Georgia Injury Law Blog

Published on: April 26, 2011

One Person Killed in Wrong Way Driving Accident in Gwinnett County

As Atlanta car accident lawyers, we often notice that wrong way driving accidents are some of the deadliest collisions.These accidents typically involve one car traveling at highway speeds in the direction of other vehicles that are also traveling at the same level of speed.Such accidents are typically high-impact accidents that end with multiple deaths or serious injuries.An accident over the weekend in Gwinnett County, Georgiathat killed one person and left two others with critical injuries, is being blamed on a wrong way driver.

The accident occurred on Saturday night, and involved a total of three vehicles.According to Gwinnett County police, a car traveling the wrong way veered across the median and crashed head-on into another vehicle.The car then flipped over, and crashed into a third vehicle.A woman was killed in the accident.Two other people, including the wrong way driver, suffered critical injuries.Police are investigating the accident, but no charges have been filed yet.Police are considering the possibility that the wrong way driver may have been driving under the influence of alcohol.

Every year, approximately 300 people are killed in accidents caused by wrong way motorists.Many of these accidents are caused because motorists are driving under the influence of alcohol, and end up traveling in the opposite direction.Alcohol use is the most common cause of wrong way driving.It’s not so surprising to Atlanta car accident attorneys that alcohol use is so often cited in wrong way driving.Alcohol use clouds a person’s judgment, blurs his vision and affects his powers of reasoning.A person like this is also likely to miss highway street signs, ending with him driving in the opposite direction.

Published on: April 25, 2011

Georgia Needs to Work on Preventing Bicycle Accidents and Pedestrian Accidents this summer

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia has some of the lowest rates of bicycling in the US.That probably has something to do with the fact that this is one of the most dangerous states for bicyclists in the country.In fact, Georgia ranks at number eight nationwide for the number of bicycle accident deaths and, of course, these means there are also a significant number of injuries.As any Atlanta injury attorney will tell you, the state is not much safer for pedestrians either.According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Metro Atlanta region is the 10th most dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians in the country.This summer, the Georgia Department of Transportation needs to focus on how to reduce pedestrian accident and bicycle accident deaths.

There’s no doubt that a pedestrian in Atlanta is at serious risk of injuries in an accident.For example in Georgia, pedestrian accidents make up just 1% of all traffic accidents, but these deaths account for 10% of all traffic accident fatalities every year.

Few cities in the country have the kind of congested traffic that Atlanta has, and pedestrians and bicyclists have a big role to play in relieving some of this traffic.It’s the reason why Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers believe in the need to encourage bicycling and walking as sustainable, efficient, and most importantly, safe means of transportation.However, encouraging biking in Georgia has been an upward climb, because of the high risk of injuries to bicyclists here.

Published on: April 24, 2011

Missing Airbags in Used Cars in Atlanta Pose Hidden Injury Risks Of Injury

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the most frequent cause of airbag injuries in an accident is not late deployment or early deployment, but failure to deploy.In many cases, airbags fail to deploy because they’ve not been replaced after the car was involved in a previous crash.What is even more worrying to Atlanta car accident lawyers is that there is currently little information about the number of used cars out there that do not have airbag systems.To prevent injuries, we need to develop a system to identify such cars before they are involved in an auto accident.

There have been several cases involving repair shops that charged for replacing of airbags after the vehicle was involved in an accident and then failed to replace the systems.One such repair shop was even sued by a couple whose son was killed in an accident.The couple had paid the repair shop to install airbags on its used vehicle, and after the accident, it was found that the airbags had been stuffed with paper.

For a repair shop, replacing an airbag system would cost between $1,000 and $3,000. In the absence of any regulations of these shops, there have been many cases where owners of used vehicles drove their car out of the repair shop, believing that their car was safe.Data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that over five years, at least 51 fatal accidents could be traced to missing airbags in cars.These airbags failed to deploy because they had never been replaced after a previous accident.

Published on: April 23, 2011

14% Decline in Georgia Motorcycle Accident Deaths in 2010

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Governors’ Highway Safety Association is predicting a 2% decline in motorcycle accident deaths for 2010, based on a slight decline in fatalities during the first nine months of the year.In Georgia, Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers found slightly better news.The predicted decline in motorcycle accident fatalities in Georgia is a little more substantial than the national average.As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I welcome any decrease in the number of motorcycle accident deaths and hope this also indicates a reduction in the number of accidents involving serious personal injuries.

