Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Atlanta distracted driving accidents are a serious problem. When drivers aren’t 100 percent focused on the road before them, they could cause accidents to happen. These accidents can result in injury to passengers and innocent motorists in other vehicles, as well as injury to the driver who is distracted. When this type of accident happens, victims need to know what their rights are and what legal options they have. An attorney can provide help in understanding how to pursue an accident claim.

Because distracted driving can be very dangerous, drivers need to avoid distracting behaviors so they can reduce the chances of causing a crash. There are lots of different behaviors drivers do that can prevent them from being as focused on the road as they should be, and drivers should do their best to avoid all of the high-risk behaviors.

What are the Behaviors Causing Atlanta Distracted Driving Accidents?

Bad weather can be a major problem for truck drivers and trucking companies. Long-haul truckers have to drive through all different kinds of weather conditions as they cross the country. Rain, fog, sleet, hail, and snow are among the different weather problems that could necessitate a driver take a break from driving until the bad weather passes. These weather problems could also significantly increase the risk of auto accidents if a trucker tries to drive through the bad weather. Now, Fleet Owner is suggesting that better use of big weather data could help truckers to respond more effectively to adverse weather events.

If a truck driver causes a crash, regardless of the weather, the driver and sometimes his employer could potentially be held accountable to accident victims. Truck drivers and trucking companies are responsible for covering crash losses if the driver causes a crash by behaving in a negligent way. This can include driving in a manner that is unsafe for current road conditions, or driving when no reasonable driver would have due to the adverse weather.

An Atlanta truck accident lawyer can provide assistance in determining if a truck driver can be held responsible for a collision as a result of negligence. Contact an attorney following a crash so your lawyer can begin an investigation and gather proof to help you make a successful truck crash claim.

Riding a bicycle is a favorite childhood activity for many young people, but unfortunately, it is a very high-risk activity. In fact, CBS recently reported on troubling research published in a journal called Accident Analysis and Prevention that showed serious injuries among children on bikes are pervasive and send hundreds of kids to the ER each day.

Many bicycle accidents involving children occur because dangerous drivers fail to take basic precautions to keep young people safe. If your child is hurt in an accident with a negligent driver, you should contact an Atlanta bike accident lawyer for help as soon as possible. An attorney can assist you in pursuing a claim for compensation so you'll have the money you need to get your son or daughter medical help and maximize their quality of life after serious injuries.

Atlanta Bike Accidents Put Children at Grave Risk of Injury

After a motor vehicle collision, the insurer for the driver who caused the crash should be responsible for making crash victims whole. This means paying for property damage caused by the collision as well as paying for economic and non-financial damages the accident has caused. Unfortunately, many insurance companies are reluctant to pay what is due. This is true not just for big claims, but even when relatively small amounts of money are at stake.

Getting the money you need is important so you can get a new car, repair your vehicle, and respond appropriately to treat all injuries and losses. The more serious your injuries and the more extensive your damages, the more important it is for you to have an Atlanta car accident attorney to help you stand up to the insurance companies and fight for what you are due.

Car Insurers May Fight to Avoid Paying Out Fair Value of Atlanta Car Crash Claims

In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spearheaded efforts to get more than 7.4 million car seats recalled. The reason for the recall was a defective buckle that could cause the car seat to function improperly, putting children at risk.

An Atlanta car accident lawyer knows that car seats have a huge impact on whether a child will be hurt or killed in a collision or not. As many as 1/3 of all kids under the age of 13 who lose their lives in a motor vehicle accident are not properly secured using a car seat, booster seat or seat belt at the time of their deaths. Unfortunately, many parents try to secure their children but it turns out that a problem with the car seat (like a defective buckle) results in the child not having the necessary safety protection. The NHTSA is trying to help parents to avoid this problem with a new tool.

NHTSA Takes Steps to Help Prevent Child Fatalities in Vehicle Collisions

Car accidents can have a devastating impact. When an accident happens, the person who caused the crash should be held responsible. However, it is important to understand exactly what it means to hold someone responsible for a motor vehicle accident. A person who causes a collision could sometimes be criminally responsible and face charges. The driver who caused the crash could also face civil liability and be held responsible for the monetary damages an accident caused to occur. There are different rules for criminal and civil liability, and car accident victims should understand these essential differences.

