The Associated Press reported that 53-year-old Kenneth Louis Drayton was killed in a backhoe accident at Sanders Brothers Construction in North Charleston on May 11. North Charleston police said Drayton was operating an excavator when he fell into the hole and dirt fell on him. A coworker noticed Drayton was missing and found him covered with dirt.

One of Drayton’s coworkers was going to get a bulldozer and fill the hole, according to a police report. The coworker made several trips filling the hole before noticing that Drayton had not been seen for 30 or 40 minutes, digging the hole back up using the excavator and finding Drayton’s body.

Backhoe accidents are frequently the result of safety precautions being ignored or the backhoes being defective. The AP reported that one of Drayton’s coworkers said that large metal plates were put in place for safety, but police were still investigating the accident. This tragic accident is a reminder that there are many types of construction equipment that can cause serious or fatal injuries for workers on job sites. Manufacturers have a duty to design backhoes that are safe to use and construction site supervisors have an obligation to make sure all construction equipment is properly maintained.

If you or your loved one sustained catastrophic injuries in a construction accident involving a backhoe, crane, bulldozer or some other type of equipment, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other long-term needs. Contact our firm at (877) 327-3800 to schedule a free consultation or complete the form on our website to have our South Carolina injury attorneys review your case.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury lawyers

The South Carolina news website MyHorryNews.com reported on May 7 that a state Senate bill that would strengthen distracted driving laws stalled in the state legislature. Senate Bill 186 would make it a felony when accidents caused by distracted driving result in a fatality. The bill was referred to the Senate judiciary committee, but it has remained there since January 8 and MyHorryNews.com said that passage in the current legislative session “appears unlikely” since May 1 was the deadline for legislation passed in one chamber to be sent to the other.

The timing was particularly disheartening since prosecutors also recently decided to drop charges in a fatal crash in which distracted driving was a factor. MyHorryNews.com reported that a charge of reckless homicide against truck driver Vincente Virola Rodriguez was dropped. The South Carolina Highway Patrol said Rodriguez was driving too fast for conditions and was also using a cell phone when his tractor trailer struck a Land Rover from behind in March 2012, killing 4-year-old Jada Bennett.

Additionally, the MyHorryNews.com report was published one day after WIS-TV reported that a new study had found a majority of 600 parents surveyed admitted to being distracted in some way while driving their young child around. The Associated Press reported that another study from the National Safety Council (NSC) found that crash deaths in cases where drivers were on the phone are seriously underreported. “We believe the number of crashes involving cellphone use is much greater than what is being reported,” NSC President and CEO Janet Foetscher told the AP. “Many factors, from drivers not admitting cellphone use to a lack of consistency in crash reports being used to collect data at the scene, make it very challenging to determine an accurate number.”

It is important for people to understand that if they or their loved ones have sustained serious injuries in a crash caused by a distracted driver, they could be entitled to compensation. Negligent motorists can still be held civilly liable even without criminal charges in a car accident. Use the form on our website to let our South Carolina injury lawyers review your case or contact our firm today at (877) 327-3800 for a free consultation.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury attorneys

Last April, Goose Creek resident Pina Arrington lost her husband Scott when a truck driver turned sharply to the right, crossed two lanes of traffic and slammed into the 44-year-old man while he was driving his motorcycle to work. According to the Goose Creek Patch, Pina was Scott’s common-law wife and they were supposed to get married nine days after he died. On May 7, Pina and other families of truck accident victims joined the Truck Safety Coalition in Washington DC to call on Congress to stop “dangerous and deadly” increases in the weight and size of commercial trucks.

“What happened to my husband was not an accident,” Pina said. “The unacceptably high numbers of truck crash deaths like Scott’s are the result of bad actors in an industry choosing profit over safety, and adding more size and weight to trucks will only result in greater loss of life.”

The Coalition, survivors of truck accidents and the families of victims expressed support for the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act, sponsored by US Senator Frank Lautenberg and US Representative James McGovern. The bill would freeze current federal truck size and weight limits, close existing loopholes that allow operation of overweight trucks and establish an enforcement program to ensure accountability.

