Who knew that a sport slow-paced as golf can be dangerous?

In Sanford, Florida, a country club employee was killed after he was struck in the head by a wayward golf ball.

According to the police, the accident happened Wednesday afternoon at the Mayfair Country Club. It was reported that it was a golfer who teed off at the second hole who launched the golf ball that hit and killed 42-year old Maurice Hayden.

The golfer, Brian Donahue was around 100 feet away from Hayden, who has worked at the club as maintenance for 3 years. Hayden was allegedly weeding at the base of a tree when the golf ball struck in his temple. Hayden died the following afternoon of the accident.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), for a tame sport with little physical contact, golf-course-related fatalities have been increasing over the years. While fatalities include guests or even pedestrians/bystanders, most golf course death and injuries involve workers. The majority of the fatalities of all the workers were involved in landscaping work such as the above-mentioned deceased Hayden. From 2001 to 2006, some 106 workers died at or while working on a golf course. The following are some of the most common causes of golf-course-related fatalities and injuries:

•    Overturned vehicles (golf carts)
•    Vehicle related incidents (flipping into a body of water)
•    Fall accidents
•    Trench collapse
•    Homicide
•    Struck by an object

Surprisingly, a number of golf-course deaths were from airplane accidents and suicide. Compared to occupations such as logging and fishing with higher fatalities rates, golf course accidents and deaths are relatively small but it shouldn’t be underestimated, least of all in California, the state which has the highest number of golf-course-related fatalities.

While freak accidents do happen – after all, it is hard to absolutely control where golf balls land, golf course related fatalities and injuries can be prevented. Golf club management should aside from ensuring the safe and good condition of its equipment and area, should also take into considering the location of its employees, whether they may get injured especially if out near the driving range.

Otherwise, if the management or the owner of the golf course is negligent, they can be held liable in a personal injury lawsuit by victims or have to compensate their employees.

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Generally, road accidents are caused by several factors but when a driver is drunk or drugged, the possibility of getting into an accident is high. Driving under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs constitutes impaired driving which can potentially lead to accidents and injuries.

Worst of all, DUI-related accidents are often serious or fatal. Federal statistics show that accidents involving drunk drivers usually end up tragically. In fact, nearly 25, 000 people die in alcohol-related accident each year while almost 74,000 people suffer from serious injuries from these accidents.

Although this violation is common occurrence, statistics show that incidents of drunk driving relatively increase during holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. Taking this factor into consideration, in addition to other factors such as weather and road conditions, a fatal accident is likely possible.

Take the case of the Isaac Longo, a 33-year old man from Placentia who drove while intoxicated and drugged and caused a five-vehicle crash on 91 Freeway on November 2007. Due to his negligent actions, a woman was killed and four others were seriously injured.

The news report said Longo admitted having smoked marijuana and taken prescription drugs before driving his pickup on that fateful day. Traveling at the speed of 70 mph, he tried to make his way through rush-hour traffic on the freeway. But he lost control of the wheel and slammed into a sedan, killing the sedan’s 82-year old passenger instantly.

Last Friday, the court sentenced Longo to 15 years to life in prison for one count of gross vehicular manslaughter. His penalty was worsened by two prior DUI convictions.

DUI violations are both civilly and criminally penalized. Under the law, victims of DUI-related accidents can recover compensation for damages which include medical expenses, loss wages, and other non-economic damages. A DUI offender, on the hand, may face penalties which range from suspension of driving license to imprisonment, depending on the issues.

This case is merely one in the thousand cases which point out the many tragic consequences of impaired driving and brings the worn-out message that drinking and driving just don’t mix.

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The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to give thanks for blessings and rejoice in the company of family members and friends but for some people, cheers and celebration quickly turn into a trip to the hospital after an accident.

Aside from the obviously increased risk for motor vehicle accidents during Thanksgiving, fire accidents are actually very common during this holiday.

Because the occasion calls for a lot of food, the kitchen becomes a potentially hazardous place because of all the cooking activities.

