For those of you who love that runner's high, we have some laws and safety tips which you may find interesting!

1. If you can, USE THE SIDEWALK: Runners are considered pedestrians in Ohio. Ohio Law states that where a sidewalk is provided and "its use is practicable" it is unlawful to run in the street.

2. If there is no sidewalk, or you can't use it, USE THE SHOULDER: Where there is no sidewalk, you must walk or run on the shoulder or "as far as practicable" from the roadway.

3. FACE TRAFFIC: If it is a two way street, you must run on the left side, i.e. facing oncoming traffic.

4. DON'T RUN ON FREEWAYS: Ohio law defines a freeway as "a divided multi-lane highway for through traffic with all crossroads separated in grade and with full control of access."

5. USE MARKED CROSSWALKS: In intersections with traffic control signals in operation, you cannot lawfully cross anywhere except in the marked crosswalk.

6. YOU DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY: Although drivers must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian on a sidewalk, within a marked crosswalk, or within an unmarked crosswalk, you must yield the right of way to "all vehicles, trackless trolleys, or streetcars".

7. DON'T DART. DON'T CUT ACROSS INTERSECTIONS: Ohio law prohibits pedestrians from suddenly leaving a curb or "other place of safety" to walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is "so close as to constitute an immediate hazard." You are also prohibited from crossing an intersection diagonally, unless authorized by an official traffic control device.

The great majority of people out there use social media in some fashion. One thing we have seen is that ALL automobile insurance companies are using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other Social Media sites to snoop on personal injury litigants. 

Personal injury litigants and potential litigants should be aware that the information contained on these sites, including photographs, posts, messages, etc., may become accessible to defense attorneys, insurance adjusters, and witnesses in legal cases, even if you do not intend them to be or consider them private.  As such, you should exercise some discretion in deciding what type of information that you post via these social media sites.

If you do participate in social media sites, it is probably in your best interest to never post any information or comment in any way concerning your claim or potential claim for personal injury, including photographs of your injuries or comments about your theory of what happened that caused your incident.  This includes instant messaging and email as well.  Of utmost importance, you should never post anything concerning a communication between you and your attorney.

If you have already posted photos, comments, messages, etc. about your pending claim or potential claim, you should NOT remove those posts from your social media site, even if you think it may harm your case, until you have consulted with your attorney.  This may seem illogical, but removing posts about your case could be treated as destroying potential evidence, which is taken very seriously by our courts. 

If you have any questions or concerns about these issues, you should discuss them with your attorney or consult with an experienced trial attorney.