The Truck Safety Coalition also released a report ranking the states on truck crash fatalities for 2011. According to the report based on the most recent data available, South Carolina was the 13th worst state in the country for truck accident fatalities. If you sustained catastrophic injuries or your loved one was killed in an accident with a commercial truck, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact our firm at (877) 327-3800 to schedule a free consultation or complete the form on our website to have our South Carolina injury attorneys review your case.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury lawyers

#McGowanHoodsMessage: A national poll by the Truck Safety Coalition shows overwhelming support for truck weight limitations. #DidYouKnow?

— McGowan Hood Felder (@McGowanHood) May 15, 2013

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57583404/medicare-fraud-allegations-national-nursing-home-chain-accused-of-billing-for-excess-care/

The Associated Press reported that nearly 1,400 hospitals in the United States have at least one da Vinci system, a three- or four-armed robot that surgeons operate with hand controls at a computer system located several feet away from a patient. Each da Vinci system costs about $1.45 million in addition to $100,000 or more a year in service agreements, and it is used for operations that include removing prostates, gallbladders and wombs, repairing heart valves, shrinking stomachs and transplanting organs, according to the AP. However, Bloomberg News reported that Sunnyvale, California-based Intuitive Surgical Inc., the company whose robots were used in 367,000 operations last year, is in the middle of the first trial of at least 26 lawsuits from people alleging injuries tied to its da Vinci system.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into an increase in reported problems during robotic surgeries, including at least five deaths. The AP reported that there have been 500 reports of reported problems related to the medical devices in the FDA database since January 1, 2012. According to Bloomberg, the first trial concerned Fred Taylor, a patient who died of heart disease four years after prostate removal surgery in 2012. Surgeon Scott Bildsten and other doctors turned to traditional surgery and then emergency care to repair a rectal laceration following seven hours of trouble with robotic surgery on Taylor in September 2008. Bloomberg reported that Bildsten had performed 100 successful prostatectomies using a traditional procedure, but he had not used the da Vinci system on a patient unassisted.

If you sustained serious injuries or your loved one died because of surgical errors, you may be entitled to compensation for medical malpractice. Fill out the form on our website to let our South Carolina injury lawyers review your case or contact our firm right now at (877) 327-3800 to arrange a free, confidential consultation.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury attorneys

Medical University of South Carolina officials said a truck driver was released from the hospital two days after being listed in serious condition following an April 28 truck accident on Interstate 26 in Berkeley County. WCSC-TV reported that 26-year-old William Wieters had to be pulled from his 18-wheeler carrying a double tank of diesel fuel and gasoline after it overturned and rolled multiple times following a two-car collision. The 19-year-old driver of the passenger vehicle involved in the accident was not taken to the hospital.

According to WCSC, Jason Washburn witnessed the accident and pulled Wieters from the truck that was leaking several gallons of gasoline from its 8,700-gallon tank. Washburn said he saw a car driving very slowly down I-26 when the tanker slammed into the back of it. Wieters will be charged with driving too fast for conditions, according to WCSC.

Officials said they believe that the amount of fuel spilled is considerably less than the initial estimate of 4,000 gallons, but an audit of the tanker and the amount of fuel recovered will determine how much was lost. The collision damaged the road, and officials closed the interstate while crews worked to clean up the spill and wreckage. WCSC reported that Berkeley County sheriff’s deputies also went door-to-door to warn residents along Rudd Road to stay inside because of harmful vapors.

Driving too fast for conditions is one type of negligence, and both the driver and the trucking company can be held liable in cases in which such truck driver error results in motorists sustaining serious or fatal injuries. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a commercial truck, contact our firm at (877) 327-3800 to schedule a free consultation or complete the form on our website to have our South Carolina injury attorneys review your case.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury lawyers

An April 26 story in the Anderson Independent Mail discussed the Developmental Center for Exceptional Children’s recent move to the much larger Westside Community Center on West Franklin Street. The Developmental Center website says it was “founded in 1973 by parents so their children with special needs would have a place to learn and develop.” It serves 30 children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, Fragile X, spina bifida, developmental delays and other disabilities who are eligible for services through the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs.

