A new Connecticut law states that police officers will be required to write down the ethnicity of each driver they pull over.

Fox News Latino reports that lawmakers created the new law to prevent police from engaging in racial profiling after four officers were arrested in East Haven in January for allegedly targeted Latinos.

Under the new law, which passed on a 142-1 vote in the House of Representatives, officers will be penalized if they don’t jot down the racial makeup of drivers they stop. The purpose of the law is to identify patterns when police pull over drivers to determine if racial profiling is at work.

“There are bad apples in law enforcement, and there’s no room for them,” Rep. Joe Verrengia told Fox News. “And I believe that this measure today will help identify and eradicate those who choose to racially profile.”

The state Office of Policy and Management will oversee the initiative, and police will be required to begin reporting the information to OPM on October 1, 2013.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers are sympathetic to the rights of Connecticut motorists. We are passionate about helping drivers get the compensation and medical care they need after being injured in an auto accident.

Despite passing field sobriety tests, the 21-year-old New Haven, Connecticut, man being held responsible for the fatal crash of a moving truck outside of a college football game at the Yale Bowl last fall is due in court today to face charges in connection with the accident. According to NBC-Connecticut, the man was indicted with reckless driving and negligent homicide with a motor vehicle.

The accident happened on November 19, 2011. The man was driving a U-Haul truck packed with kegs of beer near the stadium when he suddenly accelerated, striking a group of three women and plowing into several other moving vans. The women were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries. One of the women passed away shortly after arrival at the facility. Another was critically injured and spent weeks recovering.

The accident forced the university to closely examine and make adjustments to their tailgating policies. The school decided it was in everyone’s best interest to ban kegs from any university athletic event or function. Also, large moving trucks, like the one involved in the accident, will no longer be allowed in parking areas for events.

The Connecticut Truck Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers understand how difficult the wrongful death of a loved one can be. That’s why they would like to send their condolences to the family of the victim and hope for a swift recovery for the other injured victims.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 400 Americans die each year due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The agency says that another 20,000 are sent to hospital emergency rooms because of the gas, with more than 4,000 requiring hospitalization.

Unfortunately, one Connecticut family of seven is now a part of those numbers after becoming ill from a CO buildup in their home. According to WTNH 8 News, the incident occurred this morning at their home on Valley Road in Greenwich, Connecticut. Firefighters say they were called to the home around 4:00 a.m. after one of the family members called for assistance saying everyone in the home felt sick. Upon arrival, firefighters tested the home for toxic gas and found the home had 600 parts per million of CO gas in the home. A normal reading is between zero and six parts per million. The entire family was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for their condition and all are expected to fully recover.

The fire marshal determined that the gas leak was coming from a faulty boiler in the home and stated that both it and the home’s CO detector—which did not go off—should be replaced.

The Connecticut Accident Attorneys with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers suggest having all gas appliances and CO Detectors inspected once a year by a professional in order to ensure all equipment is properly working.

Good news has been released in the case of a young Connecticut boy who was injured by a drunk driver in March. According to The Day News, the 6-year-old boy was released from the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center after more than a month of treatment.

The crash occurred on March 9 around 9:00 p.m. when his father’s car was involved in an accident with a drunk driver. Reports say that the man had the boy and his brother buckled in the backseat as the trio headed south on I-395 outside Hartford, Connecticut. Suddenly, a vehicle driven by a 50-year-old alleged drunk driver cut across the lanes of traffic in an effort to make a U-turn, causing the two vehicles to collide.

After the initial impact, the father’s car crossed the center dividing lines of the highway and struck two more vehicles before coming to rest. The boy’s father was declared dead as the victims were rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

The drunk driver responsible for the crash was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs as well as second-degree assault with a motor vehicle. More charges are said to be pending.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers would like to send their condolences to the boy and his family for the loss of his father, and we hope the boy continues to recover from his injuries.

Connecticut has a growing problem on its highways—distracted driving. A press release from the Connecticut Department of Transportation says the activity caused at least 20 percent of all accidents that occurred in 2008 and claimed 6,000 lives that same year.

In an effort to combat the problem, the National Safety Council has declared April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The campaign is called Focus Driven and is aimed at educating motorists on the importance of putting down all electronic devices when behind the wheel of a car.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers also have partnered with the campaign to raise awareness of distracted driving, especially among teens and young adults, in Connecticut. They will be hosting speaking engagements with teens at local high schools on the dangers of distracted driving while also offering the “Arrive Alive Scholarships” to students with the best anti-distracted driving submissions.

The firm also recently introduced its “Get Carter” application for smart phones which allows users to access a database of companies offering free cab rides if they’ve had too much to drink.

“It is so important to me, not only as a lawyer, but as a business here in Connecticut to be doing something to help raise awareness on the real dangers of distracted driving- beyond just the legal implications,” stated Carter Mario, founder of the firm, in a recent press release.

According to the National Census Bureau, 223 people were killed in Connecticut traffic accidents in 2009. Of those crashes, 103 were associated with distracted driving and speeding. In an effort to curb these numbers, NBC-Connecticut says that Connecticut law enforcement will be conducting a ticket blitz on Monday.

