In coal mines years ago, canaries used to accompany miners underground as a safety precaution. Since these birds are naturally sensitive to deadly conditions, these companions served as an early warning system to help save miners before disaster struck. While miners have developed better systems to create safer environments since then, there is, unfortunately, still a type of “canary” present today.
In today’s time, it is often the unfortunate child or adult whose wrongful death tips society off that something isn’t working right in our present-day system. These deaths often spark investigations into what caused the wrongful death and lead to changes that could save future lives. However, the death of a loved one is tragic. The legal system is in charge of pursuing the truth behind what caused an individual’s death. This allows us to better pinpoint the product, the behavior, or the dangerous circumstances that caused the death and hold people accountable. One of the most effective avenues for change is through a Personal Injury Case.
Exposing the Truth: Personal Injury Attorneys
Headlines about automotive recalls, defective medical devices, and the danger of distracted or drunk driving appear every day on the news and internet across the country. However, these headlines and the dangers associated wouldn’t have gotten any attention if it wasn’t for the individual who raised the alarm by talking to a personal injury attorney. Here are some examples of this in recent history:
Exposing Distracted Driving: Cellphones
Many states across the country are making it illegal to be caught holding your phone while driving. This is a direct result of an increase of individuals putting in personal injury lawsuits because of the horrific injuries or wrongful death caused by distracted driving due to cell phone usage. In 2018 alone, 2,481 individuals lost their lives due to car accidents that were caused by distracted driving. Most of these were from cell phone usage. Thanks to the hard work of personal injury attorneys and the brave individuals who brought their cases forward, change happened when Washington enacted the first state legislation against texting and driving in 2007. Today, 48 of the 50 United States have banned texting and driving.
Defective Car Seats
We rely on car seats to keep our children safe during travel. In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, thanks to the increase in lawsuits over a defective buckle on the GRACO car seats, pushed to recall the product. Three million GRACO Children’s Products were recalled as a result. While GRACO claimed that their defective buckle caused no injury, they did settle a lawsuit involving the death of a two-year-old girl who was trapped in her car seat.
Uprooting Company Scandals
It is no secret that big businesses often try to hide their mistakes. They do this so they do not lose face with the public and their clientele. However, in 2014, GM’s Cobalt car was the middle of a heated lawsuit involving the death of a young woman. A Florida engineer discovered that GM had surreptitiously replaced a defective ignition switch part without renumbering it. This caused the defective part to continue to be put in the newer cobalts, leading to the deaths of 124 people and injuring 275. The cars’ defective ignition switch caused the engines to stall, leading to serious accidents on the road. After the scandal was brought to light, more than 2.7 million vehicles were recalled.
Your Case Is Just As Important
With everything going on in today’s world, it can be difficult to convince yourself that your case is worth bringing up. However, we know that it is. Not only does coming forward and holding the negligent parties accountable help you get the compensation you deserve, but it also helps enact change that can save someone else. If you are seriously injured in an accident, don’t be afraid to call the experienced personal injury attorneys of the Hernandez Law Group, P.C. We are proud to fight for you, and together, we know we can make the world a better place. Contact our team today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to answer any of your questions.
