Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tour Bus Accident Claims 5 Lives, Including Driver

Driving big vehicles such as busses and trucks requires extra caution and great driving skills. So, only those experienced and trained drivers should drive them to avoid any road mishaps.

A tour bus which contains a total of 36 people including a Canadian tour guide onboard was overturned on a highway overpass in Soledad last Tuesday.

The accident has killed four of the 34 French tourists and the American driver of the bus. Injuries from other passengers were also accounted.

The driver was initially reported to have survived but was later said to be one of at least three who was thrown out of the vehicle onto the street below. Another two victims were pronounced dead on the hospital while three died on the scene.

This unfortunate event calls for tighter measures on qualifying as a driver of bigger vehicles who would know how to efficiently operate it. Also, there should be safety measures concerning passengers and the construction of busses so that people will face lesser risks of road accidents.

Every motorist should be made aware of the prevention of road accidents and the special condition and difficulty to maneuver bigger vehicles and so they should maintain distance from it.

Crisis in California Air Control Staffing

Air traffic controllers play a vital role in making planes fly and land safely. They ensure the safe operation of commercial and private aircrafts. They also coordinate the proper movements and distance of air traffic.

Without them, the airport as well as the airspace would be in total chaos. Consequently, aviation accidents would be rampant and predictable.

The delicate and crucial operation of airspace traffic could not be left to inexperienced controllers. However, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) seems to face this dilemma.

As LAX loss a dramatic number of air traffic controller to retirement, its facilities now are being controlled by inexperienced trainees.

The US Transportation Department expressed its concern regarding the air traffic controller staffing levels at the Southern and Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities. These two facilities manage planes arriving and departing California airports.

To bolster California air traffic control staffing, the department suggested variety of improvements. In a 27 page report, the inspector general recommended extensive training of controllers and improving financial incentives as ways of strengthening staffing efficiency.

Plane accidents are mostly caused by human error. If LAX’s ground staffers would continue to be like this, cases of plane crashes or collisions would certainly increase. This matter should be addressed immediately. Otherwise, fatalities and injuries would soar high in numbers.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Jeep hits 11 year-old girl

Children are the most prone to any road related accidents. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) disclosed that nearly 250,000 children are injured every year in car accidents.

What happened to 11 year-old Madeline Greenler was another proof to NCSA’s findings that indeed children are the common victims of road recklessness.

Greenler was struck by a jeep at Cedar and Teague avenues.

The jeep was running through a defective signal light due to a power outage. It was travelling south of Cedar when it struck a Honda mini van heading west on Teague. Subsequently, the jeep spun onto the sidewalk and hit Greenler.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Meanwhile, Greenler remains in critical condition.

Accidents like these are preventable. If only the stop light was working, it could have turn out differently. But lessons are sometimes learned the hard way. In this case a child’s life was put on the line. However, a personal injury lawyer could be helpful in pursuing a case against the negligent parties.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Reducing Accidents by Being Responsible Drivers

A driver may be considered as negligent when he fails to check if the brakes of his vehicle are properly working and when he does not follow proper weight limits. The grave effects of these negligent acts can be seen through a big rig accident that occurred on the Angeles Crest Highway in La Canada.

The accident ended the lives of Angel Jorge Posca, 58, and his daughter Angelina Posca, 12. The accident also caused three persons to sustain critical injuries.

Reports showed that the big rig driver who was identified as Marco Costa, 43, pleaded not guilty and he is scheduled to show up in court on May 13th. According to a court clerk, he is free on a $200,000 bail.

Although the outcome of the case may be favorable to the family of the two big rig crash fatalities, it will not change the fact that the lives of the two were already lost and they can no longer be among the people they love.

Abiding by traffic laws does not require much effort from drivers but it can greatly prevent accidents from happening.