Atlanta motorists

Published on: March 27, 2011

Atlanta Boy Injured in SUV Car Accident

A six-year-old Atlanta boy who was injured in an SUV car accident in Cobb County is expected to recover from his injuries.The boy had been injured in the accident that occurred on Sunday at the intersection of Macland Road and John Ward Road.

The child was apparently traveling in an SUV that was T-boned by another vehicle at the intersection.The impact of the accident caused the SUV to flip over.The boy sustained a head injury, and had to be rushed to the hospital.Police are likely to charge the other driver with failure to yield.

Very often, Atlanta car accident attorneys notice that T-bone collisions which occur near an intersection, occur because one of the drivers ran a red light.T-bone accidents involve a car that crashes through traffic and into the side of another car.These side-impact accidents are some of the most injurious of all auto accidents.Side impact crashes can cause serious injuries and fatalities, because there is very little space protecting the occupants of the car from the full impact of the collision.This is unlike a frontal impact collision, where the front of the automobile absorbs much of the energy from the accident, cushioning the occupants from injuries.

Published on: March 24, 2011

Why Atlanta’s Senior Motorists May Be at a Higher Risk of Pedestrian Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys, we often come across cases involving pedestrians seriously injured in accidents caused by senior motorists.A new study conducted by Israeli researchers suggests that elder drivers may suffer from an inability to see things in their peripheral vision that prevents them from seeing pedestrians on the curb or sidewalk. This increases the likelihood of a pedestrian accident. Of course, auto accidents involving pedestrians often involve the most serious injuries.

The study came out of a spike in pedestrian accidents involving senior motorists in Israel.The researchers were looking at the specific challenges an elderly motorist faces as far as pedestrian safety is concerned.The researchers placed older motorists in a simulator, and measured their responses to vital safety signals.

They found that drivers above the age of 65 were half as likely to spot a pedestrian as younger drivers.Not only that, they also found that senior motorists were just half as likely to tap the brakes when they spotted a pedestrian on the curb or sidewalk, as younger drivers.This signifies one of two things-either these motorists don’t spot a pedestrian in time to react, or they don’t consider pedestrians a serious accident hazard.Either of these theories spells danger for any pedestrian in the path of an elderly motorist.

Published on: March 11, 2011

Heavier Atlanta Trucks Are an Accident Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

If a new bill that has been introduced in Congress is approved, states like Georgia would be allowed to increase truck weight limits on our interstates to boost trucking productivity and efficiency. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I strongly oppose this legislation. Any move like this would increase the risks of serious truck accidents and catastrophic injuries and death when passenger vehicles are involved in accidents with much heavier trucks.

The bill, called the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act has been reintroduced by Republican lawmakers from Maine and Ohio.It would allow states to adjust the weight limits on commercial trucks on interstates within their borders. The increase in weight limits could be as much as 97,000 pounds from the current 80,000 pounds.The current weight limits have stayed the same since 1982, and trucking safety groups and Atlanta truck accident attorneys oppose any increase in the weight limits on our interstates.

Most of the arguments in favor of increased weight limits on commercial trucks have to do with profits for the trucking industry.The industry believes it could save billions of dollars every year, if trucking companies were allowed to use up every inch of free space in their trailers.Trucking companies talk about reduced fuel consumption, and even bring up lower accident risks from fewer trucks needed to transport the same amount of cargo.

Published on: February 19, 2011

What Atlanta Accident Victims Can Expect after a Burn Injury

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Last week, the American Burn Association commemorated National Burn Awareness Week, to highlight the dangers to children and adults from fire and burn hazards. Although the focus of the American Burn Association tends to be towards household burn hazards, Atlanta injury attorneys often come across victims who have suffered serious burn injuries in car accidents, truck accidents, and workplace accidents.

Burn injuries are easily some of the most traumatic injuries that a person can suffer. A burn injury victim can expect severe pain over the short-term, and scarring, paralysis and impaired nerve function over the long-term. The hours and days after a serious burn injury can be critical for a patient. In such cases, the skin may have been severely burned down to the deeper layers, and the patient may be at a high risk of infections.

Once the patient is discharged from the hospital, he or she could be looking at a long period of taking care of the injury and the wound site. The patient will have to be on medication for a few weeks, and will be asked to be on plenty of fluids. The injury site will be cleaned periodically, and, patients will have to take care to avoid contamination of the wound.

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 7, 2011

Atlanta’s ADHD Teenage Drivers May Have Higher Risk of Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Atlanta teenagers, who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, may suffer from concentration difficulties that increase their risk of an auto accident. Greg Fabiano at the University of Buffalo is studying ADHD among teen drivers. The study focused on two separate groups of drivers with learning permits. The first group was given additional driver’s education that included 3.5 hours in a simulator and the use of a monitoring device in the car that recorded driving behavior. The second group of teen drivers was given the additional training, the monitoring device in the car, as well as a signed contract with their parents that rewarded good driving behavior and punished undesirable driving practices.

