Articles Posted in Car Accidents

New Accident Risks Emerge as Automakers Amp up Technologies in Cars

Getting people to switch off their cell phones while driving has been hard enough, but 2010 promises even more distractions for motorists, and greater risks of accidents. This year, automakers plan to roll out a number of cars with infotainment systems mounted on the dashboard. These systems include 10-inch plus monitors that allow users to access the internet, read restaurant reviews, look at 3-D maps, watch high definition video, and monitor fuel levels, most of this via touch screen technology.

Automakers insist that these systems are safe because the more distracting functions like internet access will not work if the car is moving. However, most of the other functions are available to use through touch screens. It’s part of a wider trend of vehicles coming equipped with all the features that we have come to accept in our smart phones. It also promises a massive headache for the Department of Transportation, and agencies around the country that are struggling to minimize cell-phone related risks. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has already made clear his displeasure at these new high-tech features, and has promised that he will discuss the issue.

Ford Explorers are no strangers to controversy, and have been linked to hundreds of incidences of rollovers. In the most recent such rollover accident involving a Ford, two people died in Atlanta when their Ford Explorer suffered a tire blowout and flipped over. There were 6 occupants in the Explorer, and three of them were ejected. Four people were injured in the accident.

The Ford Explorer has been linked to more incidences of rollovers than other SUV’s. Earlier this decade, Ford found itself in the middle of a controversy related to defective Firestone tires that were prone to blowouts, causing the Explorers to roll over. The tire defect involved tread separation which caused the tire to disintegrate, leading to loss of control over the vehicle. While Firestone tires were blamed for these rollover accidents, Atlanta personal injury lawyers also pointed to the design of the Explorer which made it much more likely to flip over in case of a tire blowout at high speeds, compared to other SUV’s.

The Ford Explorer continues to be the center of lawsuits, ending in massive jury awards. This year, Ford was ordered to pay $55 million in punitive damages to a California woman who was left paralyzed when her Explorer rolled over and the roof collapsed on her neck. Her spine was severed from the impact, and she continues to remain paralyzed. Also this year, a woman in Georgia was awarded $40 million in damages by a jury in Lamar County. The woman Jessica Mundy claimed that a transmission defect in her Explorer caused it to suddenly go into reverse when placed in park mode. As a result, the SUV ran over her, causing spinal cord injuries, and leaving her paralyzed.

Accident prevention and safety has been on the minds of Atlanta auto accident lawyers this season. Weather conditions are bound to get harsher, and motorists are also going to have to deal with millions of holiday travelers in a week’s time. The combination of bad weather and heavy traffic can be deadly. That is why when a group of elite truck drivers who have completed millions of miles of driving without accidents, doles out expert safety advice, we are all ears.

The advice comes to us via the American Truck Associations’ Share the Road program, which has professional truck drivers teaching the public about driving safely around 18 wheelers. There is no doubt driving a massive tractor trailer rig that weighs tens of thousands of pounds, requires greater skill and experience than driving a sedan. That is why we would highly recommend these truck safety tips for holiday travelers this winter.

· Always be aware of vehicles in front of you, and keep a sufficient distance between the two vehicles.

Stanford Law School professor Nora Freeman Angstrom has published an investigative report” Run of the Mill Justice” in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. She has scathing remarks for what she calls “settlement mills” – law firms that are involved in the mass resolution of claims. These firms base their business – it might be a stretch to call it “practice” of the law – on taking on high volumes of accident and injury cases and rushing to settle these with insurers, often for low amounts.There is minimal interaction with the client, and the principle is to rush though cases, with barely any of these cases ending up before a jury.

These mills get most of their clients from aggressive advertisements on billboards and television. Most importantly, a settlement mill is rarely interested intaking a case to trial, and getting a fair value for the client. The report makes very interesting reading, and Angstrom does not hold back as she names law firms, including one in Georgia, that she characterized as having low jury trial rates.

