Articles Posted in Pedestrian accidents

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Persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury have a much higher risk of developing dementia down the road.  A new study not only underscores this fact, but also determines that changes in vascular cells can affect the onset of dementia in persons who have suffered a brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries often occur in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and slip and falls.

For decades now, scientists have been aware that suffering a brain injury significantly increases the risk that a person will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease down the road.  However, recent studies have  identified the exact molecular mechanism behind the personal injury that can bring about dementia earlier. In this new study, scientists discovered that alterations to the vascular smooth muscle cells lead to an increase in the build-up of proteins called amyloid beta, which are strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. What the scientists found even more surprising is that even younger persons who are typically not at risk of dementia suffered a similar increased risk, supported by the vascular muscle cell changes following the brain injury.  The researchers concluded that understanding the changes to the vascular cells  is crucial to understanding how trauma can impact dementia risks and circumventing  or mitigating those risks all together.

Brain injuries can result in a significant number of changes in a person’s mental and physical health.  Even a moderate brain injury can result in cognitive challenges,  memory problems,  difficulties in concentration and attention,  impaired motor skills and a number of other challenges that make it difficult for the person to live a normal life. All of these difficulties make it hard   for the person to be productive or earn a living.  Working even a routine job can become challenging.  For example, motor coordination problems can manifest in a large number of brain injury victims, and these can significantly impact the victim’s earning potential if he is working in a manual job, or one that requires dexterity.

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With hopes for a complete elimination of traffic accident wrongful deaths over the next decade fading swiftly away,  the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling for the adoption of a more practical and achievable short term strategy towards the attainment of the goal. Given the number of wrongful deaths which occur in car accidents, any reduction will be welcomed.

“Vision Zero” is a policy that originated first in Sweden where it was adopted by that country’s parliament with the goal of eliminating all auto accident wrongful deaths and bringing the total number of people being killed in car accidents down to zero over the next decade.  That idea caught on quickly around the world as many governments announced their own plans for reducing car accident wrongful death numbers in their countries.  The US too was quick to adopt the idea.  The US Department of Transportation  laid out the policy in detail in its National Roadways Safety Strategy in 2022. That policy outlined the framework of a plan to help eliminate the number of car accident wrongful deaths on our roads through a number of strategies, including better roads,  safer vehicles and better drivers.

However, progress towards achieving zero fatalities has been very slow or minimal at best.  In fact, the goal seems to be getting further and further out of reach.  In 2022, for instance, the year in which the administration announced the National Roadways Safety Strategy, more than 42,500 people died in auto accidents across the country. That was an increase of nearly 30% from 2014,  a mere 8 years earlier.

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For decades, pedestrian safely experts have advocated the wearing of reflective pieces of clothing in order to make pedestrians more visible to motorists.  However,  new studies seem to suggest that these reflective clothes make pedestrians not -so – visible to accident prevention technologies.

Reflective clothes are recommended for pedestrians to make them visible to motorists in low visibility conditions.  If you are out walking at night, you should be wearing neon – colored or reflective materials on your clothes that can help motorists see you.  That also goes for bicyclists and highway workers, especially at night and in other low visibility conditions.  In fact, experts also recommend that bicyclists stick reflective tape on their vehicles to make them even more visible in the dark. All of these measures have always been considered an effective way to prevent auto accidents.

However, a new study seems to suggest that these reflective clothes could actually render these people invisible to automated crash avoidance systems.  Collision avoidance technologies are available on a majority of American cars now with most automakers now offering vehicles that come with these technologies. In the new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, researchers studied the effect of cars that come with accident prevention technology and their ability to identify pedestrians walking at night.  The researchers used dummy pedestrians in the study, with some of these dummies wearing standard black clothing while others had reflective clothing on. The researchers found to their surprise that the technology caused the vehicles to slow down when the dummy was dressed in black clothing and actually failed to slow down the automobile when the dummy was dressed in reflective clothing.

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Earlier research indicated that it might be the taller height of large vehicles like SUVs that make them a bigger personal injury threat to pedestrians than mere vehicle weight.   Now, newer studies confirm that speeding only exacerbates  those risks to auto accidents involving pedestrians which often result in severe and catastrophic personal injuries.

According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety,  speeding increases the risk that a sports utility vehicle or a pickup truck poses to a pedestrian.  Exactly how much of a risk depends on the height of the vehicle.  Taller vehicles that are speeding are much more likely to cause grave or fatal injury to a pedestrian when they are in a collision with them.

The size of an automobile can be a significant factor in the severity of the injuries that a pedestrian suffers in a car accident.  However,  the weight of the vehicle may not be as relevant since all vehicles, including smaller passenger cars, are heavier than pedestrians.  What seems to significantly increase the severity of the personal injury risk to pedestrians is the height of the vehicle.  Taller vehicles with a taller hood, for example,  like large – sized SUVs, are much more likely to cause serious personal injuries to pedestrians because the pedestrian is more likely to suffer personal injuries to his upper body or head in such auto accidents.  These are some of the most devastating injuries, and are very likely to result in catastrophic damage or wrongful death.

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With  hundreds of thousands of children across the metro Atlanta region now back at school, it is important for motorists, parents and other stakeholders to focus on looking out for school buses and keeping children safe. Unfortunately, every year there are car accidents near school buses in which children are killed or injured.

