In The News

Published on: December 4, 2010

ENA Scorecard Shows Georgia Could Do Better at Preventing Accident Deaths

Preventing deaths from auto accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents and bicycle accidents needs to be a top priority in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. A report by the Emergency Nurses Association, which rates states based on how they fare on 14 established criteria, shows that Georgia performs quite well on the parameters, but still has work to do.

The report by the ENA compares all 50 states, and rates them based on how they perform against the following criteria:

1. The existence of primary enforcement seat belt laws

Published on: November 24, 2010

Motorcyclist Killed in Cobb County Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Cobb County police are on the lookout for a pickup truck driver whom they believe was responsible for a fatal motorcycle accident this week. According to police, the 60-year-old victim was riding his motorcycle, when he was cut off by the driver of a Ford F-150 truck. In order to avoid the accident, the victim was forced to go over the curb and across the sidewalk. The motorcycle struck a pillar on the sidewalk, and the victim sustained serious injuries. He was taken to the hospital, but succumbed to his injuries later.

Cobb County Police are on the lookout for the driver of the pickup truck. They say it is either a gray or black colored truck.

Unfortunately, most motorcycle crashes that Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers come across seem to follow similar patterns. These accidents are caused not because motorcycles were speeding or driving rashly, but because the motorcyclists were not yielded to or were cutoff.

Published on: November 17, 2010

Reckless Driving Blamed for Fatal Gwinnett County Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Gwinnett County police are blaming reckless driving and failure to maintain lanes for a fatal accident over the weekend that killed a 19-year-old. A Valdosta man has been charged in the accident, which occurred on Sunday. According to police, the crash occurred near Lawrenceville. The suspect, James Griffin was driving a Silverado that swerved between lanes as it traveled southward on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, and then became airborne. The pickup truck landed on a Toyota Camry. The driver of the Camry was killed instantly in the accident.

The accident continues to remain under investigation, but police have already charged James Griffin with reckless driving and failure to maintain lanes.

Reckless driving is driving without regard for the rules of the road, or for other motorists’ safety. Such driving is much more harmful than merely disobeying traffic rules. Typically, reckless driving may include speeding, weaving between lanes, changing lanes improperly, running through red lights and other such undesirable driving practices.

Published on: October 28, 2010

Motorcyclist Seriously Injured in Henry County Motorcycle Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The family of a motorcyclist, who was critically injured in a motorcyle accident in Henry County over the weekend, has issued a plea for help in finding the hit-and-run driver responsible for the accident.

34-year-old Justin Hayes was riding his motorcycle on Saturday evening, when he was struck by a Toyota Highlander.The accident resulted in Hayes being thrown off his motorcycle, which resulted in critical injuries.He is currently being treated in the intensive care unit at Grady Memorial Hospital.He suffered multiple fractures, as well as internal injuries in the motorcycle accident.

His wife, Cheryl has issued a plea for help to anyone who can provide information that can lead to the hit-and-run motorist here.The Highlander was apparently being driven by a black female, between 20 and 30 years of age.According to police, the woman simply drove off after the vehicle struck Hayes.Anyone who may have witnessed the motorcycle accident, or may have some information about the crash, including repair shop workers or mechanics, are being encouraged to inform Henry County police.

Published on: October 11, 2010

Mandatory Alcohol Testing Could Have Caused Decline in Truck Accident Fatalities

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Mandatory Alcohol Testing Could Have Caused Decline in Truck Accident Fatalities

As Atlanta truck accident lawyers, we keep ourselves informed about the latest developments in trucking safety.A study by scientists at Columbia University seems to suggest that mandatory alcohol testing programs have been responsible for the decline in truck accident fatalities in 2009.Last year, saw a significant drop in these deaths, from 4,245 fatalities in 2008, to 3,380 fatalities in 2009.

The results of the study titled Effectiveness of Mandatory Alcohol Testing Programs on Reducing Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Motor Carrier Crashes show that these alcohol testing programs that were implemented in 1995, have contributed to an approximately 23% reduced risk of alcohol use as a factor in truck accidents.

