Abels & Annes, P.C. Personal Injury Blog

A study compiled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission is revealing the dangers associated with inflatable amusements, like moon bounces, and the numbers are shocking the public. In 2013 alone, there were an estimated 17,377 injuries related to these attractions in the United States that caused those who were hurt to seek emergency medical treatment. It is likely that an even higher number of children were harmed on inflatables but suffered minor injuries that could wait some time before treatment. At a minimum, it appears than an average of 47 people were treated every day that year in hospitals or other critical care settings due to the harm that they suffered in an inflatable. The 2013 year saw more than three times as many serious injuries from inflatables as 2003 and this significant increase is a trend that continues today. More and more children and adults are injured annually and yet inflatables and bounce houses continue to be popular toys, leading some to question why the injuries are happening and why the inflatables keep getting used. There is some inherent risk associated with inflatable toys that may be difficult to avoid in their entirety. Often, children want to play on these inflatables together but the presence of more than one individual can mean that collisions among them will happen, potentially leading to harm. In other cases, though, an inflatable may be improperly used or designed and that may lead to harm. Failing to tie down an inflatable or otherwise secure it, failure to place the inflatable on level ground, placing an inflatable near a dangerous surface like concrete, using an inflatable that is in poor repair or condition, or failing to follow the safety precautions that come with the inflatable can all lead to injuries.

Drunk drivers are on the roads every day in Arizona, and unfortunately, they often cause car accidents that can lead to injuries among those involved. While a crash with a drunk driver can happen at any time, certain days of the week, hours of the day, and times of the year are more likely to see collisions than others. The next few weeks are more likely to see drunk driving accidents than most other times of the year. Across the country, many Americans will be celebrating holidays with those that they love, and a lot of those celebrations will involve alcohol. And if prior years are any indication, some of those individuals will take to the roads after drinking and will drive contrary to and in violation of Phoenix laws that ban impaired or drunk drivers from operating a car. These motorists will risk not only their own safety but the safety of others in their vehicles, drivers in other cars, and even pedestrians or bicyclists near their vehicles simply by choosing to drink and drive.

The population in Phoenix has exploded in recent decades and every age range has seen a significant expansion. With the new permanent residents, though, have also come the seasonal “snow birds,” older Americans who live in colder climates and want to spend the winters in Arizona. Other older adults do not want to stay here just for the winter but rather choose to retire in the Valley so that they can take advantage of all the area has to offer, from its weather to its restaurants to its economy. These older residents are not only contributing to the community as a whole but they are living every aspect of it, including those that require them to drive. As public transportation is not widely available in many areas and as Maricopa County is a sprawling area, most of these older individuals choose to drive around town. They may drive themselves or they may ride with a spouse, friend, or caregiver. What is clear is that these individuals are taking to the roadways in droves. If you are someone who drives in the area, what should you know about these older motorists to make sure you remain as safe as possible?

Right now, many vehicles on American roads are equipped with backup warning systems, a type of indicator that makes either an audible warning or a vibration when an object is sensed behind a car and the car is in reverse. Unlike a backup camera, there is no view of the obstruction broadcast to the driver’s attention; instead, sensors detect the presence of a hazard and alert a driver who should then investigate further. Backup warnings can be the difference between a close call and an accident as the reminder they issue can alert an otherwise distracted driver to the conditions behind her car. In other instances, a driver may be paying as much attention as possible while backing up but may be unable to see something in the blind spot behind a car. Or there are situations where a child may run into the path of a backing vehicle without a driver’s ability to see the child due to the height of a rear windshield and the relative height of the minor.

Countless parents across Maricopa County count on and rely upon school buses and their drivers to get their children to and from school every day. And those same parents should be able to rest assured, knowing that their kids’ safety is important and that the need for safe transit is both recognized and appreciate by individual school districts who operate the busing systems. Yet unfortunately, that is not always the case. School bus accidents happen every single year in Phoenix and often result in injuries to those young children on board. The worst part is that the kids who are hurt are innocent victims in these crashes – nothing that they did or failed to do contributed to the crash, and they often had no choice but to trust their safety to an operator of a bus.

