MARTA train operator suspended for text messaging while transporting passengers.
Atlanta, GA(JusticeNewsFlash.com)–The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) http://www.itsmarta.com/ issued a three-day suspension, without pay, to one of their train operators for allegedly texting on the job, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Atlanta transit company, MARTA, hired the suspended employee, Damien Whatley in 2000. The accused Atlanta commuter train employee recently become a train operator within the last two years. Recent reports indicate a MARTA transit rider, reportedly, told MARTA officials he was absolutely sure he saw Whatley using his phone, not just holding it, while operating the MARTA train. The Atlanta are rider took a picture of Whatley from behind, which showed a device in his hands. MARTA executives imposed the maximum suspension under the company’s policies due to the limited evidence against the train operator. Investigators working with MARTA are unsure how much the testimony and photo evidence will affect and/or conclude their investigation before final disciplinary action may be taken. According to Wikipedia, http://www.wikipedia.org/, MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the ninth largest rapid transit system in the United States, with an average of 451,064 passengers per day.
MARTA isn’t the first public transit authority to have incidents surrounding cell phone texting. Just within the last year, a Boston trolley and a California commuter train crashed because the operators were texting while they were transporting passengers. The California Metrolink train had a fatal head-on collision with a freight train in September 2008. The catastrophic Metrolink wreck left 25 people dead and 135 people injured, and was reportedly the deadliest train crash in the United States in 15 years. In May 2009, a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line subway train rear-ended another Green Line trolley. The Boston MBTA train collision left a total of 50 passengers injured
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Where is Georgia Attorney General in the GM Bankruptcy?
One casualty (among many) of the bankruptcy reorganization of General Motors is personal injury claims against GM based on faulty design or manufacture of their vehicles. The Obama Administration was quick to throw injured plaintiffs under the bus by agreeing that all such pending personal injury claims would simply cease to exist as part of the bankruptcy. Interestingly, several Attorneys General of nine states have now objected to the GM bankruptcy on behalf of their respective citizens because it is a bad deal for their constituents who have been harmed by GM vehicles. Where is the Georgia Attorney General? Who is protecting the rights of Georgia citizens who have been harmed by GM vehicles? It seems like, as with so many things, Georgia is trailing behind other states in protecting its citizens, and that is not right.
Unusual Defective Products Resulting in Personal Injury
Every year thousands of Americans buy products that cause them personal injuries. Every year there are also thousands of product recalls for a variety of glitches ranging from annoying to capable of causing severe harm or death.
The last thing consumers expect when they buy a product is that it will harm them, and the last thing they also expect is that a company they rely on would ever put out a faulty product. “Unfortunately, this happens a great deal with everything from medical devices to baby car seats,” explained Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.
While one gets used to hearing about vehicle recalls, toy recalls, food recalls and drug recalls, one rarely ever hears about a recall for laptop computers. “Apparently the problem was overheating which subsequently caused fires and other various injuries,” said Ozcomert. Hard to imagine that happening with something so seemingly innocuous, however, technology evidently does have bad days as well.
The apparent source of the problem was the rechargeable battery that got too hot, hotter than the normal operating temperature of the machine. “Most of the injuries that resulted from this disturbing development were personal burns, however, there were instances when the computer was left on and no one was using it. The battery overheated and started a fire,” outlined Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.
While there have been more recalls since this was first discovered, the focus of the recall events has been a certain laptop battery used in the computers. The battery in question managed to garner a fair amount of negative press during a Sony major laptop battery recall.
Certainly there are things that may go wrong with any of the equipment we use during the day. “However, the real question in this instance deals with the manufacturer of the defective battery who knew (or should have known) it had the potential to harm people,” added Ozcomert.
Proving that the battery manufacturer did have knowledge of the faulty battery is not always an easy thing to do. It would involve, at the very least, the company having received complaints from other laptop users about the battery, and then doing nothing about it, unless however, they were motivated to do something later.
“Defective product law is challenging to say the least, and often the trail followed to get to the end of the story involving negligence on the part of someone in the chain from manufacturer to retailer is quite interesting. In cases such as this, the smart move is to hire a defective product attorney with an excellent track record in this area,” said Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.
The last thing consumers expect when they buy a product is that it will harm them, and the last thing they also expect is that a company they rely on would ever put out a faulty product. “Unfortunately, this happens a great deal with everything from medical devices to baby car seats,” explained Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.
While one gets used to hearing about vehicle recalls, toy recalls, food recalls and drug recalls, one rarely ever hears about a recall for laptop computers. “Apparently the problem was overheating which subsequently caused fires and other various injuries,” said Ozcomert. Hard to imagine that happening with something so seemingly innocuous, however, technology evidently does have bad days as well.
The apparent source of the problem was the rechargeable battery that got too hot, hotter than the normal operating temperature of the machine. “Most of the injuries that resulted from this disturbing development were personal burns, however, there were instances when the computer was left on and no one was using it. The battery overheated and started a fire,” outlined Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.
While there have been more recalls since this was first discovered, the focus of the recall events has been a certain laptop battery used in the computers. The battery in question managed to garner a fair amount of negative press during a Sony major laptop battery recall.
Certainly there are things that may go wrong with any of the equipment we use during the day. “However, the real question in this instance deals with the manufacturer of the defective battery who knew (or should have known) it had the potential to harm people,” added Ozcomert.
Proving that the battery manufacturer did have knowledge of the faulty battery is not always an easy thing to do. It would involve, at the very least, the company having received complaints from other laptop users about the battery, and then doing nothing about it, unless however, they were motivated to do something later.
“Defective product law is challenging to say the least, and often the trail followed to get to the end of the story involving negligence on the part of someone in the chain from manufacturer to retailer is quite interesting. In cases such as this, the smart move is to hire a defective product attorney with an excellent track record in this area,” said Georgia super lawyer Stephen M. Ozcomert of Atlanta.
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