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Tractor trailer drivers are required to exercise “extreme caution” in snow and ice, including getting off the road when necessary. Their employers are required to make sure they do exercise “extreme caution.” However, I seldom see many who take that seriously. That was driven home in Tuesday’s winter storm.

When Atlanta’s winter storm (#snowjam2014 #snowcalypse2014) hit metro Atlanta on Tuesday, causing an epic icy gridlock, I was taking depositions in Macon on a truck crash wrongful death case. We finally got through to our judge’s office to get an extension of a deadline for completing depositions, then headed back to…

Georgia State FlagOur home state of Georgia has been ranked #1 in business climate, according to Site Selection magazine’s annual ranking of states’ attractiveness to corporate facility investors. The selection criteria included a survey of corporate site selectors, the states’ competitiveness, qualified projects so far in 2013 on a per capita basis and state tax burdens on new and mature firms.

Georgia  is now more economically competitive than states such as Texas that have enacted draconian measures to block access of injured people to their court systems.   Georgia has also become more attractive to businesses than North Carolina  and Tennessee…

In the national debate over health care there has been much discussion of the fact that many people go to hospital emergency departments for medical care that is not necessarily due to a true emergency involving a serious personal injury  or immediately life threatening illness.

There are many reasons for that, some good and some not. Even if you have a regular physician treating a chronic illness, getting an appointment can take a long time. If you call after hours or on weekends you may be told to go to the ER for anything that requires immediate attention.

The Georgia…

Amputees in the 21st century have come a long way from the image of the peg leg pirate and the dull, heavy prosthetic leg of even a few years ago.  Increasingly, technological advances in prosthetic replacements for amputated arms, legs, feet and hands promise to exceed the Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man TV fantasies a generation ago.My job as an Atlanta trial attorney handling serious injury cases in Georgia is to help clients with amputation injuries secure the funds to take advantage of these new advances.

Much of the funding for research and development has come from…

In the summer we all want to spend more time outdoors. One of my favorite outdoor activities is bicycle riding. As an Atlanta personal injury and wrongful death lawyer and occasional cyclist, I can’t help viewing the risks of injury along with the benefits of exercise.

Maybe that is why most of my biking is on the Silver Comet Trail and other designated bike paths.

When we do ride on busy Atlanta streets, there are some practical bike safety tips we should keep in mind:

  1. Protect yourself from head injuries.  One study reported that 97% of people killed

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BUI - Georgia cracks down on boating under the influence
Georgia cracks down on boating under the influence

Every summer thousands of metro Atlanta residents take to the surrounding lakes in boats. And every summer we see fresh cases of boating accidents, often collisions between watercraft in which someone is drinking alcohol, often at night, killing or injuring people involved. Boating under the influence is a major hazard on Georgia lakes.

Last July on Lake Lanier, a fishing boat collided with a pontoon boat at night, immediately causing the deaths of two young brothers.The operator of the fishing boat failed a field sobriety test and refused…

Governor Nathan Deal is forming a Governor’s Commission on Teen Driving, to be comprised of at least 15 members between the ages of 15 and 19.

Supervised by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, this commission will prepare reports to the governor outlining ideas for a statewide strategy to educate teen drivers on hazards such as drunken driving and texting and driving.

“No one can advise our state on how to reach teenagers better than teenagers,” said Harris Blackburn, director of the highway safety office.

The deadline for teen drivers to apply to serve on the commission is Sept.…

Do advocates of more “loser pays” rules offer a solution in search of a problem?

Are people unaware of the “loser pays” sanctions that are already part of Georgia law?

As discussed in previous posts, Georgia already has five statutory “loser pays” rules, four of which passed in tort reform legislation during the time I have been practicing law, and one we have had since the Civil War. Georgia needs a sixth “loser pays” about as much as it needs a sixth law school at a time when graduates of the existing law schools have a really hard time finding…

My law practice is focused on commercial trucking accidents, personal injury and wrongful death cases for plaintiffs. As president of the State Bar of Georgia, I have many occasions to speak to groups, both in and out of my practice area. The following is excerpted from my presentation — “Trial Preparation: 30 tips in 30 Minutes” – at the Georgia Law of Torts seminar at Mercer University Law School in Macon on September 23, 2011.

12. Video recording of defendant depositions.

A party may videotape any deposition upon notice that it will be so recorded. OCGA 9-11-30 (b)(4); FRCP 30…

As president of the State Bar of Georgia, I have occasion to work on a number of issues and controversies beyond the scope of my own personal injury, wrongful death and commercial trucking accident trial practice.  The following is excerpted from an article by Kathleen Joyner in the Fulton County Daily Report on September 23, 2011.

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Bar committee OKs rule change
Public defenders in same circuit would be allowed to represent co-defendants under proposed amendment

The State Bar of Georgia’s Disciplinary Rules and Procedures Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a rule change that would allow public defenders in the…