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The Most Common Car Accident Injuries

August 21, 2018 By Christopher

Car accidents can cause a wide variety of injuries ranging from cuts and scrapes to live threatening head injuries.

In many car accidents, drivers come out entirely unharmed. In others, they experience severe injuries or death. Many factors contribute to the severity of injuries, but the most common are angle of the collision, seatbelt usage, speed of the cars, and the quality of the airbag system. If the conditions surrounding your accident are not favorable, there is a good chance that you will sustain damages. If you do, your injury will likely fall into one of the categories below. One thing to note is that no matter what the nature of your damage is, it is always a goo idea to consult with a St. Louis car accident lawyer for more information. Here are some of the most common of those injuries and what to expect from them.

Soft Tissue

This type of injury is one that affects the connective tissue of the body. Generally, that means tendons, muscles, and ligaments. A few typical examples of soft tissue injuries are sprains, strains, and tears. Though these damages are less severe than other types of injury, they can still be very frustrating to manage. If you experience one of them, you should see a doctor and decide on a treatment plan.

Cuts and Scrapes

When one car hits another, it delivers a massive amount of momentum. That energy can send objects flying throughout your vehicle, each of which has the chance of harming you. A typical result of this effect is being cut or scraped. These injuries can come from parts of your car or objects within it, like a GPS or pair of glasses. Depending on the severity of your cut or scrape, you may or may not need to see a doctor. If you have any indecision, take the prudent option and check with a medical professional.

Head Injury

When you collide with another car, two things can injure your head. First, the impact may cause your head and neck to suddenly move in an uncomfortable direction. Second, your head could hit something like your steering wheel or an airbag. Either way, you may experience a severe head injury in your crash. The most common of these are concussions, but there are many more that your doctor will talk to you about when you see them for an assessment.

Bruising

Just like with your head, any part of your body can experience an overwhelming impact in a crash. What will often happen as a result is intense bruising. While this injury is generally not permanent, it is very frustrating to deal with for the time it affects you.

Breaks

If the impact you feel is extreme enough, you may experience bone breaks. The most common areas are arms, legs, hands, feet, and ribs. If you sustain a break, you will need immediate medical assistance.

Nobody ever expects to get into a car accident, but the truth is that they are incredibly common. Because of this, it is best to be prepared for them. One way to do that is by understanding what to expect from the most common car accident injuries. If you’re looking for even more information on these injuries, such as the compensation you can obtain for them, it is best to consult a St. Louis car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

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What Parents Can Do to Prevent Teen Car Accidents in St. Louis

August 10, 2018 By Christopher

Handing over the keys can be a frightening experience for parents. However, if you teach your teen correctly, it doesn’t have to be.

teenage driving accident

When your child reaches driving age, it is a significant step towards independence. This increased freedom scares most parents, but the reality is that if you have raised your children well, they will usually act responsibly. Given the facts surroundings car accident & teens, what you should really be concerned about is their safety on the road. Below, we explain the basics of teen driving and the best ways to keep your child safe. If they ever do end up in an accident, it is best to speak with a St. Louis auto accident attorney.

Why Teens Are Often Unsafe

There are two primary reasons why teens are unsafe on the road. The first is inexperience. Generally, people start to drive somewhere between the ages of 15 and 19. That means that they are operating on just a few years of experience at most. The second reason is carelessness. Teens tend to be less mature, and thus are more likely to be careless on the road. This frequently leads to accidents.

Top Safety Tips

Though some accidents cannot be avoided, you can significantly decrease your child’s risk by following some of the most important safety tips. They are listed below.

Discourage Phone Usage – One of the top risk factors for teens is phone usage. If you watch your child, this makes a lot of sense. A lot of people in the modern world are glued to their phones, and this is especially true for younger people. When they are driving, they will be tempted to talk, text, or browse the internet. For accident avoidance, it is best to discourage this. A great way to do so is by having your teen put their phone in their glove box for the entirety of their drive.

Promote Defensive Driving– Any car accident attorney will tell you that aggression leads to accidents. If your teen is speeding or driving recklessly, they are at risk.

