Posted on June 15, 2021 in Personal Injury

An early estimate report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the number of traffic accident-related deaths in 2020 rose by around 7.2% from 2019. Automobile accidents are hardly uncommon, contributing to the vast amount of unintentional injuries that take place each year (labeled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a leading cause of death among Americans).

If you are on vacation you may be at a higher risk of becoming involved in a wreck simply because you are traveling a longer distance. If you do find yourself in a car accident, there are certain things you need to do.

1. Seek immediate medical attention

It is easy to underestimate the severity of your injuries, particularly if they are not visible or appear minor. However, internal complications and severe wounds that do not manifest symptoms until after a delay may be present. Head to the nearest emergency room for a checkup before continuing your fun to ensure they are not.

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 Posted on May 27, 2021 in Car Accidents

If you suffered injuries due to an accident at a red light, it may have been the fault of a red light runner. Reckless drivers frequently cause accidents at intersections.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a 2019 survey exposed that while 86% of drivers recognize the dangers of speeding through a red light, about 31% reported doing it in the past 30 days.

Who are red light runners?

Red light running includes any time that a vehicle enters an intersection when the light turns red. This does not apply to those who happen to be in the intersection when the light changes. If the other driver fails to come to a stop before making a legal turn, this is also a violation.

As of 2019, younger male drivers tended to be the most likely to cause an intersection accident. Speeding, drinking and a history of drunk driving may all factor into those who have a higher likelihood of crashing into your motor vehicle.

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 Posted on May 24, 2021 in Premises Liability

In Connecticut, some people are lucky enough to have indoor pools. However, if you have an outdoor facility, then pool safety is not a year-round concern for you.

However, it is important to keep all of your property safe for any guests you might have. This is true any time of year — especially when you are starting to get your pool ready for the summer.

Preventing poolside tragedies

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a few great tips to keep everyone safe around the pool, reducing the risk of preventable injury or death. Here are a few of them:

• Keep an eye on kids in the water
• Learn CPR, or make sure somebody knows it
• Practice good drain safety with appropriate covers and education
• Confirm people know how to swim before they get in the pool
• Consider installing barriers, covers and alarm systems

In short, your ability to keep people safe around the pool depends on a combination of education and safety equipment. Remember that it is more than just a recreational area. It is also a potential hazard that you, as an owner, have a duty to keep reasonably safe. You might want to check the condition of your drains, covers, barriers and alarm system before that first pool party.

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 Posted on May 18, 2021 in Car Accidents

Distracted driving, where motorists do not devote sufficient attention to the driving task, has become a major and deadly problem in recent years. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates more than 26,000 individuals died on U.S. roadways between 2012 and 2019 because of distracted driving.

Thanks to educational campaigns from federal, state and local governments, virtually everyone knows it is unsafe to send a text message while driving a car. Distracted driving, though, is not only about using a smartphone behind the wheel.

Manual distractions

Manual distractions include anything that takes a driver’s hands away from the steering wheel or his or her feet away from the pedals. Here are some common manual distractions:

• Changing the radio station
• Sitting cross-legged
• Eating fast food

Auditory distractions

When drivers hit the road, it is important to listen to environmental sounds. After all, motorists should hear approaching emergency vehicles, screeching car tires and even mechanical noises. The following auditory distractions may make doing so impossible:

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 Posted on May 10, 2021 in Bicycle Accidents

Cyclists know that bicycle riders often face an elevated risk when on the road. Your vehicle of choice is much smaller than any passenger car, and it offers you very little protection if you get hit. Personal protective gear like helmets and padding only goes so far, too.

Thus, it is crucial to implement as many safety tips as possible to keep yourself from harm. Of course, you must also know which tips will provide you with the most benefit.

What to do before you set off

The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration goes into detail about the importance of bicycle safety. Many of the details are likely familiar, and you may have learned them from bicycle safety courses at a younger age. They include things like:

• Always wearing a helmet
• Check your equipment before riding
• Ensure that your bicycle is properly fit to your riding height
• Try to avoid riding at night

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 Posted on May 04, 2021 in Personal Injury

SUVs continue to grow in popularity across Connecticut and the nation. Yet, research shows that these larger, heavier vehicles pose a serious threat to pedestrians. A recent study found that pedestrians are much more likely to suffer a fatality when struck by an SUV, as opposed to a traditional passenger car.

