Pasadena Personal Injury Blog

Truck drivers face all of the same distractions that other drivers do, from the allure of cellphone use to the simple distraction of daydreaming.

In some ways, though, the risk may be higher. Truck drivers are on the road for 40 hours per week. They are very good at driving and very used to doing it. This can lead to complacency and boredom, which could cause them to engage in distractions.

The construction industry is infamous for the high risk of injury that workers face on the job. Many injuries are relatively minor, such as small cuts, bruises and sprains

However, workers also suffer very serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries. These can be fatal. To help show the scope of the issue, here are a few key facts from the American Journal of Industrial Medicine:

• Men face greater fatality risks than women. They are seven times as likely to pass away as the result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Small construction companies saw 2.5 times the fatality rate as large corporations.
• Workers who were 65 years old and older were about four times as likely to pass away after a TBI, when compared to younger employees.
• Native-born workers seem to be in less danger, as their fatality rate was "significantly" lower than that observed for foreign-born workers.
• More than 50 percent of the fatal brain injuries, as you may expect, came from falls. These falls occurred while workers were on ladders, roofs and scaffolds.
• The highest rate of deadly brain injuries was found among steel workers, structural iron workers and roofers. In fact, fall-related TBIs were the leading cause of accidental on-the-job death for these groups.

Construction workers face many risks, and the most significant is suffering a fall from elevation. Workers are encouraged to use fall safety gear to prevent this from happening, as deadly accidents continue year after year.

Falls are a serious threat, but they're not the only one. Dropped objects, from hammers to power tools, can also be deadly. It could be argued that fall protection is needed for tools at any elevation, as well.

Street racing has become very popular in California. Some officials point to the rise of movies that popularize these races, like the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, while others blame news stations for putting police chases on TV.

No matter the reason, it's a very dangerous activity, leading to fatal accidents. Those on the outside may assume that most people who get killed in these wrecks are the drivers. They chose to drive recklessly, crashed their cars, and passed away.