Minimize Driving in Groups – Studies have shown that teens driving in groups are less safe than driving alone. Try to have your child drive on their own as much as possible.

Communicate About Drunk Driving – Drunk driving is often a factor in teen accidents. You can discourage drinking and driving by having a simple conversation about it.

Lead By Example – Your children are generally going to focus on what you do, not what you say. If you practice unsafe habits, then don’t be surprised when they do the same. You can protect yourself and your child through following safe practices while driving with them.

Putting your teen on the road can be a frightening experience, but if you teach them correctly, it doesn’t have to be. Following a few easy safety tips can increase their safety drastically, so it is worth doing so. Still, no matter how safe your child is, they can be struck by another driver. If this ever happens,it is important to speak with a St. Louis car accident attorney to handle the aftermath properly and get the compensation you and your teen are entitled to.

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St. Louis Wrong Way Car Crash

August 7, 2018 By Christopher

Some of the most dangerous accidents that take place on the streets and highways of St. Louis are wrong-way collisions.

When a wrong way car crash happens, both vehicles almost always experience severe damage, and often one or both of the drivers will be injured. If this ever happens to you, it is an excellent idea to speak with a St. Louis car accident attorney to discuss your options. Below, we explain the statistics, causes, danger, avoidance tips, and liability surrounding wrong-way collisions.

Statistics

The 2012 Highway Special Investigation Report, compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board, provides detailed statistics on these types of accidents. The following are a few of their key findings:

Wrong-way collisions result in somewhere between 300 and 400 deaths every year, with the instances of non-fatal crashes being much higher.
The majority of these crashes come on divided highways, which are roads that have traffic going two ways without a divider between them.
It has been found that over half of wrong-way drivers are drunk when they collide with a driver on the right side of the road.

Causes

Though a wrong-way collision can happen for a variety of reasons, there are a few common causes that come up over and over again. The four primary factors are distraction, intoxication, aggression, and fatigue.

Why They Are so Dangerous

The primary factor that separates harmless accidents from severe ones is speed. As you can imagine, a crash that happens at 5 MPH is less likely to cause severe injuries. On the other hand, wrong-way collisions often combine two critical factors. First, the cars are going very fast. Second, they are headed straight at each other. In this case, the considerable momentum of both vehicles is fully transferred to the other, and the consequences are dire.

Avoidance Tips

The best way to avoid a wrong-way collision is, of course, to never drive on the wrong side of the road. To achieve this, simply do the opposite of the four causes we cited above. Pay attention to the road, never drive intoxicated, be defensive, and resist driving while fatigued. As far as dealing with other drivers on the wrong side of the road, your best shot is following general safe driving guidelines.

Liability

As far as liability goes, wrong-way collisions are usually fairly simple. Whichever driver was driving on the wrong side of the road is generally found liable, and they are required to pay damages. This doesn’t mean you are safe to fight this case alone, though. The most prudent way to approach any car crash case is with a lawyer at your side.

Though the results of a wrong-way collision are often incredibly damaging, the legal process that comes after doesn’t have to be. If you happen to be involved in one of these types of crashes, don’t hesitate to give us a call for FREE legal advice. Call us 24/7 at (314) 361-4242.

Why Drowsy Driving Is so Dangerous

August 2, 2018 By Christopher

While drowsy driving does not get as much publicity as other unsafe driving conditions, it is a massive problem.

There are a lot of factors that go into a car crash. The most famous are alcohol, texting, and aggressive driving, but there is one reason that sometimes goes under the radar: Drowsiness. It is responsible for a shocking amount of car accidents and subsequent deaths, and it can happen to anyone. If you are ever involved in a drowsy driving accident, be sure to talk to a St. Louis car accident attorney to go over your options. Here’s what you need to know about drowsy driving.

How It Happens

Drowsiness on the road can happen due to a variety of factors. The most common ones are lack of sleep, medication, night driving, and long bouts of driving. These can present themselves in any number of ways. It can be an overnight road trip, a commute home after a long day, an early morning drive, or even a short trip to the drug store after you’ve had some cold medicine.

