Abels & Annes, P.C. Personal Injury Blog

A Grand Canyon car accident killed one man and seriously injured two others when their truck smashed into a tree on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, the Tucson Citizen reported. The fatality victim was taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. The two survivors were transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.Responding officers arrived at the accident scene near the intersection of Shuttle and Center roads, to find the pickup truck had smashed into a tree. The road was closed for more than three hours while the accident was investigated and the scene was cleared. The investigation is being handled by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the National Park Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. Grand Canyon accidents occur under many different circumstances. White water rafting expeditions down the Colorado River have proven among the deadliest activities, according to a 2001 book “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon.” At least 79 people have drown in the river. Sightseeing crashes are also a danger. Whether by airplane or helicopter, more than 240 people have been killed. More than 50 have died from falls and 65 from environmental factors, including heat stroke and heart attack. Tourist companies have an obligation to provide safe passage to customers. When they don’t and someone is injured or killed through negligence, a Phoenix injury lawyer should be consulted to ensure the victim has the experienced legal representation necessary to protect his or her rights. Of course not all victims die as the result of a company’s negligence. Each year, hikers who overestimate their fitness level wander off and become disoriented and dehydrated. Sometimes they are rescued, and sometimes they are not. Signs featuring buff hikers have been installed that read “Each year we rescue hundreds […]

There were several Phoenix area car crashes on Friday afternoon to start the busy holiday weekend, that according to a AZCentral.com. The car crashes occurred on the Loop 202 and Interstate 17. DPS officers responded to all three crashes. On northbound Interstate 17, there was a three vehicle accident with injuries. The driver of a white Toyota struck a van from behind. The van was carrying 15 people. A third car sustained damage in the accident as well. This caused a traffic backup and tow truck had to remove one of the vehicles from the scene. On the Loop 202 heading eastbound, the driver of a white vehicle rear-ended a maroon vehicle. The driver of the car that was rear-ended and a child passenger were injured. The auto accident blocked the right lane of traffic for a period of time. Finally, a motorcycle rider struck the truck from behind on Interstate 17. The motorcyclist was injured, however the severity is unknown at this time. DPS officers stated that slow traffic is common for this holiday weekend. It is a good idea for all drivers use extra caution when there are so many cars on the road. Also, avoid driving while distracted. That means no texting, and if you are going to use your cell phone, use a headset or Bluetooth. If you are injured in a vehicle accident over this busy holiday weekend, it is a good idea to consult with a Phoenix injury lawyer to make sure your rights are fully protected.

Comedian Robert Schimmel has died from injuries sustained in a Phoenix car crash on Friday night, according to the New York Daily News. He was 60 years old. The comedian was best known for his hilarious appearances on the Howard Stern show. At the time of the car accident, Schimmel was riding as a passenger with his 19-year-old daughter, who was driving. It is being reported that his daughter lost control after she tried to avoid a head-on collision and the car flipped over onto the side of the freeway. His daughter was injured, but she’s expected to make a full recovery. His 11-year-old son was also in the car and he was miraculously not injured. After the accident, Schimmel was rushed to an area hospital where he later died on Friday evening. Schimmel lived in Scottsdale Arizona. In addition to appearing on Howard Stern, he was also named one of Comedy Central’s 100 greatest comics, he had stand-up specials on Showtime and HBO, and he also published a memoir in 2008 called “Cancer on $5 a day” that told of his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Click here to read the story as reported by E! Online and by the Associated Press.

