Proving Fault and Liability in Georgia Car Accident Cases

By Grant Law Office on August 16, 2012

Determining who was at fault for a Georgia car accident is an important part of the claim process. Drivers whose act of careless or reckless behavior resulted in an injury accident may be held accountable for the damages they have caused. Determining fault and liability is not, however, always clear-cut.

After an auto accident, it is important to ask if any traffic laws were violated by any of the parties. Proving fault for an accident is made relatively easier when the at-fault driver is cited for speeding, running a red light, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Read more…

The Devastating Effects of Side Impact Collisions in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on August 9, 2012

Side-impact collisions are commonly referred to as “T-bone” accidents because the front of one car striking the side of another makes a “T” shape. T-bone accidents often result in devastating injuries to drivers and passengers. The injuries suffered in side-impact collisions are so severe that auto manufacturers now commonly offer vehicles with side airbags to lessen the blunt trauma suffered by the vehicle occupants. Unfortunately, even the safest vehicles cannot protect all victims of Georgia T-bone accidents.

The injuries suffered by victims of side-impact collisions can be severe. Victims can suffer traumatic brain injuries if their head strikes their side window. Serious lacerations injuries can occur because of the amount of shattered glass and broken metal. Arms, legs, hips, and ribs are often fractured in high-speed collisions. Even low-speed side-impact collisions can result in debilitating bruises and contusions when the vehicle crumples upon impact. Back and neck injuries are often suffered by victims of these types of crashes as well because of the violent and unexpected whiplash effect that occurs.Read more…

Marietta Police Officer Injured in Traffic Crash

By Grant Law Office on August 7, 2012

A 26-year-old Marietta police officer was injured in a Georgia traffic accident when a pickup truck struck him as he directed traffic. According to a news report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the injury accident occurred on the Canton Road Connector north of Church Street extension in Marietta. Officials say the officer was attempting to stop traffic to allow an emergency vehicle to leave the site of an earlier crash when a silver Nissan Titan pushed a black Ford F-150 into him. He suffered serious but non-life- threatening injuries. Investigators are looking into filing charges against the 52-year-old driver of the Nissan for crashing into the stopped Ford.

Police officers are often in danger of suffering a serious or fatal accident. According to The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, traffic accidents are the leading cause of police officer fatalities. In the year 2010, there were 73 officers killed in traffic accidents. That number reflects an increase of 43 percent from the previous year. In those accidents, 50 officers were killed while in an automobile, 16 officers were fatally struck by vehicles while working outside of their own vehicle, six were killed in motorcycle crashes, and one was fatally injured in a bicycle accident.Read more…

Understanding Georgia Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics

By Grant Law Office on June 22, 2012

Car accidents are an all-too-common event on Georgia roads. The Georgia Department of Transportation estimates that over 2,300 Georgia residents and visitors are involved in a motor vehicle accident each day, including bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, as well as those in cars or trucks. On average, 31 people lose their lives each day in Georgia car accidents, totaling about 11,315 people each year.

Rural roads and roads without a separation barrier between traffic going in opposite directions were the most dangerous spots in Georgia for accidents, according to a 2006 Department of Transportation study. Nearly twice as many fatal car accidents happen on rural roads as happen in major metropolitan areas like Atlanta or Savannah.Read more…

Coweta Residents Ask for Traffic Lights at Two Dangerous Georgia Intersections

By Grant Law Office on June 18, 2012

Two residents of Coweta, Georgia recently approached the Coweta County Board to request that traffic lights be installed at two local intersections to control traffic and reduce accidents, according to a recent article in the Times-Herald.

The first request was for a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 29 and Hal Jones Road, where one of the residents suffered a traumatic brain injury several years ago in a Georgia auto accident. The county has been redesigning the intersection to make a traffic light easier to install. However, the state has not yet approved a traffic light at that intersection because the Georgia Department of Transportation does not believe the rate of accidents at the intersection requires one.Read more…

Georgia Seat Belt Use Statistics Holding Steady, but Average for the Nation

By Grant Law Office on May 14, 2012

The rate of seat belt use in Georgia has held steady for the past several years, and its rates are about average for seat belt use throughout the United States, according to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The report examined seat belt use from 2003 to 2010 in all fifty states. Fifteen states, not including Georgia, had an average seat belt use rate over 90 percent during this period. Georgia’s own seat belt use rate hovers just below the 90 percent mark, with an 89.6% use rate in 2010 – a 0.7% increase over 2003.Read more…

Norcross, Georgia High School Mourns Classmate Killed in Car Crash

By Grant Law Office on May 3, 2012

Students at a Norcross high school gathered together recently to mourn the loss of one of their own, a 16-year-old girl who lost her life in a car crash on the school’s prom night, according to an article in the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The 16-year-old was riding with the car’s driver, and both were going to a post-prom party after the end of their prom. The car was traveling north on Steve Reynolds Boulevard in Norcross when it crossed the center line and skidded into the southbound lane, where it was hit head-on by a car coming in the opposite direction.Read more…

Dalton Woman Fights for Traffic Light at Site of Husband’s Death

By Grant Law Office on March 28, 2012

After losing her husband in a Georgia car accident at the intersection of Piney Ridge Road and the South Dalton Bypass in Dalton, Georgia recently, a Dalton woman is fighting to have the city install a traffic signal at the intersection in order to protect the lives of others who travel through the area, according to a recent article in the Dalton Daily Citizen.

The family began pushing for a traffic light at the intersection several years before the Dalton man’s untimely death. They became concerned when their daughters began attending Southeast Whitfield High School located across the bypass from their house, which meant the girls had to cross through the intersection every day in order to get to and from school. The family says that a hill leading up to the intersection makes it very hard to see what traffic is coming, and that at least two other accidents in the intersection in recent years have led to serious injuries or deaths.Read more…

Have a Safe St. Patrick’s Day in Georgia – Don’t Drink and Drive

By Grant Law Office on March 16, 2012

Many U.S. residents in Georgia and across the country love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, often by visiting bars, restaurants, or parties where alcohol is served. While alcohol can be part of a great party, you can also protect your own safety and the safety of someone you love by taking a few simple steps to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the roads this coming weekend:

• Choose a designated driver to prevent a dangerous Georgia car accident. Don’t hesitate to choose yourself – and remember to stay away from all alcoholic drinks if you do. Make sure your designated driver has plenty of non-alcoholic drink and snack choices.
• Public transportation, taxi companies, sober-ride-sharing programs, and even walking can all offer a safe alternative to driving with alcohol in your system. Prepare yourself by programming the contact information for a few of these options into your cell phone before heading out. Not only will you be ready if you need a ride, but you’ll be able to help others get home safely as well.Read more…

See Police on the Shoulder in Georgia? Move Over!

By Grant Law Office on March 14, 2012

Nearly a decade after the law’s passage, however, many drivers are still involved in Georgia’s “Move Over” law, passed in 2003, requires drivers to move over to the right-most lane or to slow down if they see emergency workers, including police, firefighters, and medical workers, on the side of the road. The law applies to any emergency vehicle and its workers – even tow trucks.

Georgia pedestrian accidents with workers on the side of the road each year. One such accident occurred at the beginning of March 2012, when two police officers were injured by a driver who did not move over or slow down as the law requires.Read more…