Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was recently released in their National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2010.  According to the study, nationwide, workplace fatalities only decreased slightly from 2009 to 2010.

Last year, there were 4,547 deaths from workplace injuries and illnesses in the U.S. — only 4 fewer deaths than in 2009.  The study also revealed that statistics on workplace injuries remained about the same in 2010 as in 2009.

In California, the most common cause of work-related injuries and fatalities was transportation accidents.  Other common causes include assaults, violence, falls, equipment, explosions, and fires.

Last year, there were 302 work-related fatalities in the state of California.

Last week, 2 people were injured in an accident that police are calling a “non-contact hit-and-run.”  The accident occurred on Interstate 5 in Oceanside at around 2 p.m.

According to the California Highway Patrol, 2 people in an SUV were injured when their vehicle swerved off of I-5 and rolled into a drainage channel off of the highway.  The SUV veered off of the highway in an attempt to avoid a collision with a car that tried to move into his lane.

The vehicle that caused the accident did not stop after the SUV crashed.  As of Friday afternoon, police were still looking for the vehicle’s driver.

The SUV’s 37-year old driver was ejected from the vehicle and airlifted to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla with serious injuries.  The vehicle’s front seat passenger, 33, was also taken to the hospital, but in an ambulance and with moderately serious injuries.

If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident caused by another driver’s mistake, contact the San Diego driver error lawyers of Ritter & Associates by calling 619-296-0123 to learn more about how we can help you.

Last week, a family was awarded $20.6 million in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against toy retailer Toys ‘R Us.  The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 29-year old mother and wife who died as a result of injuries she suffered sliding down their Toyquest Banzai inflatable pool slide.

In 2006, when the family was visiting relatives in Massachusetts, the woman slid down the slide and into the pool.  On her way down the slide, it bottomed out and she struck her head on the edge of the pool.

After the accident, the woman was left paralyzed and on life support.  The severity of her condition led her to be taken off of life support and die.

According to the lawsuit, the inflatable pool slide was imported by Toys ‘R Us from China and did not meet federal regulations on pool slides.

This weekend, 3 people were killed and 4 were injured in a tragic boating accident at Puddingstone Lake in Los Angeles County.  The reservoir was closed on Sunday as county officials investigated the accident.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the accident occurred at around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday when 3 people riding a jet ski collided with a powerboat.  Officials are unsure of whether the boat struck the jet ski or the jet ski crashed into the boat.

Witnesses to the accident told officers that the boat appeared to hit the jet ski.  Investigators determined that the boat’s operator was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

The three women on the jet ski were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.  The 4 people who were injured in the accident were passengers on the boat.  All were treated for minor injuries and later released from the hospital.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and friends.

A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows new statistics on drunk driving in the United States.  Data was gathered in an anonymous telephone survey of 210,000 adults.

According to the report, 1 in 3 people charged with drunk driving is a male between the ages of 21- and 34-years old.  Almost 1 in 50 of the survey’s participants reported driving drunk 1 time or more during the past month.

The CDC report states that 81 percent of people charged with drunk driving are males.  In addition, based on the results of the survey, federal officials estimate that there were over 112 million drunk driving episodes in 2010.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver, contact the San Diego auto accident attorneys of Ritter & Associates at 619-296-0123 to speak with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers.

This weekend, 2 people were injured in an accident which police believe was caused by a drunk driver.  Police arrested the 54-year old driver of a 1998 Ford Contour on the suspicion of driving under the influence after he drove off of a 15-foot embankment, injuring the 2 passengers in his vehicle.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver was traveling eastbound on Wienert Road when he failed to turn the vehicle around a curve, locking its brakes, and sending the vehicle down a dirt embankment and into the ground.

The 2 injured passengers are from Herber, California.  A family member was able to arrive at the scene of the accident and take them to a San Diego hospital before emergency crews could get there.

One of the passengers, 49, was released from the hospital on Saturday.  The other injured passenger, 34, was reported to have suffered major facial injuries.

If you or someone you love has suffered broken bones in an accident caused by another party’s negligence, contact the San Diego broken bones lawyers of Ritter & Associates at 619-296-0123 to learn more about your rights.

Yesterday morning, an employee at a cement plant in Cupertino opened fire on several of his supervisors and coworkers, killing 3 and injuring 7.

According to one of the man’s coworkers, he fired the first shots during a weekly meeting at around 4:30 a.m.  The 47-year old single father then continued the assault for around 8 minutes.

The worker fled the Lehigh Southwest Cement Plant on foot after the shooting.  Police are searching for the man and his friends and family are urging him to come forward.

The injured employees were taken to 3 different hospitals and were reported to be in fair condition.

Our utmost sympathies are with the victims’ families.

This weekend, 2 people died in a tragic car accident on Interstate 15 in San Diego.  The fatal car accident occurred when a vehicle driven by a 21-year old female inexplicably stopped in the highway’s southbound lanes.

According to police reports, at around 3 a.m. on Saturday the woman’s Honda Accord stopped for unknown reasons just south of Mira Mesa Blvd.  The vehicle was struck by 2 cars traveling behind.

The 21-year old driver of the Accord was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

An off-duty police officer in one of the vehicle’s involved in the accident got out of his vehicle to render aid, and was subsequently struck by another car traveling on the interstate.  The 34-year old police officer was also killed in the accident.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ family and friends.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 deaths and 72 illnesses have been linked to a listeria outbreak caused by contaminated cantaloupes grown at Jensen Farms in Colorado.

The recalled cantaloupes were distributed to stores in 24 states, including California.  Reports of illness have come from 18 states, also including California.

Contaminated cantaloupes should have stickers stating “Rocky Ford,” “Sweet Rocky Fords,” “Colorado Grown,” “Jensenfarms.com,” or “Distributed by Frontera Produce.”

Officials say that the strain of listeria bacteria from the contaminated cantaloupes is most likely to affect people with compromised immune systems and the elderly.  The median age of people who have become ill from consuming the cantaloupe was reported to be 78-years old.

If you or someone you love has become ill from consuming a contaminated food product, contact the San Diego product liability lawyers of Ritter & Associates by calling 619-296-0123 today.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal bicycle accident that occurred along Highway 113.  The accident took the life of a 57-year old Ryde, California resident.

Reports indicate that the accident occurred just before 2 p.m. on Sunday near Cook Lane in Dixon.  The bicyclist was riding northbound along the highway when a 21-year old driver hit him from behind.

The bicyclist was wearing a helmet, but officials say it was broken when they arrived at the scene of the bicycle accident.  Paramedics were unable to save the man and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The accident is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol.

Our utmost sympathies go out to the victim’s family after this tragic accident.