According to State Farm, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other holiday or day in the year. More than 160 damage claims related to Thanksgiving cooking accidents have been reported in the last 5 years. Further, the National Fire Protection Association reported that 57 civilian injuries per 1,000 reported home fires happened during thanksgiving preparations. Obviously, it isn’t just the turkey who gets cooked for the occasion – even people suffer burn injuries because of fire accidents.

Here are some tips you should take note of to avoid fire-related accidents during the occasion:

•    Do not wear loose clothing while cooking as it may catch fire.
•    As most fire-accidents come from deep-fryers, keep it away from moisture and take it outside, away from walls, fences and other structures when deep frying a turkey.
•    When cooking, do not leave the kitchen especially while frying and grilling.
•    Install a fire detector in the kitchen to be aware of something is getting burned.
•    Keep flammable objects such as food wrappers away from the stove or other hot surfaces.
•    Do not leave children unsupervised in the kitchen and keep them away from fires or hot surfaces.

Also, remember, when throwing a party and alcoholic beverages are available, make sure your guests has a designated driver or at the very least, the number of a cab once it’s time to go home. This way, you can ensure that your Thanksgiving celebration will be free from the trouble or danger of DUI.

Just make sure to follow these tips in order to have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving celebration. Happy Thanksgiving Day!

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In recent years, we have slowly taken notice of the consequences of dumping wastes in rivers and polluting the air. Floods, the scarcity of clean water, drought, and acid rain are all the consequences of our lifetime of bad habits, neglect, careless use, and wanton disregard of our most abundant natural resource – water.

Now that our attention is focused on major environmental concerns – such as maintaining clean ocean water – different solutions and approaches from various groups were made and implemented.

It is welcome news to here that even politicians and lawmakers contribute to the effort. In California, for instance, legislators have passed SB 346 or the law that would require manufacturers to reduce the use of copper in brake pads, a chemical considered to be harmful to salmon and other aquatic life.

The passing of the law, which was signed only recently by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was hailed not only by environmental groups but also by carmakers, brake manufacturers and government officials, as a possible solution to reduce pollution in the San Francisco Bay.
This legislation was made possible after scientific studies in 1996 revealed that copper from brake pads was polluting the waters. One of the terrible effects of this contamination is causing salmons to get confused, making them unable to find spawning grounds.

The study also showed that copper fall onto the streets every time drivers step on their brakes, which were washed down into the city’s sewer system to the bay, contributing much to the level of toxicity of the ocean water within the area.

Aside from California, Washington has a similar law while New York, Rhode Island, and Oregon have introduced bills with the same purpose.

If bills such as SB 346 can be passed into laws, it would not be hard to imagine that similar efforts can also be made not only in other states but in other countries as well.

And if all the law-making bodies in all the countries of the world can make a concerted effort to pass these kinds of laws, it would not be far ahead to see in the future a home planet with a blue, clear, unpolluted ocean.

After all, who can better care for Earth, but us.

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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently filed a case against the controversial cable television news channel, Fox News.

The lawsuit was filed in behalf of Catherine Herridge, one of its reporter who claimed she was retaliated on by the network after she complained about unequal pay as well as work conditions which were allegedly based on her gender and age.

According to the EEOC, Herridge has filed an internal complaint against the company as far back as 2007 for its discriminatory employment decisions and practices. Fox allegedly investigated her complaint and claimed it found no evidence of bias.

However, Herridge’s subsequent employment contract contained provisions which were intended to prohibit her from filing further complaints. She refused to sign the contract and elevated her complaint to the EEOC.

The network has agreed to remove the language in Herridge’s contract but the EEOC is seeking monetary damages as well as a court order enjoining Fox from further retaliating against Herridge.

Under the law, it is unlawful for the employer to retaliate against an employee who complained or filed a discrimination or harassment case as well as employees who participate in investigations or testify against the employer.

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The Mesriani Law Group has a wide range of legal resources as we work with the best lawyers and litigators in each state across the United States. We offer a unique attorney directory where you can find the lawyer’s location and area of practice by clicking on the state.

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