Month: February 2017

Under a deadline established by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to create an oversight board or lose five percent of their current federal funding, the Maryland Senate unanimously approved a bill to establish Maryland’s role in the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. The Fort Totten collision of two Metrorail trains in June 2009 killed nine and injured dozens of passengers. The event placed a bright spotlight on the inadequacy of the Tri-State Oversight Committee (TOC). According to the FTA, the now-defunct group’s ineffective oversight exposed passengers to substantial risk of injury

Continue reading Important steps taken to improve safety on Metrorail trains…

In the winter, car accidents occur far more frequently. This is particularly true in states that receive a substantial amount of snow and ice. Oftentimes, these brutal wrecks completely obliterate the vehicle. However, drivers and passengers inside can survive in spite of the dismal state of the vehicle. This has led many to ponder the question, “how do our cars keep us safe?” Why are cars safer now? Certainly, safety features like airbags, combined with more drivers and passengers wearing seatbelts, has contributed to the decrease. However, the construction of

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Mary Efurd was hoping to finally find relief from the pain of a debilitating injury. In 2012, she turned to Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon with 17 years of training and experience. Confidence in gaining the long-awaited relief she needed was short-lived. When she awoke from the procedure to fuse two of her vertebrae, she could not stand and complained of crippling pain. A few days later, she underwent surgery for the second time. Dr. Robert Henderson took over where Duntsch left off. Or what he left behind. Henderson was

Continue reading Can doctors be held criminally accountable for malpractice?…

Winter 2017 has been particularly brutal for drivers throughout the country. While many are accustomed to traveling in inclimate conditions, others are discovering the challenges on snowy and ice roads for the first time. Weather-related accidents are on the rise and drivers are doing everything they can to protect themselves from injuries. Their first line of defense is their cars. The assumption exists that older automobiles were sturdier and stood up better to accidents. Many claim that the material used to manufacturer today’s vehicles puts drivers at risk. That sense of

Continue reading Is your car the safest place to be in an accident?…

Following the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, U.S.-based airlines implemented a two-pilot policy. The idea of one pilot controlling the plane alone ignored the dangers of possible incapacitation, mental illness, or simply pilots “going rogue.” Airlines outside of the U.S. chose not to follow suit. Perhaps they didn’t conceive of a co-pilot locking out the pilot who had temporarily left the cockpit. That lack of conception became a harsh reality. A Tragedy That Could Have Been Avoided Two years ago, Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed the Germanwings Flight 9525 he

Continue reading Are airlines’ responsible for pilots “going rogue?”…