Abels & Annes, P.C. Personal Injury Blog

If you do not like to drive your own car or do not own a vehicle yourself, you are fortunate enough to have options around you for public transit. City buses run many of the streets in Maricopa County and the light rail provides convenient rides in and around Phoenix. Now, those who rely upon public transit and those who use it on an occasional basis may find things a little more convenient as the newest stretch of the light rail opened on Saturday, lengthening the service area and providing greater access to many. After more than three years of construction, the light rail line along 19th Avenue opened Saturday and will provide service to a 3.2 mile area between Montebello Avenue and Dunlap Avenue. Officials believe that approximately 5,000 additional rides will be taken every day on the light rail due to the expansion and that many businesses, schools, and community centers will be accessible because of the line. Saturday’s activities included a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:00 a.m. before rides began officially at 10:00 a.m. Many who live in the area are happy that they not only have the ability to use the light rail but that the addition of three new stations would bring in others to their communities, supporting their businesses and helping the area thrive.

How do your kids get to school? Do they walk, ride their bicycles, or take a scooter? Do you drive them in your personal car or in a neighborhood carpool? Or do they take a school bus or another designated school transportation vehicle? You may be surprised to realize that regardless of their personal means of transit, your children are at risk for being involved in a school bus accident – even if they never set foot on a school bus. The kids who live in the greater Phoenix area face safety threats daily as part of their normal lives. And the fact is that a large number of school bus collisions that take place involve only one school bus and either another vehicle, a bicyclist, or a pedestrian. This places anyone near a bus at risk for a crash, and as children often spend a lot of time in and around schools where buses tend to be located, they bear a greater risk than a typical adult.

In recent years, many reports have been made in an around Maricopa County about physically disabled individuals who have been hurt, or even killed, in traffic accidents. Often, these victims are traveling on sidewalks, crossing in crosswalks, or moving through a parking lot as they attempt to move about their days, operating in a manner which should leave them safe. Some instances have involved drivers who were distracted or who failed to notice victims before a crash took place; others involved victims who crossed against traffic or who made a mistake in judgment. This week, another tragic incident came to light involving a woman in a wheelchair who was hit and killed by driver in Glendale. This most recent incident has brought the safety of disabled adults to the forefront of public discussions and has led some to wonder whether more can be done to ensure our roads remain accessible to all.

There are countless good things about living in the Phoenix area. There is always something going on and no matter what your interests, you can find something to enjoy year-round here in Maricopa County. This weekend was a good example of that as the third annual Viva PHX festival brought approximately 10,000 people to downtown Phoenix to enjoy a series of concerts. This year, 70 artists took to 17 different stages to perform, giving the festivalgoers a wide range of musical styles and genres to pick from as they walked about Viva PHX. Several streets in the area were closed so that people could walk the streets to get from one portion of the fest to others. Stages themselves were erected in the streets and the crowds were able to stand close, getting a good feel for the bands, the music, and the overall experience.

Yesterday, many people driving in North Tempe were affected by a collision between a bus and a motorcycle. The crash happened on McClintock Road near the 202 and led to the closure of McClintock for more than six hours, an inconvenience for many who were trying to get around nearby. But the fallout from the collision was much greater than the hassle it caused other drivers as it has been reported that the motorcyclist involved suffered serious injuries and needed immediate medical help, a reminder of how quickly life can change for those who ride in the Phoenix area. This accident, like many involving bikers, has reignited questions in the minds of some about what rights motorcyclists possess and what options they have if they are involved in a motorcycle accident.

At times, it seems like a certain type of accident keeps happening over and over again in the Phoenix area, making headlines and causing citizens to ask themselves why tragedies continue to take place. Recently, there have been a number of pedestrian collisions with hit-and-run automobile drivers in Maricopa County and several of them have caused serious harm. At least one has proven to be fatal. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to understand why drivers flee the scene after colliding with a pedestrian. In some instances, the driver simply fears any fallout that may happen due to the collision and determines that avoiding any contact with the police or the victim may be the best option to avoid problems. In other cases, a driver may realize she is responsible and therefore will flee to hide her identity, especially if other factors are in play like a driver who is drunk or high. And in some other situations, a driver may not realize that he collided with a person, instead thinking that he hit debris or some other object, leading that driver to flee but possibly not with the intention of leaving an injured victim behind.

