Atlanta accidents that involve large trucks often have catastrophic consequences. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, large trucks played a role in about 10 percent of all fatal accidents in 2012. The same year, in 96 percent of fatal two-vehicle accidents that involved large trucks, passenger vehicle occupants suffered the fatal injuries.The IIHS states that the risk of truck accidents occurring increases significantly when truck drivers are fatigued. To address this risk factor and reduce unnecessary truck accidents, federal regulations mandate daily and weekly rest periods for truckers. Unfortunately, under a recent regulation suspension, drowsy driving and associated serious truck accidents may increase. Regulatory changes According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the regulation required truckers to schedule consecutive overnight rests each week. Specifically, during the “restart period” between workweeks, truckers had to complete two rest periods extending from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Now, as the Marshfield News-Herald reports, truckers only need to log a 34-hour rest period. Consecutive overnight rests aren’t mandatory during this period. This change may result in more truck drivers sleeping during irregular hours and driving while fatigued. Additionally, truckers may start spending more hours on the road each week. The overnight rest requirement effectively prevented truckers from driving more than 70 hours during any given week. Now, depending on how drivers schedule their rest periods, they may exceed this limit when they begin the next workweek. The suspension is effective until the FMCSA completes a study into the efficacy of the rule. At that point, the rule could be implemented again or eliminated. In the meantime, while the study is still pending, the risk of drowsy driving truck accidents may increase significantly. Impaired drivers Limited research suggests that the elimination of the mandatory overnight rest periods could make truckers more prone to drowsy driving. According to The New York Times, one study found that drivers who completed only one overnight rest per restart showed performance impairments. Specifically, these drivers struggled to stay in their lanes or maintain focus on driving. Overall, the Department of Transportation estimates that 13 percent of large truck crashes involve driver fatigue. Still, drowsy driving is notoriously difficult to detect and prove after an accident occurs. Consequently, the number of accidents that truly involve this form of impairment may be much greater. Legal recourse Sadly, preventable and serious truck accidents may affect many people in Georgia this year. Data from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety shows that trucks contributed to 153 fatal collisions in the state in 2012. These accidents represented over 12 percent of all fatal collisions reported in Georgia that year. When factors such as driver fatigue result in needless accidents, injuries or fatalities, victims may have legal recourse. Anyone who has been hurt in an accident involving a large truck should consider discussing legal remedies with an attorney. A personal injury attorney may be able to offer advice or assistance during the claim process.

There is no question that using a hand-held cellphone to talk and text while driving can be deadly. According to Distraction.gov, 3,129 people were killed and 431,000 people were injured in distracted driving car accidents in 2014 alone. While Georgia is not one of the 14 states in the nation that prohibit drivers from using hand-held cellphones, many motorists in Atlanta and across the state have switched to using hands free devices in an attempt to reduce distraction and increase safety while behind the wheel. Hands free cellphones reduce manual distractions and eliminate visual distractions for motorists, as they do not require them to use their hands or eyes in order to operate. These devices, however, do not decrease the level of cognitive distraction that drivers experience while trying to focus on the road. Conducting research A study published by AAA looked at just how much distraction drivers undergo when using hands free cellphones, in comparison to a number of other tasks participants were asked to engage in while driving. The two-part study involved participants driving a vehicle that was set up with specialized monitoring devices, as well as a driving simulator. Each driver was asked to perform various tasks, which included the following: • Listening to an audio book • Engaging in conversation with another passenger in the vehicle • Talking on a hand-held and a hands free cellphone • Listening to the radio • Writing an email using an voice-activated device During each task, monitors evaluated the driver’s heart rate, mental workload, response time, accuracy and brain activity. Participants were also asked to answer several questions, giving researchers a personal interpretation of their distraction level. Analyzing the results Researchers created a system that rated each driver’s level of cognitive distraction on a scale of one to five. With a rating of 3.06, participants’ experienced the greatest level of cognitive distraction when using the voice-activated technology. Engaging in conversation using a hand-held device had a rating of 2.45, and the hands free device was given a rating of 2.27, which were both significant. Listening to the radio, on the other hand, scored a low 1.21. Study results show that while drivers may feel as though they can maintain a conversation using a hands free device, doing so creates a substantial amount of cognitive distraction. When the brain is not fully focused on the road, the risk of a catastrophic auto accident increases. Victim of distraction If you are the victim of another driver’s negligence, you could benefit from speaking to a personal injury lawyer in Georgia. An attorney may be able to go over the details of your case and explore your legal routes.