It’s not often we hear a law expert openly calling out these settlement mills by name, and as Atlanta personal injury trial lawyers who believe in fighting for justice for every individual client, we agree with what she says. Not every accident case will go to a trial. Very often, clients reach favorable settlements without having to go to court. However, if a case cannot be resolved during settlement negotiations, it’s important that your Atlanta personal injury attorney be equipped with the resources, skills, preparation and expertise to take your case to trial, and win.

A tractor trailer accident in Spalding, Georgia last week left a mother and four children seriously injured.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the accident occurred as Cindy Lynn Fain was driving her minivan. A tractor trailer driver apparently ran a stop sign, and crashed into the passenger side of the van. Fain and her three children aged 2, 4 and 5 were seriously injured in the accident. They have been transported to Atlanta hospitals. Investigations into the accident are going on. The truck driver Solomon Debala, has been charged with failure to stop at a stop sign and other charges.

The huge potential for catastrophic injuries in an accident involving a tractor trailer is why there are federal regulations in place governing the conduct of truck drivers. Truckers must drive with greater care than drivers of passenger vehicles. There is simply no room for traffic violations when you’re in control of a massive rig.

NHTSA Proposes Stronger Side Airbag Standards to Save Lives in Rollover Accidents

As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we have had our complaints about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the slowness with which the agency reacts to urgent safety issues. However, we will also be the first to admit that the agency has done some stellar work recently, especially in the field of rollover crash prevention and minimizing injuries from these crashes.

Earlier this year, the agency announced that it would be requiring automakers to comply with stronger roof strength standards, o prevent the kind of injuries and deaths that result from roof collapses in a rollover. The agency has also been quick to catch on to the importance of devices like Electronic Stability Control technologies that can help prevent rollover crashes. Now, the agency is proposing stronger side airbag standards that will prevent the risk of side window ejections during a rollover. According to the Washington Post, the NHTSA could require automakers to install stronger side airbags that will prevent ejections even if passengers are not wearing seatbelts.

Doctors and lawyers are most at risk for auto accidents, at least according to a list of the most accident-prone professions in the country. The list was released by Insure.com and the Quality Planning Corporation, a company that validates policyholder information for insurers. The company has collected and analyzed data about car accidents based on profession, and ranks doctors at No.1 on the list.

Every year, there are:

1. 109 accidents and 44 speeding tickets for every 1000 doctors

Six Injured in Gwinnett County Car Accident

Five members of a Georgia family have a lot to be thankful for, after they escaped what could have been a serious accident in Gwinnett County over the Thanksgiving weekend. The five and their taxi driver have sustained injuries.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the taxi was travelling on I-85 when it was hit by a dark-colored car. The car was also traveling south in the lane next to the taxi, when the driver lost control, and sideswiped the taxi. The impact caused the taxi to flip over. The driver and the five passengers were able to climb out of the taxi. The injured included at least 3 children, aged 9, 7 and 6. Fortunately, the injuries are not life threatening.

Multi Vehicle Auto Accident in Atlanta Kills One, Injures Five

A multi vehicle accident on Holcomb Bridge Road has left one man dead and five people, including a mother and four children, injured. The accident occurred on Thursday morning.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a pickup truck crossed a centerline, and struck a mini van and another car. The woman driving the minivan suffered serious injuries.The children in the van, aged between 10 months and 7 months, also suffered injuries although these were not serious. It’s not confirmed if the woman was the mother of the four children.

Thanksgiving season is upon us, and it’s time for the Turkey, the family get together, and the need for greater care while driving around Georgia.

The year’s biggest holiday is also its deadliest. Accident rates spike during the 102-hour period, killing and injuring several motorists and passengers. Anticipating massive holiday travel, Georgia officials have kicked off the “Click it or Ticket” campaign. The seatbelt enforcement campaign began on Monday, and will last through the holiday weekend. There will be severe patrols, and officers will stop vehicles to check for seatbelt usage.Enforcement will go on during the day and night.

Last year, 19 people died in Georgia during the Thanksgiving weekend, and 1,457 people were injured in a total of 3,815 accidents. According to the Governor‘s Office of Highway Safety, 136 lives could have been saved last year only if the victims had remembered to wear seatbelts.