Car Accidents

Published on: June 29, 2023

PTSD and Car Accidents

One of the most underestimated and neglected effects of a motor vehicle accident is posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD, an anxiety- related condition that can severely limit a person’s recovery after being involved in an auto accident.

Several American organizations including veterans’ organizations are marking June 27 as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. The day is being commemorated to make more people aware about the disorder and its effects on a person’s ability to lead a normal life after experiencing a traumatic life event.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that emerges after a person has suffered a terrifying or life-threatening event like a natural disaster, terrorist attack, and even an auto accident. The condition may arise if a person has undergone a terrifying event in which his or her very life or physical wellbeing is threatened or at risk.

Published on: June 22, 2023

NHTSA Predicts Drop in Auto Accident Fatalities During First Quarter of 2023

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

After 7 consecutive years of year- to -year increases in auto accident wrongful deaths, the federal administration has been recording slow, but perceptible drops in these numbers for four consecutive quarters. Latest estimates by the administration shows that the first quarter of 2023 has been no different.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its auto accident death projections for 2023. The estimates for the first quarter of 2023 show a 3% decline in the number of people killed in car accidents compared to the same period of time in 2022. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a total of 9,330 people were killed in auto accidents in the first quarter of 2023. That was a drop from the 9,645 accident deaths recorded during the same period of time last year. The fatality rate for the first quarter of this year was 1.24 traffic accident deaths compared to 1.32 fatalities during the first quarter of last year.

The same trend could also be seen in Georgia where there was a drop in the number of people killed in auto accidents in the first quarter of 2023, compared to last year. During the first quarter of 2022, a total of 468 people were killed in car accidents in Georgia, and that number dropped to 410 fatalities this year. That was a significant 3.7% drop. The fatality rate in Georgia dropped from 1.62 fatalities in 2022 to 1.36 deaths this year.

Published on: June 7, 2023

Understaffed Georgia State Patrol Could Mean Higher Auto Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Georgia State Patrol has been steadily losing staff numbers, and there are fears that an understaffed agency could mean a higher risk of auto accidents on our already dangerous highways. When there are less police officers on the road to deter speeding and reckless driving, this conduct will only increase leading to more car accidents and pedestrian accidents.

According to reports, the Georgia State Patrol has been steadily and consistently losing staff members over recent years. In April 2022, the Georgia State Patrol had a total of 828 troopers. However, just a few months later in January 2023, that number had dropped to just 783.

This decline in staffing numbers at the Georgia State Patrol has been evident for a while now. Even as the number of vehicles on Georgia highways has increased exponentially, the number of troopers responsible for keeping these highways safe and responding to car accidents has not kept pace. For example, in 1977, 524 Georgia State Patrol troopers were assigned to keep motorists safe on the highways and respond to accident crises. In 2023, at one point, there were just 497 Georgia State Patrol troopers assigned to the highways, lower than they were at least 45 years ago. These 497 troopers were in charge of maintaining safety on highways that have a far denser population of motor vehicles than they had in 1977.

Published on: May 30, 2023

Even Mild Brain Injury can Increase Risk of Criminal Behavior

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Traumatic brain injuries like those that typically result from auto accidents, pedestrian accidents and slip and falls can have a number of long term consequences. A new study finds that the risk of criminal behavior increases after even a mild brain injury. This increased risk is something that has to be considered when litigating personal injury claims.

The study was conducted in New Zealand, and found that a brain injury does not have to be severe in order to have effects that result in criminal behavior. Even a mild brain injury like a concussion can significantly increase a person’s risk of engaging in criminal behavior.

The analysis found that people with a brain injury had a higher rate of criminal convictions and arrests, compared to persons who had not suffered a brain injury. Further, the risk of criminal behavior seemed to increase with the number of brain injuries the person had suffered. A higher number of concussions translated into a higher risk of criminal activity.

Published on: May 18, 2023

Implant Could Help Control Blood Pressure in Car Accident Victims with Spinal Injury

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Persons who have suffered spinal injuries in car accidents or fall accidents may suffer from dangerous drops in their blood pressure. A new implant can help circumvent this problem.

A person who has suffered a spinal injury may suffer from dangerous drops in blood pressure when he tries to move from a sitting to a standing position. In such cases, the person may feel dizzy or nauseous when he moves or stands. In some cases, the person may even faint as a result of the drop in blood pressure. An extremely severe drop in blood pressure can even have possibly fatal consequences.

The conservative approach to treating this problem of dips in blood pressure in spinal injury victims has been to prescribe a high – salt diet or compression stockings. However, even with the use of such methodologies and aids, victims continue to complain of dizziness and other problems.

Published on: May 15, 2023

Auto Accident Deaths in 2022 Remained High Compared to Pre-Pandemic levels

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released new statistics that show that the total number of people killed in car accidents in the United States dropped last year compared to the previous year. However, it may be too early to celebrate.