Lives could be saved if passengers were buckled up in the event of a Phoenix, Arizona bus accident, the Arizona Republic reported. The Department of Transportation has proposed the new rule requiring belts for all passengers on tour buses, contending that the measure could have saved the lives of Arizonians killed in a fatal bus rollover in Utah in 2008. If the charges go into effect, all new buses will have lap-and-shoulder belts within three years. However, the rules would not apply to the 29,000 buses already on the road; and the proposal falls short of some federal safety recommendations. As our Phoenix accident attorneys have reported on our Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, a number of high-profile Arizona bus accidents have authorities pushing for increased safety measures. On average, 750 million passengers travel on motor coaches each year — more than the total number of airline passengers. Sightseeing trips and cross-country tours are common. Few of these buses have seat belts and accidents can be catastrophic. The DOT reports nearly 200 passengers have been killed in the last decade, including 9 who were killed on a ski-trip bus that was en route back to the Valley in 2008. More than half of the deaths involve ejections — something safety advocates contend could be largely prevented with the use of seat belts. DOT claims the use of seat belts could reduce fatalities in rollover crashes by 77 percent. They use the 2008 crash as an example: The bus driver, who was wearing a seat belt, and one passenger remained on the bus. The other 52 passengers were ejected into the snow and darkness. Nine people were killed and 44 were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board said the driver was going too fast but also said the lack of safety features […]

Arizona authorities will join the U.S. Department of Transportation in the nationwide “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” crackdown scheduled to last through the Labor Day weekend. Drunk drivers are responsible for approximately one-third of Phoenix car accidents and serious and fatal car accidents elsewhere in Arizona. The Arizona Department of Transportation reports that 294 of the state’s 842 fatal accidents involved a drunk driver in 2008.Nationwide, nearly 12,000 people were killed by drunk drivers in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which reports that someone in the United States is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes. “Drunk driving is deadly, it’s against the law, and unfortunately, it’s still a problem,” said Secretary LaHood. “With the help of law enforcement around the country, we are going to continue doing all that we can to stop drunk driving and the needless tragedies that result from this reckless behavior.” The government reports that eight percent of all drivers — some 17 million motorists — have driven drunk at least once in the last year. About 1 in 5 have driven in the past year within two hours of consuming alcohol. Yet 80 percent of Americans identify drunk drivers as a major threat to the safety of their families. “Our message is loud and clear. If you drive drunk you will be arrested and prosecuted. There will be no exceptions and no excuses,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “And if you’re below the age of 21, there is zero tolerance for any alcohol in your system whatsoever. That’s why we’re out there with law enforcement, tackling this major safety issue head on.” The study found that young males ages 21 to 24 were at the highest risk — a full one-fourth had either driven after having too […]

At least 69 cars were involved in three separate Phoenix auto accidents near downtown on Saturday night, the Associated Press reported. Heavy rains are being cited as a possible reason for the collisions. Monsoons in the deserts around Phoenix can bring heavy downpours without warning; flooding commonly results. A Phoenix accident lawyer should always be consulted in the wake of a serious or fatal car accident. But particularly in cases where multiple vehicles and multiple victims are involved. Determining fault and filing a claim can both be complicated by the presence of multiple parties and multiple accident victims. Media reports indicate that six people were taken to area hospital, two with serious injuries. Several others were treated at the scene. A five-mile stretch of I-10 was closed for several hours. About 40 people involved in the crashes were still on the highway hours later. Authorities brought water, snacks and air conditioned city buses to the scene to keep people safe until they could make arrangements for a ride home. The USA Today reported that one collision involved more than 35 vehicles and spanned more than two miles of roadway. The speed on the road is 65 mph but fire officials believe many vehicles were traveling much slower because of the rain, which accounts for the lack of more serious injuries. The Phoenix fire department had about 100 firefighters on the scene. FOX News reported it was the largest Phoenix car accident on record. Authorities cited driving too fast for conditions and following too closely as contributing factors. At least half of the vehicles had to be towed from the crash scenes.

While Phoenix car accidents account for a large portion of the state’s serious and fatal traffic crashes, rural motorists could be at greater risk than they realize, according to a report published by USA Today. Nationwide, more than half of all fatal traffic accidents occur in rural areas, despite the fact that fewer than one-fourth of Americans live outside urban cities, according to a study by the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota.Part of the reason may be a false sense of security felt by rural drivers, which increases the chances of drinking and driving, distracted driving and other unsafe driving practices. Eighty-four percent of respondents reported feeling “safe” on rural interstates, compare to 79 percent on rural two-lane highways and 69 percent on urban freeways. “People seem to feel more comfortable on those roads, even though the facts show that it’s more dangerous,” says Lee Munnich, director of the center. “They feel more relaxed and, as a result, they are engaging in behavior that is riskier.” The only exception was for speeders, who said they felt safer on large urban freeways than on rural highways. Single-vehicle crashes are also more prevalent on rural roads, where drivers are more likely to crash into trees, utility polls or other stationary objects. Safety advocates think the study reveals over confidence and a fallacy in the way people perceive risk. “The more people perceive they have control, the less they perceive a situation as being risky,” said Peter Kissinger, CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The transportation community has tended to underemphasize rural road safety — there’s a long history of underinvestment in rural road safety in this country.”

