California Personal Injury Blog - motor vehicle accidents

Roof Strength in SUV's Influence Risk of Injury

Susy Owen — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:45:02 GMT

Unfortunately, drivers are often lulled into a false sense of safety while driving an SUV. Perhaps it is the size of the vehicle that lends itself to that misconception.

The truth is, many SUV's roll over during accidents, and as many as 35 percent of vehicle deaths occur due to roll overs. To add to that, a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the strength of an SUV's roof has a direct influence on the risk of injury to the occupants. "We don't know just what happens to people in these crashes or what the injury mechanisms are," said Institute President Adrian Lund. "What we do know from the new study is that strengthening a vehicle's roof reduces injury risk, and it reduces it a lot."

The current requirement by the United States government is as follows: A vehicle's roof must be capable of withstanding a force 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle prior to reaching 5 inches of crush. However, that has been the requirement since as far back as 1973 for some vehicles. The government wants to bring the current safety requirement up to 2.5 times the weight of the vehicle.

Information Pertaining to Automobile Accidents

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Susy Owen

Car Slams Into Tree, Driver and Passenger Trapped

Chrissie Cole — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:54:38 GMT

A car accident, on Tuesday, trapped the driver and the passenger inside the vehicle when the car slammed into a tree, according to California Highway Patrol.

The driver was traveling westbound on Camino Del Norte when the accident occurred. A Witness told California Highway Patrol officers that he heard tires screeching behind him and moments later a car had crashed into a tree.

Rescue crews arrived on the scene and were able to extract the drier of the vehicle. He was transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

The crew was able to free the passenger shortly after. He appeared to have injuries to his hip and was also transported to the hospital, according to California Highway Patrol.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Trucker Arrested for DUI after he Kills another Driver

Rick Patterson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:24:42 GMT

While driving a truck in Frankfort, Kentucky last Wednesday night, Paul George Neto of Decatur, Alabama killed 41-year-old Leslye Robertson.

The driver was charged with murder; DUI; possession of drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine and marijuana. Nato caused the head-on collision , when his truck swerved into the opposite lane of U.S. 421. His victim died after Neto's truck pushed the van she was driving backward for 250 feet at which time she struck trees and utility poles. The woman he victimized was a career state worker. At this time, Neto is being held without bond.

Further information pertaining to automobile accidents

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Road Texting: An Accident Waiting to Happen

Greg Owen — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:23:01 GMT

Along with the ability to send text messages while driving comes the likelihood of more traffic accidents. Psychologists at the University of Utah say that texting behind the wheel is 50 percent more dangerous than talking on a cell phone while driving. Think about it, if someone was to use a typewriter or a laptop while driving it would be clearly insane. Although, the devise is smaller, texting is really no different. It is just as distracting.

There was a story reported on Wednesday on The Early Show relaying the clear message that the practice of texting while driving can cost lives - seems obvious enough. There are some horrible stories out there for example "On the day before Thanksgiving last year, high school senior Patrick Sims was driving less than a mile from his Denver home and texting a friend, when his girlfriend suddenly screamed. When Sims looked up, he was just inches from a cyclist in the bike lane." It was too late. Sims killed the 63-year-old grandfather and at the same time changed his life forever.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company conducted a survay wherein 37 percent of teenagers admitted that texting is distracting while driving - how could it be otherwise. When you think about that survay, that 37 percent are just the teens admitting texting is distracting. What about the teens who are still under the misguided notion that texting does not take away from driving at all. Using the maze of logic it took to come to that conclusion should be grounds to take the car away from a teen who has demonstrated a clear inability to reason and a likelyhood of an auto accident. As for Sims, he now talks to teens about his crash while texting and the life he took. He no longer has his license or cell phone. He is on probation and has served 10 days in jail.

Additional informaiton pertaining to automobile accidents

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Owen

Automobile Accidents on the Rise

Rick Patterson — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:09:32 GMT

Automobile accidents have greatly increased on Los Angeles freeways and streets according to officials. In fact, according to Francisco Villalobos, an officer who works out of the California Highway Patrol's Transportation Management Center, there were twice as many automobile collisions reported this week as there were last week.

"We do see a lot of solo spinouts, people going over the side of the roads, hitting the guardrails (during the rain)," Villalobos said. "A lot of that is on the onramps and offramps." It is likely that the rain will continue through Sunday. So be careful out there, and remember to slow down.

For tips on driving safely in the rain please visit Auto Safety

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Five Dead After Planes Collide in Southern California

Jenny Albano — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:25:06 GMT

On Sunday, January 20, two small planes collided in Southern California killing five people, four from the planes and one bystander on the ground.

