Georgia Injury Law Blog

Last year, Transportation for America named the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area as the 10th deadliest area for pedestrians in the country. A new report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that these dangerous conditions are increasing, because of the lack of sufficient crosswalks for pedestrians. Further, according to the report, pedestrians may be at a greater danger in the suburban metro Atlanta area where motorists may not expect pedestrians and where there are few strategically placed crosswalks, than on city streets.

This month, a mother who lost a child in a pedestrian accident will face trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. In 2008, Raquel Nelson was walking with her four children outside the crosswalk in Cobb County, when one of the children was struck and killed by a motorist. The loss of a child was a tragedy too much for a mother's heart to bear, but there was more cruelty in store for Nelson. She was immediately charged, and found that public opinion was strongly against her. No one found it fit to pursue the fact that there were few crosswalks at the area where the accident took place.

Last month, a similar accident killed a four-year-old boy. The mother had been crossing the street outside the crosswalk with the boy and her other children, when he was killed by a motorist. The nearest crosswalk was at least 3/10^th of a mile in the either direction. It was late, and the family was in a hurry to get into a bus that had just stopped at a bus stop on the other side of the street.

The area around a bus stop seems to be the most dangerous for pedestrians in Atlanta. According to a study by the Atlanta Regional Commission, about 25% of pedestrian accidents in the metro Atlanta region occur within 100 feet of a bus stop. Close to 50% of pedestrian accidents occur within 300 feet of a bus stop. There are few crosswalks where many of these bus stops are located, and pedestrians often have no other choice, but to cross outside a crosswalk.

Not everybody's willing to walk a mile to get to a crosswalk. That is something that Atlanta authorities must understand, instead of blaming victims and their families whenever there are accidents.

The Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of pedestrian accidents in and around the metro Atlanta region, and across Georgia.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Pedestrian accidents | 0 Comments Permalink

It wasn't the first time that Cynthia Parham had knocked over a person and fled the scene of the accident. She had a prior hit-and-run conviction back in 1983, and is now accused of another hit-and-run in Atlanta, that seriously injured an eight-year-old boy.

The most recent accident occurred on 10 May, when the victim was walking with his mother on a crosswalk at an intersection near interstate 285. Parham’s car struck the boy, and dragged him approximately 150 feet. He sustained serious life threatening injuries. Parham left the scene of the accident. Fortunately, witnesses at the scene were able to testify to police, and officers located the car at her home a short while later.

It now turns out that Parham has had several brushes with the law. She was convicted for hit-and-run back in 1983. She also served six months in prison on charges of burglary in 1982. She has also been involved in a whole bunch of other cases involving criminal trespass, forgery and simple assault. In 1995, she faced misdemeanor charges of being party to a crime, but that charge was later dismissed.

As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we hope that the law is very tough with Parham this time around. An innocent little child is fighting for his life in a hospital because Parham couldn't be bothered to follow traffic safety rules. Motorists are required to look for pedestrians on the crosswalk, and slow down in time to avoid pedestrians walking on the crosswalk. These are simple safety rules that don't require great effort to follow. However, failure to adhere to these rules can mean catastrophic injuries to innocent pedestrians.

The Atlanta personal injury attorneys at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto/truck/motorcycle/pedestrian accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Pedestrian accidents | 0 Comments Permalink

Georgia Pedestrians at Risk from Shortage of Crosswalks

A pedestrian accident last week in Marietta killed a four-your-old boy and seriously injured his mother and sister. The family was crossing the road in front of their apartment when they were struck by a van. The driver of the van drove off from the scene, but was traced later and arrested.

As Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers, we often come across the single most important question that people seem to ask whenever a pedestrian is involved in a collision. Was the person walking on a crosswalk?

Unfortunately in the Marietta accident, there was no crosswalk for at least half a mile on either side. Persons who alight from a bus at a nearby bus stop are forced to walk across several lanes of busy traffic to get to the other side. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it’s common to find pedestrians trying to cross the road with dozens of cars whizzing past them. It's an exceedingly busy road, and urgently needs a crosswalk (or more) to prevent pedestrian fatalities.

According to Atlanta pedestrian safety advocacy group PEDS, pedestrians have a much higher chance of being involved in an accident when they are around a bus stop. Approximately 44 % of pedestrian accidents occur around a bus stop, and an estimated 33% of pedestrian accident fatalities also occur in this zone.

Building enough numbers of safe well-designed crosswalks can greatly contribute to pedestrian safety. As Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys, we tend to focus on enhancing awareness about pedestrian rights and better enforcement of laws. The fact is that pedestrian crosswalks and other safety aids can also enhance safety. Unfortunately, these are often seen as an additional expense, and often take a back seat to enhancements that convenience motorists and keep them safe.

That kind of attitude must change if we are to minimize pedestrian accident fatality rates in Georgia.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Pedestrian accidents | 0 Comments Permalink

Teenager Killed in Stone Mountain Pedestrian Accident

A Stone Mountain teenager was killed last week in an accident involving a teen motorist. Tanesha Williams was walking to her mother’s home after school when she was struck by the car. According to DeKalb County Police, the 17-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle and drove on to the sidewalk. The other two students with Tanesha suffered moderate injuries. Tanesha died later of her injuries. She was all of 14 years old.