The study is a work in progress, and final results will not be available for many years. However, preliminary findings seem to indicate that teenagers, who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, have difficulties in concentration that could cause them to be distracted, and increase the risks of an auto accident. Besides, these risks are amplified manifold if these ADHD teens also text or use cell phone calls while driving.

Surprisingly to Atlanta car accident lawyers, the study also finds that teenagers actually like having an in-car monitoring device, because they can show their parents that they are driving safely.

Published on: January 25, 2011

Study Underscores Need for Side Impact Protection During Atlanta Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been issuing its much anticipated ratings for auto accident and injury protection for years now.A new analysis by the Insurance Institute shows that drivers of vehicles driving a car with a high rating by the Institute had an enhanced chance of surviving a side impact auto accident, compared to drivers of vehicles that did not have a good rating.

The researchers in the analysis tested cars that had side airbags. The tests were conducted at 31 mph. The researchers found that a person’s chances of dying in a side impact accident decreased by approximately 70% when his car was rated Good, compared to a car which was rated Poor. A person driving a car that was rated Acceptable was 64% less likely to die in a side impact crash, and a person driving a vehicle rated Marginal was 49% less likely to die in a side impact accident.

Side impact accidents are typically high-injury accidents, because there’s little space between the occupant and the other car to cushion the impact. Approximately 23 percent of all auto accident deaths in the US every year are caused in side impact accidents.The serious injuries that Atlanta car accident lawyers see in accidents like this are neck injuries, fractures, chest injuries, abdominal injuries, internal injuries and pelvic injuries.

Published on: October 21, 2010

Atlanta Motorist Charged in Fatal Auto Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Police have charged the driver of a vehicle involved in a deadly auto accident in Atlanta over the weekend.According to Atlanta police, 21-year-old Mujahid Saleem was driving a car on Interstate 285 when the accident occurred.At some point, the car went through a grassy median, and crashed through a guardrail.It then flipped flip over, and landed on its roof.There were four passengers in the car.Two of them were killed instantly, while another passenger has sustained serious back injuries.

Saleem now faces two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.Investigations into the accident are going on, but so far, police have no clues about what caused the accident.

Being involved in an auto accident can be one of the most traumatic experiences of a person’s life.Even moderate injuries may require hospitalization, and involve hefty doctor fees, medication costs, costs of diagnostic tests and other medical-related expenses.Once you have received the emergency medical care you need, it is time to begin thinking of meeting the rest of your medical and rehabilitation expenses.You will also need to think about getting back on your feet, and getting back to work.

Published on: September 8, 2010

Atlanta Worst City for Motorists in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Atlanta Worst City for Motorists in Georgia

The city of Augusta is the safest for motorists in Georgia, and is one of the safest in the country.Atlanta, on the other hand, is the most dangerous for motorists, with drivers here having a likelihood of being involved in an accident that is much higher than the national average.The statistics came via an annual report by Allstate insurance.You really don’t need an insurance company to tell an Atlanta auto accident lawyer that the city can often seem like a motorist’s worst nightmare.

Motorists in Atlanta have their likelihood of being involved in an accident increase by 22.4% more than the national average.The average Atlanta motorist has a gap of 8.2 years between collisions.The city ranks at 146 on Allstate’s list of the top 200 cities.Motorists in Augusta, on the other hand, have a 1.9% less likelihood of being involved in an accident, compared to the national average.These motorists have a 10.2 year gap between collisions.Augusta was placed at 60 on the list.

Published on: December 24, 2009

Woman in Atlanta Wrong-Way Accident Succumbs to Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It’s the fourth wrong way driving accident-related death in recent weeks in the Atlanta area. Last weekend, a mother and a son were seriously injured when their SUV collided head-on with another SUV that was traveling the wrong way in John’s Creek. The accident was caused when Raymond Myrand drove his SUV eastbound in a westbound lane. Alpharetta-resident Myrand died at the scene of the accident, while the woman and her 12-year-old son sustained critical injuries.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution now confirms the sad news that the mother has succumbed to her injuries. Her son continues to remain in the hospital, and is expected to recover from his injuries.John Creek police are continuing their investigation into why Myrand ended up driving the wrong way and on a collision path with the SUV.

As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we have been blogging about a series of such wrong way driving accidents in Atlanta recently. In fact, the mother here is the fourth fatality in such accidents in recent weeks. The dead include a woman who was killed on the 21^st of November when her car was involved in a head on collision with a wrong way driver. The driver in that accident was intoxicated, and has been charged with DUI and vehicular homicide. Three people were injured in that accident, including the women’s two children. Last week, a 25-year-old woman was killed in a head-on collision with a man driving north in the southbound lanes of the Downtown Connector.