In The News

Published on: February 19, 2011

Infant Killed in Atlanta Truck Accident

A six-month-old infant, who had sustained critical injuries in a Cobb County, Georgia truck accident, has succumbed to his injuries. Cobb County police have charged the truck driver involved in the truck accident. Any injury and death in a truck accident is sad, but that is especially true when such a young life is lost.

The accident occurred over the weekend, when tractor trailer driver Henry Lipps crashed his rig into the rear of a car. In the car were a couple and their six-month-old baby, strapped into his car seat. Both parents were injured, and taken to the Atlanta Medical Center. The baby suffered critical injuries, and was taken to Scottish Rite Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries earlier this week

Investigators believe that the tractor-trailer driver failed to brake, and crashed into three separate vehicles, including the GMC Arcadia, Toyota Highlander and a Buick LeSabre at the Windy Hill Road exit. The driver of the LeSabre and his passenger also suffered visible injuries, and were rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Published on: February 17, 2011

Georgia DOT to Allow Memorials to Auto Accident and Truck Accident Victims

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Memorial signs to auto accident and truck accident victims have been used around the country not just to commemorate the dead, but also serve as a warning to the living.As Atlanta auto accident lawyers, we believe that such stark signs help increase motorist awareness of the dangers of reckless driving and, therefore, help to decrease the number of auto accidents and truck accidents.The Georgia Department of Transportation has now announced that it will allow memorials to auto accident victims to be placed on federal and state highways.

Another program that allows highway memorial signs bearing the names of drunk driving accident victims on Georgia highways, is already in effect. That program was created through the efforts of the Department of Transportation, the Georgia Gen. Assembly and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in 2006. That program is separate from this new memorial sign program, and will continue as scheduled.

The new memorials will consist of 15- inch round, white signs containing the message Drive Safely: in Memory (name of the deceased).Families and friends of accident victims can request a sign for a $100 fee that will go towards installation and fabrication charges. The sign will be in place for a period of one year, after which it will be returned to the sponsor of the sign. However, families can only order these memorial signs through the Department of Transportation.

Published on: February 11, 2011

Flintstone, Georgia Man is Safest Truck Driver in Georgia Avoiding Truck Accidents for 41 Years

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As Atlanta truck accident attorneys, we don’t hesitate when it comes to holding truck drivers responsible for their negligence if it results in truck accidents. So, it’s only fair that we acknowledge truck drivers who have an exemplary driving record. This week, UPS inducted 49 Georgians into its elite Circle of Honor organization. These are truck drivers in Atlanta and throughout Georgia who are helping keep our roads safe by avoiding truck accidents.

The Circle of Honor includes only those UPS drivers who have completed 25 years of safe driving. This year was a record year for new Circle of Honor inductees. There were 1,122 new honorees worldwide into the Circle of Honor this year, the highest in any year for the company.

With Georgia’s 49 new UPS drivers who are in the Circle of Honor, Georgia now has 232 active UPS Circle of Honor drivers. These drivers have among them 6,670 years of combined safe driving experience. The safest UPS truck driver in Georgia is Flintstone-based Robert Millican Junior, who has an impressive 41 years of accident- free driving to his credit.

Published on: February 9, 2011

Charges May Be Filed against Man Involved in Fatal Atlanta HERO Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Investigations into a fatal accident involving a HERO unit operator on an Atlanta interstate last week are still going on. Charges could be filed against the Loganville motorist who was driving the car that struck the operator. This auto accident is the type law enforcement officials constantly warn against. Auto accidents of these types occur in Atlanta and elsewhere when drivers fail to pay close attention to stranded motorists. It emphasizes the need for all motorists to slow their cars when approaching stranded vehicles.

The Highway Emergency Response Operator was responding to a stranded motorist on Interstate 85 when he was struck by another car. The victim, Spencer Pass had parked his truck just behind a Ranger in the Interstate 85 Emergency lane. Just then, a Ford F-450 truck pulling a trailer struck the HERO truck and the Ranger. It then hit the victim, who sustained fatal injuries. The driver of the Ranger was able to avoid injuries.

The Highway Emergency Response Operator program was started by the Georgia Department of Transportation in 1995. According to the Department of Transportation, this is the very first death involving a HERO operator since the program began operations. HERO operators respond to stranded motorists on Atlanta interstate highways. These motorists include drivers who have been involved in accidents, have run out of fuel, or have had a car breakdown on a busy highway.

Published on: February 8, 2011

Four People Injured in Atlanta Drunk Driving Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Four people have been reported injured in a drunk driving accident in Atlanta on Saturday morning. According to the Atlanta Police Department, a motorist driving a minivan under the influence, caused the auto accident when she struck another car head-on at about 4.15 am. The accident caused a massive wreckage, leaving four people trapped in the car. Rescuers had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate the four people. The woman driving the minivan has been charged with driving under the influence and other charges.

Accidents like these cause Atlanta car accident attorneys to hope for in-car alcohol detection devices to be available in the market as quickly as possible. Last week saw the demonstration of an alcohol detection device prototype in Massachusetts. The demonstration, which was attended by the chiefs of the US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was impressive. A woman, who had consumed two alcoholic beverages, was able to demonstrate how the device detected her blood-alcohol levels through the use of breath and touch sensors. These sensors were strategically positioned inside the car, in areas where a person is likely to place his hand, like on the steering wheel.The prototype is designed to shut the engine down, preventing the motorist from driving when his blood alcohol level scores above or at the .08 legally allowed limit.

