Motorcyclists can never be too careful. The same can be said for everyone else on the road, particularly concerning how we navigate and share the roadways with motorcyclists. Drivers are often encouraged and reminded to look twice for motorcycles. A failure to look carefully may have contributed to the cause of why a woman's life was cut tragically short on a Sunday afternoon in December. A woman leaving a holiday Christmas parade in which she had driven her motorcycle was pronounced dead approximately a half-hour after her bike struck a van that allegedly pulled out of an apartment complex in front of her. The driver of the van was an elderly woman of nearly 90 years. No charges have been filed, and the elderly woman was taken to the same hospital as the deceased woman but was listed in stable condition. A passenger in the van was reportedly uninjured. When…

The act of teenagers borrowing the family car can be considered a rite of passage in many American families. Most of the time this happens, the result is harmless. But on occasion, something can go terribly wrong and an accident ensues that harms others. In such instances, the question can come up whether those who actually owned the car were negligent in allowing another person to drive it. This question comes under the legal theory known as "negligent entrustment." In Georgia, courts have defined negligent entrustment of a motor vehicle to be when an automobile owner lends his or her car to another person (it does not have to be a family member) to someone whom he or she knows (that is, has actual knowledge) is incompetent to drive or is otherwise habitually reckless. The negligence on the part of the vehicle owner in lending it to someone who should…

The fact that motorcycle operators and their passengers do not have a steel frame surrounding them to provide protection is one of the reasons catastrophic injuries are common in a motorcycle collision with a car or other motor vehicle. This is why it is important for motorcycle riders to take precautions before going out on the road to minimize the chances of becoming a motorcycle accident victim. According to Georgia officials, most catastrophic injuries and deaths associated with a motorcycle crash are caused by either a neck injury or a head injury. Wearing a helmet increases your chances of surviving a motorcycle accident. Helmets should meet federal standards and should not show signs of cracks or other defects that could limit their effectiveness in protecting you in the event of an accident. If the helmet is not equipped with a face shield, state law requires you to wear some form of…

It can be difficult, at times, to determine the cause of a car collision until after the completion of an accident investigation. Although it might appear as though a driver acted responsibly by obeying the traffic laws, a thorough investigation by the police or by an attorney acting on behalf of a victim suffering a serious injury might disclose evidence to prove the person was a negligent driver. A recent auto accident in which three vehicles were involved appears to have been caused by a driver who obeyed a stop sign. Unfortunately, the individual failed to yield to other traffic in the intersection as he drove away from the stop sign. The result was a three-car accident that sent three people requiring medical treatment to the hospital. According to police, one of the drivers pulled away from a stop sign without maintaining a proper lookout for other vehicles in the…