Crime or terrible accident? Trial begins in deadly 2015 Amtrak derailment

Auto Accidents

Was a tragic derailment a “terrible accident” or did the train engineer recklessly fail to do his job at a dangerous point in his route?

On Friday morning, prosecutors and defense attorneys laid out opposing perspectives on the line between an accident and a crime in the case of Brandon Bostian, the train engineer onboard when Amtrak train No. 188 derailed in Philadelphia in 2015.

Both sides agree on the facts of the derailment itself. Bostian’s train departed 30th Street Station shortly after 9 p.m on May 12. It picked up speed as it headed into a tight curve near Frankford Junction, reaching 106 mph when the speed limit was 50 mph. Bostian braked, but the train derailed seconds later, killing 8 people and sending

Groundbreaking legal battle seeks to show toxic metals in baby food can cause autism

Mass Torts

As the number of children diagnosed with autism hits staggering highs, a groundbreaking lawsuit seeks to hold some of America’s most trusted baby food companies at least partially responsible.

The first of its kind lawsuit is on the cusp of a monumental step forward. This month, a judge heard early arguments about the presence of toxic heavy metals in baby food, and how they may harm a child’s developing brain. It’s an issue Spotlight on America has been investigating for years. If the judge rules that the science is valid, major brands like Gerber and Beech-Nut could soon be in the hot seat in a court of law and millions of families could have potential recourse.

Spotlight on America was first to speak with the California mom who is taking on an army of industry giants on behalf of her son, claiming his autism diagnosis can be traced back to heavy metals in the food he ate as an infant.

The discovery of toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium in baby food is not new.

For more than a year, Spotlight on America has investigated the issue.

We tracked down the original scientists who conducted the first major testing of baby food for heavy metals in 2016. Those scientists, we discovered, tried to warn both the baby food companies and the Food and Drug Administration about what they found.

50 crashes have occurred on same stretch of Hwy 99. Can we make it safer?

Auto Accidents

According to a recent 10-year report, 50 crashes have occurred on the same stretch of Highway 99 that killed 3 people last week.

According to the Bureau of Transportation statistics, the fatality rate for motorists across the US is 2 times greater in rural areas – areas like the stretch of Hwy 99N where 3 Junction City women recently died in a crash.

We spoke with representatives at ODOT to see why those roads are so dangerous.

“One short distraction and you can lose control of your vehicle and be in an unrecoverable situation,” explains ODOT’s David House.

Officials say in this most recent crash, the car went into the opposite lane for unknown reasons – and it’s still under investigation.

“You lose control of

Employment discrimination laws and their complexities

Discrimination

Speaker Christopher Kleps, a professor at Ohio State University, discussed the ambiguity of employment discrimination law in front of students and faculty on Feb. 10. The event was the first of the Law and Society Speaker Series.

“Employment discrimination law, as written, is inherently ambiguous,” Kleps said.

According to Kleps, employment discrimination law “leaves a lot of room for judicial discretion” and it is often up to a judge’s perception of a case in whether or not discrimination took place. The premise of his talk started with legal constructionism, which is the legal approach he uses in his research.

“The law itself is socially constructed and constructed by specific parties in specific contexts,” he said, explaining that law should be looked at in terms of

9 Ways To Avoid Getting Duped By Insurance Company Settlement Tactics

How-To

Every now and then, not often, but once in a while, you run across a truly outstanding informational resource online.

An authoritative, in-depth, well-researched, and well-written piece that was put together by an obvious industry expert.

It’s the kind of thing you bookmark so you’ll always know right where to find it when the day comes that you just might need it.

That is exactly the type of information that TriMark Legal Funding likes to provide for our clients and visitors every day.

What follows is a tremendous article by Portland Attorney Travis Mayor.

Travis launched his legal career at a large personal injury insurance defense firm in Oregon. Travis negotiated on behalf of clients in both state and federal court. As an insurance defense attorney, Travis gained a wealth of valuable experience and meaningful insight into how the insurance industry defends itself in personal injury claims. Then he leveraged this experience and opened his own personal injury firm in Portland, Oregon.

Travis’ insight is invaluable to his clients in Portland, but TriMark serves a nationwide clientele. With the exception of where Travis cites Oregon statutes, we felt that this article could be highly beneficial to personal injury victims throughout the United States, so we are featuring it here.

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