Category: Car Accidents

Phoenix Police believe that a fatal crash on Monday began with a road rage incident between two other vehicles but spilled over to involve another car, leaving an innocent passenger dead.

The incident occurred on the south side of Phoenix and had the drivers of an SUV and a Mazda tailing one another throughout the city. Police believe that there was some initial incident between the two drivers while they were on the road and the SUV began aggressively following the Mazda as a result.

As the drivers neared the intersection of Baseline and 27th Avenue, the Mazda made a quick turn in an attempt to escape the SUV. The SUV driver did not react in time and crashed into a third vehicle near the intersection. The third vehicle has been described as a passenger car and the impact caused the car to roll over with at least two people inside. A passenger inside the third car was killed in the crash.

Authorities state that the driver of the SUV was a woman and that she had three children in her vehicle at the time of the crash. After the accident, she stopped and waited for police to respond. The driver of the Mazda did not stop and police are still looking for him in relation to the road rage incident. Police have not said whether anyone has or will be charged for the incident or the resulting collision.

Commonly referred to simply as road rage, aggressive driving is a very dangerous activity that experts estimate contributes to nearly 50 percent of all accidents on American roads each year. It is hard to track the exact number because often, after a collision, drivers are less than truthful about the events leading to an accident, especially when it may show some fault on the part of the driver.

Simply put, aggressive driving is a series of unlawful or ill-advised moves while driving in traffic that may threaten the safety of those on the road. A more extreme version of aggressive driving can properly be labeled as road rage and is where one driver assaults another on the road with a car or other deadly weapon. Both aggressive driving and road rage are violations of Arizona law and road rage is a criminal offense that can lead to significant jail time, not to mention fines, legal fees, and other penalties.
Continue reading “Road Rage Crash Kills Innocent Woman in Phoenix”

A terrible car crash in Tucson on Sunday left two young men dead in the early morning hours. The crash occurred in the 5000 block of East River Road near North Craycroft Road around 2:30 a.m.

Police believe than an 18-year-old man driving a Corvette westbound on East River Road lost control of his car and crossed the center line. The Corvette entered the path of travel of an eastbound Honda Civic and caused a serious head-on collision.

Both cars reportedly spun after the impact and left the surface of the road. The 18-year-old driver of the Corvette was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. His 20-year-old passenger was trapped inside the car and also died in the crash.

There were at least two people in the Civic who were injured and were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Both Civic passengers suffered what authorities described as non-life threatening injuries and they are expected to survive.

Police are still investigating the crash but have determined that the driver of the Corvette was speeding. They are not yet sure if alcohol was also involved.

While any type of car accident can be serious and can result in injuries, head-on collisions are especially dangerous. Though not very common, these crashes result in a disproportionately large number of injuries and fatalities. In 2012, head-on collisions were responsible for 1.75 percent of all Arizona accidents but they caused 12.71 percent of all accident-related fatalities. With such disparity, head-on collisions must be seen as a serious threat to the safety of all Arizonians. These crashes often occur where traffic traveling in opposite directions share the same roadway without a median or other barrier separating the lanes of traffic as well as at intersections where one driver fails to yield to a traffic sign or signal.
Continue reading “2 Dead After Tucson Car Crash”

A 20-year-old man was killed after he apparently lost control of his vehicle in Yuma last Friday. His 19-year-old passenger survived but is critically injured. Though he was clinging to life, sheriff deputies said the passenger might not survive.

It appears that alcohol was a factor in the accident that caused the driver to strike a pole in Yuma. At only 20 years old, the driver was too young to legally consume or possess alcohol, meaning that he should have had no alcohol in his system. Despite his young age, authorities believe the driver had enough alcohol in his system to be under its influence at the time of the collision.

Arizona law presumes a driver is under the influence of alcohol if the driver’s blood alcohol content is 0.08 or greater. However a driver can be in violation of drunk driving laws if any amount of alcohol is present. What matters is whether the driver was influenced or affected by the alcohol in his or her system to the point that the driver’s ability to control a vehicle was negatively impacted.

