Georgia Personal Injury Blog
One in 24 Drivers Admit to Drowsy Driving
One in 24 drivers say they have fallen asleep while driving, according to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to an Associated Press news report, health officials believe that the number of people who drive while drowsy is probably even higher than that. The CDC study found that about four percent of Americans said they dozed off behind the wheel at least once while driving in the last 30 days.
The survey included 147,000 adult drivers and was conducted in 19 states and the District of Columbia in 2009 and 2010. Drowsy driving was found to be more common among men and in drivers who are between the ages of 25 and 34.Read more…
Seven Injured in Georgia Collision with Wrong-Way Elderly Driver
Seven people, including a 10-year-old boy from Boone, were injured in a wrong-way crash on the Interstate 95 in Savannah, Georgia. According to an Associated Press news report, the injury collision occurred when an elderly driver went south in the northbound lanes of the freeway and collided with an SUV carrying members of the same family. The elderly driver turned his 2007 Buick Lucerne left across the freeway trying to get to an exit and crashed into a Honda Pilot at the entry to the ramp. All seven people in the two vehicles were hurt. The investigation into this collision is still ongoing.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 33 million licensed drivers in the United States who were 65 or older in 2009. An average of 500 seniors are injured in car accidents every day nationwide. For each mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase starting at age 75 and increase significantly after age 80. This is largely due to the fact that older adults are susceptible to injury and medical complications. Age-related declines in vision and cognitive functioning as well as physical changes may affect some older adults’ driving abilities.Read more…
Children Killed in Georgia Tractor Trailer Accident
Two boys, aged 6 and 12, were killed in a Georgia car accident involving a collision between a tractor-trailer and an SUV. According to a news report in The Dalton Daily Citizen, the fatal truck accident occurred on Old U.S. 411 and Georgia 136 in Murray the morning of January 4, 2013. Officials say a GMC Envoy may have failed to stop at a stop sign before colliding with the tractor-trailer. The two children were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Their 39-year-old mother and 13-year-old relative were hospitalized. The 41-year-old truck driver was also taken to a nearby facility for treatment.
Many Georgia traffic accidents occur at intersections. It is crucial for everyone’s safety for motorists to obey all traffic control devices. According to Georgia Statute 40-6-72: “Every driver of a vehicle approaching a stop sign shall stop…After stopping, the driver shall yield the right of way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another roadway so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time when such driver is moving across or within the intersection or junction of roadways.”Read more…
Bicycle and Truck Accident Fatalities in U.S. on the Rise
The number of traffic accident fatalities in the United States is at its lowest since 1949. According to a news report in The Associated Press, deaths of bicyclists and occupants of large trucks increased significantly despite the overall reduction in the rate of traffic fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that traffic fatalities dropped 1.9 percent to 32,367 in the year 2011. That is the lowest fatality rate ever recorded with 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. However, you wouldn’t know it from reviewing the number of fatal bicycle accident and truck occupant fatalities.
Bicycle fatalities jumped up 8.7 percent in the year 2011. The Associated Press report says that this increase may be a reflection of the increase in the number of bicyclists on the roadway. In cities such as Washington, D.C., which has recently added bike lanes, the number of bike riders has increased by 175 percent since 2004.Read more…
Atlanta Car Accident Attorney Offers Tips to Prevent Distracted Driving Crashes
Distracted driving is a more serious issue than many Atlanta drivers may realize. According to a the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,092 people were killed and an estimated 416,000 were injured in car accidents nationwide involving a distracted driver in the year 2010. With the growing popularity of smart phones, this problem is not going away any time soon.
One of the best ways to avoid being involved in a distracted driving crash is to make sure that you are focused on the roadway at all times. It doesn’t take long for traffic conditions to change, and if you are staring at your phone or driving with your hands off of the wheel, you may not be able to react in time to avoid a crash.Read more…
Natural Gas Explosion Causes Injuries
More than 20 people were injured and 42 buildings were damaged in a natural gas explosion that was initially blamed on a utility worker. According to a news report in The Associated Press, the worker was following the correct procedures when he damaged the underground pipe. A flood of gas built up in a Springfield building and a spark set off the blast. In the explosion, 42 buildings housing 115 residential units were damaged and three of the buildings were condemned. Many of the injured victims were gas company workers, firefighters, and police officers.
According to the American Gas Association (AGA), the leading cause of natural gas explosions is damage caused by digging near existing pipelines. Accidents are particularly common when unapproved excavating occurs near pipelines. Excavation damages accounted for nearly 60 percent of all pipeline incidents between 1995 and 2004. In the year 2004, 95 of the 288 total incidents along the natural gas system involved excavation damage. Many of these accidents resulted in serious injuries and damaged homes.Read more…
Federal Grand Jury Investigating Pharmaceutical Company Linked to Meningitis Outbreak
Subpoenas are being issued to people who worked at the pharmaceutical company linked to the current meningitis outbreak that has killed 39 people nationwide. According to a news report in The Boston Globe, a federal grand jury has begun investigating the New England Compounding Center (NECC), a Framingham compounding pharmacy responsible for making the tainted steroid injections. The report states that federal prosecutors are considering criminal charges against the companies or people who were responsible for the outbreak.
According to the data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current meningitis outbreak has resulted in 39 fatalities. The ongoing fungal infection has resulted in 620 cases across 37 states. Of the estimated 14,000 patients who may have received the tainted injections, nearly 97 percent have been contacted for further follow-up. According to the most recent statistics, only one person in Georgia has been diagnosed with meningitis. It is unclear how many more people may suffer symptoms because of the three recalled lots of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate.Read more…
Man Injured After Flying Saw Blade Crashes through Windshield
A Marietta man was injured in a Georgia car accident when a flying saw blade crashed through his windshield. According to a news report in The Marietta Daily Journal, the accident occurred on I-285 in Marietta. Officials say a 14-inch round concrete saw blade went through his windshield. He suffered laceration injuries on his head and wrist. His wrist injury included cuts to three tendons and an artery. Investigators are hoping the serial number on the saw blade will help determine who was responsible for the accident.
There are many ways in which drivers and passengers can get hurt on the roadway. While most accidents result from driver negligence, there are a number of accidents each year that result from objects on the roadway and debris that has fallen off from other vehicles. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, roadway debris causes approximately 25,000 accidents and 100 traffic fatalities each year.Read more…
Bobbi Kristina Brown Cited after Car Crash in Atlanta
The authorities cited Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of the late Whitney Houston, after she was involved in a single-vehicle crash. According to a CBS News report, the Atlanta car accident occurred in the suburb of Alpharetta along Beaver Creek Road. Officials say her black Chevrolet Camaro veered off the road and struck trees before coming to a stop. It does not appear that anyone was injured in the crash. Brown was cited for failing to maintain her lane.
Atlanta drivers who fail to maintain their lane of traffic often end up causing serious injury accidents. Under Georgia Code 40-6-48: “A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from such lane until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.”Read more…
Georgia Bus Driver Charged in Fatal Bartow County Bicycle Crash
A Paulding County pastor was killed in an Atlanta traffic accident when a county bus struck his bicycle. According to a news report in The Associated Press, the fatal bus accident occurred along U.S. 41 in Bartow County. Officials say the bicyclist was in critical condition and later died at a hospital in Marietta. The 77-year-old driver of the charter bus faces charges of vehicular homicide and following too closely.
It is crucial for all Georgia motorists to leave enough space between their vehicle and the vehicles in front of them. According to Georgia Statute 40-6-49: “The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.” Motorists who are distracted, inattentive, fatigued, or impaired also tend to cause serious injury rear-end accidents.Read more…
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