Abels & Annes, P.C. Personal Injury Blog

The Arizona Republic is reporting that a car crash in Phoenix has led to the death of the teenager who was riding as a front seat passenger. The accident happened when a teenager driving on a permit hit a tree at 4100 W. Bethany Home Rd. around 4 AM on Sunday. The driver’s injuries were reportedly minor. The vehicle was moving eastbound when it crossed the center line and then crashed. Police do not yet know what caused the vehicle to lose control, however there was no indication of alcohol impairment. It is also being reported that the front seat passenger was not wearing a seatbelt, but the driver was belted. There was another passenger in the backseat of the car that was also not wearing a seatbelt. That passenger, age 17, sustained critical injuries, according to Fox news. The passenger that died in the accident was 18 years old and was a student at Phoenix Union High School District. Click here to read the story as reported by CBS news. According to ADOT, in the year 2008 alone a total of 258 passengers were killed, and 16,055 passengers were injured in Arizona motor vehicle accidents.

A new report by the Highway Loss Data Institute questions the effectiveness of banning motorists form text messaging while driving. In fact, the study found that the accident rate actually increased in three of four states examined where such bans exist. As we previously reported on our Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, Arizona is under increasing pressure to enact a distracted driving law but remains one of 20 states where texting and driving is legal. Advocates of the ban contend it would reduce the number of car accidents in Phoenix and throughout Arizona that result each year form distracted driving.The HLDI study looked at four states with the bans and four states without. It found three of the states that have bans in place actually witnessed an increased in the accident rate. “Texting bans haven’t reduced crashes at all … texting bans might even increase the risk of texting for drivers who continue to do so despite the laws,” says Adrian Lund, president of both HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. As the Washington Post reports, speeding laws have been in place for nearly 150 years, but speeders still speed. This study suggests texters may still text. “Clearly drivers did respond to the bans somehow, and what they might have been doing was moving their phones down and out of sight when they texted, in recognition that what they were doing was illegal,” Lund said. “This could exacerbate the risk of texting by taking drivers’ eyes further from the road and for a longer time.” Meanwhile, the popularity of texting continues to skyrocket, growing by 60 percent last year to 1.6 trillion text messages, compared to the 1 trillion messages sent in 2008. In my opinion, the argument set forth by HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety […]

A deadly Arizona auto accident has left two people dead and injured two others by a driver headed the wrong way on Interstate 10, according to the Arizona Republic. The accident happened early Saturday morning when the driver of a black Chevy Avalanche crashed head-on into a white Nissan Ultima around 4:45 AM. The collision occurred in an eastbound HOV lane between 24th and 32nd streets. Azfamily.com is reporting that the department of public safety started receiving phone calls immediately prior to the accident regarding the wrong way driver. The callers stated the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed. A DPS spokesman is stating they believe the driver of the Chevy was intoxicated at the time of the accident, but no specific facts as to evidence of impairment was disclosed. The at fault driver was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital. The 22-year-old driver of the Nissan died at the scene of the accident. Her passenger, age 24, passed away while in an ambulance on the way to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. The accident closed parts of Interstate 10 and Interstate 17 for period of time. It has not been reported yet if there are Phoenix injury lawyers involved in the case. In an accident like this, the families of the victims will have insurance policy limits claims against the at fault driver. Further, if there is evidence of intoxication, I would expect that significant criminal charges will be filed against the wrong way driver. In other accident news, ABC 15 is reporting that a Phoenix pedestrian accident has left a 17-year-old in critical condition. The accident happened on Monday night around 8 PM near Camelback Road and 28th St. The pedestrian, who is a Camelback high school student, was crossing a street to […]