A drunk driver is not only a hazard to himself but also to his passengers and others on the road, as this crash shows all too clearly. When another is injured by a drunk driver, the law provides that injured person a remedy through the use of a personal injury claim in civil court.

This type of claim allows a victim to recover for any damages suffered, including any medical bills the victim was forced to incur because of an accident. These claims can be brought against a drunk driver, a bar or tavern who served the drunk driver alcohol, or even another person who provided a minor with alcohol, depending on the facts of each case.

Since each case is unique and many of these cases are difficult, it is always a good idea to speak with a personal injury lawyer if you have been hurt through the actions of a drunk driver. With so many lawyers out there, it may be difficult to decide who you want to speak to, but the best thing to do is to speak with an attorney who regularly works on cases similar to yours.
Continue reading “Suspected DUI Accident Kills 1, Injures 1 in Yuma”

Scottsdale Police responded to a collision on Thursday that proved deadly before too long. Located near the intersection of Frank Lloyd Wright and East Raintree Drive, it appears that a driver running a red light caused a three car crash that claimed the life of another drivedr.

Police state that a Honda Ridgeline was driving eastbound on Frank Lloyd Wright, approaching the intersection with Raintree Drive. Eastbound traffic had a red light but the Honda driver did not slow or stop for the red. Instead, the driver entered the intersection and collided with a a Chevy pick up truck that was intending to turn left onto Raintree. The impact of the collision sent the pickup truck spinning and then it crashed into a Nissan.

Emergency crews responded to the scene of the crash shortly after impact. The driver of the Honda was uninjured and the driver of the Chevy suffered only minor injuries. The driver of the Nissan was not as lucky. The 57-year-old man suffered critical injuries and was transported to Scottsdale Health Care Osborn where he was later pronounced dead.

It does not appear that police have issued any citations at this point but they are expected to do so at some point. They have not released why the first driver ran the red light or what charges he may face.

The alleged at-fault driver in this case failed to obey a red light and failed to yield the right-of-way to opposing traffic. As a result, a collision occurred that resulted in the death of an innocent driver. When this happens, the at-fault driver may face traffic and even criminal charges, depending on the accident, but the driver may also be faced with a civil claim.

A civil claim allows an injured motorist to recover for any damages they sustained in an accident that was caused by another. The law provides for these actions to put the injured victims back in the position they were before the accident occurred. This means that a victim can bring a claim for any expenses they incur, including medical bills and lost wages, against a person, insurance company, or other entity.
Continue reading “Car Runs Red Light, Kills 1 in Scottsdale”

New details have emerged regarding a minivan crash on Monday that left a 6-year-old boy dead. It now appears that 25-year-old man who was a front seat passenger may face criminal charges as a result of his conduct that reportedly caused the collision.

It was around 11:00 p.m. on Monday night and the minivan was traveling westbound on the Loop 101 near Hayden Road. A woman was driving the minivan with three occupants: her 15-year-old son, her 6-year-old son, and a 25-year old family friend in the front seat. The mother said the front seat passenger was a family friend who had struggled with mental illness. The man became angry at the conversation in the van and grabbed the steering wheel, jerking it back and forth and causing the minivan to veer across the road. The woman was unable to maintain control of the van from the driver’s seat as it careened across the road and into a light pole.

The impact injured both of the boys in the back seat and unfortunately the 6-year-old died as a result of his injuries. It is not clear whether the mother or the male front seat passenger were hurt.. Local police continue to investigate the crash and have said they may press charges against the front seat passenger for his role in the accident.

It is tragic any time a child is killed but when the accident is due to the negligence of another, is seems even more disturbing. Though not all information about this accident is known, if it was indeed caused by the reckless conduct of an adult within the car, it was an unnecessary accident that caused a little boy to lose his life.

When a child is injured or killed, the damages spread beyond the child and affect an entire family. From medical bills to physical therapy, the costs associated with a child’s injuries can be significant and can be too much for many families to bear alone. This is why the law provides for a financial recovery in many accidents where a child is injured or killed.
Continue reading “Potential for Charges in Scottsdale Crash that Killed Child”

With his reporting, Michael Hastings caused waves in government big enough to take down General Stanley McChrystal in 2010. But at the young age of 33, his life was cut short when he died in a car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

The details of the car accident remain vague at this early hour but the focus has been on the life that was lost. Hastings was a well-known war correspondent who reported from Iraq and later wrote about his time there.