According to the Mail, the day care was operating at a building on North Main Street that had three classrooms, two offices and a kitchen, but the Westside Community Center provides 10 classrooms, a nurse’s room, a kitchen, a therapy room, a storage room and an office. Liz Baysden, the director of the center, told the Mail that nine children who were on a waiting list would be able to use it now that the center has moved.

Jessica Richardson told the Mail that the Developmental Center “has been invaluable” to her and her 2-year-old daughter, Journee, who was born prematurely at only 5 months. “She came home with a feeding tube,” Richardson said. “She could not do anything for herself. She was one of the babies who would just lay flat. Now, she is at the point where she is getting into everything.”

Children born with debilitating birth injuries such as cerebral palsy require additional care, and you could be entitled to compensation if your child was born with a birth injury as a result of a hospital staff’s negligence. Complete the form on our website to let our South Carolina injury lawyers review your case or contact our firm at (877) 327-3800 for a free consultation.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury attorneys

#CDC: Medical costs for children with #CerebralPalsy were 10x higher than for children without cerebral palsy or intellectual disability.

— McGowan Hood Felder (@McGowanHood) May 8, 2013

I think we all recognize that any or all of us may need skilled nursing care at some point in our lives, or in the lives of our family members.  It is terrifying, however, that you could be placed in a facility with a violent criminal and have no idea that that is the case.  And I am not faulting the family of the alleged perpetrator, and if the perpetrator has dementia and is not aware of what he is doing, I am not faulting him either.  However, the facility should be aware of his violent tendencies, and should be watching him closely.  At all times.  In fact, they should be doing that for themselves as well as for the vulnerable elderly that they are caring for.

For the full story, click below, and recognize that this happens more than you can imagine.  http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305030076/?nclick_check=1

WBTW-TV reported that a 32-year-old man and his 12-year-old stepson were both killed after being thrown from their motorcycle in a hit and run crash on April 14. At a news conference two days later, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said the driver of the suspect vehicle, 54-year-old Gordon Owens, was arrested and charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

Investigators said the car that hit the motorcycle on Woodside Drive and 7th Street in Greenville County left the scene of the accident. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Robert Austin Blackstone died on the scene and his stepson died at the hospital. According to WBTW, the victims were not wearing helmets.

South Carolina law requires all motorcycle operators and passengers under the age of 21 to wear motorcycle helmets, but the more outrageous crime in this case is the hit and run allegation. Motorists should never leave the scene of any motor vehicle accident, but it is particularly critical that they verify nobody involved in a crash is need of medical attention. Motorcycle operators and passengers are far more susceptible to catastrophic injuries than occupants of passenger vehicles.

This tragic accident reinforces the importance of driver’s maintain awareness about their surroundings, as many motorcycle accidents are caused by inattentive drivers. If you sustained serious injuries or your loved one was killed in a motorcycle accident, contact our firm today at (877) 327-3800 to set up a free consultation or complete the form on our website to have our South Carolina injury attorneys review your case.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury lawyers

Two police officers sustained injuries in a collision caused by an alleged drunk driver at the intersection of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard and Interstate 526 in Charleston on April 23. WCBD-TV reported that 65-year-old Robert Zimmerman was charged with DUI after running a red light and a Charleston police cruiser struck his pickup. Officers Robert Wilbanks and Klever Wells were both injured in the accident and were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for treatment. According to WCBD, Wilbanks was treated and released, but there was no word on Wells’ condition. Zimmerman was also taken to MUSC and was listed in good condition.

We have repeatedly mentioned that driving under the influence is a major problem in South Carolina. In its most recent report, Mothers Against Drunk Driving said, “South Carolina is one of the worst states DUI fatality wise.” With people all over the country likely to be consuming alcoholic beverages as part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations this weekend, our South Carolina injury attorneys encourage all drivers to plan ahead and have a designated driver or alternate transportation ready instead of getting behind the wheel.

You can find more information about drunk driving accidents on our website, and you could be entitled to compensation if you sustained catastrophic injuries or your loved one was killed in a car accident caused by an intoxicated driver. complete the form on our website or contact our firm by telephone at (877) 327-3800 for a free consultation.

McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC – South Carolina injury lawyers