Auto Accidents

The Five Types of Driving Impairment

January 31, 2022 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

During coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, many Georgia motorists developed some bad driving habits, including speeding, not wearing a seat belt, and driving while impaired. Before the pandemic, operator impairment accounted for about half of the fatal car crashes in the Peachtree State. There is no telling how high the proportion is now. Impaired driving crashes are usually not “accidents.” People accidentally lose their car keys. They do not accidentally drive drunk and cause wrecks.

So, a Marietta personal injury attorney can usually obtain substantial compensation following an impaired driver wreck. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Generally, these cases do not go to trial. Instead, lawyers are usually able to resolve them out of court and on victim-friendly terms.

Alcohol

Bus Drivers and Safety Responsibility in Georgia

January 7, 2022 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Intercity and municipal bus travel has increased significantly over the past 10 years. To accommodate more passengers, buses have also become larger over the past several years. Even experienced drivers have a hard time controlling such vehicles. Safe operation is even harder because, in most cases, drivers have multiple safety responsibilities. More on that below.

As passenger travel and vehicle size increase, the potential for serious injury increases, as well. Bus crash and other large vehicle injuries are often complex, usually because the victims live in different counties and even different states. So, only an experienced Marietta personal injury attorney should handle such claims. That is the best way, and often the only way, to ensure maximum compensation for your serious injuries.

Driver Safety

How Do I Choose the Best Auto Repair Shop?

October 8, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If your car is damaged in an accident, you will need to make sure that you find a good auto repair shop. The following article will provide some qualifications that the best auto repair shops have in common, as well as some tips you should follow to ensure that these repairs are performed to your expectations.

The shop has the proper certifications. When you get to the shop, make sure that you look for blue and white “ASE” emblems. These emblems indicate that the shop’s technicians have passed certain skills tests and been certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

The shop has a good reputation. It is important to find a shop that has a good reputation with its customers. You should be able to look at online reviews to determine whether a shop provides good customer service and quality services.

Whose Insurance Applies in Rideshare Accidents?

September 30, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If you are injured in an accident while traveling in an Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare service, you may question whose insurance policy applies. Should you attempt to seek coverage from the rideshare company’s insurance or from the driver’s personal car insurance? The answer will depend on the type of insurance the driver possesses and the status of the driver when the accident occurred. The following article will discuss situations where a rideshare company’s car insurance applies to an accident, as well as situations where a rideshare driver will have to use his own auto insurance after an accident.

When Does the Rideshare Company’s Car Insurance Policy Apply?

In order to determine if the rideshare company’s car insurance applies, you must first determine the status of the rideshare driver at the time of the accident. For example, if the rideshare driver’s app is on and that driver is waiting for a customer to request a ride when an accident occurs, Uber and Lyft both provide the following types of liability coverage for the driver:

Should I Hire a Car Accident Attorney?

September 10, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

If you were recently injured in a car accident and plan to sue the other driver, you may consider hiring a personal injury attorney who has experience litigating these kinds of accidents. This article will provide some information regarding the role of car accident attorneys.

What Does a Car Accident Attorney Do?

A car accident attorney is a personal injury attorney who typically engages in some of the following duties:

How Motorists and Cyclists Can Prevent Bicycle Accidents

August 31, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

According to the National Safety Council, there were approximately 1,089 bicycle deaths that occurred in 2019. Furthermore, 712 of these deaths were the result of motor vehicle accidents. The National Safety Council has classified these as preventable deaths, meaning that if motorists and cyclists take the proper precautions, these deaths would be less likely to occur. The following article will provide some helpful tips for both motorists and cyclists to avoid the occurrence of bicycle accidents in the future.

Tips for Motorists

Obey all posted speed limits. By adhering to the posted speed limits, you can help ensure that you are able to safely avoid hitting a cyclist in an emergency. Additionally, you should also ensure that you adjust your speed accordingly when there are dangerous road conditions, such as ice or rain.

