Safe Walking Location

Pedestrians should only find themselves walking in designated safe walking sections along the road, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, bridges, and any other safe walkways. If at any point you find that there is not a crosswalk, cross the road in a well-lit area and make sure you have a lot of room to ensure you are 100% safe to cross. This is not the time to get impatient; most high-speed collisions are fatal. Various roads prohibit pedestrian use, such as highways. Keep in mind where you’re walking.

Visibility

Vehicles are passing you at high speed, and they don’t have enough time to react if they can’t see you. It’s extremely effective that you make yourself as visible as possible if you’re walking during nighttime hours. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 30 percent of pedestrian-auto accident fatalities occur between 8 pm and 11:59 pm. 

Pedestrians can make themselves more visible to motorists by:

• Making eye contact with an approaching motorist as often as possible
• Wearing light and bright-colored clothing at night
• Travel in well-lit areas to increase visibility

Remain Alert

Every pedestrian should pay attention to their surroundings, nearby roadways, and the behavior of approaching vehicles at all times. It’s safe to assume that every driver is distracted and unaware of pedestrians near the road. If you see a motorist that is driving recklessly, try avoiding the path to the approaching vehicle.

Resist Temptation

Pedestrians should resist the temptation to use items that could cause them to become distracted when walking next to a high-traffic road. Should a pedestrian become distracted, they could unknowingly walk into the road or fail to follow traffic laws.  

Common ways pedestrians can become distracted:

• Listening to music with headphones
• Texting/Talking on the phone
• Reading while walking

Avoid Consuming Alcohol

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, nearly half of all pedestrian-auto accidents involve alcohol consumption. Just as drivers are not to drink and drive, pedestrians should avoid roadways when consumed alcohol. It is indeed better to stay safe than to take the risk when you are impaired. 

Best Pedestrian Personal Injury Attorney in Utah

If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, seek medical attention as soon as possible; there is a chance that you have injuries that are unknown to you. Then contact an attorney to help you recover compensation for your damages. Call our attorneys here at Hernandez Law for a free consultation.

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What is Whiplash?

As the name of the injury suggests, whiplash happens when your neck is forcefully whipped back and forth. The muscles, tendons, and spinal discs in the neck are susceptible to injury from this sudden jolt and violent motion. Something to keep in mind is that even at a low-speed collision, it could still cause you to whip your neck and trigger whiplash. Headrests and seatbelts can mitigate the severity of whiplash injuries; however, not by much.

Can Whiplash Cause Lasting Trauma?

Most whiplash cases develop within a couple of days after the accident; some of the less severe symptoms include:

• Neck pain and stiffness
• Worsening of pain with movement
• Loss of range of motion
• Headaches
• Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back, or arms
• Tingling or numbness in the arms
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

If the victim lets his whiplash go undiagnosed and untreated, it will only get worse. Other symptoms of whiplash will start to manifest after a few more days. Some severe whiplash symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Insomnia
• Amnesia
• Migraines
• Extreme loss of mobility
• Vision or hearing loss

Treatment

A doctor will try to prescribe whiplash treatment therapies that will help minimize pain and restore your loss of mobility. Various different treatment methods could help you. Among them are:

• Bedrest
• Hot and cold compresses
• Painkillers
• Exercise
• Physical therapy
• Protective collars

In extremely severe whiplash cases, a doctor might recommend for surgery or injections to help alleviate the worst symptoms. These treatments cost a lot and most times exceed healthcare insurance coverage. However, we do not wish for you to pay for this necessary treatment on your own. We recommend you hire an experienced personal injury attorney to help you file a claim against the driver that caused the accident. Call our office here at Hernandez Personal Injury Law to get a free consultation today.

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Driver Fatigue

Drivers cause over 88% of all truck accidents. Driver fatigue is the most common on average. After long hours on the road, driving all night can contribute to the driver’s drowsiness.

Truckers can disobey their hours of service to keep driving despite feeling tired in order to meet delivery deadlines. Falling asleep behind the wheel of a truck can easily result in other drivers’ fatality on the road if the truck should collide with these smaller vehicles. 

Driving Under The Influence (DUI)

Like most states, the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is around 0.05%. Commercial drivers shouldn’t drive after consuming any amount of alcohol or drugs that could potentially impair their driving ability. 

Speeding

It’s extremely difficult to control an 18-wheeler rig with a trailer. This challenge is why commercial drivers receive training and special licenses to operate such a vehicle. Speeding makes these dangerous big rigs even harder to control on turns and stops when compared to smaller vehicles. If a truck driver goes over the speed limit, he/she risks rear ending another vehicle at a stop, losing control of the truck, and in some cases overturning the truck around corners. Weather conditions could cause similar effects with trucks going too fast in snow, sleet, or rain. 

Distracted Driving

People should know that there are very strict laws against drivers and any form of texting or talking on the phone while driving. However, not all drivers obey these laws, including truck drivers. Cell phone use can be very distracting and, in turn, resulting in catastrophic accidents. Other ways a truck driver can be distracted include;

• Eating
• Drinking
• Grooming
• Pets
• Outside Distractions

Mechanical Failure

In some cases, trucking accidents are not the driver’s fault, but in fact, the trucking company or vehicle manufacturer’s responsibility. If there’s defective hardware or poorly maintenance, there could be risks such as brakes failing while traveling on the highway. If this is the case, the trucking company may be liable for failure to maintain the truck. The manufacturer could also be liable for the truck containing defective hardware. 

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About 8:42 a.m., the man was eastbound in a 1999 Ford Explorer on state Route 132 in Nephi Canyon when he drifted on the right side of the road, Utah Department of Public Safety officials said in a news release.

The driver then overcorrected after returning to the road and drove across both travel lanes and off the westbound shoulder, causing the car to roll several times before resting on its roof.

The driver and passenger both had seatbelts on, officials said.

( www.ksl.com)

The Importance of seat belts.  

My point to this blog, and in highlighting the tragedy above, is the Importance of seatbelts. Did you know that:

Of the 37,133 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2017, 47% were not wearing seat belts. In 2017 alone,  seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing a seat belt.

( www.nhtsa.gov)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car accidents are the leading cause of death among those aged 5 to 34. The most reliable method of saving lives and preventing injuries from occurring is to wear a seat belt. However, millions of drivers and passengers choose not to wear seat belts on everyday occasions. Various statistics regarding seat belt usage include:

• Seat belts can reduce injury and death rates by 50%
• Adults aged 18-34 are less likely to wear seat belts than those 35 or older
• Men are 10% less likely to wear seat belts than women
• In 2011, 58% of teen drivers killed in crashes were not wearing a seat belt
• Teens have the lowest seat belt use of any other age group

( www.vdriveusa.com)

According to the Naval Safety Center, only 1% of passengers wearing a seat belt were ejected from a car during a crash. Consequently, whether you’re in the driver’s seat, the passenger’s seat, or riding in the back, wearing a seat belt is equally important. 

Most of all, not wearing a seat belt is against the law and could cause you to lose your life or be seriously injured.

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