During the first nine months of 2009, there had been 112 motorcycle accident deaths in Georgia, and those numbers had decreased to 98 deaths during the same period in 2010.That was a decline of 14, and while it is not a bad performance, Georgia is way behind our neighbor Louisiana with a decline of 37, Oklahoma with a decline of 25 and Wisconsin with a decline of 24 fatalities. Georgia could do much better with saving motorcyclists lives every year, if it invested more in educating motorists about the specific dangers facing motorcyclists.

According to the report by the GHSA, motorcycle accident fatalities across the country decreased by approximately 2.4% during the first nine months of the year.The GHSA is predicting the total number of motorcycle accident fatalities for 2010 to be around 4, 376 or fewer.However, the agency is warning against any enthusiasm over this decline in motorcycle accident deaths.

Published on: April 22, 2011

Atlanta Children Escape Injuries After Ferocious Dog Bite attack

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A young boy waiting at the bus stop in southwest Atlanta had a miraculous escape after a dog bite attack by a pair of Rottweilers.The boy, who was about eight or nine years old was standing at the bus stop waiting for his bus, when the two dogs turned up and the dog bite attack occurred.Another child was also waiting at the bus stop, but managed to escape.Fortunately for the boy, a neighbor was able to scare the dogs away. As an Atlanta injury attorney, I have often found that dog bite attacks often result in extremely serious personal injuries.

Both of the dogs belonged to separate dog owners.Both the dog owners have been cited by the Fulton County Animal Control and the dogs have been removed from the neighborhood.

Children are the biggest victims of dog bites in Atlanta.According to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, approximately 4.5 million Americans suffer dog bites every year.Of these, one in five bites result in injuries that are serious enough to require medical attention.Among child victims of dog bites, the rate of injuries is highest in children in the age group of 5 to 9.Besides, children are much more likely to require medical attention after a dog bite.

Published on: April 21, 2011

Atlanta Bicycle Accident Shows Need for Greater Motorist Awareness

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As an Atlanta injury lawyer, a recent bicycle accident in Cobb County is once again confirming that drivers in Atlanta need to be more vigilant about watching out for bicyclists over the spring and summer. Bicycle accidents often result in the most serious types of personal injury compared to most types of accidents.

The year’s peak cycling season is here, and many Atlantans are out on their bicycles.By law, Atlanta bicyclists must bike on the road, and not on a sidewalk.That means they share the roads with motorists who must, accommodate these bikers.

Last week, an elementary school teacher was left with injuries after her bicycle was struck by a car.The impact was serious enough to break the car’s side view mirror, but the driver drove off from the scene of the accident.Fortunately, the woman did not suffered life altering injuries.What makes this accident even more ironic was that the woman had recently been elected to the Board of Directors at Bike Cobb, a bicycle safety advocacy group that lobbies for better bicycling roads and safety.On the day of the accident, in fact, the victim was on her way to her first meeting as a board director.

Published on: April 21, 2011

Driving with a Pet Creates Distraction

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

More and more Atlantans are thinking twice before texting while driving, thanks to a new Georgia law that bans text messaging at the wheel.However, Atlanta auto accident lawyers know for a fact that many Atlantans think nothing of driving with an unrestrained or unsecured pet in the car.

According to a new survey conducted by the American Automobile Association, four out of every five dog owners drive with their pet in the car.One in three of these admit that the pet is a major distraction.Only 17% of the dog owners in the survey use restraints or dog barriers while driving.Pets can be a huge distraction while driving, and considering that we are a country of dog lovers, it is surprising that there hasn’t been a more intense spotlight on securing dogs while driving.

A CBS report has more information for dog owners who would like to secure their dogs safely in their cars, but don’t know where to look.There are plenty of safety devices out there, from safety barriers, to dog safety seatbelts and dog booster seats.Seatbelts are ideal for large-size dogs, while booster seats are better for small-sized dogs.Besides, there are hammocks and dog personal restraint systems that can help secure your dog, and prevent him from falling when you apply the brakes.Securing a dog with seatbelts will prevent him from jumping out the window, always a concern for anyone driving with a dog in the car.

