Car Accidents

Published on: July 24, 2024

Research Shows Improvement in Autonomic Dysfunction After Spinal Injury

Patients who have suffered a spinal injury may suffer from autonomic dysfunction or an extreme severity of autonomic reflexes that can trigger panic episodes and even heart attacks. In recent animal studies, researchers found ways that could circumvent such extreme reflexes.

A spinal injury after a car accident can lead to all kinds of life-altering consequences. The person may suffer from limited movement and mobility, loss of bowel and bladder control, restricted motor skills and a number of other consequences. One of those consequences is autonomic dysfunction which can be characterized by triggering of extreme autonomic reflexes when the person is faced with even mildly triggering situations. A person with a spinal injury may experience an extreme response to a harmless situation, like loss of bladder control, that triggers panic attacks, heart attacks and strokes. This lack of control over autonomic reflex responses could even have fatal consequences for the patient.

In a recent study, researchers found that the reason for such autonomic dysfunction could be traced to a particular type of nerve cell. According to the researchers, patients with a spinal cord injury may experience an abnormal rewiring of the nerve cells in the affected area. They found that specific nerve fibers called microglia cells were mainly responsible for this abnormal rewiring of the nerves which, in turn, causes loss of control over autonomic reflexes. Studies on animals found that depletion of these microglia cells helped to control the autonomic reflexes. The researchers found that when these cells were reduced in number, these extreme reflexes to mild situations were better controlled. The researchers say that these are significant findings because of the risk to patients with spinal injury who may suffer heart attacks or even strokes as a result of such panic reactions.

Published on: July 22, 2024

Study Explores Drowsy Driving Car Accident Risks of Teen Motorists

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As many as one in 6 teen drivers in the United States admits to driving while drowsy. This indicates that the problem of drowsy driving among younger motorists is far more complex than we believe.

Those findings came from a recent study that was conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. The findings of the study were presented at a conference of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies and published in the Sleep journal. The researchers estimate that 1.7 million teenagers have driven while drowsy, and more than 400,000 have done so at least once in a week. The researchers believe that these findings are troubling because we are dealing with teenage motorists or novice drivers with very little experience in driving safely and avoiding auto accidents.

According to the study, teen drivers are aware that drowsy driving is dangerous and can increase their chances of being involved in a car accident. In the study, as many as 95% of them admitted that they believed that drowsy driving was dangerous, but most of them did not believe that it was as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or even driving while using a cell phone. Clearly, the dangers of drowsy driving are not as apparent to teen drivers. Teenagers who had jobs were twice as likely to drive while exhausted or sleepy compared to those with no jobs. Most teenage motorists in the study blamed their work and study schedules for their lack of sleep.

Published on: July 16, 2024

Welcome Drop in Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Deaths in 2023

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New data finds a drop of 5% in the number of pedestrians killed in auto accidents in the United States last year.

The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released new data that finds a 5.4% drop in the number of pedestrians being killed in auto accidents compared to the previous year. In 2023, a total of 7,318 pedestrians were killed in car accidents.

While the news of a drop in the number of deaths is encouraging, it is too early for celebration. The fact is that pedestrian accident numbers continue to remain stubbornly high. According to Governors Highway Safety Association data, the numbers in 2022 were a 14% increase over pre- pandemic numbers. Pedestrian deaths accounted for close to 18% of all auto accident deaths in 2022. Between 2010 and 2022, there was a shocking 77% increase in pedestrian accident wrongful deaths, and the increase in overall traffic accident deaths was just 22 percent during this time.

Published on: June 20, 2024

Older Pedestrians More Likely to be Injured in Falls Than Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

While pedestrians overall are more likely to be injured in auto accidents, older pedestrians above the age of 50 are more likely to suffer serious personal injuries when they are involved in slip and fall accidents, compared to auto accidents.

There has been much focus recently on personal injuries involving pedestrians in car accidents. The increase in pedestrian accidents is being blamed for an overall spike in the number of people being personally injured in auto accidents across the country. Researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health analyzed data involving pedestrians who had suffered personal injuries in slip and fall accidents, and compared the data with the numbers involving pedestrians involved in auto accidents.

The Columbia University study found that while the risk to pedestrians involved in auto accidents remains high, the overall public burden is greater when older pedestrians are injured in slip and falls in comparison. The study found that 32 percent of pedestrian personal injuries in auto accidents were defined as “emergency” or “critical”. In comparison, 19% of persons who suffered slip and falls had personal injuries that were defined as “emergency” or “critical.” However, pedestrians above the age of 50 in fall accidents were 3.9 times more likely to suffer “emergent” or “critical” injuries, compared to ones who had been involved in auto accidents. In fact, the Columbia University study described as alarming the number of older pedestrians who suffered serious personal injuries after fall accidents and needed emergency care.

