Georgia Personal Injury Law Blog

A September weekend was dangerous for pedestrians in Georgia. In less than 24 hours, seven pedestrians were hit by motor vehicles in five separate incidents throughout the state. Out of the seven hit, four died from their injuries. Two killed on Sept. 14 On the evening of Sept. 14, 2018, a minivan hit a 74-year-old woman who was crossing six lanes of traffic in Athens-Clarke County. Her injuries were severe, and she died at the hospital. Police were not expecting to file charges against the driver who struck the woman. Less than a half-hour later, a hit-and-run driver struck and killed a 40-year-old woman in Cobb County. The police had little information to go on, and the driver in that accident remains at large. Three injured, two killed on Sept. 15 On Sept. 15, in Clayton County, a stolen delivery truck mowed down three pedestrians. The trio sustained moderate injuries, including broken bones,…

Vehicular accidents do not only happen within the confines of the vehicle. Pedestrians or bystanders on the side of the road are at risk when a driver's negligence causes a car accident. A former member of the police department of a Georgia town recently pleaded guilty after causing a car accident that injured an 18-year-old man and killed his 16-year-old cousin as they were occupying a part of a sidewalk. In his duty as a police officer, the man was responding to the call of an accident, driving at a speed close to 100 mph. He pulled over to the center lane in an effort to pass a car just ahead of him, but that car also pulled into the center lane in an effort to get out of the way of the police car. As the officer swerved to avoid crashing into the car, he lost control of his patrol…

With overly aggressive drivers, drivers who have been drinking, and drivers who are distracted -- whether by cell phones or other factors -- people are injured in wrecks every day. While the use of a seat belt is a legal requirement, it may not always be enough to escape severe injury in a car accident. After a recent car accident, a 5-year-old child has been admitted into a Georgia hospital, with his condition listed as critical. Police reports state a driver approached an intersection and hit a car that was stopped for a red light, causing that car to hit another vehicle. The driver kept going through the intersection, hitting yet another vehicle. The injured child was not responsive when found, and witnesses to the collisions were able to start CPR before an ambulance reached the scene. The driver responsible for the collisions left her vehicle and began running in…

Hundreds of news sources all over the country have daily reports of vehicular accidents. Sometimes an SUV, 18-wheeler, or car accident may just be a fender-bender with minor or no injuries. But another can be catastrophic, adversely impacting a number of people. A Georgia woman died in a recent car accident, and the person believed responsible has been arrested. The 41-year-old woman was just one of several passengers in a car as it was traveling on Interstate 85. A report stated the driver of the car lost control of the vehicle when she was changing lanes ahead of a semitrailer. The car came to a stop in a lane of traffic and was struck by the tractor-trailer. The truck driver tried to stop but was unable to avoid hitting the door on the rear passenger side. The impact of the collision killed the woman and injured three other passengers. All…

Even after many years of pleas from law enforcement and those who have lost a loved one by someone who drives after drinking, the problem still looms large all over the country. Getting busted over one drunk driving incident also does not necessarily stop some from becoming repeat offenders. Georgia State Patrol joined city police in the chase to stop a drunk driving suspect but was unsuccessful until his actions are said to have killed a passenger in his car. According to the GSP, an officer attempted to pull the 30-year-old driver over for an undisclosed violation. The driver would not stop, resulting in the officer calling for backup. The chase took the vehicles onto Interstate 85, but the vehicle crashed when the driver could not negotiate the curve on an exit ramp. One of the passengers in the speeding vehicle had served in the National Guard before departing for medical reasons.…

School buses are an invaluable mode of transportation for parents who, for any reason, are not able to ferry their children to and from school each day. One group of Georgia parents have filed a lawsuit after seven children were injured in a crash allegedly caused by reckless driving. The bus' video recording system showed the driver possibly displayed reckless driving tendencies in a timeline of events just before the crash. According to the video timeline, the bus driver hit a mailbox, swerved into the oncoming traffic lane, and increased his speed, all while driving with one hand, holding a cup between his legs, and not wearing his seat belt -- all in the span of 11 minutes. The video cuts off before the actual crash but does show that, because the driver was not wearing his seat belt, he slid off the seat and was not able to control the…

Using a cell phone while you operate a vehicle greatly increases the likelihood you will end up in a collision. According to the National Safety Council, you are up to 23 times more likely to end up in a car accident while texting than if you had both eyes on the road. To combat the epidemic of distracted driving taking place around the state, Georgia passed a new law that went into effect on July 1st earlier this year. Here is everything you need to know about the new law, but for the most part, as long as you keep your phone out of the way, you will have nothing to worry about. The Hands-Free Georgia Act This law prohibits motorists from holding a cell phone while a vehicle is in motion. That means they cannot make a call or text with an exception if there was an emergency taking place. You can also hold a…

Losing a loved one is never easy but it seems even harder to accept when the loss is due to the negligence of another person. Fatal accidents are often caused by someone who is not giving sufficient attention to the task at hand, usually in operating some type of machine that is capable of causing grave injuries, such as a car or truck. A Georgia man was recently a victim in one of the state's latest fatal accidents as he was traveling on Interstate 20. The 3 a.m. collision occurred when the young driver of a BMW sedan hit the back end of a 2009 Nissan. The driver of the BMW was speeding and following the other vehicle too closely at the time of the crash. Police also believe he had been drinking not long before the crash. Neither vehicle was able to stay on the highway. The impact was…

Deadly crashes can happen at any time and to any person, no matter what precautions a driver may take. There is no guarantee that other drivers are as careful on the road, that weather conditions are always perfect for driving, and that deer and that other animals do not dart out in front of a moving vehicle. A Georgia man has been sentenced after his conviction in causing one of the state's fatal accidents nearly two years ago. A report on the court proceedings did not give details of the crash, only that the driver was speeding when his car crashed into another vehicle carrying four members of one family. The mother and two of her children were injured, but her third child, a 19-year-old man, was killed. One of the children still experiences debilitating pain from her injuries. The 24-year-old driver accused and convicted of a host of charges, including…

There are many hazards on the road that drivers cannot control, like weather or construction. However, many accidents are not caused by hazards like these. They are caused by distracted driving. One such accident caused the death of a Georgia county sheriff officer's grandchild. The four-year-old girl died in an accident that occurred earlier this month. She was in the car with her mother and younger brother when the car was struck from behind by another vehicle. When authorities arrived on the scene, which included the child's grandfather, the little girl was pulled from the vehicle and CPR was administered. After the accident, the driver of the second vehicle told authorities that he had dropped a bottle and his phone into the floorboard of his car and was attempting to reach for them when he crashed into the vehicle carrying the mother and her children. Unfortunately, the child did not…