There are no plans to make such devices mandatory in all vehicles, as we had blogged about earlier. However, if these devices are found to be successful in lowering drunk driving accident rates, insurance companies may offer lowered premiums to motorists who get these devices installed in their cars.

Published on: February 2, 2011

Cobb County Bus Driver Charged after Pedestrian Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The driver of a Cobb CountyTransit bus, which was involved in a serious pedestrian accident last week that left a pedestrian with an amputated leg, has now been charged. Atlanta police have charged the driver, Jean Lewis with failure to yield to a pedestrian on a crosswalk and failure to exercise due care. Of course, pedestrian accidents are more often involve the most serious injuries.

Lewis was driving a Cobb County transit bus when it struck a 54-year-old pedestrian. The bus struck the woman as it was turning left at a light. According to witnesses, the woman apparently saw the bus pulling out of the Hamilton Holmes Marta Station, and tried to walk faster, but she was struck by the rear of the bus, and fell to the ground. She suffered a severe leg and a broken ankle. According to Cobb County Representatives, the driver will be removed from service, pending completion of the investigation.

This pedestrian accident comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports on an increase in pedestrian wrongful deaths around the country. The increase is minimal, just .4%, but it comes after four continuous years of declining pedestrian accident deaths.

Published on: February 1, 2011

Georgia Ranks above National Average for Auto Accident Wrongful Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The state of Georgia ranks at number 32 in a USA Today compilation of states based on auto accident death rate per 100,000 population. In 2009, 1,284 people died in car accidents in Georgia, and the state had a death rate per 100,000 population of 13.1. That is much above the national average of 11 per 100,000 population. Of course, a significant number of deaths generally occur in urban areas such as Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia and other states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Delaware with strong rural neighborhoods seem to have high death rates in car accidents. The reason for this, according to the USA Today report, could be the fact that many of the states with significant numbers of wrongful deaths due to car accidents have large rural communities.

Most of the traffic in rural communities plies on two-lane roads. These roads typically tend to be poorly designed, and lack the safety enhancements and engineering that make urban roads safer. It’s no coincidence that the states that have featured at the top of the list (ie: least deaths), like Washington DC and Massachusetts have more urban roads.

Published on: January 15, 2011

Automakers Face New Rollover Auto Accident Rule

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been focusing extra hard on rollover safety recently. A new rule that the agency announced this week is also aimed at preventing serious and devastating injuries in rollover auto accidents. The agency this week announced new regulations that would require passenger vehicles to keep occupants inside the vehicle during a rollover.

Under the new regulations, automakers would be required to design safety systems that would prevent passengers from being ejected from the side windows during a rollover.Automakers are likely to use technologies like rollover sensing side airbag systems to prevent passengers from being ejected through the side window during a rollover accident. Some sport utility vehicles already come with these side airbag systems. These airbags deploy immediately during rollover, and then remain open for a period of time, thereby preventing passengers from being ejected outside the window.

The new rule will be phased in during the beginning of 2013. All new vehicles will be required to have the systems by the year 2018.

Published on: January 14, 2011

Police Officer Injured in Atlanta, Georgia Truck Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A truck driver has been charged after being involved in a truck accident in Clayton County, Georgiain which a police officer was injured. The trucker had been driving a massive tractor-trailer rig, when he rear-ended a patrol car in front of him. The police officer was driving the Department of Transportation truck on the road when the truck accident occurred. The officer suffered serious injuries, and had to be airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital. The tractor-trailer driver meanwhile has been charged with causing serious injury by vehicle, following too closely and too fast.

One of the challenges of operating a massive truck is understanding that your vehicle takes a much longer time to come to a complete stop than a passenger vehicle. It’s important for all 18-wheeler drivers to understand that this greatly increased stopping distance amplifies the risks of colliding with a vehicle in front.

Any time a passenger vehicle is involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer, injuries sustained can be extremely series. A typical rear ender accident involving two passenger vehicles can cause whiplash and other injuries. However, when you have a massive 18-wheeler weighing more than 80,000 pounds rear ending a passenger vehicle, the kind of injuries that the passenger car occupants suffer can be devastating.

Published on: January 7, 2011

Students Injured in a Truck Accident in Cherokee County

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There has been yet another serious school bus accident in Georgia.Six students on a school bus suffered personal injuries in a truck accident in Cherokee County over the weekend.The accident involved a school bus and a tractor-trailer.The bus was taking students to the Free Home Elementary School when it struck a tractor-trailer early Tuesday morning.The bus driver, truck driver, and six students of the school suffered personal injuries in the crash and had to be taken to the hospital.

The year 2010 proved to be a dangerous year for Georgia school children.A number of accidents involving school buses and other vehicles were recorded last year, and some of these ended in personal injuries and even fatalities.The accident is under investigation, but according to CBS Atlanta, the school bus driver was a substitute driver.She had been with the Cherokee County School System since November.By all accounts, she had had sufficient hands-on training according to state laws.However, some parents have been questioning whether her driving was sufficient.

Besides, this school bus accident also brings up the question of seat belts on school buses.Atlanta personal injury lawyers would like to see some movement in this direction in 2011.New bus safety rules that were announced in 2010 include charter and intercity buses, but not school buses.This is in spite of the fact that school buses transport some of the most vulnerable passengers, and are at a high risk of being injured in an accident.