Category: Vehicle Accidents
Texting and Driving Dangers
May 28, 2013 | Jon P. EricksonI recently read an article that stated that “texting is now the leading cause of death for teen drivers.” The article was based on a study done for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The study contains data that supports that texting while driving has become an even greater hazard for teenagers than drinking and driving. Minnesota law prohibits operating a motor vehicle while “using a wireless communications device to compose, read or send an electronic message while the car is in motion or a part of traffic.” A violation is a misdemeanor crime. This law applies to juveniles as well as adults. Minnesota law also prohibits any driver under age 18 to use a phone for any purpose while driving. The days between Memorial and Labor Days have been called the “100 deadliest days for teenage drivers.” A coalition of our country’s largest wireless carriers have joined in a national advertising campaign to discourage mobile users from texting while driving during these upcoming 100 days. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are all joining this campaign which they call “It Can Wait.” Here is AT&T’s Don’t Text While Driving Documentary: Let’s all pause and join them in reminding our teenage drivers that “It Can Wait.” You can also find out more information…
Read MoreSad Tragedy Reminds Us to Buckle Up and Be Safe
April 10, 2013 | Jon P. EricksonThere was a tragic motor vehicle accident this past weekend just north of Minneapolis where eight members of a family were in a van that was struck by another car. The accident caused four members of the van to be ejected from the vehicle. Those four were not wearing seat-belts, and three of them were killed. The fourth is still in critical condition. A lieutenant of the Minnesota Highway Patrol is quoted as saying: “The fact can’t be ignored that if they had worn seat belts, it could have ended in a different result.” It was further noted that in the last three years 352 of 864 traffic deaths in Minnesota had victims that were not wearing seat belts. This is 41{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3} of the deaths in these accidents. These deaths were all likely preventable! There was a second accident over the weekend in the metro area where a woman crashed her car into a tree, and was killed. She also was not wearing a seat belt. BUCKLE UP…seat belts save lives!
Read MoreDealing with a Car Accident – What Happens Now?
January 3, 2013 | Adriel B. VillarrealSince there are hundreds of vehicle collisions in Minnesota every single day, the odds of being in some sort of traffic incident during your lifetime are pretty high. Even a minor accident can leave you feeling scared, panicked and worried. If you don’t know what to do following an accident you can end up carrying a heavier financial and legal burden than you should. Know How to Handle It As soon as your car makes impact with another car, person or object, you need to immediately react with the future in mind. If you know that you are responsible for the car accident, you may feel like you must apologize to the other driver or victim. However, you should remain calm and be careful with your words. It is fine to check on the other driver and ensure that they are injured but you should not say anything that admits fault. You should immediately contact the authorities so that a police report can be taken. However, if you have suffered a personal injury, 911 should be called and an ambulance will also be dispatched. When the police arrive, assuming that you are not severely injured, they will talk to everyone involved in the car accident along with witnesses. When you are describing the…
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