Published on: April 20, 2011

Rising Car Accident Wrongful Death Rates among Atlanta Baby Boomers

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Has all the focus on teen and elder drivers affected traffic safety for other groups of motorists?That’s the question that Atlanta car accident attorneys are asking this week after Edmunds.com released its analysis of car accident data.Even as the numbers of people dying in auto accidents across the country has been declining over the past decade, there has been an actual increase in the numbers of male car accident deaths in the 51 to 65 age group.

The data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.According to the analysis, the number of male and female car accident deaths in other age groups has been steadily declining over the past few years.Even drunk driving accident deaths have declined over the past five years, helped by a lowered tolerance to intoxicated driving, and stronger enforcement.However according to the data, the number of adult males aged between 51 and 65 years killed in auto accidents, increased by almost 25% between 2000 and 2009.In comparison, car accident deaths for all male drivers during the same period of time declined by more than 20%.Even auto accident deaths for female drivers declined by about 20% during the study period.

According to the analysts, it’s not just the increase in male car accident deaths in this age group that is concerning, but also the fact that much of this increase is related to drunk driving accidents.In fact, when it comes to drunk driving accident deaths, there has been an increase in fatalities among both men and women in this age group.The number of annual DUI deaths among baby boomers increased by 37% between 2000 and 2009.During the same period of time, rates of drunk driving accident fatalities across the country dropped by almost 7%.

Published on: April 19, 2011

Truck Driver Killed in Georgia Tanker Truck- 18 Wheeler Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A truck accident involving a tanker truck and an 18-wheeler in Bryan County earlier in April resulted in the death of the tanker driver.The truck accident occurred on Thursday when the gasoline tanker truck, which was heading south on Interstate 95, crashed into the rear of the 18-wheeler. Of course, 18 wheeler accidents are some of the worst that are seen on our roadways.

The tanker truck suffered serious damage in the accident, and the driver was trapped in the truck.When the driver of the 18 wheel got out, he noticed the beginning of a fire in the tanker.He was able to escape in time to avoid the massive explosion that ripped through the tanker, killing the driver instantly.The fire from the explosion lasted for more than two hours.

According to the 18-wheeler driver, he saw the tanker truck coming up from behind him, and flashed his lights.However, the tanker simply ran into his carrier.The driver of the tanker truck didn’t try to apply his brakes. Police are investigating the possibility that the tanker truck driver had dozed off at the wheel.However, investigations are bound to be impacted by the fact that the tanker truck driver died in the accident, and his vehicle has been too severely damaged to detect mechanical failures.No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Published on: April 18, 2011

Focus on Preventing Distracted Driving Car Accidents in Georgia This April

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As Atlanta injury attorney I often notice people using cell phones while driving almost every day as we drive to work.Such behaviors significantly increase their risk of an auto accident, including those that result in serious personal injury.Unfortunately, this isn’t just a fad that affects the young and teen drivers, but a dangerous phenomenon that also touches most motorists.This April, the focus will be on minimizing the number of accidents every year in Georgia caused due to distracted driving, as national and local transportation safety agencies mark National Distracted Driving Month. Reducing distracted driving is probably one of the best ways to decrease the overall number of car accidents in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.

April was set as National Distracted Driving Month through a special move by Congress, and across the country including Georgia, state and local transportation agencies will mark the month with special efforts to crack down on distracted drivers, and raise awareness about these practices.While much of the focus on distracted drivers this month is likely to be on those using cell phones while driving, there are all kinds of other distractions that increase the risk of an accident.In fact, some studies estimate that approximately 80% of all accidents are caused by some kind of distractions.These include motorists using cell phones, texting, changing radio stations, snacking, reading newspapers, applying makeup, and performing any other activities that take their eyes away from the road and their hands off the steering wheel.

However, the risk from the use of cell phones and other electronic communication devices while driving is especially greater, because cell phones can be found in almost every car.Besides, in a tough economy, American workers have felt under greater pressure than ever to constantly stay in touch with the office 24/7, even while they’re driving. There is also an entire section of Atlanta’s population that has been raised on Facebook and MySpace. For these drivers, not being in touch with their friends 24/7 via smart phone is, quite simply, unthinkable.