St. Louis Cardinals player killed in car crash

Oscar Taveras, the 22-year-old outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, was killed in a car crash on Sunday in the Dominican Republic. Taveras, who was from the Dominican Republic, was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro near his hometown of Sosua at the time of the crash. ESPN reported that Taveras lost control of the vehicle and went off the road. His 18-year-old girlfriend was also killed in the crash.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Taveras was the second active Cardinals player to die in a car crash in the past seven years. In 2007, pitcher Josh Hancock died in a crash in St. Louis.

Many other professional athletes have lost their lives in car crashes as well. In 2009, Los Angeles Angels pitcher, Nick Adenhart was killed in car accident. And several NFL players have also been killed in crashes, […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer stresses importance of National Teen Driver Safety Awareness

This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and it’s a time to focus on the real dangers teens face when driving. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that almost half of the teen drivers involved in a crash die, yet a recent survey found that only 25% of parents have had a serious talk with their kids about the importance of driving safely.

The NHTSA stresses the following rules for teens in its “5 To Drive” campaign:
1. No cell phones while driving
2. No extra passengers
3. No speeding
4. No alcohol
5. No driving or riding without a seatbelt

The “5 to Drive” campaign was launched during Teen Driver Safety Week in 2013, […]

Many states concerned over guardrail-related deaths and amputations

Last month, Missouri banned further installation of guardrail heads, joining Nevada who banned further purchases in January, followed by Massachusetts.

Lawsuits claim the guardrails were to blame for at least five deaths and many severe injuries, including loss of limbs, yet the Texas manufacturer, Trinity Industries, denies there is a problem.

The New York Times reported that although federal highway officials in Missouri had long insisted that the guardrails in that state were safe, apparently some guardrail heads had malfunctioned, turning the rails into spears when a car hit and injuring those inside, rather than cushioning the blow.

Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) continues to deny there’s a problem, the Daily Beast reported a 2012 email from a senior engineer at the FHA as saying that it’s “hard to ignore the fatal results” of the guardrails. […]

Dangerous weekend for motorists on I-81 with drowsy and wrong-way driving

A 36-year-old Plymouth man was killed when the Toyota sedan he was driving, collided with a tractor-trailer near the Blackman Street exit of I-81 around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday. The driver of the Toyota was traveling in the wrong direction at a high rate of speed when the accident occurred.

Wrong way driving often results in deadly, high-speed collisions. ABC News reported that wrong way driver accidents are responsible for 1,100 deaths per year. The news organization reported that intoxicated drivers and those over age 80 make up a large percentage of wrong-way drivers and that most wrong way driving accidents occur at night or on the weekends. While cities and states need to work to improve signage on certain roadways, we must also stop drunk driving to help stop wrong-way driving accidents.

Another accident occurred on I-81 in Mahanoy Township late Saturday morning when a 59-year-old woman told police she fell asleep at the wheel, […]

In the fall, bikers at risk for motorcycle accidents

Motorcycle accidents can be traumatic and tragic events. Due to their lack of bodily protection, motorcycle riders are much more vulnerable than other motorists to suffer more severe injuries and deaths when accidents occur. This time of year, as drivers are viewing the beauty of the fall colors around them, they may not be paying as much attention as they should to the road.

Motorcycle fatalities rose for the third consecutive year in 2012, with 4,957 riders killed according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 2012, the most recent completed report, also shows that 93,000 motorcyclists were injured in crashes.

It has been reported that collisions with another vehicle account for about half of all motorcycle accidents. Information provided by the Insurance Information Institute stated that motorcyclists were about 26 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled and five times more likely to be injured. […]