Georgia Enacts Changes to Law Regarding Teen Driving

August 6, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2,400 teenagers (aged 13 to 19) were killed in car accidents in 2019. This same year, an estimated 258,000 teenagers were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in car crashes. Georgia has recently enacted some changes to a law that was created to reduce the amount of teenage car accidents.

Joshua’s Law

In 2007, the state of Georgia enacted “Joshua’s Law.” On July 1, 2003, 17-year-old Georgia resident Joshua Robert Brown was driving on a two-lane highway in the rain when his vehicle began to hydroplane and crashed into a tree. The accident left Joshua severely injured and though he fought to stay alive for nine days, he finally passed away on July 9, 2003.

Crashes With Large Trucks are Bad News for Cars

July 16, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Size matters in traffic accidents. Traffic accidents involving large vehicles frequently result in more, and more severe, injuries to those in the smaller vehicles. 18-wheeler commercial trucks are the blue whales of the highways. Nothing is bigger. Consequently, accidents between passenger cars and tractor-trailer rigs are much more likely to end in death or severe injuries, with those fates falling disproportionately upon the occupants of the passenger vehicles. It is not that the occupants of the 18-wheelers are never killed or injured – of course they are. But the occupants of passenger vehicles involved in accidents with tractor-trailers invariably suffer more serious injuries.

Accidents With Large Trucks Can Lead to Severe Injuries

More than 4,100 people were killed in traffic accidents involving large commercial trucks in 2019. In 2018, there were 176,000 people injured in such accidents. Of the 2019 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks, only 16% were occupants of the trucks, while 67% were occupants of passenger vehicles. The rest were motorcyclists, bicyclists, or pedestrians. Similarly, in 2018 82% of the deaths in accidents involving tractor-trailer rigs and other large commercial trucks occurred among people who were not occupants of the trucks. Every year, the vast majority of both injuries and fatalities in crashes involving large commercial trucks and passenger vehicles are not occupants of the trucks.

How to Deal With Aggressive Drivers in Georgia

July 9, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Road rage has been on the rise lately in the state of Georgia. In fact, just this year there have been over a dozen road rage shootings in Atlanta alone. The Georgia State Patrol has indicated that it is working diligently to deal with these road rage issues. Georgia State Patrol Sergeant Jay Trawick has asserted that there are things drivers can do to safely avoid a road rage accident. The following article will address some ways to deal with aggressive drivers and minimize the occurrence of road rage accidents.

What is road rage?

Road rage occurs when a driver commits an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon on the driver or passengers of another motor vehicle. This conduct can endanger other people and property. A driver typically engages in road rage when the conduct or actions of another driver enrages him enough to respond with aggressive behavior.

Watch Your Back for Rear-End Collisions

June 11, 2021 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Realistically, there is not much you can do if you are on the receiving end of a rear-end traffic accident. Few people keep a constant watch on their rear-view mirror to look for threats – pretty much everybody focuses their attention on what is ahead of them – and even if you see a car bearing down on you from behind, you rarely can tell if the person actually is going to hit your vehicle before stopping. Even if you know that to be the case, as often as not you have nowhere to go to get out of the way anyway. Most rear-end accidents happen when your vehicle is stopped and the driver of the vehicle behind you fails to notice in time.

Rear-end Accidents Happen More Than Any Other Collision

Rear-end crashes are the most frequent type of traffic accident, accounting for nearly one-third of all collisions on the roadways. Other sources claim that 40% of the 6 million or so traffic accidents in the United States annually are rear-end collisions. Either number is a significant percentage, especially if you are in the car being struck from behind. Occupants of the front vehicle in a rear-end accident suffer the most injuries. This is largely because the impact is unexpected for the occupants of the vehicle being hit from behind and they have no time to evade or prepare. Further, airbags are not designed to deploy in rear-end collisions and rarely do unless the car being rear-ended is forced into a vehicle in front of it by the impact. In contrast, the airbags in the vehicle behind deploy as designed. Common injuries among occupants of the vehicle struck from behind include face, head spinal cord, and neck injuries, as well as whiplash.