Per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the number of lives lost on U.S. roadways fell between 1980 and 2018. However, the number of pedestrian lives lost in incidents involving SUVs climbed steadily upward during this span.

Pedestrian death statistics

Pedestrian deaths have become so frequent that they now account for a fifth of all traffic deaths. The number of pedestrians killed in car crashes increased 53% between 2009 and 2018. During this same period, the number of American motorists driving SUVs rose 8%, suggesting a connection between the two.

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 Posted on April 27, 2021 in Personal Injury

Bicycles are a great way to get some exercise while using an eco-friendly transportation method, and people sometimes think it is a safer alternative to driving. Nevertheless, getting on a bike is bound to involve some risk of an accident.

You cannot always count on people to drive safely. Furthermore, some hazards are easy to forget about while you are riding. Even if you are an experienced cyclist, remain vigilant about bicycle safety.

Be careful when crossing parking lot entrances

Crossing the entrance of a parking lot can be just as dangerous as crossing an intersection. People turning out of a parking lot may not keep an eye out for bicycles, particularly if they are turning in the opposite direction that you are going. Drivers who are only watching for other vehicles are not likely to register the presence of a bicycle.

Remember that you may not hear every car coming your way

Bicycles generally do not have the benefit of a rearview mirror, so cyclists sometimes have to rely on their auditory senses to become aware of cars approaching them from behind. Many electric vehicles emit little or no sound, and their growing popularity could lead to an increase in motor vehicle accidents involving bicycles.

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 Posted on March 15, 2021 in Car Accidents

One of the leading causes of auto accidents in the last decade has been distracted driving. In fact, in 2019, 3,142 people were killed in distracted driving accidents in the United States. And each year, about 400,000 people suffer injuries in a distracted driving crash – and often they are pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists hit by a distracted driver.

The dangers of distracted driving

Distracted driving is dangerous because when motorists drive while distracted, they aren’t paying attention to the road and traffic around them. The longer a driver is distracted, the higher likelihood of a serious accident occurring. If a driver doesn’t notice the car in front them stops suddenly, they may not brake at all to avoid a crash. Instead, the distracted driver could hit another car at full force.

One reason some states, such as Connecticut, have banned drivers from having a phone in their hand is that cell phone use often encompasses all forms of distracted driving:

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 Posted on March 13, 2021 in Premises Liability

Spinal cord injuries may happen in a high-speed car accident, but may also be the result of negligence on-premises or at work. Unfortunately, medical science has yet to devise a true cure for SCIs and so if you find yourself the victim of one, it may mean a long road of rehabilitation and high medical costs.

In the case of negligence though, the possibility of compensation for your pain and suffering is still in the cards. Knowing what costs to expect may help you build a better case.

Average costs depend on the severity of SCIs

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, the average first-year cost of your SCI may range between $375,000 and $1.1 million. It all depends on how severe the injury is. Motor functional damage at any level throws real hurdles for you during recovery and may impact your job prospects for the rest of your life.

Lower injuries may still be drastic and give you paraplegia—the partial or full paralysis of your lower half. Catastrophic injuries higher up on the spinal column may give you tetraplegia—similar levels of paralysis but through your whole body. High tetraplegia, or injuries to the C1-C4 vertebrae, pose the greatest risk and highest costs of surgery and recovery.

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 Posted on March 11, 2021 in Car Accidents

Even though child car seats can be expensive, placing your child in one is the best way to protect him or her from injury in a car accident. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that using a height- and weight-appropriate car seat reduces injury risk by as much as 82%.

If you have a collision when your child is in the car, you may wonder if it is safe to continue to use the car seat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is only acceptable to use car seats that have been through minor collisions. Accordingly, you should replace the seat after moderate or severe ones.

Was your accident moderate or severe?

The terms, "minor," "moderate" and "severe," may not mean much to you.

Fortunately, the NHTSA has a framework for determining if your crash was moderate or severe. If your accident has any of the following characteristics, you should replace your child’s car seat immediately:

• Someone suffered an injury in the crash.

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