It is common for Phoenix consumers to review safety ratings of a new car that they are thinking about purchasing. It is reasonable to wonder how their potential vehicle is likely to fare in the event of a car accident, and safety ratings, crash reports, and other factors can help in that regard. But far fewer drivers understand the ways in which crash ratings are derived or what they mean for the ability of the driver and potential passengers to withstand an impact. In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crafts ratings for new vehicles based on a barrage of testing designed to simulate real-world collisions, including head-on crashes and rear-end impacts. But not every type of common crash is represented at present, making the NHTSA consider new forms of impacts to incorporate into its ratings.

Recently, a collision between a fire truck and a passenger car made headlines in Phoenix after the accident caused injuries to three young children in the car. While the facts surrounding that incident remain unclear at this time, it has spurred a discussion about the laws in Arizona regarding the right-of way-and who has it when emergency vehicles are present. When an emergency vehicle is in the area, the rules regarding normal right-of-ways may be suspended so that emergency vehicles can proceed in any direction they need. This is governed by Arizona law and all motorists in the Phoenix area are legally obligated to follow the rules when a vehicle with lights and sirens activated is near. Generally, if any type of emergency vehicle, including a fire truck, ambulance, and police vehicle, drivers are required to immediately yield the right-of-way. Further, they must pull their vehicles as close as possible to the right hand side of a road and remain stopped in that location until after the emergency vehicle has passed them.

Most drivers like to think that they are in control of their own destiny while they are behind the wheel, taking comfort in the fact that their experiences driving will lead them to the correct decisions to avoid a collision and remain safe while traveling. Unfortunately, though, everyone makes mistakes and often those mistakes can turn into car accidents, some of which may be serious. Even if you manage to drive perfectly at all times in Maricopa County, the harsh reality is that you can still be involved in a collision. Though your personal conduct does have a lot to do with your safety, the actions of other motorists also play a role and can be the difference between an accident-free trip and one that is marred in tragedy. In fact, the average American driver will be involved in nearly three car crashes during her lifetime, and only a small number of people will avoid collisions in their entirety.

It may seem like the pace of life is increasing daily, forcing Americans to move faster or risk being left behind. Today’s adults are expected to be the best employees, best spouses, best parents, and best members of communities ever and those demands are causing some people to fit more and more into their daily routines. Whether that means waking up earlier, going to bed later, skipping a lunch break or missing out on a session at the gym, people who live in Phoenix must find some way to get everything done that needs to be accomplished. This pressure is so common that it is felt by millions across the country, not just here in the Valley of the Sun. And it is so common that others can understand a moment of weakness by someone who needs to check an email or make a call. But statistics continue to prove that engaging in those activities while driving can be a costly, and even deadly mistake and that it is never worth the risk. Distracted driving is an epidemic in the United States and in 2013 alone, an estimated 424,000 people were hurt in car accidents caused by distracted driving. Another 3,154 people lost their lives in similar accidents which averages out to 1,161 injuries and more than eight fatalities every single day of the year. The troubling fact remains that the incidences of distracted driving are on the rise every year as technological improvements continue to invade our lives, making our cell phones, tablets, and other devices a necessity and no longer a luxury. What’s more is that these statistics are based on reported incidents of distraction or cases where evidence of distracted driving existed with experts believing that many more crashes and injuries actually stem from distracted drivers.

Riding a bicycle in Maricopa County is a legal, efficient, and often fun means of transportation for riders of all ages. Yet despite the benefits of bicycling in the Phoenix area, many who drive cars or other vehicles continue to ignore the rights of cyclists, placing the safety of cyclists and even other motorists at risk by their actions. It is the duty of every driver to act in a safe and reasonable manner while behind the wheel but on a daily basis, there are drivers on the roadways who do not look for bicycles or otherwise act in a threatening manner when a bicycle is nearby. This increases the odds that a bicycle collision will occur and with any crash comes the very real possibility that someone will suffer harm as a result. In 2013, there were 1,679 bicyclists who were injured in traffic-related accidents in Arizona alone, a significant number that averages out to approximately 4.6 injuries every single day. Unfortunately, a large portion of those victims were in the greater Phoenix area at the time of their accident due to the Valley’s large population of riders, large number of motorists, and overall safety issues that permeate both types of transit. One type of collision that continues to rise in numbers is a bicycle dooring accident.