One Liberty University Freshman Student Died in a Train Accident

A freshman student from the Liberty University just died from a train accident in Amherst County, Massachusetts.

The 18 – year old Hannah Williams died after she was struck by a train near Lynchburg, Virginia, where she attended Liberty University to pursue a career in government and journalism.

According to reports, last November 17 at around 10:45 in the evening, Hannah Williams and her three other friends were stargazing on the train trestle along River Road in Madison Heights, Virginia when a train bounded north struck them.

Williams was struck by the train and died while the two others were able to jump to a nearby piling and the other one hung down below the rail track through his arms.

The four survivors were brought Lynchburg General Hospital where they were treated for the personal injuries. One of them was seriously injured from falling through the trestle and is currently in critical condition.

In behalf of the school, the Liberty University President, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., expressed his condolences to Williams’s family and to their four injured students. According to the school president, Hannah Williams was a great student. She is a great loss not only to her family but also to the school institution.

Williams’ mother is now in deep sorrow. It was a very quick tragedy. In a glimpse, all her daughter’s plans for a bright future not only fell into pieces but totally ended. She never even imagined before that she would loss her precious daughter in a very tragic way – in a train accident.

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Truck Driver Trying to Leave the Scene of a Truck Accident – Ticketed

While helping a stranded motorist at a highway near Syracuse, a state police officer was killed after being hit by a tractor trailer.

According to reports, the accident occurred at around 11 o’clock, early afternoon of November 20. The 53 – year old police officer Todd Young was seen helping a driver in an eastbound lane of Interstate 90. Allegedly, Young was struck by the tractor trailer driven by the 40 – year old Kurt R. Brown from Herkimer, New York.

Brown was working for a towing service in Mattydale, New York and during the truck accident, he was about to load a wrecked vehicle onto his truck according from the investigation. He was employed by Estes Express of Syracuse.

Though the good Samaritan police officer got killed from the said truck accident, Brown was only ticketed for unsafe lane change which led to a fatal accident.

Last year, over 500,000 trucks and other commercial vehicles were involved in vehicle accidents in New York with more than 100,000 people sustained serious personal injuries and more than 5000 people died in truck accidents. This is relatively large numbers compared to only 3200 recorded deaths resulting from truck accidents in 2009.

Apparently, road accidents involving trucks in New York is rapidly increasing. Authorities should implement a strict maximum speed level and other traffic rules and regulations as motorists often disregarded the same probably due to slack surveillance from traffic enforcers.

Serious personal injuries could have been avoided if only motorist and traffic authorities coordinate with each other regarding the traffic rules and regulations. Truck accidents could be more fatal than any other vehicle because of its huge and heavy equipments. Therefore, it should be given with more proper attention by the authorities.

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Mobile Phone Use While Red Light is On Prohibited to Lessen Risk of Car Accidents

More often, while on the road, drivers never miss their chance to talk on their mobile phones during red lights. Of course it’s their best opportunity to sneak in a brief phone call to send their important messages while vehicles are not in motion and until red light is off since there is no such rule stating that it is unlawful then, but now before making or accepting any phone calls during red light, think twice first.

Early this week, state appeals court resolved that during red light, a driver is still prohibited from using a handled mobile phone.

However, despite of this new policy, the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco caught motorist dialing a phone and handling it to his ears during red light. The driver and the police officer who caught him argued as the man claims that the 2007 law that requires a driver to use a hands – free cellphone device while driving only applies when a car is in motion.

The 2007 law allows drivers to make and accept mobile phone calls using a hands – free cellphone device while driving and only when the car is in motion. Apart from that nothing more was specified. Mobile phone usage during red light or while the vehicle is not in motion is not clearly stated on the law.

Supposedly the man has a point there but not after the new applied law has been approved. Under the new federal state law, a use of hand – free cellphone device now also applies even when the car is not in motion.

Justice James Lambden had given out his point of view that if drivers were allowed to make or accept mobile phone calls during brief pauses like in stop – and – go traffic, red lights, stop signs and other causes of impediments, public safety could be endangered. The resolution only reflects common sense according to Deputy Atty. Gen. Eric Share.

It was just a little modification on the first law, therefore following the new law will do no harm to motorist. But instead, will lessen the risk of car accidents and other vehicle accident related injuries.

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Younger Children are more Prone to Burn Injury than Older Ones

In recent studies, the large majority of children who were taken to hospitals with injuries are below 5 years old and most of them are burn injury.

According to researches, the most common type of injury in pediatrics and emergency departments worldwide is burn injuries and other heat – related cases. One out of ten injuries around the world are as a result from burns and other related injuries.

In further studies, all burn admissions involving minor children were investigated for over a year, and during that period, 300 burn injuries has been recorded. It was found out on the same study that boys are most likely to suffer from such type of injuries than girls. It was also found out that out of 10, 8 children at the age of 5 mostly affected by burn injuries. The average age of burn injury victims is 3 ½ years old.

During the 1 - year study period, the most rate of hospital attendance for burn injuries was during the first six months as compared to the second six months. June has the most numbers of injury cases recorded.

According also to the conducted research, the most common cause of burn injuries to children are hot liquids particularly like hot water coffee, tea and boiling water from kettle or pots. Next is hot solid like hobs, stoves and other cooking devices and lastly is from radiations such as sunburns and etc.

The most numbers of burn injury accidents occurs during early afternoon and at the evening time when children are less under supervised by guardians.

Upper limbs like hands, wrists and arms, and the upper trunk such as chest and face are the most parts of the children’s body that are most possibly to be affected.

Generally, younger children are more likely to suffer burn injuries at home while older children are more likely to obtain such injuries outside home.

It was also noted on the research that children from poorer environment and more defenseless children like those with disability were more exposed to burn injuries.

Parents should be well informed about these factors to avoid not only burn injury but as well as other personal injury cases from rapidly increasing in numbers.

Whatever it is, whether younger or older children, parents should be more diligent in taking care of their children. Preventive measure should be taken to avoid children from being seriously injured since children can hardly endure too much pain in their young body.

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