Personal Injury Law Update

Airbags AND Seatbelts Combine to Reduce Risk of Facial Injuries in Car Crashes

Research recently reported in the May/June 2009 issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery indicates that wearing a seatbelt has the most protective effect against facial injury in auto accidents, while airbags have little effect on injuries if seatbelts aren't worn. In other words, airbags alone were not associated with a reduced chance of facial fracture injury while seatbelts, together with front airbag use, were associated with a significantly decreased likelihood of facial fracture.

Researchers also concluded that automakers still have some work to do to protect occupants from side impacts, which were significantly associated with an increased risk of facial fractures. As explained, side impacts remain "an area where current vehicle and restraint technology may be inadequate."

Finally, researchers found that "[t]he most significant risk for all fracture types was impact with . . . with stationary objects such as trees, phone poles, or other static structures."

Read the full story on MedPage Today.

Safety Tips to Avoid Injury From 6 Common Summer Hazards

Summer is a time for fun, outdoor activities. But you might be surprised to learn it's also the busiest season for the emergency room. Six of the most common summer hazards are: heat stroke, drowning, bicycle accidents, car accidents, sun damage, and insect bites and stings.

A recent article in the online version of the Dallas Morning News provided advice to readers on how to avoid injury from these hazards. Among other tips:

• To avoid heatstroke, stay out of the direct sun during the hottest part of the day and drink lots of water and fluid replacements. Never leave a child alone in a car, even with the window slightly open.
• Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 14. To avoid tragic accidents, never leave children unattended around pools, lakes, oceans or bathtubs. When boating, all participants should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• To reduce the risk from insect bites (which can cause severe allergic reactions), use insect repellant (although avoid putting it around the eyes, mouth and open wounds, and use it sparingly around the ears). Wear light-colored clothes, and tuck your pant legs into socks and shirts into pants so your skin is not exposed.

Click here to read the full article.

Star Football Player Who Fell Asleep at the Wheel Seriously Injured in Car Accident

The Seattle Times reported that, over the weekend, Cory Mackay, a 6-foot-4, 257-pound defensive end who had just completed his freshman year at Washington State University, was seriously injured in a one-vehicle accident after he apparently fell asleep at the wheel of a Nissan pickup truck. In a release, WSU said Mackay was in "stable" condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Driving while drowsy is every bit as dangerous as driving while drunk, insofar as sleepiness slows driver reaction time, decreases driver awareness, impairs judgment and increases aggressiveness. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drowsiness or fatigue is the principal cause of up to 100,000 police-reported passenger vehicle crashes every year, killing at least 1,500 people and injuring 71,000.

Edmunds offers 10 tips to avoid falling asleep at the wheel.

Laptop kills woman

A woman in British Columbia, Canada was killed last month after she collided with a tow truck. The collision itself was not the cause of her death, though. Her laptop computer was sitting on the backseat behind her and due to the impact of the accident her computer flew off the seat and hit her in the back of the head. It has been determined that the laptop was the cause of death.

It goes to remind us that items in your car can become dangerous if not properly secured. Discuss your rights with the automobile accident attorneys at D’Amore & Associates if you or a family member has been seriously injured due to negligence.

Drivers Who Cause Fatal Auto Accidents While Texting Get Prison Time

We've previously blogged about the dangers of texting while driving, and accidents caused as a result. If the risk of injury is not enough to dissuade drivers from the practice, two recent criminal cases in which drivers got significant jail time for causing accidents in which other drivers were killed should cause you to think twice. In California, a woman who slammed into a line of vehicles while text messaging on her cell phone was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a woman whose car was rear-ended and exploded in flames. And in Pennsylvania, a driver accused of text-messaging just before a crash that killed a pedestrian has been sentenced to 10 to 23 months in prison.

Driver of Car Going Wrong Way Dies and Kills 2 in High Speed Crash Near Seattle

The Seattle Times reported yesterday that 21-year old driver of a car going the wrong way on Highway 167 died early Sunday, as did the Renton couple in the car she hit at high speed. The car crossed three lanes and smashed head-on into another automobile. One victim dies on the way to the hospital while the others were pronounced dead at the scene. All had been wearing seat belts.

