Blog Archive - July, 2013

While July 4^th is a time for family and celebrations honoring the brave men and women who defend our freedom and way of life, there are also tragic fireworks accidents that occur across Georgia and the U.S.  While most of these accidents involve backyard fireworks, there also are firework accidents at large public fireworks displays put on by private organizations, local municipalities and other government entities.  These injuries can include severe burns, blindness, loss of extremities and even wrongful death.  Fireworks may even cause a fire resulting in catastrophic burn injuries that are extremely painful and result in permanent disfigurement.

This is the third part of our four-part blog post discussing important issues and concerns that are often raised by those who suffer injury in Atlanta SUV rollover accidents. While we have tried to provide a broad spectrum of information, our dedicated Georgia rollover motor vehicle lawyers offer a free consultation so we welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

Many people flood to resort cities like Savannah and other Georgia coastal areas during the summer.  Whether you live in Georgia or you are visiting from out of state, these seaside resorts offer guests the opportunity to experience new watersports and other exciting recreational activities.  Unfortunately, these activities can involve a significant risk of injury.  Because people tend to engage in recreational watersports like parasailing while they are vacationing away from home, travelers often do not possess much information about the company’s safety record nor do they know whether the training provided to tourists and staff is adequate to prevent accidents.

This is the second installment of our three part blog designed to arm parents of teen drivers with important information about car accidents involving newly licensed drivers.  While we have tried to address general issues that apply to many parents of teenagers in Atlanta, we invite you to contact us and speak to one of our experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney for a free consultation if you have more specific questions about an accident involving your teenager.  If you have not read the prior installment of this blog post, you may want to review it before reading the information below.

Georgia and states across the U.S. have taken aggressive measures to reduce the number of newly licensed teenage drivers that are involved in motor vehicle accidents.  Traffic safety laws that implement no tolerance alcohol policies for underage drivers and that impose restrictions regarding passengers and nighttime driving present valuable protections to teen drivers while safeguarding others with whom teen drivers share the road.  However, teen driving accident rates are still disproportionately high when compared to those of older, more experienced drivers.  Because teenagers constitute the age group most likely to be injured or to injure others in auto accidents, our Atlanta teen car accident lawyers have provided information that every parent should know about teen driving.

While the political and racial implications of the George Zimmerman criminal trial over the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin has dominated media headlines recently, another fatal shooting may have as much or more basis for attention based on the potential civil rights violations based on a King5.com news report.  A sheriff’s deputy and an officer from the department of corrections in another state shot Dustin Theoharis twenty times when they showed up at his house to arrest someone else based on the news story.

This is the second installment in our four-part blog post which provides answers to the most frequent inquiries we receive about SUV rollover accidents in Georgia.  If you have not yet reviewed Part I in this series of blog posts, you may wish to do so before reading this installment.  Although this series of blog posts answers many general questions, call our law firm for a free consultation to speak with an experienced Atlanta auto accident attorney for more specific questions about your case.

If you are at a nightclub, sporting event or rock concert, the presence of security guards can be reassuring when those who have been drinking get rowdy and unruly.  However, these feelings of reassurance can be misplaced because sometimes these security guards, who are equipped with batons, pepper spray, Tasers or firearms have only marginal training, supervision and experience.  While similarly equipped law enforcement officers go through rigorous background investigations, psychological testing and polygraph screenings, the screening involved to obtain a firearm permit and security guard license may be far more lax.  Further, businesses that hire security guards may not conduct proper screening before making hiring decisions.

While many parents are well aware of the risk of distracted teen driving, they may assume the primary source of this risk involves the use of cell phones to engage in telephone conversations, to text message friends and to review social media websites like Facebook.  However, there is another form of driving distraction that can be almost as dangerous for teen drivers – teen passengers.

New trucking Hours of Service (HOS) rules took effect on July 1, 2013 which are designed to reduce truck driver fatigue and decrease the number of trucking accidents that frequently cause serious injuries and fatalities.  The American Trucking Association has sued the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to block enforcement of the new hours of service rules according to a USA Today article discussing the new regulations.  The objections of the trucking industry are easy to identify because the rules place a tougher cap on the number of on-duty hours and impose stiff fines for violations.

The summer weekends often usher in a variety of activities that include recreational activities like jet skiing.  While jet skis and other personal watercrafts (PWCs) can provide fun and excitement, they also can reach top speeds that rival a car, truck or SUV on land without comparable handling abilities.  When a jet ski propels a rider across the surface of the water at speeds of sixty mph with no brakes, the decision to avert one’s full attention for even the briefest moment, or the careless actions of another boater, can lead to catastrophic consequences.  Atlanta jet ski accidents can leave injury victims permanently incapacitated or cause the tragic death of loved ones.