Published on: September 29, 2010

One Killed in Canton Truck Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

One Killed in Canton Truck Accident

A 22-year-old man was killed in a multi-vehicle accident involving a tractor-trailer and two passenger vehicles in Canton last week.The accident occurred on Wednesday evening on the exit ramp from Interstate 575 to GA 140.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a tractor-trailer ran a stop light at an intersection, and struck a Chevrolet Tahoe.The impact caused both vehicles to hit a Honda Prelude.The driver of the Honda Prelude, a 22-year-old resident of Canton, sustained serious injuries, and was declared dead at the scene.The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe was also injured.

Published on: August 31, 2010

Accidents Cost US $99 Billion in One Year

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Accidents Cost US $99 Billion in One Year

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has analyzed the cost of traffic accidents in the year 2005, and come up with a staggering estimate-$99 billion.

That’s right.Fatal and non-fatal injurious accidents including car, motorcycle, truck, bicycle and pedestrian accidents cost the American economy $99 billion in 2005.Mind-boggling as that number is, it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.According to the CDC, it does not include other factors that could increase accident costs, like the increase in insurance premiums after an accident and an increase in taxes.

Published on: August 27, 2010

Proposals to Mandate Speed Limiters on All Trucks Gather Steam

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Proposals to Mandate Speed Limiters on All Trucks Gather Steam

As Atlanta truck accident lawyers, we have supported efforts by truck safety groups to get the federal administration to mandate speed limiters on all commercial trucks.Ultimately, it might be environmental concerns that help meet that goal.

We’ve known for long that reducing speed limits on trucks can help prevent the catastrophic injuries and multiple fatalities that result during high-speed truck accidents.Besides, even a reduction of 1 mph in truck speed can contribute to a 1% increase in fuel efficiency. Environmental and trucking efficiency concerns are high right now, and this May, the President asked his administration to get to work on developing a policy that would tackle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission concerns.Speed limiters will help meet both these targets.

Published on: August 17, 2010

Higher Truck Weight Limits Will Impact Highway Safety

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new piece of legislation that has been introduced in the U.S. Senate seeks to allow individual states to increase the gross weight limit on trucks plying the Interstate Highway System.The current gross weight limit in Georgia is about 80,000 pounds.If the legislation were to become law, trucking companies would be able to increase that weight to up to 97,000 pounds.

There are several reasons why Atlanta truck accident attorneys have a problem with this.For one, it would mean greater wear and tear on our already stretched highways.These are tough economic times, and funding for highway repairs and maintenance is already hard to source.The increased wear and tear from heavier trucks would leave Georgia’s highways compromised.

There’s another more serious reason why we strongly oppose any bill to increase funding for weight limits on trucks plying interstate highways.No matter how experienced a truck driver, he will find it a challenge to drive a trailer with an additional 17,000 pounds of cargo.Ask any truck driver and he will tell you that this is likely to be a safety concern if the bill actually becomes law.Trucking can be extremely strenuous, physically challenging work, and while experience can help, Atlanta truck accident lawyers often come across devastating truck accidents caused by experienced truckers.

Published on: July 23, 2010

Did Toyota Try to Mislead Public with WSJ Story

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Did Toyota Try to Mislead Public with WSJ Story?

The Wall Street Journal ran a story last week, citing sources “familiar with the findings” that indicated that NHTSA investigations into Toyota’sacceleration problems had found driver error had been to blame for most of the cases.According to the Wall Street Journal piece, federal data suggests that many drivers, who blamed defects in their Toyota for these accidents, possibly jammed the accelerator instead of slamming the brakes.

As expected, the Wall Street Journal article created a furor.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been quick to distance itself from the article.An agency representative said that the information used by the WSJ came from Toyota itself, and not from the agency.In other words, the company had planted the story in order to develop a strong case for itself against the hundreds of acceleration-related personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits it’s up against.