SUV Strikes and Kills 5 Year-Old Boy

On the afternoon of April 5, 2013, a sports utility vehicle crashed into a 5 year-old Azusa boy. The collision occurred near Arrow Highway around 1:30 PM. The 5 year-old boy was walking with his father and 3 year-old sister who was in a stroller. According to the police sergeant, the boy darted into the street.

Unfortunately, a driver in a Jeep Cherokee failed to see the boy and swerved. However, the driver was unable to avoid him and hit him. The jeep then collided into a curb. The boy was thrown several feet due to the impact. Neither the father nor sister was injured. The boy was taken to a nearby medical center by helicopter in critical condition. He later died at the hospital due to his injuries. 

Contributing Factors and Causes

Every day, numerous pedestrians are injured due to traffic accidents. Pedestrian injuries can take place as a result of numerous factors such as:

•          Location type: if you are walking in a busier and crowded street
•          Time of occurrence: if you are walking at night time and it is difficult to see crossing pedestrians
•          Driving under the influence: if a driver is impaired due to alcohol or drugs and injures a pedestrian as a result
•          Rate of speed: if the driver of the vehicle is unable to stop quickly enough due to accelerating at high speeds

Pedestrian Statistics

Read the following statistics to understand the gravity and harm that pedestrians face today:

•          According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,280 pedestrians died in car accidents in 2010- this is a 4% increase from the number of deaths reported in 2009.
•          It is estimated that in 2010 alone, about 70,000 pedestrians were injured. Of those, about 14,000 were children age 14 and younger.

Pedestrians suffer injury frequently due to car accidents. As pedestrians, we must remember to always be conscious of nearby vehicles and look both ways before crossing the street. Drivers should also remember to refrain from texting while driving or being inattentive to the road as this may also cause accidents injuring pedestrians.

Personal Injury Attorney

If you or someone you know suffered a pedestrian injury due to another driver, you should contact a personal injury attorney immediately. A personal injury attorney will work to earn you monetary compensation for your pain and suffering. 

A Drunk- Driving Accident Kills 4 Passengers Involved

On the night of April 6, 2013, a crash near Kingsburg involving two vehicles left four people dead – of the three were teenagers. A 24 year-old drunk driver drove his Mazda pickup truck through a stop sign and slammed into a Mercury sedan. The sedan did not have a stop.

Consequently, the crash caused two people to be thrown from the Mercury. Two 16 year-old girls, a 19-year old man and a 21 year –old woman were killed while three others were left injured. The driver was also in critical condition along with a 33 year-old passenger.  The 24 year-old driver of the Mercury sedan was the only survivor in the Mercury and suffered only minor injuries.

Drunk-Driving Statistics

Unfortunately, drunk-driving accidents like the one described above occur quite commonly and result in fatal injuries. According to the organization, Mothers against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD:

•          Every 53 minutes, a person is killed in a drunk-driving crash.
•          In total, that is 9,878 people for the year of 2011.
•          Every 90 seconds, a person is injured because of a drunk-driving accident.
•          About one-third of drunk-driving problems (arrest, deaths, crashes, injuries) occur due to a repeat offender.
•          On average, one in three people will be involved in a drunk-driving crash in their lifetime.
•          An average drunk-driver has drove impaired 80 times before their first arrest.

How to Prevent Drunk Driving

Hopefully, the above statistics will prevent many drivers from driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Several ways to prevent drunk driving is to designate a person to drive while sober or by taking a cab. If you must drive, you should wait an hour for every drink you consume before getting behind the wheel. Know your limit and educate yourself. Remember to eat before drinking and beware of mixing alcohol with medication.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

Unfortunately, thousands of people are severely or fatally injured due do a drunk-driver. If you or someone you know was recently harmed in a drunk-driving accident you should speak to a personal injury attorney today.

A skilled personal injury attorney will work to earn you monetary compensation for any physical pain or financial suffering resulting from a drunk-driver. Do not fall victim to a drunk-driver’s irresponsible actions. Take the necessary legal actions in acquiring the benefits you deserve after being injured from drunk-driver. 

What Are the Top Causes of Car Accidents?

Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in America, but what are the top causes of automobile collisions?  Most accidents in cars can be attributed to the following:

•          Driving under the influence (DUI)
•          Distracted driving, due to eating or texting while driving
•          Speeding
•         Road rage
•          Poor weather conditions

The Injuries Aren’t Necessarily Visible

No matter how your car accident happened, it is important to go immediately to a hospital to get a check up after experiencing an auto collision because not all injuries sustained after an accident are visible to the naked eye.  While injuries such as lacerations, bruises, broken bones, and Temporomandibular disorders of the jaw (TMJ) are usually physically evident—and painful—indicating a side effect of the crash that needs medical attention, not all car accident injuries are external.  The following injuries are usually undetected without X-rays and cat scans provided by physicians:

•          Whiplash
•          TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?

When you call a personal injury lawyer at our premier law firm by dialing our toll free number, you will receive a free case review from one of our caring, knowledgeable legal representatives.  S/he will inform you as to whether or not you qualify for legal representation in a civil court of law by one of our highly talented and skilled personal injury attorneys.

You have suffered enough after being in a car accident—let us champion your legal rights by helping you to file a personal injury lawsuit against the offending, liable party in the case so that you can focus on reclaiming your physical and emotional health.  We fight for you no matter what your financial status is because we believe in advocacy-first, and in the prime importance of our clients’ well-being.  This means that we charge no out of pocket expenses, and never charge a cent for the time we spend working on your car accident case, until we successfully win your personal injury lawsuit for you and get you the monetary compensation you are entitled to.

Pedestrians are at Serious Risk of Pedestrian Accidents

When you renew your license at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), they like to remind you that driving your automobile is a privilege, not a right.  They also like to remind you that you need to be diligent in order to prevent auto accidents.  In order to prevent accidents, we place the blame squarely on drivers who are operating these machines that weigh tons. But do pedestrians have a duty to take certain steps to protect themselves from accidents as well?

Every year, there are thousands of auto accidents across the United States.  Of those, when a car tangles with a pedestrian, it can cause devastation for a pedestrian.  Pedestrian accidents can be horrific, life altering, and even fatal.  Despite this harsh reality, many pedestrians take a cavalier attitude about their safety, assuming that they won't experience a pedestrian accident.  Unfortunately, the reality is that they could potentially experience a pedestrian accident at any moment that could end their life. 

The Danger of Pedestrian Accidents

As pedestrians, we often stride confidently into intersections, secure in the knowledge that we have the right of way.  But ask yourself if having that right of way will save your life and protect you from a pedestrian accident.  We do not live in a protective bubble and cannot protect ourselves adequately from distracted drivers who may run a light, gun their car, lose control of the vehicle, or worse. When pedestrians experience an accident with a vehicle, they could experience the following injuries:

• back and neck injury
• spinal cord and disc injuries
• severe burns
• amputation
• internal organ damage
• internal bleeding
• broken bones, fractures
• paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia
• death

Pedestrian accidents can be horrific.  Often, these injuries could grow worse over time as well. In order to protect oneself, pedestrians are encouraged to be smart and try to protect themselves by not taking unnecessary risks, to watch where you're walking, wear light clothing at night, and to follow the rules of the road. 

If you have suffered a pedestrian accident, your entire life could have been forever altered.  Your injuries could be severe and lasting. You should seek immediate medical care and talk to a skilled personal injury attorney.  When you consult with a personal injury attorney, you can trust that your pedestrian accident will be treated with the sensitivity and care that it deserves. Obtain the relief you need from your pedestrian accident.