Huntsville Personal Injury Lawyer - accident

Dangerously Distracted iPod Drivers

Frank Ward — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:14:02 GMT

For years now people have been discussing the dangers of drivers talking on cell phones. Some state and local governments now require drivers to use hand-free headsets. More recently the perils of text messaging while driving have been placed in the spotlight. The deaths of five teenagers in New York this summer in a crash caused by the teenage driver text messaging made national news. More recently, the tragic train crash north of Los Angeles, again thrust the dangers of texting back into the nation’s consciousness. Last month California banned texting while driving, joining Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington.

Cell phones, however, are not the only electronic devices being used by drivers. What about the dangers of drivers who use iPods or other handheld music players while operating their vehicles? Researchers at the Human Performance Lab at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have studied the effects of using an iPod while driving. They conducted a study of people driving in a simulator while using iPods. The drivers tested looked away from the road for an average of two seconds when interacting with their iPod. Two seconds may not seem like very long, but it is long enough to triple a driver’s crash risk.

Despite the danger, a brief Google search reveals a host of iPod car chargers and FM transmitters, which allow drivers to listen to their iPods over their car radios, are being marketed to consumers. Apple has given its blessing to these devices by selling them directly through its website. It is surprising that there has not been a public outcry against Apple and iPod accessory makers for their role in facilitating the dangerous use of iPods by drivers. Donald L. Fisher the author of the University of Massachusetts Amherst study has gone on the record stating, “It just seems unacceptable to me, yet they’re selling these holders for the iPod …. Nobody’s talking about this. People are at least talking about texting while driving.”

It is a good thing that this issue is finally getting some attention. New York is currently considering legislation banning iPods and other electronic devices for drivers under 18. Hopefully such legislation and further research will bring this issue to the forefront of the public’s attention.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Ward

Police Investigating Car Accident that Killed 3 Alabama Cheerleaders

Jenny Albano — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:31:09 GMT

Police are investigating the cause of a car accident that killed three Alabama high school cheerleaders and injured four in Friday night, November 30.

Sarah Casey, 16, Courtney Niceley, 17, and Whitney Bradford, 16, of Warrior, Ala., all died when the car they were in hit a tree and went over an embankment. The driver, Sarah Elizabeth Agee, 17, Brittany Lovejoy, 17, Ariel Nibblet, 17, and Alexandria Thomas, 16, were all injured, but thankfully survived the crash.

The Blount County coroner says that the girls were just goofing around, singing and laughing when the driver lost control of the vehicle. He doesn't think that the accident was caused by anything other than the driver was distracted. The teens attended Hayden High School and were returning home from a cheerleading clinic at the time of the crash.

The accident occurred on Alabama Highway 160 about 10 miles east of Hayden. The 2006 Chevrolet Malibu was traveling westbound at around 9:10 p.m. Thursday when it struck the tree and went over the embankment.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Federal Jury gives $3.1 Million in Ambulance Suit

Tedford Taylor — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:52:40 GMT

A Madison County federal jury awarded $3.1 million to the family of a woman who was killed in a collision with a speeding ambulance on October 13, 2005. The ambulance was transporting a patient from Fayetteville to Huntsville on a non-emergency basis. The family alleged in their lawsuit that the wrongful death was caused by the carelessness and negligence of the ambulance driver. Judge Lywood Smith presided. After five hours of deliberation, the jury returned the plaintiff's verdict.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tedford Taylor

Fatal Car-Truck Accident Shuts Down I-65

Tedford Taylor — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:52:01 GMT

As of 7:45 this morning, traffic was stopped on southbound I-65 in Cullman as a result of an early morning car accident that claimed the life of at least one person.

State troopers said the 2 a.m. accident involved a tractor trailer and a car between mile markers 304 and 308, which are the two exits into Cullman.
Southbound traffic is being diverted onto U.S. Troopers expect the southbound lanes to remain closed for several more hours.

This accident adds to a tragic last few days on Southbound 65. Three people were killed over Easter weekend in two separate car wrecks on the Alabama interstate.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tedford Taylor

Car Crash with a Tractor-Trailer Kills Three Men

Christina Cole — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:53:25 GMT

Three men were killed in a tragic car accident today when their car crossed a median and struck a tractor-trailer head-on in a collision on Alabama 20, in Limestone County, police said.

The car accident occurred on Wednesday around 5pm between the Mooresville and Greenbrier exits in Limestone County, Huntsville Police spokesperson said.

The driver of the car died on impact and two of the car passengers died at Huntsville Hospital. As of Thursday, the third passenger is listed in critical condition. The truck driver was uninjured in the accident.

Neither the driver nor the three passengers had proper ID, making it difficult for the Police to identify them.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Propane Truck and Train Collide Killing Driver

Christina Cole — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:06:55 GMT

Late Monday, firefighters were still attempting to control the fiery wreckage of a propane delivery truck that collided with a train on Monday in Morgan County.

An AmeriGass employee's wife said a company official told her that the body of her husband was found beneath the truck but rescue was not able to get to it. "He's dead, trapped beneath the truck," said his wife through tears. "They will not be able to get him until they can contain the gas."

Authorities had not confirmed that anyone was in the propane truck that was on fire when the trucking accident occurred. Firefighters were not able to get within 200 to 300 feet of the blaze. Over twenty-five fire departments had been called on to bring water to the site and to battle nearly 4 acres of forest fire that was started by the crash. Airspace was restricted around the scene for fear of explosion said the director of Morgan County Emergency Management Agency.

Alabama state troopers were also called to the scene. The trucking accident occurred when the propane truck was on Wilhite Road traveling west near Cullman County line. As the truck approached the crossing it left the road for some reason and collided with the train. The collision happened outside the crossing area. The crossing gates has lights though authorities aren't sure whether they were functioning correctly at the time of the accident.

The propane truck was pushed over 1000 feet southward before coming to rest on the tracks. The truck which delivers liquid propane to homes and businesses had an estimated 3,000 gallon capacity and was carrying approximately 2,000 gallons when the collision occurred.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole