Safe Driving Tips to Avoid Automobile Accidents during Summer

In the U.S., summer season usually begins the day after Memorial Day and ends the day before the autumn equinox, or September 21 to be exact.

During the summer season, children are usually out of school. Oftentimes, summer is the best time to spend vacation with the family or friends.

However, as you go on a long road trip for a vacation during summer, there are lots of distractions that may come along. Long road distractions include traffic snarls, road construction, detours and hand held devices, road impediments, loud noise, and the like.

Despite the different road mishaps that accompany summer road trips, there are a lot of safe driving tips to help you avoid automobile accidents, such as:

•    Avoid stress. Surprisingly, one of the best ways to stay alert while driving is to avoid fatigue. For one, you should avoid skipping meals, particularly breakfast, during a long-road trip. Also, try to have some warm-up and stretching before and during travel.

•    Have a co-driver. It is also best if you will have someone to share the driving task to avoid being over-fatigued.

•    Set some safety rules with your co-driver before switching on the ignition key. Such rules should keep you off from different kinds of driving distractions like using hand-held devices, talking with the passengers, eating, drinking, and using other electronic gadgets or devices.

•    Always wear your seat belt. In an automobile accident, victims that were thrown out of the vehicle were those who did not wear seat belts.  Wearing seat belt is the best defense against any traffic collision.

•    Do not drink and drive. Each day, in every 45 minutes, at least one person dies in a drunk-driving related accident. Therefore, you should establish self-discipline, avoid drinking liquor before you drive, or if you can’t avoid drinking, have someone to replace you from driving.

On the other hand, distracted driving is the most common cause of automobile accidents. In fact, about 80 percent of traffic collisions and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of distraction while driving.

Consequently, a Los Angeles automobile accident attorney reminded motorists that negligence is the most causative factor of personal injury and automobile accidents. Oftentimes, unexpected incidents and collisions occur for no obvious reason. Therefore, drivers are encouraged to obey proper precautionary measures to avoid traffic misfortune for an enjoyable summer trip.

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Car Rams through Celebrity Luxury Car Shop in LA, Driver Flees

A driver who crashed his car and damaged several high-end vehicles in a luxury car shop in Los Angeles on May 16 fled from the scene and left a dying woman in the alley.

According to authorities, the accident happened at around 3:30 in the morning, Wednesday in 1800 block of South La Cienega Boulevard. Initial investigation revealed that a Lincoln Town Car reportedly being used as a fancy taxi crashed into the glass doors of the Specialty Car Craft building, damaging several luxury vehicles that are owned by celebrities.

The crash resulted in a broken window frame crashing down onto a yellow Ferrari allegedly owned by Kobe Bryant since it was identical to Kobe’s yellow Ferrari. People’s speculations became firm upon seeing a Los Angeles Lakers sticker on the back of its windshield and another sticker that reads as “Baller24”, the number apparently corresponds to the said basketball player’s NBA jersey number.

Several damaged luxury vehicles included a Lamborghini and a very rare TVR Tuscan S, which is in fact, the only one in the country.

Although there are a lot of speculations regarding who the celebrity owners of the damaged high-end cars were, the luxury car shop owner remains to be mute, keeping the identity of the cars’ owners secret. The only information that the shop owner disclosed is the total amount of damages that the accident incurred, which amounted to $200,000.

Specialty Car Craft is a well known luxury car shop specializing in very high-end and exotic cars such as Lotus cars, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Meanwhile, while the shop employees were shocked by the incident, the driver quickly fled the scene on foot, leaving a dying woman at the back seat of his car. Witnesses said that the man managed to pull the severely injured woman and left her bleeding on the sidewalk before finally fleeing away. 

Authorities transported the woman to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with a broken pelvis, jaw and leg. Meanwhile, witnesses described the car’s driver to police as a white man in his mid-thirties. Reports said that the woman was initially in critical condition but is now stable. 

At present, the identity of the said hit-and-run driver was already determined by the authorities but will not yet be revealed until they have found a strong lead regarding the man’s whereabouts.

Just thinking of the huge amount of damages that the man will probably be held liable for will definitely make him to go the farthest mile just to escape from his liabilities.

Under the California Tort Law or the state’s personal injury law, any negligent act of a person which caused damages or injuries to other can be a ground to raise legal action.

In the said car crash, the woman may file personal injury charges against the driver to recover suitable compensation. In such event, a Los Angeles car accident attorney can provide a great help in proving a claim.

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Elderly Driver Smashed Car into Dental Clinic; Injures 6

An 82-year-old woman smashed her vehicle into a dental clinic in Reseda, Los Angeles Apr. 19, leaving six people injured.

According to initial investigation, the elderly woman was driving an old, beat-up station wagon when the vehicle smashed in front of a dentist’s clinic which is situated at the intersection of Vanowen St. and White Oak Avenue.

Three bystanders and three others were seriously injured from the said vehicle accident. All of them were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.

Fortunately, the elderly driver did not sustain any personal injury, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officer Matt Spence. Spence added that it is not yet determined whether there are any dentists of dental patients involved in the accident.

Apparently, the vehicle never entered the dental clinic but just knocked off its door from its hinges, according to authorities.

Spencer said that firefighters had to use Jaws of Life to free two victims who were pinned to the building in the said accident.

Authorities speculated that the elderly driver was probably trying to park her vehicle and lost control of it. Nevertheless, it was not yet sure how she managed to drove her car through the dental clinic entrance since no further details were yet released by the authorities.

Despite the road and traffic regulations promoted by traffic enforcers and safety advocates in the United States, vehicle accidents still remain as the most common type of injuries. Most often than not, accidents are caused by a driver’s negligence, particularly the elderly. In fact, the ability of the elderly to drive safely is currently being disputed.

The elderly woman held accountable for the case will more likely face multiple personal injury claims. Hence, she needs to consult competent injury lawyers Los Angeles to know her legal rights as the responsible party as well as to determine whether she could mount a defense or not.

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Overnight Fire in Brownsville Left Man with Serious Burn Injury

As of present, the main cause of an overnight fire in Brownsville is still undetermined.
According to witnesses, there was a blaze before the fire spread. A neighbor came to help and called the firefighters.

Firemen said that the man sustained third degree burns to half of his body and is now being treated at San Antonio burn center, while the man’s wife escaped the fire without having any serious personal injury. Aside from them, several cats and dogs living in the house were trapped in the fire also.

The firefighters are still conducting an investigation about the main cause of the blaze. The home had no running water and electricity since the family who owned the house uses generators for powering the house. Therefore the firemen found it difficult to figure out the source of fire.

About three quarters of patients with serious burn injury die because of severe infection. The most common complication for a burn injury is the bacterial infection. Therefore, a necessary transfer from the emergency physician to a special department for reconstructive surgery should be conducted by the authorities to prevent infection.

Apart from the first aid treatment, patients should be provided with proper wound care, therapies and other necessary psychiatric treatment in a special follow up ward.

Though the man was able to survive the fire blaze, it’s still uncertain if he would be able to survive from the serious burn injuries he sustained. Wounds might be simple but the bacteria causing the infections may cause death. He should be extra careful. Following the proper authorities’ campaign against infection is a must.

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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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