Meanwhile, detectives believe that the teen motorist was likely trying to pass a second car at a high rate of speed. This likely caused the driver to lose control of the car, and driving up on the sidewalk and hitting the three pedestrians. Police still don’t know whether the second car was involved in the accident or if the two cars were racing.

Due to their age and inexperience, teen motorists are more likely to exhibit reckless driving behaviors, like speeding. On this blog, we have been calling for stronger participation from parents, schools, and the broader community in preventing teen motorists-related accidents. It’s important that parents have regular and frank discussions with their children about the dangers of drunk driving, speeding and other reckless behaviors.

Keeping tabs on your children’s driving may seem horribly old fashioned, but a survey last year showed that teen motorists whose parents are involved in their lives and are aware of their whereabouts, were less likely to be involved in accidents. As Atlanta auto accident lawyers and parents ourselves, we would encourage parents to take a much more active role in their children’s driving practices. Some cars even make it easier for parents to monitor their children’s driving.  Ford has its My Key technology that allows parents to set maximum speed limits on their children’s cars, and encourages buckling up by failing to start if the driver or the front seat passenger are not wearing seat belts.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Pedestrian accidents | 0 Comments Permalink

As Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers, we haven’t been blind to the lack of proper infrastructure that makes Atlanta such a dangerous place for pedestrians. Now comes a new study that confirms the Atlanta metropolitan area as one of the most treacherous places for pedestrians in the US.

The rankings have been developed by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, which recently released a report on the state of pedestrian safety in the country. The picture is bleak. According to the report, approximately 5,000 pedestrians die every year in traffic accidents.

The list of 10 most dangerous metropolitan areas has Florida occupying the first four spots making it a nightmare destination for pedestrians.  Memphis is at number 5, followed by Raleigh –Cary, North Carolina, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, Houston-Sugarland- Bay Town, TX, Birmingham-Hoover, AL, with Atlanta- Sandy Springs- Marietta occupying the 10^th spot. To generate accurate rankings, the researchers developed a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) to clearly and correctly compare metropolitan areas based on actual danger to pedestrians.

While the nationwide the PDI or the risk of walking is 52.1, Georgia’s pedestrians have a PDI of 99.2. Among Georgia’s metropolitan areas, Macon ranks first on the list with a population of 223, 0777, and a PDI that’s off the charts at 398.9. In Macon, 20 percent of the total traffic deaths between 2007 and 2008 were pedestrians. Macon is followed by Brunswick, Rome, Albany, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Dalton, Savannah, Chattanooga, Augusta- Richmond County and Warner Robins.

One reason for Georgia’s appalling showing in pedestrian safety is that in Georgia, little is spent on the kind of pedestrian safety programs and infrastructure enhancements that can minimize fatalities. While Georgia had a total amount of $4.04 billion available in federal transportation funds between 2005 and 2008, just 1.7 percent of this was spent on pedestrian safety enhancement projects like building sidewalks and crosswalks, and safety awareness programs for pedestrians. That works out to a grand total of $1.78 per Georgian on pedestrian safety.

Walking the streets of Atlanta should not have to be a test of survival skills. For too long, city planners have been too shortsighted and too focused on auto safety. As Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys, we have just one question - why isn’t there more outrage at such negligence of the most vulnerable users of our roads?

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Pedestrian accidents | 0 Comments Permalink

At our Georgia personal injury law firm, we've seen the consequences of being distracted behind the wheel through cell phone use, changing CDs etc., and the devastating motor vehicle accidents these behaviors can cause. A new study shows that these distractions are just as dangerous for their ability to cause pedestrian accidents.

Research is being conducted at the Ohio State University to determine the effect that the use of electronic devices, including cell phones and MP3 players has on pedestrians. According to this report, incidents of distracted pedestrians being hit by cars and even trains are becoming more frequent.

Multitasking is a fact of modern life, and pedestrians who can't fight the urge to slip on their headphones or stay in touch with the office on their cell phone are at an increased risk of being involved in an accident. We don’t think twice when we see a pedestrian walking with his headset on, swaying to the music, but researchers and doctors are worried that the distractions caused by the use of such electronic devices are severe enough to be a health hazard. The number of pedestrians being rushed to emergency rooms with injuries sustained being struck by vehicles while they were talking or text messaging on their cell phone or listening to music, have increased. These pedestrians are at a high risk of being unable to hear a car horn, or notice a motorcycle making a turn just ahead of them. It's not just those walking on the streets that are at risk from such distractions. In the last two months, at least two people in North Carolina alone were killed as they walked on train tracks with music playing on their headsets. They failed to hear the train engine as it came hurtling towards them.

There haven’t been enough studies done to prove a definite link between pedestrian use of electronic devices and a higher risk of accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn't include statistics of pedestrian fatalities from electronic device distractions in its database, but representatives at the agency have already voiced their concern over these increasing numbers.

Being 100 percent attentive on the road - whether you're behind a wheel or walking on the sidewalk – is really a matter of common sense. Pedestrians have the highest risk of fatalities when they are involved in an accident simply because they don’t have the tough armor of an automobile's body shielding them from serious injury or the safety that comes with seat belts and air bags. As Atlanta personal injury attorneys, it makes sense to us that pedestrians avoid accidents in the first place by switching off their cell phones and taking off their headsets.

Posted By Lisa Siegel In Pedestrian accidents | 1 Comments Permalink