Glenwood Springs Personal Injury Law Blog

Thirty-five homes in a southeastern Colorado town of 700 had to be evacuated last week following a truck trailer spill. A 500-gallon tank of fertilizer of anhydrous ammonia-based fertilizer fell from the trailer and leaked. Anhydrous ammonia is extremely poisonous. If it is inhaled, it can be deadly.

The truck accident occurred on a truck route that passes through Walsh, Colorado. Commercial vehicles, including large trucks, often use this route to get through town. The pickup truck in this incident was pulling the trailer that carried the two tanks of fertilizer containing the poisonous gas. The truck's axle broke, and caused the tanks to slide off the trailer. When the tanks fell to the ground, one of the tanks fell directly onto its top. A valve broke from the tank, sending a plume of toxin toward the town of Walsh, Colorado.

Winter snow makes some think of ski vacations, spending time playing outside in the snow and beautiful scenery. For others, winter snow can mean only one thing--work. Winter storms can make the jobs of some people, such as ski resort workers and public utility workers, difficult and sometimes dangerous. For example, in the state of Colorado alone, more than 1,600 public transportation service workers were on the roads in 2011 making sure that the streets stayed safe for drivers, pedestrians and anyone else who depends on roadways to get from one place to the next.

Recognizing how dangerous the work conditions can be, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released an advisory telling winter storm response and recovery operations employers to protect workers from the workplace injuries to which the snow can contribute. As the report explains, these injuries include back injuries from moving snow, slips and falls, and trauma from injuries sustained by falling objects.

Along the corridor of I-70 in Colorado, dangerous truck accidents take place every month. These accidents are sometimes caused by oversized loads, poor maintenance practices on the part of the trucking companies, or unsafe driving practices which can be due to exhaustion.

Drivers of big rigs and 18-wheelers often put in very long hours, up to 11 hours day and 82 hours a week, in fact. In an effort to cut back on accidents caused by fatigued drivers, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced that it is reducing the number of hours a truck driver is allowed to be on the road.

Enforced implementation of alcohol detection systems in cars could have an impact on the percentage of car accidents resulting from drunk driving. For Colorado residents who have been injured in an accident, the device cannot take back the injury, but it may offer peace of mind while promoting safety for others on the road.

The ignition interlock system is in the news again with Connecticut becoming the 15th state to mandate it for any driver caught with blood-alcohol content above the legal limit. Ignition interlock systems are implemented on a state-by-state basis and they are heavily pushed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Dependent upon state laws, the device is installed after a driver is convicted of driving drunk and it prevents the driver from starting the ignition if the included breathalyzer test is failed.

Technology advances on many models, such as cameras, make it difficult to cheat the system by having someone other than the driver take the test.