Prison Explosion Kills Two, Injures Hundreds

The prisoners, jail guards and other staffers got the shock of their lives when a prison cell in Florida that killed two inmates. According to authorities, the explosion happened around 11 pm Wednesday that “partly leveled” the four-story Escambia County Jail’s central booking facility. This detention center is home to 600 inmates. After the explosion, all of the inmates were accounted for. Other than the 2 killed after the explosion, reports revealed that around one hundred to a hundred fifty inmates and guards got injured. The explosion was so violent, the building, though standing is unstable and partially collapsed.

According to witnesses, the explosion shook the building like it was in an earthquake. A good number of the inmates who have been in to the facility shared their experience on how dangerous the accident was.

Authorities are still trying to figure out what happened. According to initial reports, investigators say that the signs are saying that what happened was an “apparent gas explosion”. Investigators said that people heard an explosion and smelled gas. However, no fire was reported. Up to this very moment, investigators are still trying to figure things out, wanting to make sure what the real cause of the explosion was. The families and relatives of the workers and inmates in the facility are all worried about the safety of their loved ones. Meanwhile, the families of those killed are still in disbelief over what happened.

If the incident was indeed caused by a gas explosion, can the management of the prison be held responsible for the death and injury incurred by the victims? As administrators of the building, it is their task to make sure that these facilities and everything in it are well maintained to prevent accidents such as this from happening. In cases where accidents happen in the premises controlled or maintained by an entity or individual, people can file a wrongful death or personal injury claim with the help of a wrongful death or personal injury attorney for what has happened to their loved ones. Here, some people are thinking if the same can be done given that this was a state-maintained correctional facility.

Lane Splitting The Right Way

Motorcycling has always been referred to as something that’s dangerous, and life-threatening. That is completely understandable as motorcycle accidents has been quite rampant in the state of California and everywhere in the United States. This has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of damage to property. Moreover, hundreds of thousands either get injured, or worse die because of these mishaps. However, what people fail to realize is that riding can also be safe and enjoyable. Riding is not only about those dangers. In fact, what happens to you depends on how you ride your bike and your actuations on the road.

Safe Lane Splitting

Case in point: Lane splitting. This is something that a lot of motorcycle riders do that is seen negatively by car owners. Contrary to what others think, lane splitting is completely legal in the state of California. This is as long as a rider does it in a safe and prudent manner. Lane splitting is the process of riding between lanes of stopped or slower moving vehicles or one rider’s moving between lanes to the front of the queue of vehicles at an intersection stopped by a traffic light. Competent riders can definitely do lane splitting as long as they follow the following general guidelines in doing it.

• Do not travel at speeds higher than 10 mph faster than other traffic. As a rule of thumb, the faster the speed differential between the lane splitting rider and the traffic, the higher are the chances of accidents as rider will be having less time to identify and react to hazards on the road.

• Do not lane split if the traffic speeds are at around 30 mph or faster. Basically, higher speeds means bigger risks for all motorists. That is why you should refrain from lane splitting while running at these speeds.

• Line split only at the first and second leftmost lanes. These are the safest lanes to do lane splitting. However, one should be careful enough not to lane split in areas near freeway on-ramps and exits.

• Before doing some lane splitting, do consider the width of the lanes, the sizes of vehicles surrounding the lanes, as well as the road situation, weather, and lighting conditions. Finding the perfect lane splitting conditions help make it easier for riders to lane split successfully and safely.

• Be alert and anticipate. Be very aware of everything that happens around you. This way, you’d be able to anticipate what your next actions are going to be to prevent ending up in an accident.