accident investigation

Published on: January 31, 2013

Investigations Rule Out Brake Failure in Newton School Bus Accident

Investigations into the recent school bus accident in Newton County are continuing.However, as of now, it does not appear that brake failure was a reason for the accident that injured more than 40 children.

The accident involved 2 school buses. According to the Georgia State Patrol, one of the school buses rear-ended the other, which had stopped to drop off children on Georgia Highway 162.Both of the buses were carrying students from Rocky Plains Elementary School.

Thirty four injured students and one of the bus drivers had to be rushed to the Newton Medical Center.Six other students were injured and taken to another hospital. Although the children had to be hospitalized, none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.

Published on: October 10, 2011

Investigations into Fatal Georgia Tractor-Trailer Accident Continue

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Law enforcement officials are still continuing their investigation into a fatal truck accident near Interstate 85 that left a woman dead.The truck accident occurred over the weekend and involved a blue Kenworth tractor.The tractor struck the woman outside a restaurant.She suffered fatal injuries and died.Of course, the results of the investigation could result in a wrongful death lawsuit if the truck driver is located and found to be responsible for the accident.

A bulletin by the Hart County Sheriff’s Office has a description of the driver of the 18-wheeler, who left the scene of the accident.There’s nothing to indicate that the driver of the tractor-trailer was aware of the accident, or that it resulted in a fatality.Local Hart County officials are asking any witnesses who saw the tractor to contact them immediately.Police are asking people to look out for a damaged trailer.

Being involved in a commercial truck or tractor trailer accident is one of the most terrifying experiences imaginable.It’s not just the size of these vehicles that makes them so intimidating.It’s also the bulk that these vehicles pack into their large frames that places smaller vehicles at serious risk when they are involved in accidents.Not surprisingly to Atlanta truck accident lawyers, in any accident involving 18- wheelers and smaller vehicles, it is the occupants of the smaller car who are most at risk for injuries or deaths.Even when motorists survive these accidents, they may suffer from a debilitating personal injury that require extensive hospitalization, surgery and long-term care.

Published on: April 13, 2011

IIHS Study Analyzes Use of Technology to Prevent Atlanta Pedestrian Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has come out with a new study that promotes traffic safety initiatives of the kind Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys have been advocating for too -the use of technology to prevent pedestrian accidents. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I have seen a significant number of car accidents involving pedestrians. These auto accidents often involve serious personal injuries and many times result in the wrongful death of the pedestrian. Any technology that decreases the number of pedestrian accidents is a welcome innovation.

The Insurance Institute has studied technologies that can help prevent these accidents, and for this, it has analyzed the most common kinds of pedestrian accident scenarios.Between 2005 and 2009, 224,000 pedestrians were involved in front-impact accidents involving single passenger vehicles.Out of these 13,193 pedestrians were killed.

According to the Insurance Institute, the most common kinds of pedestrian accident scenarios involve a person crossing the road, and a car traveling straight ahead towards the pedestrian.In these cases, the motorist has a clear view of the pedestrian, but is unable to stop in time.The Insurance Institute study is promoting the use of forward collision warning systems, including pedestrian technology, to prevent these accidents.Forward collision warning systems have been very popular for some time now.These systems allow the driver to detect an object that is in the path of the car, thereby encouraging him to apply the brakes, and prevent an accident.Some of these systems now come with pedestrian detection technology that enables the driver to detect not only an object, but also a pedestrian in the car’s path.

Published on: May 25, 2010

Rear End Truck Accidents Reviewed by Federal Agency

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Rear-ender accidents involving passenger vehicles hitting large commercial trucks, are far more common than we think. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are approximately 23,500 such truck accidents every year in the country, and these kill approximately 160 people.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is working on technologies that will help minimize the number of these accidents. The agency is working on a number of configurations of lights that will alert motorists approaching the back of an 18 wheeler to the risk of a collision. But the most promising configuration involves two sets of six LED lights, each placed on the back bumper. When a passenger vehicle gets too close to the back of the truck, a rear-facing radar system will activate the lights, alerting the motorist to slow down. The agency has already begun testing the system, and will likely move on to dynamic testing on the highways of Virginia. The FMCSA is likely to begin field operational testing involving the placing of these systems on fleet vehicles, by the end of this year.

A commercial truck can be up to 40 times heavier than other vehicles on the road. Whether it is a rear end accident involving a large commercial truck striking a smaller vehicle, or whether the truck is the one being hit, the consequences are the deadliest for the occupants of the smaller vehicle.

Published on: August 5, 2009

Hart County Officials to Study Site of Fatal Car Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Officials from the Georgia Department of Transportation will be looking at an intersection at Hart County which was the scene of a fatal car accident last month. An 81-year-old man was struck and killed as he was trying to cross the SR77 from the Lavonia connector in his vehicle. The intersection since then has been the focus of much scrutiny.

After the crash, State Rep Allen Powell requested the Department of Transportation to take a look at the intersection, and see how what kind of road safety enhancements can be made. DOT officials have confirmed that they will be looking at a number of factors, including the daily traffic at the intersection, the spots that see the maximum number of vehicles, and the accident history of the intersection over the past year. They will also look specifically into the fatal accident, including the cause as well as the type of the crash. DOT representatives will also be looking at traffic counts, but that will be done after summer has been ended, because traffic counts are typically lower during the summer.

That means that whatever the DOT decides, and any recommendations it makes, will only come after fall. Even then, it may be weeks and months before any steps are taken to enhance the safety of the intersection.

Published on: July 31, 2008

Accident Investigations

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

October 22, 2007

Last March an Ohio school bus carrying a Bluffton University baseball team went off an overpass on Interstate 85-75. Early that morning the bus carrying the players was traveling in the left HOV lane when it went southbound up a left side exit ramp, failed to stop and went over the overpass. Eight students, the driver and his wife were killed. Twenty-eight other passengers were injured. This week relatives of the deceased and some of the injured have filed notice of claims with the State of Georgia.

Early on in the investigations many believed the bus driver mistook the exit ramp for the left hand HOV lane. The National Transportation Safety Board (the NTSB) is investigating. The NTSB’s report will not be issued until spring 2008