Car Accidents

Published on: March 25, 2011

Georgia Needs More Trauma Centers to Treat Injuries of Auto Accident Victims

The Atlanta car accident lawyers at our firm have been blogging regularly about the need for more trauma care centers in Georgia to treat auto accident victims and others.Rural areas in Georgia have a severe shortage of trauma care centers to treat individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries. This has resulted in a significant number of unnecessary deaths. Unfortunately, a recent vote to provide a limited tax to increase the number of trauma centers was defeated.

According to estimates, approximately 700 people in Georgia are killed every year because they lacked immediate access to emergency trauma care.Many of these people were injured in catastrophic accidents, and sustained serious injuries that could not be treated without the facilities available at a trauma center.The first hour after a person suffers serious injuries is the “golden hour,” and if the person receives emergency care during this time, his chances of surviving the accident or injuries increase substantially.Unfortunately, many people who are involved in auto accidents in Georgia cannot be taken to an emergency trauma care center in time because there is not one close enough to them.

According to estimates, there should be at least 30 trauma centers in Georgia for trauma care access for all.Currently, we need at least 12 more centers to ensure that all Georgia residents live within 50 miles of a trauma center.Georgia’s trauma care network leaves much to be desired, and the average trauma death rate in our state is much worse than the national average.To make matters worse, recent budget cuts have slashed approximately $10 million of funding for the existing trauma care centers in Georgia.

Published on: March 24, 2011

Why Atlanta’s Senior Motorists May Be at a Higher Risk of Pedestrian Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys, we often come across cases involving pedestrians seriously injured in accidents caused by senior motorists.A new study conducted by Israeli researchers suggests that elder drivers may suffer from an inability to see things in their peripheral vision that prevents them from seeing pedestrians on the curb or sidewalk. This increases the likelihood of a pedestrian accident. Of course, auto accidents involving pedestrians often involve the most serious injuries.

The study came out of a spike in pedestrian accidents involving senior motorists in Israel.The researchers were looking at the specific challenges an elderly motorist faces as far as pedestrian safety is concerned.The researchers placed older motorists in a simulator, and measured their responses to vital safety signals.

They found that drivers above the age of 65 were half as likely to spot a pedestrian as younger drivers.Not only that, they also found that senior motorists were just half as likely to tap the brakes when they spotted a pedestrian on the curb or sidewalk, as younger drivers.This signifies one of two things-either these motorists don’t spot a pedestrian in time to react, or they don’t consider pedestrians a serious accident hazard.Either of these theories spells danger for any pedestrian in the path of an elderly motorist.

Published on: March 23, 2011

US DOT, Consumer Reports Announce Campaign to Prevent Teen Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

According to Consumer Reports, teenagers are dying and suffering serious injuries every year because of car accidents caused by texting and using cell phones while driving.The safety advocacy group along with the US Department of Transportation have announced a new campaign aimed at minimizing the incidence of distracted driving among teen motorists. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I very much applaud their efforts. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of deaths and injury among teenagers. Simply put, too many families have been devastated by these car accidents.

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, the average reaction time for a teenage motorist driving and talking on a cell phone was equal to that of a 70-year-old driver not using a phone while driving.There are numerous other studies that have clearly laid out the significantly increased accident risks that come when motorists are using cell phones while driving.For instance, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that texting while driving could increase a motorist’s risk of an accident by a staggering 23 times.

According to the same study, physically dialing a phone while driving increases the risk of an accident by as much as six times.In 2009, approximately 16% of all fatal accidents were caused by distracted driving.At least one in five of those deaths involved the use of cell phones or texting while driving.

Published on: March 21, 2011

Road Debris on Atlanta Highways Contributes to Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Apart from DUI drivers and distracted motorists, Atlanta drivers face other equally dangerous risks from silent killers – road debris that has fallen off from pickup trucks, flatbed trucks and tractor trailers. Such debris regularly cause car accidents on Atlanta roads. If you are an Atlanta injury lawyer, you have seen the impact of this debris first hand in the auto accident cases which come through your office.

The number of people being killed every year in accidents caused by road debris is a matter of debate, and accidents don’t result every time objects fall off a truck or any other vehicle.However, when such debris takes motorists unawares causing them to brake suddenly, the results can be devastating.Besides, accidents can also be caused when the object flies directly into vehicles behind or around the car, crashing through windshields and injuring or killing occupants inside.