According to the latest statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 42,795 people were killed in auto accidents in the United States last year. That translated into a minute 0.3% drop from the previous year. In 2021, a total 42,939 people had been killed in auto accidents. However, the toll for 2022 still remains 18% higher than the figures in 2019.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls this a “national crisis of traffic safety” on our roads, and says that Americans need to do their part in helping reverse this rising trend of auto accident deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently conducted a comparison of the United States with at least 29 other industrialized countries and found disturbing results. The study found that the United States fares very poorly on traffic safety parameters, compared to other wealthy nations. In fact, most Western countries did not record dramatic rise in wrongful deaths in car accidents the way the United States did during the pandemic.

Published on: May 10, 2023

Could Poor Police Enforcement be Linked to Auto Accident Spike?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

While there have been many theories for the disturbing rise in auto accident wrongful deaths across the country, one under examined factor is now under the scanner. Experts believe that a drop in police enforcement since just before the pandemic is possibly partly responsible for a spike in car accident deaths.

Car accident deaths in 2022 were as much as 18% higher than the numbers in 2019. They have continued to increase, spiking even during the pandemic when vehicular traffic volumes were at all time lows. During a time when American roads should have been safest, they were actually even more dangerous than before the pandemic with normal traffic volumes. This phenomenon was also uniquely American. Most Western countries did not report increases in car accident deaths during the pandemic. Many, in fact, actually saw a drop in car accident rates as a result of lockdowns and lower traffic volumes.

There have been a number of theories that have been espoused as reasons for the increase in car accident deaths in the United States. From an increase in speeding to larger volumes of distracted drivers, experts believe that a combination of factors has led to a spike in the number of people being killed in car accidents. However, one particular factor has not received a lot of attention and NPR recently addressed this. The report by NPR says that a drop in police enforcement across the country is at least partly responsible for the spike in car accident deaths.

Published on: May 4, 2023

More than 3500 People Killed in Distracted Driving Car Accidents in 2021

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that more than 3500 people were killed in car accidents caused by distracted drivers in 2021. This April, the federal administration plans to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while distracted.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is making the month of April — Distracted Driving Awareness Month. As part of its campaign, the agency released statistics which show that a total of 3,522 people were killed in auto accidents caused by distracted drivers in 2021. The statistics show that an ongoing effort against distracted driving is absolutely necessary. As part of the campaign, there will be increased enforcement on Georgia roads as law enforcement officers look out for persons using cell phones while driving.

The campaign will also focus on friends and families of drivers and their role in helping prevent distracted driving. If you are driving and need to answer a phone call or have to respond to a text message, get your passenger to do so for you. If you are driving alone and need to respond to a text, pull over somewhere safe and return the call or the text message. Under no circumstances should you be typing a message or making a phone call as you drive.

Published on: April 27, 2023

Georgia’s Car Accident Record Makes it One of the Worst Driving States

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia gets a mention in a new list of some of the worst driving states in the country, thanks to a new study which considered a number of factors including car accident rates while assigning rankings.

The rankings come from research conducted by Quote Wizard. The Quote Wizard team analyzed more than ten million insurance quotes before arriving at these findings. The company releases its list of the worst driving states in the country every year and this year, Georgia is mentioned in the top 25 worst driving states in the United States. The state ranks at number 17 on the list.

The research team used several parameters, including the number of auto accidents, DUI violations, number of speeding tickets issued in each state and the citations for violations for running a red light or using a cell phone while driving. According to the research team, states that were ranked in the top 25 worst driving states had high auto accident rates compared to the states that were ranked at the bottom of the list which had lower car accident rates in comparison.

Published on: April 20, 2023

How Auto Accidents can Cause Complications for Pregnant Women

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Traumatic personal injuries can be devastating for pregnant women, and auto accidents are some of the leading causes of these types of injuries involving pregnant women. A new study finds that even a minor car accident can significantly raise the risk of complications for an expectant mother.

The results of a new Taiwanese study were published in the journal Injury Prevention recently. The researchers analyzed auto accident injury data involving more than 20,000 pregnant women over a 10 year period, and found that women who suffered even minor injuries in an auto accident while pregnant suffered significantly increased risks of complications, including placental disruption and excessive bleeding. Many of these women were at a much higher risk of requiring emergency C-sections.

Based on the data, the researchers believe that women who have been involved in a car accident during pregnancy are more than 50% likely to experience a placental disruption and more than 30% likely to suffer from prolonged contractions. They also had a risk of excessive bleeding that was 19% higher and a 5% higher risk of C-sections. Women who suffered even minor injuries were found to have an even higher risk of complications. For example, among women who had suffered even minor personal injuries in a car accident, there was a 70% higher risk of placental disruption and 54% higher risk of induced labor.