An Atlanta car accident lawyer can provide assistance in pursuing a civil claim for damages. A civil claim gives victims the chance to take legal action and prove a defendant was responsible for causing a crash to happen. Contact Van Sant Law, LLC today to find out more about what an attorney can do to help you make your case if you are a crash victim or if your loved one was killed in an auto accident.

Civil vs. Criminal Cases After Auto Accidents in Atlanta

Driving under the influence of drugs causes around 18 percent of motor vehicle deaths in the United States. Driving under the influence of alcohol is also extremely dangerous, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving indicating that thee are more than 10,000 fatalities each year as a result of impaired motorists.

An Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyer should be consulted in situations when a driver is impaired by alcohol, cannabis (marijuana), or other prescription and non-prescription medications. Motorists who make the unsafe choice to operate a vehicle while impaired should be responsible for paying for all losses and damages incurred by innocent victims who are harmed as a result of the illegal and unsafe acts.

Now, recent evidence suggests that drivers who use cannabis and alcohol may have a greater chance of getting behind the wheel when impaired as compared with people who do not use both of these substances. Since marijuana use is becoming much more widely accepted throughout the United States as laws are relaxed and public opinion shifts, this new evidence is bad news when it comes to accident prevention.

In 2011, 277 people died in drunk driving accidents in Georgia. The Georgia Governors’ Office of Highway Safety reports 23 percent of deadly car crashes in the state occurred because of impaired driving. Nationwide, drunk driving causes as many as 10,000 deaths each year.

When a driver makes the dangerous choice to be impaired behind the wheel, an Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyer at Van Sant Law, LLC can provide legal assistance to the victims injured or killed by the impaired motorist. Even when victims are compensated for losses, unfortunately nothing can undo damage done when injuries are permanent or when death results from drunk driving. Prevention is always the goal and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced new technologies that could one day perhaps make drunk driving a thing of the past.

Can Technology End Atlanta Drunk Driving Accidents?

Three in ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol related car accident at some point in their lives. Over 40,000 people in the United States die each year from alcohol related car accidents and mishaps. Alcohol was a factor in 31 percent of car accidents in 2010. And of alcohol-related deaths, a full six percent of victims are under 21 years old. In car-related deaths for people 16 to 20, one-third are alcohol related.

Georgia Is Not Immune From DUI Accidents

Our Atlanta DUI accident lawyers appreciate that our area is not immune from these accidents. For example, this week in Douglas County, a young man was convicted for his role in a fatal car accident in February 2011 that took the life of a 16 year old girl, Cheyenne Sauls. Twenty two year old Dustin Willis bought beer for her and their friends that night. Foolishly the teenagers got behind the wheel after drinking. The driver, Jason Lark, lost control of the car and crashed, throwing Miss Sauls out of the SUV. After the crash, Mr. Willis fled the scene. Mr. Lark pled guilty last year. Mr. Willis was only a passenger in the crashed car, but was still charged with homicide in the first degree and serious injury by vehicle. Yesterday the judge sentenced him to 15 years, nine of which will be behind bars, after his attorney reached a plea agreement for the young man. Mr. Willis wept in front of the judge and apologized to the victim’s family, but none of that will undo what a night of stupidity has cost.

Our Atlanta Auto accident attorneys know that child injuries and fatalities are all too common in Georgia car accidents and in accidents across the country. These children are always innocent victims in these tragic accidents, and many of these injuries or fatalities are preventable with proper safety restraints and car seats for children. We cannot guarantee that there won't be negligent and reckless drivers on the road, but Georgians take action to make their own vehicles and families safer.

Properly Restraining Child Passengers

This is the subject of this week's Child Passenger Safety Week in Georgia, when the Governor's Office of Highway Safety will work with local organizations to teach adults how to properly restrain child passengers. Under Georgia law, all children under the age of eight must be restrained in the backseat of a vehicle in either a car seat or a booster seat. Local areas, such as Forsyth County and Bibb County, will be hosting events and free child safety seat inspections this week.