Last December, one person in Atlanta sustained serious injuries in an accident that was traced to road debris.In that accident, the woman had been driving on a highway when some debris, including tools and clamps, fell off a truck and onto the highway.Most of the cars that were behind the truck were able to avoid the debris, but the woman wasn’t as fortunate.A piece of equipment that had fallen off the truck crashed through the windshield of her car, and struck the driver in the head and face.She sustained serious injuries.

Published on: March 20, 2011

Untested Car Safety Seats Could Cause Injuries in Atlanta Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The role of car safety seats in preventing injuries to children in an auto accident is one that no Atlanta injury lawyer would deny.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, between 1988 and 1994, the use of car seats led to a 73% drop in infant wrongful deaths and a 54% drop in car accident related injuries in children between the age of one and four.However, not all car safety seats may have been tested and approved to be safe for your child.

The Washington Post warns parents against assuming that the car seat that they’re using for their child will protect them from injuries in the event of an accident.The seats that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulates are only tested for protection in a front impact collision.The seats are not regulated against side-impact, rear end or rollover accidents.This is in spite of the fact that the risk of injuries and fatalities is often much higher in a rollover accident or a side-impact accident than a front impact collision.

One of the reasons why the federal agency has failed to regulate the effectiveness of car seats in these kinds of accidents is the lack of proper-sized crash test dummies.That is also the reason why the agency has failed to regulate the safety of large-sized car seats that are used for toddlers above 65 pounds.There’s a growing class of overweight children who are too heavy for infant car seats, and too young for seat belts.Car seat manufacturers have been marketing larger-sized car seats for children of this size, but the NHTSA has failed to regulate the effectiveness of these seats.One of the reasons has been the failure to develop a crash test dummy of an appropriate size.

Published on: March 11, 2011

IIHS Advocates Stronger Under Ride Guards for Tractor-Trailers to Prevent car accidents and injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I often find that the kind of damage that results from a rear end truck accident involving a tractor trailer and a car leaves little chance for survival. The Institute Insurance for Highway Safety is now calling on the federal administration to require stronger under ride guards for tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers, to prevent the serious injuries that result from auto accidents in which a car rear-ends these large commercial trucks. I strongly support the move towards improving under ride guards.

Under ride guards hang low at the back of a tractor-trailer, and are designed to protect occupants of a passenger vehicle in case of a rear end accident.When a small passenger vehicle crashes into the back of a tractor-trailer, the bumper and front of the car can slide under the trailer.The under ride guard is supposed to prevent this.However, the Institute Insurance for Highway Safety has found in a study that in low-speed rear-ender accidents involving a tractor-trailer and cars, the under ride guard failed to prevent catastrophic injuries.

The Insurance Institute relied on an analysis of 1,000 accidents between 2001 and 2003.There were 113 accidents that involved passenger vehicles crashing into the back of a tractor-trailer.Out of these, 73% resulted in the passenger vehicle sliding under the tractor-trailer.28 of these accidents were fatal, and out of these, 23 accidents involved those in which the entire front portion of the passenger vehicle slid completely under the trailer.

Published on: February 25, 2011

Ignition Interlock Systems Can Reduce DUI Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I often find that a significant number of wrongful deaths and serious personal injuries arise from drunk driving accidents involving repeat offenders.A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the use of ignition interlock devices is successful in preventing repeat drunk driving. Such prevention would unquestionably result in a reduction in drunk driving accidents, injuries and deaths. Each and every Atlanta injury lawyer should advocate for the use of these devices.

The study found that recidivism rates for DUI dropped by approximately 67% when ignition interlock devices were used.Many states including Georgia, have adopted alcohol ignition interlock devices as part of their efforts against DUI.In Georgia, persons convicted of DUI can be ordered by courts to have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicles if they have prior DUI convictions too.The device requires drivers to blow into it, and measures the alcohol on his breath.If the alcohol content is found to be excessive, the device prevents the motorist from starting the engine.The researchers say that these devices are so useful in preventing drunk driving accidents, that they should be made a mandatory part of DUI prevention efforts around the country. As an injury lawyer, I couldn’t agree more.