Published on: June 11, 2024

Women vs. Men- Who Has the Greater Car Accident Risk?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A safety group in France is advising male drivers to drive more like female drivers in order to reduce their risks of being involved in auto accidents. This has raised the age old question – are female drivers truly safer than men?

According to the group, which advocates for victims of car accidents, female drivers in France are less likely to be involved in fatal car accidents compared to males. The group says that 84% of all fatal car accidents involve male drivers. It also claims that 93% of all drunk driving-related car accidents involve males.

Here in the United States as well, there has been data to show that female drivers do tend to be involved in fewer fatal car accidents compared to males. One of the reasons could be the fact that males simply drive more vehicular miles contributing to higher accident risks.

Published on: June 7, 2024

Many Patients on Life Support After Brain Injury Could Possibly Recover

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new study finds that many patients who are on life support after suffering a brain injury could actually make a recovery.

In cases of a severe brain injury after an auto accident, truck accident or any other kind of accident where there has been severe trauma to the head, doctors may make the decision to place the person on life support. The decision to end life support is an excruciatingly painful decision for family members to make. In many cases, the decision is taken within 72 hours after the person has suffered the brain injury. However, the results of a new study seems to indicate that waiting longer to remove life support may be beneficial.

For the study, the researchers examined data involving 3,100 patients who had suffered traumatic brain injury and had to be immediately transferred to a hospital. Out of these, 90 patients were removed from life support within a few days and died soon after. For purposes of comparison, the researchers then focused on a group of 90 patients who were very similar to the first group on most counts, but continued to remain on life support.

Published on: June 5, 2024

Focus on Bicycle Accident Prevention This May

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The month of May is being commemorated as National Bicycle Safety Month, an ideal time just before the year’s peak cycling season kicks off to remind bicyclists and motorists about the bicycle accident risks facing these vulnerable users.

In 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 1105 fatalities involving bicycle accidents. More than 45,000 bicyclists were injured in these accidents. In the last ten years alone, there has been a 37 percent increase in the number of bicyclist deaths in auto accidents recorded across the country.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that there are 80 million bicycles in the United States. Bicyclists compete for space with motorists, creating conditions that are often most dangerous to the person riding the bicycle. Many of these accidents are preventable, and require an understanding of cyclist rights as well as the key motorist mistakes that may cost a bicyclist his safety or even his or her life.

Published on: June 3, 2024

Drunk Driving Car Accident Wrongful Deaths Increase As Arrest Rates Drop

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Alcohol- related car accident death numbers have increased significantly even as the number of arrests have dropped.

In 2022, according to figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, close to 13,500 people died in auto accidents caused by an impaired driver. That was almost the same as the numbers in 2021, but a was 33% higher than in 2019. The numbers in 2022 were the highest on record since 2006.

During the same period of time, there was a significant drop in the number of arrests made for DUI around the country. In 2019, police made close to a million arrests for DUI around the US while that number dropped to just 788,000 arrests in 2022. During the pandemic, police departments across the country suffered staffing shortages which made it harder for them to enforce DUI laws and arrest violators.

Published on: May 31, 2024

Autotech Could Help Prevent Car Accidents Involving Delivery Vans

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Close to 40% of all car accidents involving delivery vans could be prevented if all vans came equipped with four important safety features.

According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, auto tech could play a key role in helping reduce the number of auto accidents caused by delivery vans in the United States. Delivery vans have become a ubiquitous presence on American roads, and their number has only grown since the pandemic when online purchases became the norm. With the e-commerce boom not expected to slow down anytime soon, it is important for regulators and auto makers to act to make these vehicles safer for all motorists on the road.

Light vans were already a very popular vehicle in the United States, but their popularity has boomed since the pandemic. As many as 500,000 such vehicles are sold every year in the United States. The number of such vehicles simply boomed during the pandemic, spurred by a 43% increase in e-commerce rates.

Published on: May 14, 2024

Smart Traffic Signs Are the Next Step in Car Accident Prevention

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Traffic signs that can monitor motorist behavior and display messages that are tailored to target such behaviors may be the next step forward as federal and state officials consider innovative ways of reducing the number of car accidents in their jurisdictions.

Across the country, some jurisdictions are experimenting with pilot programs using smart sign boards that display targeted messages to motorists. These smart signs are designed to capture dangerous driving behaviors like failure to wear seat belts or use of cell phones while driving. If the technology spots a motorist driving without wearing a seat belt or using a cell phone while driving, it immediately flashes a warning message to the motorist. For example, a distracted driver may see a “Phone Down” message on a sign board as he is approaching. Similar messages will be posted when the system finds motorists driving at excessive speeds. Motorists who are driving responsibly may be rewarded with a smiley face flashing from the traffic sign.

The signs are operated by infrared and microwave technology, and are not designed to punish or cite violators. However, they can warn motorists if they are engaged in behavior that increases their risks of being involved in a car accident. The technology is very interesting, and traffic safety experts will be eagerly awaiting the results of the pilot program that is currently running in at least two major American cities.