As a motorist, know the rules to follow when it comes to sharing the roads with school buses.  School buses are some of the most regulated vehicles on our streets, and, therefore, are subject to a number of rules and regulations.  Motorists  in Georgia and other states are also required to follow the rules when they share the roads with these massive vehicles and their precious cargo, in order to avoid auto accidents.

When you are following a school bus, look out for the flashing lights. Yellow  lights mean that the bus is preparing to slow down, which means that you need to slow down and prepare to stop as well.  A red light means that children are being picked up or dropped off.  You must remain stopped while the red light is on and the Stop arm is extended. Wait till the bus actually starts moving before you start your car and move ahead too.

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New research focuses on the use of infrared light therapy to help reduce the impact of a spinal injury soon after it occurs.

Spinal cord personal injuries are some of the most devastating injuries, and often occur in auto accidents, motorcycle accidents and pedestrian and bicycle accidents.  There is no complete cure for a spinal injury.   However, millions of dollars are being invested in research into circumventing or limiting the impact of spinal cord personal injuries.  Some of this research focuses on interventions that can limit damage during the early hours after the personal injury.

Recently, researchers using a grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health announced that they are in the process of testing an infrared tool that can help reduce the activity of  mitochondria cells after an injury.  According to the researchers, a lot of the long term impact of a spinal injury can be limited if interventions are made immediately or within a few hours after the injury.  As soon as a spinal injury occurs, the mitochondria cells go into overdrive, creating large amounts of free radicals, and increasing cell damage in the area.  According to the researchers, it is therefore important to limit the activity of the mitochondria soon after the spinal injury.

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At some point, in our day, we are all pedestrians.  Negligence by pedestrians places them at risk of being involved in an auto accident, not just when a the person is walking on the road, but also when he or she is exiting their car,  jogging,  leaving an office building or engaging in other activities.  There  can be no safety for motorists unless there is safety for pedestrians.

Next month, the Department of Transportation celebrates National Pedestrian Safety Month, and transportation safety organizations as well as pedestrian  safety advocates around the country will focus on raising awareness about the rights of pedestrians and ways of keeping them safer.  The Halloween holiday towards the end of October also increases the overall risk of auto accidents for pedestrians, especially children, which makes the month of October an even better time for  safety organizations to raise awareness about the car accident risks facing pedestrians.

The need to spread awareness about the rights of pedestrians has become even more dire in 2024,  with a steady increase in the number of pedestrians being killed in car accidents recorded over the past  2 years.  Pedestrian  wrongful deaths now account for some of the highest numbers of wrongful deaths in car accidents  nationwide. In 2022, according to statistics by the United States Department of Transportation,  there were more than 7,500 pedestrian  accident wrongful deaths.  That translated into an average of 21 pedestrians dying daily in auto accidents. It also means that an average of 70 pedestrians were killed in auto accidents every minute in the United States that year. Pedestrians accounted for 18% of all traffic accident wrongful deaths in 2022.

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Uninsured or under-insured patients, who have suffered spinal cord injuries due to auto accident or other traumatic events, may be much more likely to be taken off life support.

A  recent study measured the impact of insurance coverage on the survival and recovery of persons after a spinal cord injury. The study focused on more than 8,400 American adults who had suffered a spinal cord injury, and found that uninsured or under-insured patients were much more likely to be taken off life support much earlier than those with insurance.

Spinal cord injuries are often caused in auto accidents, trucking accidents and  motorcycle accidents. These are not just devastating personal injuries with long-term consequences, but are also extremely expensive personal injuries to treat.  The costs involved in treating spinal cord injuries can range between $95,000 to well above $1,000,000,  depending on the complexity or level of the injury.  Spinal cord injuries very often can result in paralysis, which in turn, can lead to a number of other effects on a person’s health.

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A  new bill that is expected to be introduced soon would require federal standards for the heights of SUVs and pick-up trucks to also consider pedestrian safety. This is an extremely important change which is likely to save lives in auto accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles.

According to Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pennsylvania),  who is introducing the new bill, while there is much that is currently being done to protect occupants inside the vehicle, there is much more that can also be done in order to protect vulnerable users like pedestrians and bicyclists who are outside the vehicle when auto accidents occur.

The popularity of pick-up trucks and SUVs has skyrocketed in the past few decades, and these are some of the most in-demand automobiles on the American roads.  Unfortunately, while these are very popular vehicles, their  presence on our roads also pose a serious danger to motorists,  pedestrians and bicyclists.  Their large sizes and bulk makes it much more likely that occupants of smaller vehicles will suffer serious personal injuries or wrongful deaths when they are involved in an auto accident with these large SUVs and trucks.  There is immense danger to pedestrians  and other vulnerable users like bicyclists who are involved in auto accidents with these vehicles.

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Simple design interventions like illuminated crosswalks  can make it easier for motorists  to see pedestrians at  crossings and prevent pedestrian car accidents. A pedestrian car accident often results in severe personal injuries to the pedestrian or his or her wrongful death.

The  issue of pedestrian  safety is one that has been front and center for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as it grapples with an increase in the number of people being killed in car accidents.  Several  studies have found that simple improvements to design and  infrastructure can help prevent many of these accidents.

Many  of these interventions are focused on making pedestrians more visible to drivers.  Very often, motorists fail to notice motorists with devastating consequences. A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that something as simple as illuminated crosswalks can make motorists more visible and help reduce the chance of pedestrian car accidents.

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