Category: Truck Accidents

Alabama Car Accident Fatalities Decline with the Economy

Car Accident A recent report has found that there has been at least one bright spot of the recent economic downturn and that is a reduction in fatal car accidents in Alabama.  The report found that traffic accident fatalities have dropped by nearly half in Alabama's wiregrass area over the last year.  Alabama Governor Bob Riley recently reported that early numbers showed a 17% reduction in fatal motor vehicle accidents state wide in the last year. 

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Motor Vehicle Accident Study Proves Spinal Injuries Reduced by Air Bags and Seat Belts

An article and editorial published in the Journal of Neurosurgery examined the nexus between air bag and seat belt usage and spinal injuries suffered by car accident and truck accident victims.  This research examined the records of more than 20,000 motor vehicle accident victims age 16 and older admitted to Wisconsin hospitals after car or truck wrecks from 1994 to 2002. This research confirmed that the use of a seat belt and an air bag together was associated with a decreased risk of spine fracture, including more severe fractures. In 2007, there were over 6 million motor vehicle accidents in the United States.  Nearly 2.5 million of those accident victims were injured and more than 41,000 lost their lives.  According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1,110 people lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents in 2007 in Alabama.  This was down 8% from 2006 where 1,207 people lost their lives in car and truck accidents in Alabama.

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Truck Accident Leads to Wrongful Death Lawsuit

The family of an East Dubuque, Illinois woman who was killed in a three-vehicle pileup on Halloween has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.  Tabitha Carroll, her husband and son were stopped in traffic when their Ford truck was hit from behind by a semi-truck and pushed forward into a dump truck.  A subsequent investigation determined that the driver of the semi-truck was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the truck accident.  The investigation also revealed that half of the truck's brakes were deemed faulty. Had this tragic truck accident occurred in Alabama the proper party to bring a wrongful death lawsuit would be the personal representative of the estate.  Alabama's wrongful death law is unlike any other, in that it only permits recovery for punitive damages and denies any recovery for compensatory damages. Thus, Alabama's wrongful death statute is setup to punish the wrongdoer, not to compensate the family for economic losses.

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Car Accident Study Details How Car Seats Can Save Alabama Children

A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health further establishes the importance of placing children in car seats.  Car accidents are the leading cause of unintentional injury and death for children older than 1 year, according to background information in the study. More than 500 children younger than 3 died as a result of motor vehicle collisions in 2005, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics cited in the study. According to the study babies reaped the most benefit from being placed in a car seat. Their odds of dying in a car crash dropped by three-quarters if they were in a safety restraint seat. But older children also saw significant benefits, with a mortality risk reduction of at least 60 percent. Although many parents use car seats to protect their children in the event of a car accident, they often make many mistakes in using the car seat.  For exmaple, many parents do not properly restrain their child in the car seat or fail to properly place the car seat in the car or use an inappropriate car seat.  For more information about proper car seat safety guidelines visit The American Academy of Pediatrics website.

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