Hastings may be most famous for his 2010 Rolling Stone cover story about General McChrystal titled “The Runaway General.” The article negatively portrayed McChrystal as outside of the control of his superiors and unwilling to heed directions regarding the war in Afghanistan. The article contained comments from McChrystal that eventually led to his dismissal by President Obama and his removal from his position.

Hastings also chronicled other stories and was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone at the time of his death. He was also writing for BuzzFeed, a news website that featured the political reports of Hastings. By Wednesday morning, the site was full of tributes to Hastings from his colleagues as well as a memorial article recanting some of his greatest achievements.

He survived war in the Middle East and even the political scene in Washington, which is no easy task, just to lose his life in a car accident. Through this tragedy comes the sobering truth – that anyone can be a victim in a car accident and that anyone can lose their life behind the wheel.

Safety features in cars continue to advance every year but nationally we still experience a large number of vehicle-related crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 32,310 people died in car accidents in 2011 alone. Though this number may be staggering, it fails to consider all the lives affected by motor vehicle deaths. When someone is killed in a car, the victim’s family and friends may live but they also suffer from the accident through the loss of their loved one.
Continue reading “Famous Journalist Michael Hastings Killed in Car Accident”

Early Friday morning, the intersection of McQueen Road and Ray Road in Chandler saw a fatal collision between a truck and a minivan after one of the vehicles ran a red light.

Details are not yet clear as to who caused the crash but local police have confirmed that one of the drivers failed to stop at a red light and caused the collision by entering the intersection at the same time as the other driver. While they have not said which car is believed to be at-fault, police did say that the driver of the truck, who was also hauling a trailer, may have been impaired at the time of the collision.

The minivan had five passengers in addition to the driver while the truck had a driver and four passengers. Passengers from each vehicle were able to speak with police and said the other driver ran the red light. The driver of the truck was killed in the crash and it is not clear if anyone else was injured.

With no independent witnesses known, proving who was at-fault in this collision may prove difficult. In a “he said, she said” situation, police officers and investigators must try to determine fault from the evidence at the scene as well as their personal experience with other crashes. This can be a frustrating process for any victims injured in an accident.

While police are in charge of a criminal and traffic investigation, they do not work for a victim’s right for a civil recovery. That is what a personal injury attorney does through the use of a civil claim, or a claim or lawsuit for damages including any injuries and pain and suffering caused by a crash.

Arizona experiences thousands of accidents every year that are caused by one driver failing to yield the right-of-way to another. These failure to yield crashes may be caused by a distracted driver on a cell phone, an intoxicated driver or a driver under the influence of drugs, or even by a driver who is daydreaming and fails to pay attention to traffic for even a moment. Regardless of how this type of accident is caused, these crashes can be very dangerous because often the driver who fails to yield is traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of impact. Without slowing down, the force of the collision can be great and often results in injuries.
Continue reading “Deadly Crash in Chandler after Car Runs Red Light”

The Arizona Department of Public Safety reported that a deadly crash occurred between a van and a pickup truck in southern Arizona this morning. The collision occurred just outside of Douglas, a town near the Mexican border, on U.S. 191.

A van carrying seven migrant workers collided with a pickup truck for reasons that are not yet clear but it does not appear that either driver was impaired. Three of the individuals in the van as well as the driver of the pickup truck were killed as a result of the crash while four others were injured.

All of the injured were flown to a hospital in Tucson where their conditions are not yet known.

The collision occurred in an area where the highway is a two lane, undivided road in a relatively remote area. Unfortunately this is one of the most common settings for a head-on collision to take place because vehicles are traveling at a high rate of speed and there is nothing physically separating one direction of traffic from the other.

Head-on crashes account for a disproportionately large number of injuries and fatalities across the nation and in Arizona every year. One of the reasons they are so deadly is that head-on collisions often occur when one driver leaves the designated lane of traffic. Many times drivers do not anticipate this type of accident and therefore do not brake or brake very little, meaning that vehicles often impact at full or nearly full speed.