The planes crashed at approximately 3:35 PM, about a mile from the Corona Municipal Airport, raining debris all over the car dealership below.

Two people were killed from each plane, and a fifth was killed inside a Chevy dealership hit by wreckage, said Wayne Pollack of the National Transportation Safety Board. "There were bodies falling out of the sky," eyewitness Hector Hernandez told KCBS-TV. "One of them crashed into the top of a Ford Mustang, and another one fell not too far behind that one on the parking lot."

Investigators have been unable to make their way through the debris from one of the planes, so they do not know how many passengers the aircraft was carrying. Pieces of the plane landed all over the parking lot of a car dealership and landed on top of the cars. The debris was mostly contained to a 300 yard perimeter, but some debris was found up to 1,000 yards away.

One of the planes involved in the crash is registered to William A. Reinke. Reinke declined to say who was flying his plane or who was on board.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer did not immediately know where either plane was headed or whether there were any distress calls. The Corona airport does not have a staffed control tower.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Four Dead After Planes Collide in Southern California

Jenny Albano — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:00:22 GMT

Four people have been confirmed dead after two planes collided over Southern California on Sunday, January 20.

The two planes collided into each other at around 3:35 PM a mile from the Corona Municipal Airport and north of the Riverside Freeway.

Debris rained down on car dealerships below in Riverside County about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and television pictures showed that the wrecked fuselage of one of the planes landed atop a parked car.

It was not immediately known whether the four deceased were from the planes that collided or from people on the ground.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Headed for Trial

Susy Owen — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:41:04 GMT

In November of 2003 Josh Eppley was a seventh grade student at Tri-Valley Middle School in Ohio. According to a lawsuit filed by the parents of Eppley, Tri-Valley Middle School allowed 17-year-old Corey Jenkins to take their son out of school without their permission. Jenkins proceeded to drive with Eppley as a passenger in a car.

According to the police report, Eppley was ejected from the vehicle after it veered off the road hitting an embankment. Sadly, Eppley died as a result of the incident. A lawsuit has now been filed by Eppley's parents against the school due to the willful, wanton and reckless conduct and breach of duty of the employees of the school. At one point the boy's parents voluntarily dropped their suit involving the car crash only to refile at a later date. The attorney representing the school district, Michael E. Stinn, was not available to comment. The trial date has yet to be set.

Additional Information Pertaining to Automobile Accidents

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Susy Owen

Black Ice is the Cause for Fatal Accident

Rick Patterson — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:56:04 GMT

During this time of year drivers need to be aware of slick roads and black ice. Heather Richie, 26, and her boyfriend Joseph Lee Bekker, were killed in a car accident due to black ice. Their wrecked Ford Explorer was found 24 hours after the accident under an overpass. Police say the two were headed home when their SUV hit black ice, slid across the top of a guardrail and fell off the overpass, plummeting onto railroad track below. Teens walking on the tracks discovered the vehicle the next day. http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=7479254

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rick Patterson

Older Motorcycle Riders, More Motorcycle Accidents

Randy Walton — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:52:39 GMT

They say that 40 is the new 20, and 60 the new 40 (does that mean 50 is the new 30?), and now there is some discouraging evidence to prove it. Baby boomers are buying - and crashing - motorcycles in greater numbers.

According to trauma surgeon Thomas Velky of Escondido, hospitals around the country are treating a growing number of baby boomers for injuries related to motorcycle accidents.

Traditionally, motorcycle casualties mostly involved men barely out of high school, Velky said. But the demographics have been graying over the years.
In 1997, for example, 19 percent of motorcyclists killed in the United States were ages 40 to 49. The figure had risen to 23 percent last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For the 50-to-59 age group, the total was 10 percent in 1997 and 18 percent last year. In the 59-plus category, the figure was 4 percent in 1997 and 7 percent in 2006.

Locally, nearly half of all motorcycle accident victims treated at Palomar Medical Center in San Diego County in 2006 were over the age of 40, and this year 250 motorcycle crash patients seen at the hospital were over 40.

The statistics support the evidence. In 1985 the median age of a motorcycle owner was 27. By 2003 it was 41. The reasons for the rise in median age vary, and are attributed to the disposable income of boomers, and the social aspect of riding a motorcycle. Whatever the reason, it goes without saying that those who have breached the age of 40 are less able to handle the today's more powerful bikes, and less able to heal from serious injury.

Those of us in San Diego County don't need to be trauma surgeons to notice the trend. Every weekend we see the packs of "grey goatees" cruising up the freeway or down the coast on their shiny Harleys.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Randy Walton