Personal Injury Lawyers in Tennessee
I40 Tractor Trailer Accidents: Necessities of Early Investigation
The Cumberland Plateau is 1,000 to 2,000 feet higher in elevation than Nashville or Knoxville. For this reason, as a result of weather conditions, the roads tend to ice quicker, have more snow and are extremely hazardous during the winter months. As a result of these conditions, there are many tractor-trailer accidents where the operator of the tractor-trailer simply does not have his vehicle under proper control. Read more.
Commercial Truck Drivers Need Retesting
The Associated Press reports that the State of Tennessee is notifying more than 1,000 commercial truck drivers licensed in Tennessee that they must be retested on their driving skills. The testing is required because the drivers were not tested and graded by an unnamed consulting company under contract with the Tennessee Department of Safety. The company’s failure to administer the tests, and the truck drivers’ failure to take the tests, are violations of state and federal trucking regulations. Read more.
FDA Reports Company Knowingly Shipped Tainted Peanut Products
The Washington Post and other major papers report that Peanut Corporation of America knowingly shipped peanut butter and other products contaminated with salmonella at least 12 times in 2007 and 2008. The company's Blakely, Georgia plant produces peanut butter, paste, and meal used in products such as ice cream, snack crackers and even dog biscuits. The strain of bacteria appearing most often in the Peanut Corporation of America foods is salmonella enterica, but other strains may exist in the products. The outbreak of salmonella illness which began last summer has been linked to eight deaths, and approximately 500 people in 43 states have become ill. About 22 percent were hospitalized, and about half of those affected are children. Read more.
$2 Million Verdict for Wrongful Death of Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
Gilreath & Associates, together with Sevierville-based attorney Charmaine Nichols and lead counsel Bo Bruner with the Alabama firm of Lanny Vines & Associates, obtained a $2 million jury verdict for the wrongful death of truck driver Reginald Smith. After a five day trial, the Knoxville, Knox County jury returned their verdict on January 21, 2009, against defendants Blalock Construction Company and the State of Tennessee. Read more.
Gilreath & Associates Investigates TVA Toxic Ash Spill and Property Owner Claims
The Tennessee law firm of Gilreath & Associates, which has significant experience in regional environmental and toxic tort litigation, is currently investigating potential claims of property owners affected by the December 22, 2008, toxic coal ash spill at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant. Gilreath & Associates will be carefully reviewing potential claims in conjunction with one or more national environmental law firms including the firm of Beasley Allen which is headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. Read more.
Many of Tennessee's Nursing Homes Among The Worst in the Nation
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, under its new five star rating system for nursing homes, has awarded 30% percent of Tennessee's nursing homes the worst possible rating in its inaugural five star report. Of the 319 nursing homes evaualted, most were rated below average. The overall findings confirm what nursing home patients, patient families, consumer advocates and consumer attorneys have known and decried for years: Tennessee nursing homes need significant improvement in the areas of quality of care, staffing, health inspections and facility safety. These changes are needed to improve the quality of life for nursing home patients and to prevent injury to or untimely deaths of nursing home patients. Read more.
