South Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

In California, former workers from a closed Toyota Plant filed suit against the Plant ownership and its parent company Toyota, claiming they were denied severance packages due to the fact they had to take leave from work because of on-the-job injuries. The suit seeks a revised severance agreement, restitution, lost compensation, other employee benefits and monetary damages. because more than 300 of the plants 4700 employees were claimed to be affected by this, the suit will be filed as a class action lawsuit. The Plant is located in Menlo park, Ca outside of Oakland.

The Plant was established as a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota in 1984. GM backed out of the Plant last year after filing for bankruptcy protection. Toyota produced the Corolla model sedan and Tundra pickup truck there. Because of GM's withdrawal, Toyota claimed they were unable to finance the factory and decided to close the plant. The plant workers were not the only ones to suffer from the economic blight caused by the factories closing. Thousands of workers in support industries that sustained both the Plant and its workers were affected by the sudden withdrawal of their main source of business.

The assembly workers were given a union mandated payout of over $21,000 at the close of the factory, however workers who worked continuously for 6 months prior to the shuttering received enhancements that added up substantially. The lawyer for the Workers claims that his clients are taking a large hit to their income without the addition of these enhancements. Enhancement value could total up to more than $32,000 dollars individually. The attorney stated ""Some of these people had worked there 25 years and were injured in the last six months," "We allege they're being discriminated against with respect to their severance because of their disability.

The lawsuit also alleges that the workers were denied the ability to take advantage of some of the benefits that Toyota provided for career enhancement. Further more, it is claimed that many were denied employment even after a medical professional approved them to return to work. The plant spokesman said in response "the factory "has always prided itself on treating its team members with respect and fairness and we believe we've done so in this situation." Toyota's corporate policy is not to comment on ongoing litigation.

As far as these claims go, South Carolina Worker's Compensation attorneys believe very strongly in the fair treatment of workers and the effective and quick settlement of any disputes between management and workers in a given situation. Hopefully, the situation will be resolved in the most efficient and fair manner possible for both parties.

Source: The State, "Former workers at Calif. plant sue Toyota, factory" ,By Brooke Donald , July 27th, 2010

A Hollywood, SC man was charged with Reckless Homicide after an accident he was involved in left another man dead. A concerning factor in this incident was the speed at which the man was traveling when the accident occurred. Excessive speed has remained one of the most blatant and glaring causes of driving related deaths. South Carolina Wrongful Death Attorneys urge caution and self-control when operating a motor vehicle and advise drivers to follow the speed limit and wear their seatbelts.

The deadly crash occurred at approximately 2 pm on Savannah Highway near Savage Road and Melrose Avenue. The man was driving a Chevrolet Corvette when he the other driver who was operating a Ford Crown Victoria. Deputies who responded to the scene originally charged the man with Reckless Driving, but the charge was upgraded when the other man passed away. The man was denied bond as a result of the incident and traffic was back up on the Savannah Highway for several hours.

Though these issues are ones that many people rarely think about when driving, excessive speed is extremely dangerous. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration lists it as one of the top factors in accidents that cause injury and death. Related to speeding is the practice of aggressive driving, or driving a vehicle in such a way that it endangers the safety of other motorists. Drivers should take care to use caution when on the roads and watch how fast they are going because it can save lives.

Source: The Post and Courier, “Man faces reckless homicide charge, Almar Flotides, July 11th, 2010

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration lists Fatigued Driving as one of its major causes of distracted driving crashes. They estimate that approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes annually involve drowsiness and/or fatigue as a principal causal factor. Those serious truck accidents result in an estimated 1,500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries each year, and an annual monetary loss of approximately $12.5 billion. Charleston Truck Accident Lawyers recommend if a driver is feeling drowsy to pull over to the side of the road, take a few minutes to rest before returning to travel.

While traveling down I-26, the occurred at roughly 3:30 am near the Aviation Avenue exit, when the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The Truck crashed into a piece of construction equipment and then into another car. The Rig then overturned and spilt Diesel fuel. Luckily, no one was hurt in the accident. However, the wreck did cause a considerable amount of inconvenience as traffic was snarled as fair back US Highway 78. The wreck caused considerable delay and while the wreck was moved to the shoulder, the delays and backup did not fully clear until well after noon.

One of the major hazards involved in driving long distances is the fatigue that usually comes with it. This fatigue can lead many drivers to dose off at the wheel, creating a potentially dangerous situation. A Tractor-Trailer driver fell victim to this exact condition when he fell asleep at the wheel of his vehicle and overturned it at 3:30am, wrecking it and stalling traffic. South Carolina Auto Accident Attorneys recommend this story as a warning to exercise caution when taking long trips and to avoid getting drowsy while driving.

Sources: The Post and Courier, “Tractor-trailer wreck stalls traffic”, May 31st, 2010

The National highway Transportation Safety Administration

In a story making headlines today, Charleston Workers Compensation attorneys would like to make the public aware of a large scale settlement in which Imperial Sugar was involved regarding work place safety issues. Imperial Sugar has agreed to pay $6 million dollars in fines and compensation on account of rampant safety violations in two US plants, one of which exploded in Savannah, GA in 2008, killing 14 workers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sought to impose fines of more than $8.7 Million dollars in regards to the safety code failures. However, Imperial Sugar was able to contest these charges for nearly two years. The fines include $4 Million Dollars for the where there were 124 violations reported. The fire as reported, was judged preventable if proper safety precautions had been followed. Chemical Safety Board Chairman John Bresland stated "The explosion at the plant was entirely preventable and the deaths that occurred in February 2008 should never have happened," The other $2 Million Dollars will pay for various fines leveled on a facility in Louisiana. South Carolina accident lawyers urge both Companies and Plant workers to follow proper safety procedure when operating in hazardous enviroments.

Since October 10th, 2009 OSHA has reported 742 Fatal Workplace accidents in the United States.

Sources: The Charleston Post and Courier, " Imperial Sugar agrees to pay $6 Million", July 8th,2010

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Rueters News Service, "Imperial Sugar plant explosion was 'preventable' "

MSNBC News, "4 found dead in Ga. sugar refinery blast
Dozens injured in blast; firefighters continue to battle blaze into Friday"

A man was charged with felony DUI after he caused a fatal car crash that resulted in the death of his wife. The accident occurred when the car they were driving flipped over the Stono River Bridge while traveling towards Johns Island. Charleston Auto Accident Attorneys want to remind the public in the aftermath of this tragedy to never drink and drive.

The couple, both aged 21 were traveling towards Johns Island around midnight. Witnesses reported to the police that the vehicle was speeding before it overturned on the bridge. One witness in particular reported that she had spent time with the couple earlier in the evening and that alcohol had been consumed by both the driver and passenger. The woman died from blunt trauma injuries and her husband was subsequently charged with both Felony DUI and reckless homicide.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Reports that "On average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes."In 2007, a report by The Post and Courier about Auto Accidents in South Carolina showed that 40.5% of all auto accidents involved a drunk driver. Charleston Auto Accident Attorneys want to urge anyone who would get behind the wheel of a car impaired to use good judgment and take a cab home.

Sources: The Post and Courier, "Husband charged in Fatal Wreck", June 7th, 2010

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

The Post and Courier, "DUI Deaths rank SC 2nd Worst", December 2007