Author: Benjamin Cochran

As the seasons change from summer into fall and the sun sits lower in the sky, it is important to be more aware of the driving hazards caused by glare. Morning and evening rush hours can become suddenly more dangerous if you round a curve and find yourself staring directly…

The detonation of certain volatile industrial chemicals can cause serious bodily injury, death, and significant property damage in the workplace and possibly over a larger area. Tons of potentially explosive chemicals are stored in workplaces across North Carolina. Depending on its size, a chemical storage explosion could create a significant…

With the increasing number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases reported by our nation’s hospitals, it is easy to overlook the continuing violence perpetrated against hospital workers. A report published last year said that in healthcare institutions, “violent altercations are so common that most employees consider them to be simply part of the job.”…

You may have heard about experiments with self-driving trucks that could someday replace long-haul truck drivers. But what hasn’t received much attention is that the trucking industry is already using that unproven technology to ask for driver safety regulations to be relaxed. Pronto AI (Artificial Intelligence), a company developing truck…

As essential workers ranging from doctors and nurses to construction workers and grocery store clerks continue to report to work in North Carolina during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, many can be expected to contract the virus. Those who develop serious infections could face tens of thousands of dollars in hospitalization…

A new analysis of federal and state traffic data indicates that pedestrian fatalities on U.S. roads surged by 53% from 2009 to 2018 and increased by 5 percent from 2018 to 2019. By comparison, all other traffic deaths combined increased by 2% over the decade. The 6,283 pedestrian deaths in…

Hardison & Cochran, Attorneys at Law is proud to announce that managing partner Benjamin T. Cochran has been selected as a 2020 North Carolina Super Lawyer. It is the 11th year overall that Mr. Cochran has been honored by the Super Lawyers publication. He was recognized as a Rising Star…

As two large defective product cases moved through U.S. courts, more injured consumers are coming forward to join 3M earplug lawsuits and Monsanto Roundup cancer claims. The number of individual claims alleging that 3M Company knowingly sold defective earplugs to the U.S. military more than doubled in the second half…

On January 2nd, 2020, the FDA announced a ban on almost all flavored vaping cartridges and pods, such as those used with Juul devices — including mint and fruity or sweet flavors — according to the CDC and the Washington Post after the number of deaths linked to e-cigarette vaping reached 55…

A recent report says more than 800 people who died in car accidents in 2018 were back seat passengers who were not wearing seat belts. Half of those accident victims could have survived the crashes by buckling up, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) says. The GHSA report, entitled “Rear…