May 11, 2012

Researchers say that in a car crash, there are three collisions actually occurring. First, there is the vehicle hitting an object, then comes the collision between occupants of the vehicle and the vehicle itself. Finally, the worst impact is the occupant’s internal organs being impacted inside the body.

Take, for instance, the case of an accident Sunday that left one Utah woman dead and several others injured. According to an article from KSL News, the crash happened around 2:00 p.m. along US 189, just outside the town of Wallsburg, Utah. The State Highway Patrol stated that the driver of a Nissan Altima, carrying three other passengers, was heading south along the highway when she veered across the median of the road and collided head-on with a Subaru.

All seven individuals who were involved in the accident were taken to several local hospitals to receive treatment for a wide range of injuries. The driver of the Altima died later at the hospital and another passenger in her vehicle remains in critical condition as well. All other victims were treated and released.

Utah Car Accidents are to blame for thousands of deaths per year in the state. That is why the Utah Personal Injury Lawyers with Robert DeBry and Associates suggest always buckling up first thing when you get in a vehicle. This simple step will significantly increase your chances of survival in a crash.

May 4, 2012

The family of a sheriff’s deputy from Salt Lake City, Utah, who was killed in the line of duty has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state and those responsible for his death. According to KSL News, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department sergeant lost his life in an accident that occurred on April 29 2010 on the Fish Creek Bridge.

Reports indicate that the deputy was investigating a single-vehicle collision when the driver of a separate vehicle heading west along the interstate veered off the road and struck him. The impact sent the man sailing over a guardrail on the bridge, causing him to fall 250 feet to his death. The driver later pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in the case.

The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in the 3rd District Court, claims that the owner and driver of the vehicle responsible for the accident “negligently maintained and operated the vehicle” that evening. The lawsuit also alleges that the state was negligent in its maintenance of the bridge where the accident occurred. The family is seeking an estimated $300,000 in damages for “the permanent destruction of their family unit.”

A Salt Lake City Wrongful Death case is always devastating to the family. That is why the Utah Personal Injury Lawyers with Robert DeBry and Associates would like to send their thoughts and condolences to the family of the deputy who tragically died.

April 27, 2012

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that while the death rate among teens and young people is dropping, the agency has noted a trend in the increased numbers of poisoning and drug overdose deaths among individuals in this age group. The CDC added that drugs and chemicals commonly found in household medicine cabinet caused most of these deaths.

A disturbing and dangerous new trend among teenagers is drinking hand sanitizer. According to KSL News, kids are drinking it because it contains alcohol.

An online search yields dozens of videos that show how to distill the hand sanitizer to a liquid using salt. The result is an alcoholic beverage that is 65 percent alcohol. This means that the drink created is around 130 proof, making it potentially stronger than vodka.

Dr. Calvin Lowe, a physician at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, says he has treated 16 cases in the last few months of teens who have consumed the concoction. He added, “A person who has never had alcohol before can get drunk instantaneously. It is very, very dangerous.”

The Utah Car Accident Lawyers with Robert DeBry and Associates know that this trend could lead to an increase in the number of teen accidents caused by drunk driving. That’s why they suggest parents have an open and honest conversation with their teens about the dangers of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.

April 20, 2012

Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that most fatal bicycle accidents were the result of traumatic head injuries. Further research from these findings concluded that riders who wear helmets were much less likely to suffer injuries or be killed in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle.

They found that 97 percent of cyclists who were killed over the period of one year were not wearing helmets at the time of their accident. Only 13 percent of cyclists involved in accidents who were wearing helmets suffered injuries. The rate was even lower—three percent—for those who died.

A 79-year-old man was saved recently because of his helmet in Provo, Utah. KSL News says that the man was riding his bike down a steep grade on Foothill Drive at 8:00 p.m. when he suddenly picked up too much speed. He lost control of the bike and tumbled to the asphalt where he was knocked unconscious.

He remained unconscious until arriving at the emergency center of the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for what witnesses described as a large “goose egg” on his head. He remains in hospital care today.

The Utah Personal Injury Lawyers with Robert DeBry and Associates would like to remind all cyclists to always wear a helmet when riding. It is the only protection you have and may save your life.

April 13, 2012

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that one of the most common places where vehicle accidents occur is in parking lots—specifically, those surrounding schools.

An article from KSL News stated that a combination of excited children, parents being in a rush, and a lack of visibility are the reasons for the high number of injuries that occur in these locations. The findings have prompted one group of parents to fight back by making improvements to their children’s school parking lots.

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at Highland Park Elementary School knew they couldn’t make any physical changes to the layout of the parking lot at the school, so they looked at ways to improve its traffic flow. They have since implemented those changes to the flow of traffic through the lot by utilizing volunteers, teachers, and staff to enforce drop-off zones and no-parking areas. The principal is also onsite every day with a flag and a vest helping to direct traffic.

While the PTA was first met with resistance, parents are now beginning to appreciate the effort and join in.

The Utah Car Accident Attorneys with Robert DeBry and Associates can appreciate all the effort made by the teams of volunteers and staff to make this school safer for both children and motorists. The firm hopes that other schools also will implement similar programs to protect children.

March 30, 2012

After several pedestrians were hit by trains in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Board of Trustees with the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) announced earlier this week that UTA officers would be fining pedestrians who seem distracted on the train platforms.

