Auto Accident Round-Up — Heisman Trophy Finalist Stable After Hawaii Car Wreck

Colt Brennan in stable condition after head-on collision in oncoming lane

Eleven-Year-Old Killed In N.Y. Car Crash

An afternoon three-car-accident in Wellsville, N.Y. has left an eleven-year-old girl dead from her injuries. According to the police report, about 3 p.m. traffic on Route 417 had stopped for a school bus when a truck ran into the back of the van in which the young girl was riding in the back seat. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died. The driver of the truck has been charged with driving while being impaired by drugs.

Heisman Trophy Finalist Stable After Car Accident In Hawaii

Colt Brennan is now in stable condition after suffering head and back injuries in a car accident in Hawaii, reports Fox Sports. He was a passenger in a car which crossed the center line and hit another car head-on. […]

Car Accident Round-Up

Car accidents around the United States

SUV Rollover Results in Fatality

A 20-year-old woman died in a single car crash on I-95 near Springfield, Virginia, after the car in which she was a passenger struck the jersey barrier throwing her from the vehicle.  The driver of the vehicle, the woman’s mother, was injured but her injuries were not believed to be life threatening.   Virginia state police believe the driver lost control of the SUV while traveling in the far right lane, then overturned across all four lanes of the road before the vehicle came to a stop against the jersey barrier.

Man Dies After Being Ejected from Car in Head-On Collision

The Cullman Times reports that a Cullman County man and his dog were killed when the car they were riding in collided with a dump truck.  The impact from the head-on collision ejected the man from his vehicle.  […]

Officer and Bar to Pay $2.25 Million In Fatal Car Crash

A police officer and the bar which served her were held accountable for a fatal car crash caused by drunk driving. They will pay a total of $2.255 million for the wrongful death of four people and the injuries to another man, reports St. Louis Today.

The lawsuit claimed the police officer had consumed a “high quantity” of alcohol at O’Leary’s Restaurant and Bar and the employees at the bar knew she was intoxicated and did not stop her from driving or call her a cab. Despite her slurred speech and unsteady walk, the bar continued to serve her alcohol. After leaving the bar, the officer crashed her car into a Honda with five students from India.

The driver of the car hit by the police officer suffered a head injury, a fractured rib, liver trauma, lung contusion, and contusions to the skull. His four passengers were killed, […]

Bar Owners Will Pay $1.3 Million In Drunk Driving Death

The former owners of a restaurant in Gresham, Oregon will pay $1.3 million after being accused of serving too much alcohol to a convicted drunk driver who killed two young women reports KATU.com. The judge could more than double that amount.

Although the Golden Star Restaurant is now under different ownership, the parents of the young women sued the former owners accusing them of knowingly over-serving the driver and then allowing her to drive.

The bar had a history of over-serving its patrons and had received several written warnings from the Gresham police, an Oregon Liquor Control Commission fine and dozens of patron DUI arrests, according to news reports.

The two young women were celebrating a 21st birthday when their car was hit head-on by the drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway. Neither woman had alcohol in her system. […]

Parents File Lawsuit After Deadly School Bus Accident

The parents of a teenage boy have filed suit against Autumn Transportation following a crash that injured their son and caused emotional turmoil when his friend was killed in the crash, reports the Connecticut News. The parents are suing on behalf of their son according to Connecticut law since the boy is a minor.

The bus went off the highway after it collided with a Volvo station wagon. The suit alleges the bus company allowed a driver who did not have proper training and licensing to drive the school bus, and further claims the company does not adequately supervise or train its drivers. The bus driver’s license has since been suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Also named in the suit are the bus driver and the teen driver of the Volvo for failing to take necessary precautions to avoid an accident. […]

$4.4 Million Awarded to Family In Automobile Wrongful Death Case

Department of transportation and subcontractor negligent for car accident

A Utah 4th District Court jury has awarded the family of a man killed in a traffic accident in 2006 almost $4.4 million, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.

Due to state law caps on damages against the state and the victim’s share of the responsibility, the award will be reduced by almost $2 million.

The family of the Payson man sued the state Department of Transportation and a subcontractor for failing to post appropriate signs warning of traffic delays as they were working on the reconstruction of a bridge. The man was killed as he came over the crest of a hill and tried to swerve to miss the driver ahead of him who slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting cars stopped because of the bridge project. He crashed his vehicle and died 13 days later. […]

Despite Ban, Teens Using Cell Phones While Driving

According to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, despite states’ efforts to outlaw teen drivers from chatting on their cell phones, it is occurring at the same level as before the bans went into effect.

Earlier this week, researchers released the finding of an in depth look at North Carolina’s teen driver cell phone ban. They found that even though 95% of parents and 74% of teens support the ban, the new law isn’t reducing the number of teens using their phones while driving. Prior to the ban going into effect, researchers observed 11% of teens leaving high schools with one hand on the wheel, one hand on their phone. Then, after the ban was passed, researchers went back to the same high schools and observed 12% of teens chatting away while driving.

Researchers found that females were more likely than their male counterparts to be using cell phones while driving. […]

Carseat 101

Ten tips to keep your child safe in a car seat

It is frightening to think that each day 5 children are killed in automobile accidents – and another 586 will suffer injuries. It is even scarier to consider 1700 kids die a year, almost half of which are unrestrained passengers.

By simply securing your child in a car safety seat, you can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants under one, and 54% for toddlers between one and four years old.

For some, installing a child safety seat can be an arduous task. Perhaps that’s why as many of 85% of car seats are installed incorrectly or are not the right size for the child. By following these simple guidelines, we can help you keep your family safe.

1. Always read & follow the instructions from the manufacturer of the seat. […]

AAA: 9% Admit Driving Drunk, 54% Admit Using Phone While Driving

Traffic safety poll displays drivers’ hypocritical behavior

The AAA Foundation, the non-profit arm of AAA Auto Club, recently released its annual Traffic Safety Culture Index for 2008.

The survey, conducted on nearly 3,000 American motorists 18+, revealed a “do as I say, not as I do” mentality amongst most drivers.

75% of those surveyed feel that they are safer drivers than others out on our nation’s roadways; however, most admit to engaging in the same risky behavior they deem “serious or extremely serious” safety violations by others.

87% rate drunk driving as the number one concern they have about roadway safety; however, 9% (roughly 15 million adult motorists) admit to having driven under the influence within the past 30 days. This includes almost 2% that report doing it “very often.”

After drunk driving, 82% of participants rated distracted driving as the #2 concern for road safety. […]

DriveCam: A Trucker’s Best Friend or Worst Enemy?

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about a product called DriveCam. These little video cameras are starting to pop up in tractor-trailers and commercial vehicle across the country. The camera is mounted near the rear-view mirror and records video and audio 24/7. However, the DriveCam is similar to a black box in that, it only keeps a few seconds of footage before and after an occurrence of “exceptional force” (i.e. hard braking, swerving, collision, etc.).

The company claims that using their product can help other companies identify and improve risky driver behaviors, thus, reducing vehicle damages, workers’ compensation and personal injury costs by 30 to 90 percent. That’s quite a claim. Watch a CNN interview with the CEO of DriveCam here.

Some truckers are against DriveCam, feeling like “Big Brother” is invading the cab. However, some are excited about its possibilities. The camera will capture an adequate history of the event, […]