Five Deadly Mistakes That Drivers Make

Forbes recently published an article discussing deadly mistakes that drivers make that cost lives. Here are the highlights:

The number one killer of drivers is driving while drunk. According to statistics cited by Forbes, roughly 32% of the 41,059 people killed in car crashes last year died as a result of a vehicle operator having a blood alcohol concentration of .08--the legal limit in many states--or higher.

Every bit as dangerous as drunken drivers are drivers who get behind the wheel when they're drowsy. A 2006 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study cited by Forbes says that moderate or severe drowsiness was cited as a factor in 22% to 24% of crashes. Studies also show that a driver who has been awake for 20 hours displays the same erratic and impaired behaviors as a driver with a blood alcohol level of .08.

Another deadly habit is multitasking while driving: talking on a phone, text messaging, eating, shaving, reading or applying makeup. A different study conducted by NHTSA found that driving while distracted was a contributing factor in 80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes.

Not wearing your seatbelt can also kill you. According to NHTSA estimates cited by Forbes, 270 lives are saved for every 1% increase in seatbelt use and, in 2007, an additional 5,024 lives would have been saved if all unrestrained car occupants involved in fatal crashes had worn their seatbelts. Similarly dangerous is driving without properly restraining children under the age of 14. Of the 6,532 of the children involved in fatal crashes, 45% were unrestrained.

The bottom line: don't engage in these deadly driving habits. It could save your life and the life of your loved ones.

Aged Tires Are a Hidden Driving Hazard

In a jarring ABC News 20/20 segment last May, investigative reporters exposed the little known but serious danger of driving on aged tires. Readers are urged to watch the full presentation in an online video on the ABC News website (link above), but briefly, the lesson of the segment is that the tread on old tires can peel off without warning and therefore motorists need to examine the age of their tires using the technique described in the presentation (all tires come with numbers that disclose their age - you just need to know how to read the numbers). The show indicates that after 6 years, a tire becomes dangerous, and should be replaced. Yet, major retailers such as Sears and Walmart continue to sell tires much older than the recommended expiration date (with representations to ABC News reporters posing as buyers that the tires are perfectly safe).

If you or a loved has been injured in an automobile accident due to a tire blowout or other auto malfunction, the Portland and Seattle car accident lawyers at D'Amore & Associates can help you determine your rights. Our experienced auto accident attorneys will thoroughly investigate your claim using accident reconstruction, analysis of police reports and witnesses, medical experts to determine necessary future medical treatment, expert forensic economists to determine lost wages and future earning potential as well as pain and suffering and the loss of enjoyment of life.

The impact of a vision screening law on older driver fatality rates

In a study executed by researchers at the University of Alabama, it was determined that by requiring a vision screening test for drivers 80 years of age and older it reduced fatal motor vehicle accidents involving the elderly. In Florida, in 2004, a law was put into place requiring that drivers 80 years of age and older had to pass a simple vision test for their drivers license to remain valid.

Researchers used data from the U.S. Census Bureau as well as the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to see how effective the law was. They used data from before the law was passed to compare the results from after the passing of the law and found that from 2004 to 2006 motor vehicle accident fatalities involving drivers 80 years of age and older decreased by 17 percent. Although they determined that it is unclear the reason for this correlation, they have ascertained that the law has reduced motor vehicle accident caused deaths for drivers 80 years of age and older. These findings have been published in Archives of Ophthalmology, Vol. 126 No. 11, November 2008.

Related Blog Posts:
Trucking Accidents Blog Posts Page
Auto Accidents Blog Posts Page

Related D'Amore & Associates Website Pages:
Auto Accident Attorney
Trucking Accident Attorney

Resources For Winter Driving

Washington has been experiencing record snowfall. In Spokane, for example, December finished with 61.5 inches of snow, far eclipsing the previous one-month record of 56.9 inches set in January 1950.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer recently provided links to various travel resources helpful to those driving in the snow, including traffic camera links provided by the State Department of Transportation; a website maintained by Seattle with traffic updates; a statewide road temperature map; and state traffic alerts.

Readers commenting on the story also provided links to a moderated Department of Transportation Twitter site featuring people texting or emailing immediate information about current road conditions and incidents, and Seattle road cams and Bellevue road cams.