Georgia Car and Truck Accident Lawyers

Driving Safely on Halloween Night

2009-10-28T14:11:00.005-04:00

According to Safe Kids USA, roughly twice as many children will be killed by cars while walking on Halloween night than any other day of the year. Drivers may easily become distracted by the entertaining parade of costumes going down the sidewalk. Here are the top five safety tips for drivers on Halloween from Safe Kids USA:

1. Slow down in residential neighborhoods and school zones. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are during 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
2. Be especially alert and take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
3. Slowly and carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
4. Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
5. Drive with your full headlights on so you can spot children from greater distances. Remember that costumes can limit children’s visibility and they may not be able to see your vehicle.

Speed is the number one factor in avoiding an accident with a pedestrian. So even though speed limits in residential areas are usually either 25 or 30 miles per hour, slow down this Saturday to be extra cautious. Children are excited to be out trick or treating and can be unpredictable and careless.

Have a safe and fun Halloween from the Studstill Firm, LLP!

$49 million Jury Award to Victim of 18-Wheeler Truck Collision

2009-09-24T16:26:00.003-04:00

A California jury this week awarded $49 million in damages to a man who was catastrophically injured in a trucking accident in California. The damages were awarded against the 2 truckers, whose big rigs collided when one truck crossed the center line and the other truck driver was talking on his cell phone, and the State of California.

As a Georgia trucking accident lawyer, I have seen all too often where tragic accidents such as this one rob an individual of a promising future. This is a young man who, 2 and 1/2 years ago, was about to finish college and start medical school. Now he is living in a full time neurological treatment center because of his severe brain injuries and head trauma.

You can read a copy of the article from the California newspaper here.

Video: Teens Texting While Driving

2009-09-01T19:24:00.006-04:00

I posted earlier on the topic of cell phone use while driving, but I wanted to post a video that bears on that topic. A small police department in England created a video Public Service Announcement (PSA) that can be a powerful tool for parents to show their teenage drivers.

It aired in a spot on the Today Show a few days ago. It is a dramatization, but it is fairly graphic and may be unsuitable for some people to see. It shows teen girls riding in a car with a teen driver who is texting on her cell phone and not paying attention to the road. In the crash, you see the devastation as the driver realizes that two of her friends are killed and a father in another car is killed. Unfortunately, this video is all too real and I see this scenario in my car accident law practice too often.

I wish that Georgia would be the next state to join 17 other states and the District of Columbia to crack down on cell phone use and texting while driving. Who knows when that might happen. For now, I think it is important for everyone who drives to see this PSA video and take it to heart.

The Studstill Firm, LLP helps victims of accidents obtain the full and fair compensation for their injuries after a car accident or truck crash. For a free consultation, please contact the Studstill Firm, LLP today. We have offices in Macon, Georgia (Bibb County) and Nashville, Georgia (Berrien County near Valdosta). If you can't come to us we will schedule a time to come see you.

Motorcycle Wrecks on the Rise in Georgia

2009-08-30T15:31:00.004-04:00

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of accidents involving motorcyclists has increased by 110% every year since 1998. This is the opposite finding for car accidents, which have decreased each year over the last decade. The Georgia Department of Transportation reported that there were 167 fatal bike wrecks in Georgia in 2008 alone.

In the month of August, there have been numerous accidents on Georgia's highways and interstates involving motorcyclists. In Tift County this past Friday night, a motorcyclist was killed on Highway 82 where it intersected with I-75 in Tifton. Just south of Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, a chain-reaction crash involving 6 motorcycles and 3 cars sent 8 people to the hospital with injuries. Apparently those motorcyclists had been to the National Bikers Roundup at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, a hugely popular biker event. That same Sunday, another motorcylist was killed on I-85 in Franklin County, Georgia. Four days later, another chain-reaction crash resulted in the death of one motorcyclist and injuries to 4 others when an SUV failed to yield while merging onto I-285.

When the weather is suitable for riding, motorcycles are truly everywhere on Georgia's highways and interstates. Heading into the fall season, a favored time for bike riders, we all need to be aware of who and what's around us on the road. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has published a Top 10 List with helpful information for all drivers to help ensure the safety of all who use the roads and highways in Georgia.

If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in a car accident or motorcycle crash, contact the lawyers at the Studstill Firm, LLP for a free consultation about your case.

Single Vehicle Accident Kills Driver

2009-08-14T15:13:00.007-04:00

In Georgia, we hear about single vehicle accidents involving a fatality all the time. Most commonly, a car, truck or tractor-trailer rig runs off of the highway or interstate and runs head-on into a tree, killing the driver and/or passengers of the vehicle. An accident like this happened just last week on Interstate-16 (I-16) in Laurens County, Georgia.

What most people don't realize is that these accidents should never have happened and those victims should never have been hurt or killed. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is supposed to keep a zone on either side of certain highways and interstates in the state of Georgia clear of trees and other debris. If those trees hadn't been there and the clear zone had been properly maintained by the GDOT, those victims might be alive and well today.

Injured victims and the families of individuals killed in these types of accidents need a skilled attorney to help them seek justice from those responsible for contributing to their injuries or their loved one's death. The attorneys at Studstill Firm, LLP in Macon, Georgia are dedicated to helping victims and their families get the compensation they deserve for someone else's wrongdoing. Contact an attorney at the Studstill Firm, LLP today for a free consultation. Our attorneys have experience representing parties in 18-wheeler accidents and car crashes with catastrophic personal injuries and families of victims in wrongful death suits. We are a family of attorneys here to help your family. You can call us at (478) 745-9002.

Cell Phones,Text Messages and Road Wrecks

2009-08-14T14:08:00.010-04:00

Last week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that he will convene a summit of experts to figure out what to do about driver cell phone use and texting. This has become a major source of wrecks involving not only cars, but also semi-trucks and trailers. These days everyone has a cell phone - teens to seniors. But it doesn't matter how long you have had your driver's license - texting and talking while driving make every driver on the road less safe.

"The public is sick and tired of people being distracted and causing accidents," LaHood told a news conference. "We all know texting while driving is dangerous and we are going to do something about it so that responsible drivers don't have to worry about it when they or a loved one get on the road."

In a report recently released by Car and Driver magazine, it was found that texting and driving is more dangerous than drunken driving.

Over the last 3 years, the number of texts sent has grown from nearly 10 billion messages a month in 2005 to more than 110 billion messages a month in 2008, according to CTIA, the cellular phone industry's trade group.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws making texting while driving illegal for all drivers - new and experienced alike. Unfortunately, Georgia does not have a state ban on texting or cell phone use while driving cars or an 18-wheelers and accidents continue to happen with tragic results.

The attorneys at the Studstill Firm, LLP in Macon, Georgia are committed to helping injured victims and their families get justice and compensation after an accident. Call an attorney at the Studstill Firm, LLP now at (478) 745-9002 for a free consultation.