An Arizona bicycle accident that occurred on Saturday in North Phoenix has resulted in four people being injured, according to ABC news. The injuries to the Phoenix bicyclist are reportedly critical. A representative the Phoenix Fire Department is stating that the accident occurred when a vehicle was traveling in an easterly direction on Bell Road around 8 PM. At that time a 49-year-old man on a motorized bicycle crossed in front of the vehicle at 21st St. and the car hit the bike. The bicycle rider ended up on the car’s windshield. The car carried the bike rider around hundred yards until the vehicle hit a short brick wall and the bicyclist was thrown off. The injured Phoenix bike rider was rushed by ambulance to Valley Hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Three occupants of the car, a 26-year-old woman and children ages 8 and 5, were also seriously injured and taken to John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The Phoenix Police Department is still investigating who was at fault, according to Fox news. However, as a Phoenix bike accident lawyer, I can tell you at first glance that the police will most likely put the bicyclist at fault. At the accident location, E. Bell Rd. has two eastbound and two westbound lanes, plus left turn lanes in each direction and no traffic signal. 21st Street is more of a side street that has a stop sign at E. Bell Rd. The bicyclist likely had a duty to yield to oncoming traffic when crossing Bell Road. That being said, until the final police report is in, you never know what it is going to say. For example, there could have been independent witnesses at the scene who tell a different story. Click […]

El jefe del transporte de La nación abrió el segundo anual Manejar Distraído Cumbre tomando teléfono celular y a fabricantes de carro a la tarea para empujar tecnologías que distraern el público sin un énfasis adecuado en la seguridad, el Poste de Washington informó. Nuestros abogados del accidente de Phoenix informan con frecuencia los peligros de manejar distraído y el papel que distracción de conductor juega en muchos accidentes de tráfico de Arizona. El Secretario del transporte Ray LaHood dijo la cantidad creciente de la tecnología de carro, incluyiendo acceso al Internet, debe centrarse en la seguridad. “Juntos, pongamos la seguridad antes de entretenimiento,” dijo el. Y llamaún para la posibilidad de poner etiquetas de advertencia en teléfonos celulares, en la misma forma que el alcohol y el consume de tabaco usan etiquetas de advertencia para informar a consumidores de los peligros. Los comentarios vienen como parte de un empujón mayor por el gobierno federal para combatir los peligros de manejar distraído, y especialmente el uso de teléfonos celulares y texto mientras atrás de la rueda. Los nuevos datos revelan que 5,500 automovilistas fueron matados y alrededor a de 500,000 resultaron heridos el año pasado en accidentes causados por manejar distraído. Sólo la conducción exceso de velocidad y manejar borracho son culpados para más muertes del tránsito cada año. El número de accidentes causados por manejar distraído ha aumentado realmente del 10 por ciento al 16 por ciento desde que 2005 — una subida que partidarios de seguridad culpan por lo menos en parte en la popularidad creciente de dispositivos de móvil y tecnologías de carro. Una inspección el año pasado por Seguro de State Farm encontró que el 62 por ciento de conductores confiesan hablar en su teléfono, 1 en 4 confiesan leer los mensajes de texto al manejar […]

The nation’s transportation chief opened up the second annual Distracted Driving Summit by taking cell phone and car makers to task for pushing distracting technologies off on the motoring public without an adequate emphasis on safety, the Washington Post reported. Our Phoenix accident lawyers frequently report the dangers of distracted driving and the role that driver distraction plays in many Arizona car accidents. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the increasing amount of in-car technology, including access to the Internet, must include a focus on safety. “Together, let’s put safety before entertainment,” he said. And he even called for the possibility of putting warning labels on cell phones, in much the same way as alcohol and tobacco use warning labels to inform consumers of the dangers. The comments come as part of a major push by the federal government to combat the dangers of distracted driving, and particularly the use of cell phones and text messaging while behind the wheel. New data shows that 5,500 motorists were killed and about 500,000 were injured last year in accidents caused by distracted driving. Only speeding and drunk driving are blamed for more traffic deaths each year. The number of accidents caused by distracted driving has actually increased from 10 percent to 16 percent since 2005 — a rise that safety advocates blame at least in part on the increasing popularity of mobile devices and in-car technologies. A survey last year by State Farm Insurance found that 62 percent of drivers admit to talking on their phone, 1 in 4 admit to reading text messages while driving and about 16 percent admit to sending them. Meanwhile, 37 percent said they would support a ban on cell phone use while driving and 77 percent said they would support a text messaging ban.