Police are blaming speed for a deadly Phoenix car accident that killed two motorists Friday night and left a 19-year-old man hospitalized in critical condition. ABC15 reported that a 2002 Mercedes was traveling west on New River Road when it failed to make a curve west of I-17. Police say the speeding vehicle rolled over several times and burst into flames. All three occupants were ejected during the crash. A 35-year-old woman and an adult male were killed. Speeding is the leading causes of serious and fatal accidents in Arizona. About 1 in 5 Arizona car accidents are blamed on speeding drivers, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. In 2008, a total of 41,567 crashes blamed on speeding were responsible for the death of 304 motorists and the injury of 13,653. No other driving behavior was responsible for more injury accidents or more deaths on Arizona highways. Nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that speeding is a factor in one-third of all fatal crashes, leading to 11,674 deaths in 2008. The economic costs of speeding are estimated at $76,865 a minute, or nearly $1,300 a second. The federal government reports that 373 motorists were killed in Arizona traffic accidents blamed on speeding in 2008. Only Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas reported more speed-related deaths.

Two victims of bicycle accidents earlier this month have turned to Phoenix bicycle accident lawyers at Abels & Annes for representation. Both accidents occurred in Chicago, Illinois. On August 6 at about 7 p.m., an 11-year-old boy was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike on the sidewalk along 98th Street in Chicago. The Oldsmobile left the roadway, struck the child, and fled the scene. An alert witness was able to provide a license plate number to police. The boy was taken to the hospital with multiple injuries. In the second incident, a woman was riding her bike on the bike path near Solider Field at about 7 p.m. August 14. Police report she was struck by a taxi cab that did not stop at a bike crossing. Instead, the 2008 Crown Victoria taxi cab accelerated through the crossing, striking the cyclist with the car’s left front fender. The accident occurred on the Lake Shore bike path near Burnham Harbor in Chicago. The 24-year-old cyclist was transported to the hospital with back pain as well as multiple cuts and abrasions. She is seeking follow up treatment with an orthopedic doctor. As the weather cools in Phoenix and the surrounding areas, tourists, winter residents and cyclists will share the roads in larger numbers. Avoiding a Phoenix bicycle accident requires motorists to share the road and yield the right of way. Attempting to crowd a bike rider, or ignoring his or her rights to the road, is a recipe for disaster. The Arizona Department of Transportation reports a total of 1,989 bicycle accidents in 2008. Fourteen riders were killed and 1,565 were injured.

A man has died in an Arizona pedestrian accident that occurred Tuesday night at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix, azcentral.com has reported. The Phoenix Police Department has closed the intersection for an investigation. Police are stating that the pedestrian had just gotten of the train at the intersection and was crossing the street. He was struck and killed by a southbound vehicle. It is being reported that the victim is not a local resident and may be from another country. The police are still investigating the accident and do not yet know if drugs or alcohol played a role. It has not been reported if the pedestrian was in or near a crosswalk. Both the accident intersection and the 7th Ave. rail station are still closed. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, in the year 2008 alone there were 1,524 pedestrian crashes in Arizona. That represents 1.27 percent of all accidents state wide. 124 pedestrians died in accidents that year (which is down from 157 deaths in 2007). UPDATE: ABC News is now reporting that the vehicle involved in the accident was traveling at approximately 90 mph. The driver of the speeding car hit the pedestrian, then hit two other cars, and continued on to strike a building where the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was traveling so fast that the pedestrian victim was severed in half. Drivers of the two other vehicles involved were injured and taken by ambulance to area hospitals. The pedestrian has been identified as Ramzy Khalil. Click here to view the story and accident photos posted by AZFamily.com.