Finney Injury Law - June 2021

ON NATIONAL GET OUTDOORS DAY EXPLORE A NATIONAL FOREST FOR FREE

Many people in the U.S. and across the world have a national park trip on their travel bucket list. While Zion, Yellowstone, and the Great Smoky Mountains are all awesome locales, outdoor enthusiasts often overlook a resource that is less busy, less expensive, and usually right in their backyard: national forests. All but 10 states have a national forest (or more than one!), so if your home state doesn’t have one, it’s very likely a neighboring state does! And there’s no better time to hike, bike, forage for mushrooms or berries, or camp at a nearby national forest than this month. The tree-filled landscape will provide shade and help you beat the summer heat, and to further incentivize visitors, the U.S. Forest Service (the organization that oversees the national forests) is offering a fee-free day on Saturday, June 12, in honor of National Get Outdoors Day! While parking and day-use fees to access national forests tend to be relatively modest, fee-free days open up the opportunity to all visitors. The U.S. Forest Service has a great interactive map tool that prospective park-goers can use to learn more about the forests in their area, amenities and activities, and accessibility. Visit FS.fed.us/ivm to access the map and see what’s near your hometown!

If you’re dreaming up travel plans beyond your state’s border, consider visiting these notable U.S. national forests.

• El Yunque National Forest: Located in Puerto Rico, El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the United States.

• Tongass National Forest: Spanning 16.7 acres and

several islands across Southeast Alaska, the Tongass is the country’s largest national forest.

• Salmon-Challis National Forest: This Idaho forest is the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 and contains the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness. • Cibola National Forest and Grassland: Spread across north-central New Mexico, west Texas, and Oklahoma, this forest and grassland area is notable for its diverse ecosystems and wildlife. The Sky Islands portion of the park is also home to over 200 rare plant and animal species.

June Is National Safety Month

Here at Finney Injury Law, we see the effects injuries have on our clients’ lives every day. In addition to the mental and physical pain associated with injuries, our clients must also deal with the financial fallout from missing work and getting medical treatment. We’re so gratified to help our clients get the compensation they deserve after an injury, and we’re also grateful for organizations like the nonprofit National Safety Council (NSC), which aims to eliminate preventable injuries and deaths in the U.S. The NSC has designated the month of June as National Safety Month, and it’s a great time to get educated on the leading causes of preventable injuries and how to create a safer world for our families at home, in public, or at work. Are things getting safer? Given technological advances and our access to information, the answer to this question is unfortunately not a straightforward “yes.” The number of preventable injuries increased 3.1% from 2018 to 2019 (when an astonishing 48.3 million injuries were reported), though opioid overdoses and poisoning deaths drove much of this. Fortunately, both

national and local campaigns (like RecoverSTL) are addressing this serious threat to safety, and more resources are being put toward the cause. Where can we make the biggest impact? While it’s important to address safety concerns wherever possible, the NCS focuses their efforts on three key areas: workplace safety, roadway safety, and mitigation of impairment. One point of light is that driving-related injuries were slightly down in 2019, according to a recent NSC study. We know the three biggest causes of driving fatalities are alcohol, speeding, and not wearing a seat belt. So, when it comes to you and your family, buckling up, obeying the speed limit, and never getting into the car with an impaired driver will go a long way to ensure your safety on the road. And if you are the victim of another driver's negligence, we'll help you hold them accountable. We all want to live in a safer world. To learn more about National Safety Month, visit NSC.org, and visit FinneyInjuryLaw.com to see how we can help if you’ve been injured.

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