PA personal injury lawyer warns of dangerous driving days

August is the most dangerous driving month of the year, seeing more crashes than any other month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes that more drivers tend to be out during the month of August, as well as for longer periods of time. The summer overall sees a high number of accidents, with more teens on the road over summer break, motorists traveling to family vacations and weekend getaways. This is also combined with more drivers on the road who have consumed alcohol. The summer is the time when everyone should be very cautious when hitting the road.

There are over 33,000 people killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. each year, and nearly 2.5 million injured. According to the NHTSA, Saturday is the most dangerous day of the week to be driving. There are several reasons that we see so many accidents on Saturdays, […]

Judge declares mistrial in Trinity guardrail lawsuit case

A federal judge in Texas declared a mistrial in the possible billion-dollar whistleblower lawsuit involving guardrails that are found on many of our nation’s highways.

The whistleblower and former industry business owner, Joshua Harman, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the American public claiming that Trinity guardrails, the ET-Plus model, are dangerous and deadly. The lawsuit contends that the guardrails were never properly tested or properly approved by the government. The allegations against Trinity Industries Inc., one of the biggest guardrail makers in the U.S., include that the highway guardrail systems are a deadly hazard that can spear cars on impact.

According to Bloomberg News, Trinity first gained federal approval for its ET-Plus end terminal in 2000. Harman’s suit alleges that the company changed the dimensions of the ET-Plus sometime between 2002 and 2005 without telling federal authorities. Apparently, Trinity modified an energy-absorbing end terminal, […]

Potential PA speed limit increase could increase fatal crashes

Sections of the Pennsylvania turnpike and Interstate 380 will be part of a pilot program next month in which the speed limit will be raised to 70 mph. On I-380, a 21-mile stretch was selected for the experimental pilot, which will extend from the Interstate 84 junction in Lackawanna County to the Pocono Pines/Mount Pocono exit in Monroe County. On the Pennsylvania turnpike, the speed limit will be increased on a 100-mile stretch in south central Pennsylvania.

In response to the increased PA speed limit, the Hazleton Standard Speaker reported that a truck and its cargo totaling 80,000 pounds cannot stop for hundreds of feet at 65 mph, and driving faster means it will take even longer to stop. The paper also reported that most of Pennsylvania’s interstates were built during the 1960s and 1970s and designed to accommodate vehicles traveling at maximum speeds of 65 mph. […]

2nd deadly I-81 crash this week claims the life of a Sugar Notch woman

Failure to use seatbelt causes fatal injuries in crash

A second deadly crash occurred on I-81 in northeastern Pennsylvania this week, this one in the northbound lane near the Wilkes-Barre Township/Mountaintop exit. A sports utility vehicle exiting the highway was unable to negotiate the curb and flipped. A passenger who was ejected from the vehicle died of injuries sustained in the accident. The driver also sustained serious injuries in the crash. A third passenger in the vehicle, the only one wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, received only minor injuries.

Each year about 33,000 people are killed in motor vehicle crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with 45 to 60% effectiveness, seat belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of death in a crash and saved an estimated 12,174 lives in 2012. […]

Fatal crash on I-81 claims the life of an Ontario woman

A deadly crash near the Dickson City exit of Interstate 81 in Lackawanna County claimed the life of a 58-year old woman from Ontario, Canada on Monday. The woman was in the rear passenger seat of the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire when the vehicle she was riding in struck a stone embankment after swerving off the road, according to police reports.

Although vehicle safety has improved, as well as improved safety measures on our nation’s roadways, the number of car accidents in this country is still staggering. According to a report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), passenger vehicle occupant fatalities increased in 2012 after they declined six years in a row from 2005 to 2011. 33,561 lives were lost in crashes on our nation’s roadways in 2012 as compared to 32,479 in 2011. Pennsylvania also saw an increase in fatalities in 2012, […]