An Arizona motorcycle accident has resulted in the death of a rider in his 50s, according to CBS News. The motorcyclist was heading eastbound on Interstate 10 on the West side of Phoenix when he was involved in a collision with a pickup truck on Tuesday morning. A DPS spokesman said the Phoenix bike crash occurred around 9 AM at the 59th Avenue overpass. Several lanes of traffic were closed for several hours. The motorcyclist was wearing his helmet at the time of the collision. He was rushed by ambulance to a Phoenix hospital and passed away a short time later. The cause of the accident has not yet been reported. It has not been reported that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. Click here to read the story as reported by the Arizona Republic. According to ADOT, in the year 2008 alone there were 3,531 Arizona motorcycle crashes. Of those bike accidents, 3,004 people were injured and 140 were killed. Those numbers are slightly up from the year before, when in 2007 there were 3,464 Arizona motorcycle accidents that injured 2,929 and killed 135. Statistics for the year 2009 have not yet been released.

A bike accident in Phoenix has left the 33-year-old woman in critical condition, the Arizona Republic is reporting. The Arizona bike vs. SUV accident took place on September 19, 2010 near the intersection of N. Desert Willow Pkwy. and East Rancho Tierra Drive on the far North Side of Phoenix. The victim of the Phoenix bicycle accident reportedly has sustained “life-threatening brain bleeding”. The 44-year-old SUV driver the is believed to have been driving while intoxicated at the time of the crash. The Phoenix Police Department is handling the crash investigation. After the accident police arrested the driver and charged him with aggravated assault. They allege that the defendant appeared to be impaired and he further admitted to drinking 1 to 2 beers. Police state he hit the bicyclist with his Chevy SUV after failing to yield a stop sign. Police further say that the woman was within a marked bicycle lane at the time of the accident, and she also had functioning lights on the bike. The Arizona Republic states that information above is according to documents filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. It is not been reported if a Phoenix bike accident lawyer is involved in the case yet. At this point, there appears to be a very solid negligence case against the at fault SUV driver. In the year 2008 there were just under 2000 bicycle accidents in the State of Arizona. In those accidents, 19 bicyclists were killed and 1674 were injured, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Bicycle accident numbers for the year 2009 have not yet been released.

A golf cart accident in Prescott Arizona has seriously injured a two-year-old child, according to the Daily Courier. Two other relatives were hurt in the incident as well. The Arizona golf cart crash occurred when the child’s 62-year-old grandfather who was driving the cart loss control in the 1400 block of Lucky Draw Lane. His wife and three grandchildren were on board with them. The Prescott Valley Police Department is reporting that after he lost control the golf car flipped over. The boy was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital after the accident. While the injuries are serious, they are not believed to be life-threatening. The driver’s wife, age 61, and the two other grandchildren, both age 4, were taken to Yavapai Regional Medical Center West Campus. Their injuries were also non-life-threatening. There was reportedly some indication that the scene that there may have been a mechanical failure on the golf part. The police department is continuing their investigation, and it is believed that drugs and/or alcohol did not play a role in the accident. Click here to read about the accident at azcentral.com.

An Arizona car crash that occurred on Sunday afternoon has injured five people and has resulted in the death of one person. Azfamily.com is reporting it was a chain reaction accident that took place on Highland Avenue in the area of the exit ramp of route 51 around 1:30 PM. The cause of the accident is still being investigated, however speed is reportedly a factor in the collision. The Phoenix car accident may have started when an SUV flipped onto its roof. The female driving the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. There was also a three-year-old boy that was riding as a passenger. He was found in the backseat in critical condition by rescue workers. Paramedics had to cut him out of his car seat, and he was then rushed to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The boy is believed to be the son of the SUV driver. Another person involved in the accident had to be cut out of a gray Mercedes. Phoenix firefighters literally had to cut off the roof of the vehicle in the rescue. He was also in critical condition and was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Three others were injured in the collision. They were treated and released at the scene, and did not have to be hospitalized. The intersection was close for a period of time after the accident. The Phoenix Police Department is handling the crash investigation. Click here to read the story as reported by KTAR.com and ABC news.