In 2013, 22 people died in drunk driving accidents in Fulton County. Between 2009 and 2012, another 77 people were killed in these crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics indicate that from 2009 through 2013, a total of 99 people died in drunk driving accidents in Fulton County. In 2013, both Fulton and Dekalb Counties experienced 22 of these fatalities-more than any other county in the state. In Cobb County, there were 18 drunk driving deaths and in Chatham County there were 10 such deaths. Gwinnett and Troup Counties both experienced 10 deaths at the hands of drunk drivers. Statewide, 297 people died in accidents involving alcohol that year. That number is dramatically higher than the prior two years. In 2012, 180 people died in alcohol-involved crashes and in 2011 that number was 220. Drunk driving crashes all too frequent A quick online search for drunk driving accidents in Atlanta returns far too many sad stories. A look at AJC.com reports includes the following: In the northwestern area of Atlanta, a 43-year-old motorcyclist was killed after being hit head-on by an alleged drunk driver. The driver of the car was reportedly on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash. He has been charged with vehicular homicide in the first degree and driving under the influence among other things. Near Fulton County’s border with Clayton County, two adults and three children were the victims of a tragic drunk driving crash. A pickup truck driven by a suspected drunk driver hit another vehicle head-on. One of the adults and two of the children died while the other adult and child were injured and taken to a hospital. The at-fault driver was found to be on probation for another DUI offense only months earlier. In southeast Atlanta, a three-car crash left one man dead and another in the hospital. The accident was caused after a driver believed to be intoxicated failed to stop at a red light. The failure to navigate a curve in the road caused a suspected drunk driver to go over the median and strike an oncoming car. One man died while four other people, including a child, were injured in the crash. The driver of the vehicle that crossed the median has been charged with DUI, vehicular homicide and driving on a suspended license. Accidents like these impact many people including those directly involved and family members and friends alike. People who have suffered injuries or the loss of loved ones due to the negligence of a drunk driver deserve help. Anyone in this situation should contact an attorney to discuss their options.

Georgia has the fourth-most traffic fatalities in the country based on recently released figures, reports WSAV 3 News. While fatal motor vehicle accidents are up nationwide, in Georgia traffic fatalities soared ten percent last year, much higher than the national average. Safety experts say driver inattention, most notably due to smartphones and other mobile devices, is a major cause of the upswing. Other factors include impaired driving, lack of seat belt usage, and speeding. Traffic deaths soaring in Georgia Last year traffic deaths exceeded 1,500 in Georgia, making it the fourth deadliest state in the country for overall road deaths. That is also a ten-percent increase over 2015’s traffic fatalities. Texas was ranked as the deadliest state for driving, with 3,751 traffic fatalities last year. The surge in road deaths is a story that is being repeated across the country. As the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports, approximately 40,200 people died on the nation’s roads and highways last year, the first time nationwide traffic deaths have exceed 40,000 since 2007. The increase also largely reverses what had been a 15 percent decline in nationwide traffic fatalities between 2007 and 2015. Today road crashes are the number one cause of death for Americans who are aged 30 and younger. Why so many fatal accidents? There is still plenty of debate about why traffic deaths are increasing so rapidly, both in Georgia and throughout the country. However, one likely culprit is distracted driving. Last year in Georgia, for example, 917 traffic fatalities occurred when drivers were trying to make a lane change. Such accidents are usually caused by drivers not paying attention to their surroundings. The main cause for the increase in distracted driving deaths is likely due to the widespread availability of smartphones. A motorist who spends just four seconds reading a text, for example, and is traveling at 60 mph risks driving the length of a football field without actually watching the road. While distracted driving is likely the main reason for the increase in deaths, it is far from the only one. Impaired driving remains one of the leading causes of fatal accidents. Safety experts, however, say that an increasing share of impaired driving accidents are being caused not by alcohol, but by drugs, notably prescription drugs. Speeding and not wearing a seatbelt were also cited as common factors in traffic fatalities. Personal injury law For those who have been injured in a car accident, the next few weeks and months can be especially difficult. One challenge that faces many accident victims is figuring out how they are going to pay for the various expenses, such as medical costs, treatment, lost income, and vehicle repair, that often arise as a result of an accident. A personal injury attorney can help. By contacting an experienced attorney today, accident victims will have an advocate on their side fighting for their rights, including helping them pursue financial compensation they may be entitled to.

Traumatic brain injuries are often referred to as the “silent epidemic” because, unlike a broken leg or laceration, this injury is harder to detect. The three leading causes of traumatic brain injury in the United States are falls, being struck by an object, and motor vehicle accidents. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2.8 million people are treated for a traumatic brain injury each year.

How many times have we heard the phrase “it’s only a concussion.” For years, people have dismissed concussions, believing them to be non-serious injuries. However, research in recent years has determined concussions are serious with experts saying concussions can be a life-altering event. In fact, the medical community now categorizes concussions as mild traumatic brain injuries, otherwise commonly known as mTBI. There are currently more than 5 million people living with TBI-related disabilities in the United States.

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional causes injury or death to a patient through negligence. The carelessness could be caused by a doctor, nurse, therapist, hospital staff, or medical testing (i.e. radiology department), to name a few examples. In some cases, an injury could be permanent. This could result in the patient needing ongoing medical care or have a severe impact on their ability to work.

Among the most serious medical malpractice incidents are surgical errors. Unfortunately, despite the recommendation of and increased use of checklists before surgery, about 4,000 surgical errors occur each year in the U.S.

When parents have a viable cause of action to pursue a birth injury case, they will usually pursue a liability lawsuit against the doctor or surgeon who treated the mother while she was pregnant or giving birth. If successfully navigated, such a lawsuit could bring the parents money to pay for the baby's medical care and other damages caused by the birth injury. The post When is a doctor responsible for a birth injury? appeared first on Stone Law Group - Medical Malpractice Attorneys Atlanta.