Second Motor Vehicle Homicide Death In Ten Days In Columbia County
On Thursday, April 20, 2017, around 1:00 p.m., first responders called for the assistance of a medical flight helicopter to respond to the scene of an auto accident with severe injuries. The initial reports, according to WRDW12, indicated that the crash caused a vehicle to roll over, leaving three people trapped inside. The accident happened at the intersection of Wrightsboro Road and Hamilton Road in Grovetown, Columbia County, Georgia. Unfortunately, one person died as a result of the injuries she suffered in the accident. Just about eight days before, a 69-year-old woman Columbia County also died, as the result of a head-on collision.
Sheriff's deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff's Department investigated the April 20 crash. Their preliminary investigation revealed that a man had stopped on Wrightsboro Road facing west waiting to turn left onto Hamilton Road. A taxi cab was traveling east on the same road. The driver facing west turned left in front of the cab. Unfortunately, the taxi driver could not stop her vehicle in time and struck the right side of the other car. The cab, probably as a consequence of evasive action taken by the driver at or immediately before impact, continued easterly but left the road and went into the ditch on the south side of the road. The taxi flipped over and entrapped the driver and her two passengers. Tragically, the cab driver was killed in the crash. Her two passengers were transported to Augusta University Medical Center for emergency treatment. Within a few days after the accident, the hospital listed one passenger in good condition while the other was only listed in fair condition.
Law enforcement officers sought charges against the driver who turned left in front of the cab. Sheriff's deputies charged the 25-year-old man with failure to yield when turning left, vehicular homicide in the second degree and possession of marijuana. There is no additional word on whether the district attorney's office will seek additional charges. The man police charged for his role in the crash posted bond about 7 hours after the crash. Moreover, the man accused of the crimes faces a one-year jail sentence if he is convicted of second-degree homicide by motor vehicle.
Accidents involving taxi cabs are altogether too frequent. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) offers advice to fleet owners, such as taxi cab companies, on how to reduce accidents. In the particular instance discussed above, there was nothing the taxi driver could do to avoid that crash. The driver of the other car was utterly negligent when he turned left in front of the cab.
In the United States, according to OSHA,
• Every five seconds, an auto accident happens,
• A person in injured every ten seconds in a vehicular crash, and
• Every 12 minutes a person dies in a car wreck.
Therefore, taxi cab companies and other business organizations who employ drivers might find following OSHA's recommendations useful. OSHA's recommendations propose to save the company money and reduce the carnage caused by motor vehicle accidents. Toward that end, OSHA suggests that cab companies:
1. Engage senior management and employee in the company's commitment to safe driving,
2. Enact and enforce written driving policies and procedures,
3. Enter into written agreements with drivers obligating them to drive safely,
4. The company should perform driving history background checks before employing any worker who could drive for the company,
5. Reports crashes and conduct investigations into the crashes,
6. Maintain fleet vehicles in good condition,
7. Discipline drivers cited for moving violations and at-fault accidents,
8. Offer financial incentives for safe driving,
9. Train drivers thoroughly, and
10. Follow all statutory and regulatory rules.
If you or someone you love was injured or killed while driving a cab or riding in one, then you should seek immediate legal advice with one of our attorneys at Montlick & Associates to learn about your legal rights as well as what steps are necessary to protect those rights.
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Source: http://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Crash-with-injuries-reported-at-intersection-of-Wrightsboro-and-Hamilton-Roads-419985984.html
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