These collisions commonly result in broken bones, head and neck injuries, concussions, abrasions, shoulder injuries, and damage to internal organs making them a serious cause of pain and suffering for many victims. For those who survive, injuries may take weeks, months, or even years to heal and some people will never fully recover.
Continue reading “Head-On Crash in Arizona Leaves 4 Dead, 4 More Injured”

A 78-year-old woman thought she parked her car outside of a fabric store in Mesa this week, intending to get outside to shop, but instead she continued driving into the store front and crashed through the building. Four people, including one employee, were in the area of a cash register when the car barreled towards them and hit all of them around 10:30 a.m.All four people who were hit were injured and one of the victims, an 89-year-old woman, sustained life-threatening injuries and required surgery. It is not clear if that victim will survive.

The driver of the SUV appears to have jumped a curb separating parking from the store itself and entered the building near the area of the front doors. Instead of stopping immediately, the car continued to travel a significant distance within the store, knocking over shelves and causing a path of destruction.

The incident occurred on East Main Street and at this time, officials do not believe the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. It is not clear why the driver failed to place her car in park or why she continued to travel so far into the store itself before stopping.

Officials have not yet issued any citations to the driver pending an investigation but it is still possible that the driver will be cited. The violations may change if any of the victims do not survive their injuries but police officers have stated that they are not pursuing a criminal investigation in this matter, believing that no crime occurred.

Though police have stated that no crime occurred, that does not mean that the elderly driver is not at-fault for the injuries and the damage she caused. Besides criminal charges, the driver may face traffic violations or civil claims for the destruction she caused.
Continue reading “Elderly Driver Crashes into Store, Injures 4”

Google glasses will soon be hitting the market place. Some of you might be asking, what is Google Glass? The short answer would be glasses that are essentially a headmounted computer that allows you to do many functions hands-free with voice commands. You can use internet, take photos and video, get directions, send a message, obtain weather and flight information, and even use a Google+ hang out. The product won’t be cheap, around $1,500 and reportedly will be available as soon as the end of 2013.

That being said, even though the technology is not available yet, a politician in West Virginia has proposed legislation banning Google Glass while driving. A Republican named Gary Howell has proposed HB 3057 to make it against the law to use a “wearable computer with headmounted display” while operating a motor vehicle.

Howell has reportedly said that he likes the idea of Google Glass, but he also believes that the product will mainly be used by younger, less skilled drivers.He said that we are all aware of the many auto accidents caused by texting and driving, and that the legislator worked very hard to pass a no texting and driving law.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1uyQZNg2vE
 
Google Glass YouTube Video

It has not been reported what, if any safety research the legislator looked at before proposing the law. A spokesperson from Google responded that they have put a lot of thought into the design of Google Glass and that the product has a tremendous potential to improve safety on the roads and reduce the number of accidents.

The glasses are supposed to have many features to increase safety, such as spoken turn by turn instructions. You will be able to verbally inform Glass where you want to go and the navigation will begin. You can keep your eyes on the road, you don’t have to start looking at the navigation on your dashboard or on your cell phone. I personally use Google maps on my iPhone when navigating in my car. I can verbally request directions from the phone, but just like a dashboard unit, I do have to take my eyes off the road to look at the map. I also take my eyes off the road to pick up the phone.

As I sit here and write this article, I’m starting wonder if this West Virginia law, if passed, is going to end up allowing fatalities to occur that otherwise could have been prevented. Let’s be realistic, texting and driving is against the law in many states, but a high percentage of teenagers admit that they still text and drive. And, texting laws are very hard to enforce. With the new Google technology, the teenager could send the text without taking his or her eyes off the road, thereby reducing accidents and fatalities.

I hope that before law like this is passed in West Virginia and other states, the politicians take a good and long hard look at the research. As a car accident lawyer who often represents people who have been injured by distracted drivers, I would hope at some point soon this product will be tested for the safety issues and try to determine what would make our roads safer.
Continue reading “Will Arizona and other states prematurely outlaw the use of Google Glass while driving?”