Despite efforts by the federal government to implement more stringent safety standards, SUV rollover accidents still claim the lives of many vehicle occupants.  Rollover crashes represent one of the most dangerous forms of collisions because of the risk of suffering debilitating traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries when the roof collapses, or vehicle occupants are slammed against the interior of the vehicle.  One of the most dangerous risks during an SUV rollover accident in Georgia is when the driver and/or passengers inside the vehicle are ejected through a door that is forced open or a broken window.  Our experienced Georgia car accident lawyers recognize the unique danger of road departure and vehicle rollover crashes, so we have provided answers to common questions.

When you suffer serious injury in a motor vehicle collision, the physical, emotional and financial consequences can fundamentally impact your family and quality of life.  The most tragic aspect of car accidents in Atlanta and throughout Georgia is that generally they can be prevented if other drivers take reasonable care to not violate the rules of the road, pay attention to the road and otherwise exercise safe driving practices.  While there is no way to completely compel and ensure that motorists drive in a manner that is safe for others on the road, buckling up can dramatically reduce the severity of resulting injuries and even save the lives of vehicle occupants.  It is especially important to use proper child safety restraints to protect kids when unexpected collisions occur.

Outdoor barbecues, beachfront gatherings, boating, and spending warm summer evenings with friends and family lead to wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. The longer days and nicer weather result in greater travel between different events, meaning that drivers spend more time on the road. However, the social events of summer can also involve alcohol consumption and can result in a serious accident or an arrest for driving under the influence. It takes much less alcohol to put you over the legal limit than you may think. It is important to be aware of the presence of alcohol during the seasonal festivities, and to make alternative arrangements for driving if you plan to drink.

Distracted driving has become one of the most significant causes of car accidents.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nine people die and more than a 1,000 more are injured in the U.S. on a daily basis in collisions caused by distracted drivers.  While electronic devices like mobile phones, tablet computers, MP3 players and similar gadgets have received a great deal of attention, there has not been nearly as much focus on another extremely common form of driving distraction: pets.

Most parents have legitimate concerns about the potential risks when their teenagers start to drive.  These fears are well founded because teenagers face a much higher risk of having their life derailed in a car accident that results in devastating injuries or even wrongful death.  Georgia state legislators have taken multiple approaches to reducing these risks, including enactment of the Teenage & Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA), which is a graduated driver’s license program that removes limitations on driving privileges for new teen drivers on an incremental basis. 

A new decision by the Supreme Court has made it more difficult for those injured by generic drugs to obtain financial relief for their injuries.  According to a report in the USA Today, a plaintiff who suffered horrific injuries allegedly caused by a severe allergic reaction to a generic drug had a jury verdict of $21 million reversed by the nation’s highest court.  The decision may essentially insulate generic drugmakers from the majority of lawsuits brought by those injured by their pharmaceutical products.

Our Georgia auto accident injury lawyers at Montlick and Associates are committed to the goal of encouraging practices that will prevent vehicle accidents and reduce the number of collision-related injuries and fatalities.  Because we see the tragic impact on accident victims and their families of serious car crashes every day, we sponsor public service campaigns like our Child Safety Passenger Program, which promotes always buckling kids up in car and booster seats.  While we recognize the value of such campaigns and public education regarding the dangers of not making sure everyone buckles up before leaving home, sometimes actual examples offer the most effective way to communicate this danger.

Child safety seats can mean the difference between a child suffering minor injury in a motor vehicle collision and a devastating injury that permanently impacts a child’s quality of life.  Car seats provide a 28 percent reduction in the risk of fatality for kids involved in collisions, as opposed to those of the same age who are simply secured with a seatbelt if the child safety restraint is used properly according to a report in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers at Montlick and Associates are committed to increasing public awareness concerning the dangers of text messaging when operating a motor vehicle.  Our law firm has  an extensive public service campaign for several years now that combines tv messages, billboards, news segments and articles on the internet in an attempt to discourage this extremely unsafe driving practice.  While many states including Georgia have enacted bans on text messaging while driving, a study that some will find surprising reveals why laws prohibiting texting and driving are not a sufficient answer to the problem.

It is commonly believed that serious injuries do not result from low-impact collisions, but is this true or one of those urban myths that has woven itself into the fabric of our reality?  The fact is that low-impact accidents can and do lead to serious injuries and even death, and that the accusations of fakery and fraud are often sadly misguided and based upon widespread misinformation.