According to KSL News, the new regulation defines distracted behavior as, “texting, talking on the phone, listening to headphones and not paying attention to your surroundings,” stated Gerry Carpenter, a UTA spokesperson. An offense is considered a class 3 violation, which is punishable by a $50 fine for a first offense and a $100 fine for each offense thereafter.

The rule was put into effect after two teens were killed after being hit by an oncoming train. Area residents raised questions after the accident as to whether or not there was enough warning signage at the intersection and if there was a blind spot at the location. Less than a week later, UTA began removing sound barriers along the tracks to improve vision at some intersections, including 3200 West where the accidents occurred.

Those who are charged with an offense can pay the fine, take a safety course for a reduced fine, or contest the charges in court.

The Utah Personal Injury Lawyers with Robert DeBry and Associates ask that pedestrians who use the local train system for transportation stay safe by eliminating distractions if you are walking in the vicinity of a train.

March 23, 2012

Alcohol is to blame for a series of hit-and-run crashes that left a 30-year-old Orem, Utah, man hospitalized. According to reports from the Idaho Press Tribune, the crash occurred Thursday afternoon on Law Street.

Reports from officers who responded to the scene say that the man was driving east along Boise Avenue in his pickup truck when he rear-ended a vehicle that was waiting to turn north onto Apple Street. Both drivers got out of their vehicles and began exchanging information when the driver of the pickup truck suddenly got back in his vehicle and began to speed away. He hit another vehicle carrying two people before running a red light at a nearby intersection and striking a Nissan Sentra. The driver then attempted to flee the scene of those crashes before colliding with a telephone pole.

The driver was taken into police custody and booked into the Ada County Jail on charges of misdemeanor DUI, as well as one felony count and two misdemeanor counts of leaving the scene of an accident after police discovered he had two previous DUI convictions in California.

The Salt Lake City Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers with Robert Debry and Associates all too often handle cases where drunk drivers have injured innocent motorists. That’s why they ask that we all do our part to contribute to the safety of Utah’s highways by not drinking and driving.

March 16, 2012

A man is in critical condition in the ICU of a Utah hospital after he was injured last Friday by a faulty brake system in his Land Rover SUV. According to reports from the Herald-Journal, the crash happened as the vehicle was coming out of Sardine Canyon, just outside Logan, Utah, that afternoon.

The driver of the Land Rover, who was on his way to propose to his girlfriend, called 911 and said that the brakes in his vehicle weren’t working and the accelerator was stuck. While the dispatcher tried to pinpoint the vehicle’s location, the phone call suddenly went quiet.

Troopers located the vehicle down an embankment next to the road. Trooper Cory Thomas said that it appeared the vehicle had swerved across the highway several times before striking a concrete barrier. Thomas believes the vehicle was traveling at roughly 80 mph when it rolled down an embankment 50 yards from the highway. The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle.

The victim was taken to Logan Regional Hospital in critical condition and with massive head injuries. He was later transferred by helicopter to Ogden McKay-Dee Hospital Center with several brain tears, bruised lungs, and a fractured skull

The Utah Auto Accident Attorneys with Robert Debry and Associates would like to wish this young man a speedy recovery and would also like to remind all motorists to always buckle up.

March 9, 2012

The parents of a 15-year-old Utah girl who was killed when the car she was riding in crashed into a giant storm-related sinkhole are suing the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) for the wrongful death of their daughter. According to reports from KSL News, documents filed on behalf of the suit in Salt Lake City’s 3^rd District Court Tuesday morning indicate that the family is seeking at least $1 million in damages.

The accident happened on July 13, 2011, along Route 35, after the girl’s father had driven her and a friend to Altamont. By the time they headed back down the highway, it was dark and they were unable to see the giant 20-feet deep and 30-feet wide sinkhole that had formed when the road had been washed away during an earlier storm. The vehicle crashed, killing the young girl; her father suffered only minor injuries and was treated and released from a local hospital.

The lawsuit alleges that UDOT was negligent by not posting warning signs of the imposing danger near the area. UDOT contends they had just checked the flooded culvert before a later storm washed out the road.

The Utah Wrongful Death Attorneys with Robert Debry and Associates would like to send their condolences to the parents and family of the girl who tragically died, and wish her parents the best of luck in holding the negligent parties accountable for this accident.

March 2, 2012

The father of a Salt Lake City, Utah, boy is suing his son’s school and the school district after the child was injured during a school activity. According to reports from KSL News, the lawsuit claims that the school district and its staff were negligent in the supervision of the children and the selection of the activity.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the 3rd District Court, says the accident happened on January 20 during a “sledding day” that the boy’s fourth-grade class had earned. The school allowed the children to slide down hills surrounding the school property after a light snow had fallen the night before.

While sledding, the boy lost control and hit his face on rocks, breaking his jaw and several teeth, which required surgical repair.

The lawsuit claims the Granite School District and its employees failed to properly supervise the children during the event and were also negligent in the selection of safe activities. The lawsuit also alleges that staff failed to provide adequate care for students.

The family of the boy is seeking compensation for court costs, medical expenses, and pain and suffering, as well as general relief.

The Utah Personal Injury Lawyers with Robert Debry and Associates urge parents to be aware of the activities your child participates in while at school. This will help to ensure they are not put in harm’s way by another person’s negligence.