Toms River, New Jersey, Personal Injury Blog

Like most kinds of accidents, the vast majority of slip-and-fall accidents result in minor or no injuries to the people involved. Many people who slip on an icy surface or a wet floor wind up with nothing more than a bruised tailbone or an embarrassing moment they'd rather forget.

Other people aren't so lucky. Some people who slip and then fall can suffer lasting injuries as a consequence of that accident. Children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to suffering serious injuries from a fall. Depending on the location of such a slip, the injured party may have the right to seek compensation for their injuries and any other related financial losses.

Traffic safety groups have become increasingly vocal as truck accident fatalities climb in New Jersey and nationwide. According to federal government statistics, 4,102 people died in crashes involving large commercial trucks in 2017. Fatality figures in this category have increased by 28 percent since 2009. A representative from the Truck Safety Coalition described the death toll as the equivalent of two 737 airplanes crashing every month and killing all passengers and crew.

The co-founder of Road Safe America has stated publicly that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be held accountable for dragging its feet. The federal agency that regulates traffic issues has failed to require trucking companies to use forward crash avoidance and mitigation systems. Such technology detects obstacles in front of a truck and initiates emergency brakes if the driver does not respond. A system like this could prevent many deadly accidents, like the four deaths that resulted from a truck driver who was using a tablet computer behind the wheel instead of watching the road.

Experts say that New Jersey residents should sleep at least seven hours every night. Many do not achieve this, and the matter becomes worse with daylight saving time. That's why the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is recommending that everyone adjust their sleep schedules for the time change. Among other things, this will reduce the risk of car accidents.

AAA has stated that getting behind the wheel after missing one to two hours of sleep in the past 24 hours will nearly double the risk for a car crash. Moreover, drivers will experience roughly the same level of impairment as one who exceeds the legal threshold for alcohol.

Wearable technology can boost workplace safety throughout New Jersey and be an especial help to lone workers. This technology includes "smart" personal protective equipment, hard hats and vests with proximity sensors and glasses with heads-up displays. Proximity detection in particular can benefit workers in mines and on construction sites, while other wearables can prevent unsafe contact between humans and machines.

Another wearable is an electroencephalogram device that can measure workers' stress levels. Using this data, researchers can determine which workers are stressed at what times and how this can affect risk perception. Other devices can measure fatigue based on how often workers move their head up and down, how often and for how long they close their eyes and how straight they walk.