Connecticut State Police confirmed by saying that Troop K in Colchester, Connecticut, will be patrolling Route 2 with an aim to catch speeders. State roads in towns across the state would also be monitored to catch those committing infractions.

The operation will begin at 12:01 a.m. Monday and will continue throughout the day until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The area covered along Route 2 will be from exit 12 to exit 27.

Troopers from C Troop conducted a similar operation Friday. Officials with Connecticut State Police said that more than 180 citations and 33 warnings were issued within a 24-hour period.

The blitz comes on the heels of Police Union President Andrew Matthews saying that he feared troopers would be punished if they didn’t write enough tickets. Col. Danny Stebbins, commanding officer for the state police, was quick to dismiss the allegations, saying troopers don’t have a quota of tickets.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers suggest motorists stay safe by buckling up and always obeying the posted speed limit. Doing so can help keep you from getting a ticket and may save your life.

In an effort to educate teens and other motorists about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving, and to reduce the number of accidents associated with those behaviors, the Connecticut personal injury lawyers at Carter Mario Injury Lawyers have once again offered their Arrive Alive Scholarship to local teens.

The scholarship awards $1,000 to 10 local teenagers to be used toward their educational costs at a four-year college or university in the fall. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges based on a presentation the students create about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving. Winning entries from the past have included moving public service announcements and poems.

The firm began offering the scholarship in 2006 and has given more than $54,000 in awards to 53 students.

The deadline for entries was Monday, and this year’s winners will be contacted via email by April 16. The winners be honored at an awards ceremony during the week of May 7. This year’s winning entries will be available to be viewed by the public alongside past winners.

The firm has hoped to increase the amount of scholarships it’s able to give each year by now donating $20 from every fee it collects to the scholarship fund.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers are excited to see all of this year’s entries and are honored that so many teens chose to participate.

A 17-year-old driver from Durham, Connecticut, was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash that occurred yesterday afternoon. According to WTNH 8 News, the accident happened around 4 p.m. along Route 147 in the town of Middlefield, Connecticut.

Troopers with the Connecticut State Police Department who investigated the scene of the crash say that the driver was heading west along the highway when he failed to negotiate a right turn and began to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle then left the roadway and struck a tree on the north side of the highway before being deflected back across all lanes of traffic and hitting a tree on the opposite side of the road.

Rescuers were able to pull the teen from the wreckage. He was then transported by Lifestar helicopter to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, where he remains in stable condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Investigators say they will work to determine the contributing factors of the accident.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Lawyers with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers say that speed-related crashes are the number one cause of death for young drivers in the United States today. That is why it’s important for motorists to always remember to buckle up and obey the posted speed limit of the road. Following these simple tips will significantly decrease your chances of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident.

A serious accident involving four vehicles on the outskirts of Southington, Connecticut, left three people critically injured Monday. According to WTNH 8 News, the crash happened at 6:53 a.m. along Route 229, between West Queen and Enterprise Drive.

Reports from the Southington Police Department say that a 41-year-old driver from Avon was following another vehicle south along West Street. The lead vehicle slowed to make a turn into Winterberry Gardens, causing the vehicle behind it to swerve to avoid a collision. A pickup truck following that second vehicle also had to make evasive maneuvers to avoid the collision by swerving into oncoming lanes of traffic. There, he was met head-on by another pickup truck. All three drivers had to be cut free from the wreckage by paramedics.

The driver of the first pick-up truck was taken by LifeStar to Hartford Hospital and is listed in critical condition. The drivers involved in the other wreck were taken by ambulance to Hartford and St. Mary’s Hospitals and were also listed in critical condition.

One local resident who lives just yards from the accident scene stated that he has seen numerous accidents on the road and that most are due to excessive speed.

The Connecticut Auto Accident Attorneys with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers wish those who were injured in this accident a speedy recovery and ask that motorists do their part to keep one another safe by always driving cautiously.

A high number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have developed serious lung diseases, prompting several medical groups to begin studies to determine the cause. According to reports from 9 News, surveys show that veterans returning from the Middle East had more than double the risk of developing respiratory diseases than veterans who were stationed in Asia.

Dr. Cecile Rose, head researcher with the National Jewish Health Center, believes that the high rate of illness for soldiers deployed in the Middle East is due to exposure burn pits, desert dust, and extreme humidity.

One soldier is telling his story in hopes of bringing a greater awareness to deployment-related lung diseases. The man served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his 22 years of service, but upon returning from his last tour, he was diagnosed with constrictive bronchiolitis. During his tours he was an avid runner and participated in several marathons. Now, his lungs only function at a quarter of their former capacity.

Estimates show that approximately two million American servicemen and women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and have been exposed to possible toxic elements in the air.

The Connecticut Veterans Disability Attorneys with Carter Mario Injury Lawyers would encourage any veteran with breathing problems to seek medical attention, as you may be suffering from a deployment-related lung disease. If you are diagnosed with a lung condition, you may need to contact a lawyer.