According to a recent article in Business 2 Community, a person in this country is killed in a car accident every twelve minutes. In 2011, 32,000 people died on our roads. The social and economic costs (including medical, lost wages and earnings, property damage, and pain and suffering) can total as much as $300 billion per year. Two recent horrific incidents, one in New York City, remind us of the dangers of vehicles and the toll car accidents can take on our lives and the lives of our loved ones.
In the early morning hours of March 3, 2013, Raizy and Nathan Glauber of Brooklyn were tragically killed when a vehicle broadsided the hired car in which they were traveling. At the time of the accident, Mrs. Gauber was 24 weeks pregnant. Doctors delivered her baby boy alive, but he died several hours later. According to The New York Times, it is not clear which driver was at fault, as authorities are still investigating. The newspaper also reported that the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission had not yet approved for use, the car carrying the Glaubers.
In another recent, and similarly tragic car accident, a taxi cab passenger and her driver were killed when the driver of a second vehicle, an aspiring music artist, who had been shot by the driver of a third vehicle, lost control of his car, triggering a fiery crash.
These two incidents are particularly horrific and will most certainly lead to criminal charges. They also highlight the dangers of motor vehicles and the need for safer driving laws. According to the previously mentioned article in Business 2 Community, distracted driving is one of the most common causes of fatal car accidents. Texting while driving, which increases your chance of being involved in an accident by a whopping 2300%, is today one of the most common distractions. So what are states doing about distracted drivers? According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, texting while driving is banned in thirty-nine (39) states, including New York, and talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving is banned in ten (10) states, including New York. While these laws represent positive change in the effort to decrease fatal and non-fatal car accidents, tragic events will unfortunately still strike. When they occur, they can result in severe personal injuries, including traumatic brain injury and other life-altering injuries, and oftentimes death.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, or if a loved one has been killed in a motor vehicle accident, contact the experienced attorneys at Leav & Steinberg to see how we can help. You or a loved one may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, permanent disability, lost wages, pain and suffering, or wrongful death. Let us evaluate your case and guide you through the legal process.
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