Why It’s Unsafe

The reason why drunk driving is so dangerous is that it decreases your alertness and compromises your decision making. Drowsy driving essentially does the same thing. It will slow your reaction time, make you pay less attention to the road, and impair your ability to make smart decisions.

The Statistics

Here is a statistic that should scare you: Around 1 in 25 drivers report having fallen asleep while driving just in the last 30 days. That is a shockingly high number on its own and is even more surprising when you read that it is in the last month only. It is also estimated that up to 72,000 crashes and 800 deaths are a result of drowsy driving every year. These numbers should convince you that this is a serious issue that deserves your attention.

Warning Signs

Some warning signs for drowsy driving include yawning, excessive blinking, missing street signs, and drifting.

Avoidance

There are two ways to avoid drowsy driving. The first is to prevent drowsiness altogether. To do this, you can make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, stay away from medication before driving, and avoid driving late at night. The second way is to be honest with yourself and think about the consequences of driving tired. Chances are, you will know when you are being unsafe. You might realize it before getting into the car or mid-trip when you experience warning signs. The most important thing to do is not to try and wait it out. Be honest with yourself and get off the road.

Legal Implications

Drowsy driving is sometimes ruled a driver negligence and can have serious liability consequences.

While drowsy driving does not get as much publicity as other unsafe driving conditions, it is a massive problem. When you drive, do everything you can to avoid it. That includes not driving tired, being aware of warning signs, and having the courage to stop driving if you believe you are too tired. Don’t get caught in an accident due to ignorance or negligence. Instead, do everything you can to avoid drowsy driving.

If you have been involved in a St. Louis car accident with a driver who was drowsy or fell asleep behind the wheel, get in touch with our experienced car accident lawyers 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for FREE legal advice.

The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents

August 2, 2018 By Christopher

While a fair amount of St. Louis car accidents happen due to strange circumstances, the vast majority happen because of a specific set of common causes.

Understanding those causes can do two things for you. First, you can avoid those behaviors yourself, which will significantly decrease your risk of getting into an accident. Second, you can recognize when another driver is driving dangerously, and choose to keep your distance from them. With education and behavioral shifts, you can drastically increase your chances of safety.

Speeding

Cars driving over the speed limit get into accidents at a much higher rate than cars moving at appropriate speeds. This is because a speeding vehicle is hard to steer and slow down. If a speeding driver needs to stop quickly or make an evasive maneuver, they are much more likely to get into an accident than a driver that is going to speed limit.

Intoxication

Drinking alcohol or being on drugs significantly affects driving in a variety of ways. Drivers will often experience slower reaction times, poor judgment, aggression, and a tendency to become distracted. All of these factors combine to make intoxicated driving one of the top causes of accidents.

Distractions

Though most people are guilty of some sort of multitasking while on the road, it is incredibly unsafe and should be avoided. They eat, do makeup, take phone calls, text, and a variety of other distracting activities. The result is taking their eyes off the road and hands off of the wheel. This kind of distracted driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving and is a significant cause of crashes.

Weather

The only common factor that is not behavioral is the weather. In the rain or snow, drivers will often lose control of their vehicles and the results will be dire. The best way to avoid this is taking all necessary safety precautions and avoiding the road entirely when conditions are especially dangerous.

Running Red Lights

Running red lights leads to a significant number of accidents every year. Overly aggressive or distracted drivers can do it, but either way, the consequences are dire. Given that these accidents come at high speeds and are often in a T-Bone alignment, the fatality rate of red light incidents is very high.

Fatigue

Drivers that are fatigued are a liability to themselves and the drivers around them. Much like drunk drivers, their reaction time and ability to stay focused suffer greatly. It may not get as much publicity as some other factors on this list, but fatigued driving is actually one of the most deadly.

Next time you’re out on the road, keep on eye on yourself and other drivers. If you are driving in a way that puts you at risk, then it is time to start removing that habit. On the other hand, if another driver is driving dangerously, then do your best to get away from them and towards safer drivers. If you end up in an accident for whatever reason, you can always contact our St. Louis car accident attorneys to discuss your options. Call us 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE case evaluation.