By now, temperatures are regularly in the upper 80s in Phoenix, and on Friday, the weather forecast calls for 90 degrees. The reality is that warm weather is already present in the Valley by March of most years, leading thousands to start thinking about ways to cool off before things get too hot. Taking a dip in a swimming pool is one way that always promises relief but, unfortunately, does not always promise safety as dozens are injured and several are killed in swimming pool accidents and drownings in Arizona annually. Swimming is a year-round activity in many parts of Maricopa County but the prevalence of swimming spikes dramatically as the summer months descend. With a very high ratio of private pools to the general population, as well as countless public pools dotting the area, almost anyone can access the water if they desire to do so. If you plan to swim at some point this summer or if your children will be around water, the legal team at Abels & Annes, P.C. encourages you to put safety first by considering these following tips:

If you choose to ride a motorcycle in the Phoenix area, you are also faced with additional decisions. When, where, and how you should ride are among those choices that motorcyclists must make, but one of the most basic questions that crosses every rider’s path is whether to wear a helmet. Experts strongly advise all motorcyclists to wear helmets each and every time they ride. By wearing a helmet, bikers will significantly reduce their risks of head and brain injuries and will even reduce their risks of death in the event that a motorcycle accident occurs. If you have made the decision to wear a helmet, know that you are on the right track towards ensuring your own safety but that if you pick the wrong helmet, you will not do yourself any favors. Recent years have seen an increase in the production, marketing, and purchasing of so-called “novelty helmets,” a type of helmet designed to look good but not designed to meet the optimal safety standards. Even among bikers, many of these helmets are known to be useless when it comes to protecting a head to the point that some are commonly referred to as “brain buckets,” a phrase that indicates a lack of safety, a lack of a face shield, and overall a helmet that may look good but that does not provide much, if any, protection.

In the last year, hoverboards have made a big splash among American consumers. They were one of the hottest gifts over the holiday season and they have become internet sensations thanks to videos posted by several celebrities as they road hoverboards. But with all the fanfare has also come concerns about the functionality and safety of these devices which have been particularly population among children and teenagers. Reports from 24 states have been sent to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) alleging 52 hoverboard-related fires that caused an estimated $2 million in property damages between December 1, 2015 and February 17, 2016. In those incidents, two homes and one car were destroyed. The causes of these fires have not been determined definitively but the CPSC suspects that lithium-ion batteries may be playing a part. To that end, the CPSC has promulgated new voluntary safety regulations related to these hoverboards, often called self-balancing scooters, and has sent the new standards to several major manufacturers. In the interim, CPSC continues to test various models and analyzes these products to determine what risks they pose to consumers as well as what can be done to reduce, if not eliminate that risk.

Certain behaviors behind the wheel are widely understood to be so dangerous as to make them unacceptable. Among them are driving while drunk and driving under the influence of illegal drugs, both of which are known to impair a motorist’s ability to make decisions and to operate a car in a safe, reasonable manner. Studies show that many other activities are as dangerous – and sometimes more so – than driving while drunk but these get much less attention and much less press coverage. Among threatening behaviors, it is becoming clear that drowsy driving or driving while tired is plaguing the nation as Americans continue to overextend themselves on a regular basis. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 83,000 car accidents took place each year between 2005 and 2009 because of tired drivers, and the National Sleep Foundation estimates an annual cost of 100,000 traffic crashes. Even more startling, the American Automobile Association believes that 300,000 collisions and 6,400 deaths are the fault of drowsy driving, a stunning toll when compared to the overall population of our country.