Dog aggression

Dog aggression comes in many forms

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Just like humans, dogs deal with many complex emotions. They can be overcome with joy, stricken with fear, beleaguered by sadness, or act aggressively because of a slight provocation. Like humans, dogs build up certain behaviors to protect themselves due to past or currently abusive treatment of having to fend for themselves.

All dogs can benefit from behavioral and obedience training. It’s just a smart move for a new pup to best ready them for interaction with other humans and pets. For rescues, this type of training does the same but also retrains them to trust their owners, neighbors, and other dogs and not cower in fear or act out in an overly aggressive manner.

Some level of aggression in certain situations is okay and expected, but how can you identify when your or another dog’s aggressive behavior is turning violent? It helps if you’re able to spot different kinds of aggressive behavior, like those listed below.

  1. Arousal: Often associated with playing with others, especially other dogs. Arousal aggression can be okay. When the animal doesn’t know how and when to disengage is when the interaction can turn violent.
  2. Defensive: Many dog owners train their dogs to handle some pressure, but some breeds don’t respond well. Each breed has a trait called their “defensive drive.” Their level of defensive drive will determine if they will accept the training or fight against it. Golden retrievers have a historically low defensive drive, whereas a german shepherd will have a high drive against human pressure.
  3. Fear: This type of aggression comes from a myriad of sources, like a predisposition to fear and anxiety, owner abuse, being in dog fights, improper socialization as a puppy, or handled by their owner in a way that normalizes fearful behavior.
  4. Territorial and possession: These kinds of aggression are often genetic. Dogs commonly want to protect their homes, but some are more prone to attack than others. Possessive aggression has to do with dogs who guard their food, toys, furniture, other dogs and even their owners.
  5. Predatory: This trait is uncommon but does occur, as some larger dogs with view smaller dogs and young children as possible prey. This kind of aggression is why proper socializing at a young age is so important.
  6. Social aggression: This type of behavior often occurs at dog parks and has to do pack hierarchy. The aggressive behavior occurs when insecure dogs challenge others to compete for status in the pack. Dominant behavior is okay when the dog is properly trained, well mannered and has a calm temperament.

If you find yourself in the midst of trying to separate fighting dogs, be careful because dogs can redirect their aggression in an instant. Also, if you are facing a dog attack, consider these methods to try and de-escalate the situation. If you get attacked by a dog, are seeking compensation and feel you have a case, consider personal injury representation.

Truckers who drink more caffeine

Truckers who drink more caffeine appear more likely to crash

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Truckers in Kentucky and across the U.S. work long hours, and consequently, they run the risk of driving drowsy. Many, to avoid this, will consume large amounts of caffeine on a regular basis. A recent study, conducted by a transport safety lecturer and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, has stated that this habit may do more harm than good.

For their study, researchers focused on truck drivers on opposite ends of the caffeine consumption spectrum: those who consume only one cup, glass or pill of coffee or another caffeinated beverage each day, and those who consume more than five. A total of 3,007 truckers from eight different states were analyzed. They answered a questionnaire and were assured that their responses would not be shared with their employers.

These participants were asked if they were in a crash in the past three years, and 21.6% of the low caffeine consumers said yes. By contrast, 27.8% of the high caffeine consumers said yes. Moreover, the second group reported having poorer health than the first. Many of these truckers would get poor sleep, smoke, drink excessively and fail to eat healthy.

Researchers cannot confirm there’s a cause and effect relationship between caffeine consumption and crash risk. Future studies could check, though, whether the “tipping point” is where caffeine consumption leads to unsafe behaviors.

When motor vehicle accidents involve a large truck, the injuries tend to be catastrophic. Kentucky being a no-fault state, only those who suffer severe injuries can usually file a third-party insurance claim. To see what their options are for seeking compensation, victims who are not to blame for their injuries may want to speak with an attorney. The attorney may negotiate on their behalf for a settlement with the trucking company’s legal team, litigating if one cannot be achieved.

Why auto safety technology cannot prevent all crashes

Why auto safety technology cannot prevent all crashes

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Auto accidents are an ongoing concern in Louisville and throughout Kentucky. While many people correctly assume that human behavior causes these crashes, the belief that self-driving vehicles will largely eliminate them may be misplaced. This should be considered as a growing number of autonomous vehicles are on the road.

Study examined what causes accidents

In a recent report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, self-driving vehicles were found to reduce some accidents, but the technology might not prevent a large portion of crashes.

In the study, driver-related issues were the important factor in a series of events that sparked 9 in 10 motor vehicle accidents. Around one-third of the accidents were such that an autonomous vehicle would have prevented them due to vehicle programming.

More than 5,000 crashes were assessed and categorized by the following factors:

  • Drivers whose perception and sensory abilities were hindered due to distraction
  • Drivers making mistakes when judging other vehicles’ speed and probable actions
  • Drivers failing to adjust to adverse road conditions
  • Drivers making the wrong maneuvers to prevent a collision
  • Driver incapacitation such as using intoxicating substances or driving while drowsy

Perception errors and incapacitation errors combined for 34 percent of the collisions. This leaves the remaining two-thirds of factors where the vehicle itself would need specific programming that is not yet implemented or available, making it unlikely that these accidents could be prevented.

