by admin | Oct 20, 2014 | Auto Accidents, Legal Matters Discussed, Personal Injury
Halloween is right around the corner. So, as you are selecting Halloween costumes and planning your route, please keep in mind the following safety tips so you and your loved ones can avoid personal injury and automobile accidents:
- Avoid using costumes that have trailing or flammable materials. (See the National Fire Protection Association’s website for other fire prevention tips.)
- When walking in costume, make sure you or your child can see out of any mask well or remove completely in between stops to avoid slipping and falling and to avoid automobile accidents.
- Carry a flashlight and/or use reflective pieces of clothing.
- Always use crosswalks and try to only cross at 4-way stops to avoid traffic.
- Walk in groups with at least one adult in neighborhoods you know and trust.
Goodin Abernathy wishes everyone a safe and Happy Halloween.
by Jim Goodin | Feb 7, 2014 | Auto Accidents, Legal Matters Discussed, Motorcycle Accidents, Truck Accidents
While watching local media coverage of the recent snowstorms, we saw a truck driver tell a local television reporter that “he was driving his semi on the interstate and only going 45 mph when his trailer began to fishtail, and he ultimately jackknifed.” The truck driver told the reporter that this must be a “freak accident.” The very next scene showed an interview of the Indiana State Trooper who was involved in investigating and responding to the jackknifed semi-trailer. The trooper was obviously angry and explained to the reporter that he had just written a very expensive ticket to the truck driver, as driving 45 mph down on ice and snow-covered interstate in the middle of whiteout conditions was certainly traveling too fast for the conditions. In the Trooper’s opinion, had the truck driver been going 20-25 mph, this truck accident never would have occurred.
When you’re driving a motor vehicle in the state of Indiana, there is no such thing as a freak auto accident. Drivers of vehicles, whether they be semi-tractor/trailers or passenger cars, have a legal obligation to maintain their vehicle under control at all times and drive at a speed appropriate for whatever conditions are present on the road. In this particular case it sounds as though the driver and his employer are going to be held responsible for a massive traffic tie-up and are fortunate that they aren’t going to be held responsible for serious injury or death caused by this truck driver operating his vehicle at an unsafe speed.
by Christopher Clark | May 20, 2013 | Auto Accidents, DWI, Legal Matters Discussed, Personal Injury
Graduation parties and summertime for teenagers and young adults should be fun and carefree. Unfortunately, when these events are combined with alcohol, tragedy can occur.
A recent New York Times article “For Young Drivers, Drinking Is More Dangerous” provides graphics which starkly show young drivers have many fatal accidents even at low blood-alcohol levels. The article also focuses on the latest recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board to lower the current blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent, which may also lead to a reduction in teen and young adult deaths due to impaired driving.
GOODIN ABERNATHY congratulates all recent graduates and wishes everyone a safe, carefree summer.
by Christopher Clark | Jan 20, 2013 | Auto Accidents, Legal Matters Discussed, Personal Injury
In Ohio yesterday, a multiple vehicle collision left numerous people injured. Reports of the incident, which occurred on I-275 near Cincinnati, indicate that weather conditions deteriorated very quickly causing a whiteout. Oftentimes it is difficult to determine who, if anyone, is at fault in accidents of this type. People involved in these accidents can give very different versions of what happened depending on their vantage points and their level of attention in the split seconds immediately prior to an impact or leaving the roadway. Police departments dispatch accident reconstructionists to the scene to interview witnesses, photograph vehicles, and take measurements of skid marks, to recreate the scene. However, those efforts are often hampered depending on the degree of injuries of the victims involved, and weather and road conditions. Most of the time, these accidents can be attributed to driver inattention, following too closely, or failure to operate a motor vehicle at a safe speed for the conditions.
In Indiana, it may be a defense for a negligent party to argue that they were confronted with a sudden emergency. However, to get the benefit of the Sudden Emergency Defense, and driver cannot have caused the situation that put him in immediate peril. These are complex legal issues that are routinely determined by a court when deciding what evidence a jury will or will not hear. These are not the type of things that are at the top on anyone’s mind who is involved in an accident like this in the moments immediately following. However, it highlights the need to get accurate information as quickly as possible before people’s memories fade, or other crucial evidence is lost. Photographing an accident scene can be very helpful if you are physically able to, and it does not put your safety at risk. Sadly, a young girl was killed in this most recent accident where she apparently tried to exit the vehicle in which she was riding.
Hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer who has access to accident reconstructionists can be very valuable when it comes to preserving evidence. No one ever intends to be involved in a accident, be it a simple fender-bender, or a catastrophic multi-vehicle crash; however being prepared for such a situation could prove to be very valuable later when trying to make your case to an insurance company representative, or in a court of law. If you have been involved in an accident, and have questions about your case, please call us for a free consultation.
