Fatal Speeding Collision Injures Grand-Daughters of Gubernatorial Candidate Roy Barnes
A teenager driver whose Porsche Boxster was involved in a head-on collision with a mini-van occupied by the daughter and two granddaughters of gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes last weekend has died from serious head injuries. Barne's daughter Allison Barnes Salter was driving a 2008 Honda Odyssey when it was struck head on by the Porsche Boxster driven by the teenager. Both of Barne's granddaughters were treated at a nearby hospital.
The eldest granddaughter Lily Salter, 6, was treated for minor cuts to her face and released Sunday night. Barne's youngest granddaughter Ella Salter, 4, underwent surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Monday for a broken arm and shoulder before being released.
Cobb County police are still investigating the fatal traffic accident but believe that the teen driver of the Porsche crossed over into the lane going the wrong direction as the driver tried to negotiate a curve to the right. The police indicated that the driver may have swerved into the lane while negotiating the curve because he was exceeding the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour. Given the prominence of the parties involved in this accident, it has received significant media coverage. However, this accident is one of many that occur in the Atlanta area and elsewhere across Georgia where excessive speed is a factor. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that one-third of all fatal automobile accidents are speed related. Excessive speed leads to a greater risk of being involved in car accident, as well as an increased probability of more serious injuries or fatalities.
A driver who fails to obey speed limits creates a much higher risk of being involved in a car accident for a number of reasons. The increased speed means that a driver has less reaction time when responding to the need to perform evasive maneuvers or brake to avoid an accident. In many cases, such as on sharp curves or winding roads, speed limits represent the highest speed at which a vehicle can safely maneuver the road. While it is uncertain whether last weekend's accident would have been prevented by driving slower, there is no doubt that thousands of accidents could be averted by slowing down and obeying speed limits.
Drivers on Georgia streets and highways that speed not only cause more accidents but tend to increase the seriousness of such traffic accidents. The forces experienced by the human body in a car accident increase exponentially as the speed increases, and as a result spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and fatalities are much more common in accidents involving excessive speed. Despite the increased risk, a recent study found that 42% of drivers believe it is safe to exceed the speed limit by up to ten miles per hour while 36% believe it is okay to exceed the posted speed limit by up to 20 miles per hour. The high correlation between speeding and auto accident rates, as well as car crash fatalities, suggests that obeying speed limits could save lives and prevent unnecessary injuries.
At Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Georgia car crash lawyers have been representing those injured in Georgia auto accidents for over 39 years. Call Montlick & Associates today to see how we can help. We are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Call us today for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333), or visit us on the web at www.montlick.com. No matter where you are in Georgia, we are just a phone call away and we will even come to you.