Two Dead in Jefferson County Crashes

Jon Lewis — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:40:00 GMT

On Saturday, August 27, 2009, the Birmingham News reported two wrecks which killed two people. The first involved a motorcycle and a pickup truck. This occurred on Second Avenue North in Jefferson County, Alabama. According to the News, the pickup truck driver did not see the motorcyclist and turned left in front of him.

How do these happen? Typically, motorcyclists are very careful drivers (not always, but in many cases). The problem, however, is motorists do not see motorcyclists. Given their small size and, many times, dark colors, cars have difficulty seeing them. Usually, the motorcycles have to have their headlight on. I'm not sure about this situation given the story, but what we need to learn from this is people need to be more careful when they are on the roads because motorcyclists and bicyclists have just as much right to the road as cars and trucks.

The second death occurred when a woman was getting her mail in Grayson Valley. An SUV collided with a car, flipped, and hit the woman. This collision happened on Watson Road. The drivers of both vehicles were sixteen years of age. Apparently, the driver of the car didn't see the SUV and pulled out in front of it.

What can we take from this collision? Maybe teenagers need more training before we give them the keys to a car. Many states have differing laws for teenage drivers. Some have to continue their training after getting their license. Some states don't allow teenagers to drive at night. With cell phones and texting proliferating, it is inevitable that teenagers will use poor judgment and use those devices in their cars. How can we stop that? I'm not saying that that was the cause of this fatality, but it is sure to happen in the future, and we need to consider these issues.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jon Lewis

Trucking Incident

Jon Lewis — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:39:40 GMT

In following up with our recent articles on trucking rules and regulations, we thought it would also be good to point out incidents which happen and expose violations of these rules. According to an article in the Birmingham News yesterday (Sunday, June 8, 2008), a truck lost two of its four steel coils on Interstate 459 on Friday, June 6, 2008 at around 6:00 p.m. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the interestate was not damaged. However, it appears as though the coils were being held down with nylon straps instead of chains.

As previously mentioned, drivers are responsible for making sure their loads are secure. In this situation, it appears as though that was not done. As stated by an Alabama Department of Transportation employee stated, "it could have been catastrophic." This is why trucking companies and drivers need to be held accountable when these types of violations occur.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jon Lewis

Alabama Personal Injury Blog - I459

Two Dead in Jefferson County Crashes

Trucking Incident