Do you have questions?

Motor vehicle accidents will continue. They can lead to injuries, high medical costs, lost income and other challenges. Legal action often is needed to recover fair compensation. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, speak with an experienced lawyer.

cities safety rankings

Hard-braking data reveal’s cities’ safety rankings

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Many Kentucky residents are involved in car accidents each year. In most accidents, people will engage in hard braking in the moments leading up to the collisions. Hard-braking data can be collected by telematics used by some insurance companies such as Allstate. This information is then analyzed by the companies to determine the safety ratings of cities across the U.S.

America’s Best Drivers Report from Allstate ranks the 200 biggest cities in the U.S. by hard-braking and collision data. This information is used as a factor to establish insurance rates for people who live in those cities. The company found a correlation between hard-braking incidents and collisions. On average, Americans experience around 19 hard-braking incidents for every 1,000 miles that they drive and collisions approximately every 10.57 years.

Louisville, Kentucky, was ranked as the 98th safest city in Allstate’s 2019 Best Drivers report out of 200 cities. Drivers in the city averaged 21.4 hard-braking incidents for every 1,000 miles. People in the city also had a shorter time between accidents than the national average at 9.1 years between collisions. These statistics show that more needs to be done to improve safety in the city.

People who are seriously injured in car accidents in Kentucky may want to consult with experienced personal injury attorneys about their rights. Experienced attorneys may review the evidence and explain the legal merits and available options. If they agree to accept a case, the attorneys may complete in-depth investigations to determine liability and work to help their clients recover compensation for their economic and noneconomic losses. Telematics data for vehicles that have it installed may be an important type of data used to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the accident.

Asbestos and Plastic Products

The dangerous connection between asbestos and plastic products

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Most people know that asbestos is commonly found in older homes and buildings, particularly in floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, and roofing materials.

But we typically don’t hear too much about asbestos and plastic.

Well, if you ever worked in compression molding, there’s a chance you were exposed to asbestos.

Is There Asbestos in Plastic Products?

Asbestos is not commonly used or found in modern plastics. However, it was used to enhance certain types of plastics decades ago, and it was very common during the manufacturing process for compression molding plastics from the1960s to mid 1980s.

The phenolic molding process for plastic products often contained a significant percentage of asbestos.

Workers who manufactured phenolic plastic molding compounds and who used molding compounds to manufacture products have developed mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases. Family members of exposed workers have developed asbestos-related diseases from exposure to their loved one’s contaminated clothing.

Plastic Products That Were Made With Asbestos

Compression molding processes were used to manufacture electrical, automotive and aircraft products. The products included:

  • Electrical components such as circuit breakers, switchboards and electrical panels.
  • Consumer goods including plastic handles, tools, cookware and appliances.
  • Automobile parts including transmission parts (phenolic reactors), arc chutes, brake pads and brake linings.
  • Aircraft and weapon systems such as missile casings, aircraft drop tanks and rocket nose cones.

How the Asbestos Exposure Occurred in Plastics Manufacturing

The primary source of exposure occurred when molders poured the molding compounds in the hopper connected to the molding machines. The molding compounds were typically supplied in barrels or bags, and sometimes they were transported into a plant via railcar.

The molding compounds were granular and stirred up a substantial amount of dust when poured into the hoppers. The molders and set-up personnel experienced a substantial asbestos exposure from the molding compounds poured into the hoppers as well as from handling the molds when they came out of the machines.

Once the final product was molded and had hardened, it frequently was transferred to a finishing area where excess plastic pieces, known as flash, were removed using a grinding wheel and hand grinders. The people who performed these tasks experienced high levels of asbestos exposure from grinding and sanding off the flash.

Other Workers Who Exposed to Asbestos

From the early 1960s until the mid 1980s, anyone in the plastic manufacturing supply chain who worked in the mold rooms and finishing departments, performing other tasks, experienced significant exposure as well.

This includes maintenance personnel, electricians, pipefitters and other production workers experienced daily exposures to asbestos from the molding compounds even though they did not personally use them.

Companies That Exposed Workers to Asbestos in Plastics Manufacturing

Manufacturers that made asbestos plastics include:

  • Plastic Engineering Company (Plenco)
  • Hooker Chemical Company
  • Durez Corporation
  • Union Carbide Corporation (UCC)
  • Rogers Corporation
  • Fiberite, Inc.
  • General Electric Company
  • Monsanto Chemical Corp.

Companies that used asbestos-containing molding compounds to manufacture products include:

  • Cutler Hammer Inc.
  • Eaton Corporation
  • Plastic Moldings Corporation
  • Square D. Corporation
  • Chicago Molded Products Co.
  • Diemolding Corp.
  • Modern Plastics
  • Dickten Masch Plastics

What to do if You Were Exposed to Asbestos in Plastics

If you or a loved one worked at any of these facilities or others throughout the country, and developed mesothelioma, contact the law firm of Satterley & Kelley PLLC immediately.

Our attorneys have handled cases for clients involving exposure to asbestos-containing molding compounds at many of these locations, recovering tens of millions of dollars in compensation.  We understand the products at issue and the exposures. We can help you recover for your preventable injury.

Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyer.