater risk for adverse drug events. That's because most medications are formulated and packaged for adults, and most hospitals and emergency departments are geared toward caring for adults.” The Joint Commission is further investigating these problems and suggests that hospitals identify and administer pediatric medications. Frank Federico, RPh, said "Medication should be delivered to the nursing unit or available in ready-to-administer fashion. That way, there is less that nurses have to do and less chance for error.”

As a New Jersey dog bite lawyer, I can say that many of my clients have been attacked by pit-bulls or mixed breeds that likely had some pit bull in them.  However, the attacks also occur from a multitude of breeds and mixed breeds. The leading studies also reinforce this data. 

It has been my experience that the more severe dog bite victims often endure severe puncture wounds, bone crushing or bone piercing injuries of the face, arms, head, legs or other body parts.  Unfortunately, often times it is not just the physical scarring that will endure but the emotional scarring that may have an even more detrimental permanent effect on the victim.    This may occur when the victim of a severe and brutal dog bite attack suffers emotional trauma in the form of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. 

The victims of severe dog bite attacks experiencing PTSD may lose the ability to cope with normal everyday situations.  For example; the victim may avoid many social situations for fear that a dog could be around.  Even a small non threatening dog could produce a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety to someone suffering from PTSD as a result of a dog attack.    This can be extremely debilitating and life altering.  The most severely affected dog bite victims will actually lose their freedom to just go for a simple walk around their neighborhood for fear of experiencing the horror once again. They relive the attack in their minds and something that may have lasted only a few seconds will seem like the longest moments of their lives. These victims endure their own “Vietnam War”. The PTSD can produce severe changes in the victim’s personality that may destroy their relationships and can even lead to the total breakdown of the family unit. 

After a severe dog bite attack if the victim begins to experience any of the above symptoms, receiving a proper diagnosis by a competent mental health professional is extremely important.  While ongoing long term psychotherapy may work well for some individuals, for others it is just too stressful and anxiety producing to re-enter the darkest and scariest moments of his or her life.       

Keep an eye out for future posts on this blog where I plan on revealing the problems with the laws in the state of New Jersey as they relate to the procedures that are to be taken by the authorities after a dog bite attack. My opinions are based on my experiences in representing victims of dog bite attacks in places like Paterson and Freehold as well as counties such as Bergen, Monmouth, Middlesex, Passaic and Ocean Counties.   

According to the Federal Highway Authority about 2,500 New Jersey motorcyclists are involved in crashes each year. In 2006, in NJ there were 89 deaths which have more than doubled the 40 motorcycle deaths in 1991. As reported in a recent Glouster County Times article, Rowan University partnered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and Virginia Tech to promulgate a study gathering data about motorcyclist habits that may help to reduce the incidence of motorcycle related fatalities and injuries.   Dr. Yusuf Mehta, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rowan said”Motorcyclists are vulnerable highway users, and we have been watching the number of motorcycle fatalities in our state increase. The goal is to understand the root cause of increasing motorcycle fatalities." Dr. Mehta said his students will look at police reports of motorcycle crashes and investigate several factors such as pavement conditions, street lighting, and visibility. The study will continue through June 2009 and is funded through a $199,000 grant from the State Department of Transportation.

Furthermore, motorcyclists need to become more aware of highway dangers and avoid making poor decisions. An example of a poor decision would be when there is heavy traffic on the roads so a motorcyclist decides they don’t want to wait in traffic so they drive in between lanes. Let’s say one of the cars decided to make a turn, that would put the motorcyclist in danger and at high speeds could result in a serious injury or even death. Motorcyclists do many things to cause their own danger. Other examples are speeding, making sharp turns, and driving too close to cars. Let’s make a better effort to become more aware of dangers and to make better choices.

While motorists make many mistakes on the road nothing is more deadly then a motorcyclist making a mistake. When driving a motorcycle you need to take extra precautions like driving the speed limit and always being aware of your surroundings.

Motorcycle fatalities have gone down statistically but what can we do to further reduce these incidents of serious motorcycle accidents in New Jersey? One idea is to further educate the public. May is now being recognized as the New Jersey Motorcycle Awareness Month in an effort to remind all motorcyclists and motorists to be responsible when sharing the road. Hopefully education will provide awareness of dangers on the road and what precautions drivers can take. Together we can lower the fatality numbers and make the road a safer place.