Zanes Law Phoenix accident lawyer discusses the major accident stories of 2017.
Each year, millions of Americans are involved in auto accidents, but few of these crashes make national news. With 2017 in our collective rear view mirror, as a Phoenix auto accident lawyer I think that it is important to reflect and glean some important safety tips from the most high-profile auto accidents. This will help us have a safer 2018.
#1: Texas, March 2017—Texting While Driving Kills 13
In a small town near Concan, Texas, about an hour west of San Antonio, a 20-year-old driver crossed the center line and struck a church bus head-on. The accident tragically resulted in 13 fatalities. As reported by USA Today, one witness reported that he spoke to the young driver just after the accident, and the driver admitted texting was a contributing factor.
This senseless loss of life illustrates the immense potential for harm that can come from distracted driving. You may be tempted to text, tweet or browse the web while behind the wheel, but doing so—even for just a second—can lead to disaster.
#2: Florida, June 2017—Tennis Superstar Venus Williams at Fault in Fatal Car Accident
Not all fatal crashes involve high speeds.
While crossing an intersection at around 5 miles per hour, Venus Williams was broadsided by another vehicle. According to the New York Times, witnesses reported that Williams had run a red light in her large SUV, as the other driver’s smaller car entered the intersection, striking Williams’s vehicle and causing fatal injuries to the car’s elderly passenger.
It’s important to yield the right of way and ensure an intersection is clear before you begin to cross. It’s better to be cut off by another driver and lose a second or two of time than to aggressively maneuver into an intersection and risk a collision.
#3: California, October 2017—Couple Who Survived Vegas Shooting Killed in Car Crash
ABC News reported
that a married couple who survived the Las Vegas massacre was tragically killed just two weeks later in a single-car accident. This accident took place at the entrance of the couple’s gated community. The vehicle left the road without braking, struck one of the gated community’s cinder-block pillars, ruptured its gas tank, rolled over, and burst into flames.
With the vast majority of car accidents taking place within 25 miles of home, it can pay to be extra vigilant, even when your destination is in sight.
#4: Pennsylvania, December 2017—Christmas Eve DUI Car Crash Sends 9-Year-Old Flying 30 Feet
On Christmas Eve, Lashelle Gibson was booked on suspicion of DUI after causing an accident that, in a true Christmas miracle, didn’t result in any serious injuries.
The allegedly intoxicated Gibson had her two children—an eight year-old and nine year-old sons— sitting unrestrained in the rear cargo area of her SUV. When Gibson tried to pass another car, she struck a center barrier and the car spun out of control. Her 9-year-old son flew out of the car—30 feet—to land under a guardrail. Meanwhile, her other son flew backward and hit the vehicle’s rear window.
This accident involved a perfect storm of poor decisions: drinking and driving; driving children without proper restraints; allowing children to ride in the cargo area of a vehicle, and attempting to pass on a highway shoulder. Any of these factors alone could have led to a far more disastrous outcome.
Drivers may create dangerous conditions on the road for you and other drivers. As a Phoenix auto accident lawyer I see people who’s lives are changed each day because of the poor driving decisions that people make. To learn more about what to do after a car accident click here. If you become the victim of this behavior and need a lawyer’s assistance, contact Zanes Law.