Ignition interlock devices receive a lot of criticism from DUI attorneys and the beverage industry.However, these devices have become more sophisticated, accurate and reliable over the years.It’s much harder to “fool” an ignition interlock system now than it used to be a couple of years ago.Some devices require the user to hum while breathing into the tube.

Published on: February 17, 2011

Georgia DOT to Allow Memorials to Auto Accident and Truck Accident Victims

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Memorial signs to auto accident and truck accident victims have been used around the country not just to commemorate the dead, but also serve as a warning to the living.As Atlanta auto accident lawyers, we believe that such stark signs help increase motorist awareness of the dangers of reckless driving and, therefore, help to decrease the number of auto accidents and truck accidents.The Georgia Department of Transportation has now announced that it will allow memorials to auto accident victims to be placed on federal and state highways.

Another program that allows highway memorial signs bearing the names of drunk driving accident victims on Georgia highways, is already in effect. That program was created through the efforts of the Department of Transportation, the Georgia Gen. Assembly and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in 2006. That program is separate from this new memorial sign program, and will continue as scheduled.

The new memorials will consist of 15- inch round, white signs containing the message Drive Safely: in Memory (name of the deceased).Families and friends of accident victims can request a sign for a $100 fee that will go towards installation and fabrication charges. The sign will be in place for a period of one year, after which it will be returned to the sponsor of the sign. However, families can only order these memorial signs through the Department of Transportation.

Published on: February 10, 2011

Man in Fatal Atlanta Auto Accident to Serve 10 Years in Prison

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The motorist, who was convicted of DUI (driving under the influence) and causing a wrong way driving auto accident that killed a woman on an Atlanta highway, will spend 10 years in prison. The motorist Theus Monroe was driving the wrong way on Interstate 85 in December 2009, when his vehicle crashed head-on into another vehicle. In that vehicle was Jazmine Zachary, who sustained fatal injuries in the crash. She was 25 years old at the time of her wrongful death.An investigation later revealed that Monroe was not only driving under the influence of alcohol, but was also high on drugs at the time of the car accident.

A Fulton County judge this week sentenced Monroe to a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison. However, Monroe will only serve 10 years, and have an additional year of drug rehabilitation. The sentence was a bit of a disappointment for the victim’s family who wanted that Monroe be ordered to serve the entire 17 years.

Atlanta car accident attorneys often see that intoxicated driving is the main factor in accidents caused by motorists driving the wrong way. These are typically fatal accidents, or high-impact auto accidents that end with serious injuries. Drivers, who are in the path of a motorist traveling the wrong way, don’t expect to see a driver headed in their direction, which takes them by surprise, leaving them with no time to avoid the wrong way driver. The potential for severe injuries and fatalities also increases because these are typically high-speed, full impact, head-on crashes. Wrong way driving accidents are also sometimes linked to drowsiness, when motorists miss a sign or signal because they are dozing off at the wheel.

Published on: February 9, 2011

Charges May Be Filed against Man Involved in Fatal Atlanta HERO Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Investigations into a fatal accident involving a HERO unit operator on an Atlanta interstate last week are still going on. Charges could be filed against the Loganville motorist who was driving the car that struck the operator. This auto accident is the type law enforcement officials constantly warn against. Auto accidents of these types occur in Atlanta and elsewhere when drivers fail to pay close attention to stranded motorists. It emphasizes the need for all motorists to slow their cars when approaching stranded vehicles.

The Highway Emergency Response Operator was responding to a stranded motorist on Interstate 85 when he was struck by another car. The victim, Spencer Pass had parked his truck just behind a Ranger in the Interstate 85 Emergency lane. Just then, a Ford F-450 truck pulling a trailer struck the HERO truck and the Ranger. It then hit the victim, who sustained fatal injuries. The driver of the Ranger was able to avoid injuries.

The Highway Emergency Response Operator program was started by the Georgia Department of Transportation in 1995. According to the Department of Transportation, this is the very first death involving a HERO operator since the program began operations. HERO operators respond to stranded motorists on Atlanta interstate highways. These motorists include drivers who have been involved in accidents, have run out of fuel, or have had a car breakdown on a busy highway.