Georgia Personal Injury Law Blog

Many motorcyclists in Georgia are starting to take their bikes out of storage to prepare for the riding reason during the coming warmer months. While this is an exciting time for motorcycle enthusiasts in the state, it’s also a dangerous time as motorcyclists are often a little dusty from months of not riding and vehicle drivers are less conditioned to watch for motorcyclists on the roadways. For that reason, now is a good time to revisit safety rules and tips for motorcycle riders. In order to help prevent being involved in a serious motorcycle accident this spring and summer, keep the following guidelines from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in mind: Dress appropriately. Because your gear is the only thing protecting you from the pavement, it’s important to invest in a good helmet and protective riding gear, including leather or thick long-sleeved shirts, pants, boots, and gloves, even when the weather is warm. Stay…

Sometimes a little wind-down may be needed for those in Macon. Whether it’s chatting with a friend, hanging out at a club or organizing a small get-together, drinking may be involved as well. Some people may also end up getting behind the wheel of their car without realizing that they are over the limit, which could result in drunk driving charges or worse. One 47-year-old woman has unfortunately discovered how badly things can go when you get behind the wheel of a car while inebriated, even if you do not realize how inebriated you are. The woman will be facing not only a DUI charge and a charge for driving without her headlights, but also charges that include serious injury by vehicle, driving on the opposite side of the road and vehicular homicide to the first degree. While the woman was inebriated, she got into her car and ended up hitting…

As spring blooms in Georgia, motorists may note an increase in the amount of highway construction. The projects are designed to improve the highways, adding lanes, improving or replacing antiquated bridges, repaving road surfaces and generally making the driving experience more safe and pleasant. But before that happens, road construction and work zones mean lane changes, detours, slower speed limits, flagmen and delays. This can irritate many motorists, tempting them to drive too fast and tailgate, as their frustration builds. They may see the signs urging them to give construction workers a "brake," and higher fines for violations in a work zone. They may assume this means workers are at greater risk to dying in a car accident in a work zone. However, they would be dead wrong. In fact, if they speed in a work zone, they may simply be dead. A recent study shows that four out of five fatalities…

After serious auto accidents, the lives of injured victims often hang in the balance with each passing second before medical responders arrive. Recently, a Georgia Air National Guardsman relied on his training and his commitment to the core values of the Air Force to help a woman who was badly injured in a car wreck near Robins Air Force Base. The airman provided medical attention and stayed with the woman until paramedics arrived on the scene. The Security Forces superintendent was en route to work when he saw the aftermath of a two-vehicle collision. One of the cars had broken through part of the base fence, and a woman injured in the crash was unconscious inside her vehicle. Because the car doors were locked, the airman and a civilian who had also stopped used their fingers to pry a window away from its frame until the window shattered. According to the…

Drunk driving remains a significant problem in the U.S. Every year, thousands of motorists die in accidents caused by intoxicated drivers. Sometimes, a single impaired driver runs off the road in Georgia, late at night, strikes a tree, and dies alone. Other car accidents may involve a drunk driver running into a van with a family, killing or seriously injuring the members of a family, who had been innocently returning home from a movie. While much has been done in the last few decades to address this problem, from lowering the amount of alcohol that determines legal impairment to stricter enforcement and stiffer penalties, there is still a long way to go in the fight to prevent the death and destruction caused by drunk driving accidents. But in order to know what we should be doing, we must know how well we have done. In most cases, a death certificate lists…

No one really needs to be told drunk driving is something that should be avoided. During the last 30 years, there has been an endless stream of studies examining and explaining the dangers of drunk driving. Additionally, the penalties for drunk driving have been ratcheted up, year after year, with significant fines and severe punishment likely outcomes of any DUI arrest and conviction. With tonight being St. Patrick's Day, announcements again have been made by the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety to warn residents that Georgia state troopers, county sheriffs and local police will all be out in force on the roads to prevent drunk driving accidents. The death, destruction and mayhem caused by alcohol impaired driving are truly staggering. In 2013 alone, the number of people killed in Georgia in alcohol-related collisions increased by six percent to 161. Many people may dismiss 161 as rather insignificant compared with the population…

Cars present a multiplicity of ways to kill an occupant. When an object that weighs more than a ton can move at speeds approaching 100 mph, the physics of the situation suggest a bad outcome should any part of the system suddenly stop. Crashes can range from vehicles striking another car head on, to drivers losing control, running off the road and hitting trees or utility poles, or vehicles rolling over and ejecting drivers and passengers. With all of the potential types of car accidents, it is a wonder anyone arrives home safe each night. But, as they say on the television commercials, "Wait! There's more!" Sadly, a truly bizarre set of circumstances played out in northern Florida, when a car driving on a highway lost a front tire. The tire, still moving at full speed, bounced along the shoulder, went airborne when it hit the driveway apron of a body…

Every motor vehicle accident is tragic. No one gets into a car or on a motorcycle with the intention of dying. The tragedy is multifaceted. It affects families in different ways, sometimes killing a husband or father outright, other times severely injuring a mother or child, leaving them with crippling injuries, years of rehabilitation and a lifetime of pain. More than 30,000 Americans are killed every year in motor vehicle crashes, or nearly 100 every day. Few deaths in Macon are as infamous at the one that occurred after a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971. Duane Allman, leader and guitarist of The Allman Brothers Band had just returned from visiting New York. He was in a great mood, according to a letter sent to his young daughter, explaining the events of that day. He should have been, as the Allman's had released At Fillmore East and he had worked that year…

Highway fatalities are a big issue in Georgia, because car accidents are a big issue. The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates nationwide in 2013 there were 35,200 deaths from motor vehicle accidents. Terrifyingly, that is an improvement and a decline of three percent from the previous year. This number may appear larger than traffic fatality numbers you may be familiar with, namely, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) death toll. The difference is the NSC's total is larger because they included deaths of those injured in car accidents that died within a year of the accident. Moreover, this number may be the more accurate one, because NHTSA only records those who die within 30 days of the car or truck crash. But some injured drivers or passengers may linger for some time, suffering from their injuries, before they succumb. In 2013, 3.8 million individuals suffered injuries in motor vehicle accidents that…

Most people trust their doctors. They trust that they have been educated, trained and licensed by the state of Georgia, and that their medical procedure will be handled safely with the appropriate level of care. When something goes wrong, we would like to think that the authorities would respond to complaints, investigate, and, if necessary, discipline those responsible. This week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of a woman at a Kennesaw medical clinic. She was having a liposuction procedure. During the procedure, she began to complain that she felt "tearing and burning." According to employees of the clinic, who were present during the procedure, a rag was placed in her mouth to keep her quiet. The medical examiner found perforations in her diaphragm and puncture wounds in her liver. How has the Georgia Medical Board dealt with what appears to be wrongful death of this patient? Her family notes that…