Despite the serious injuries received from a bulldozer accident on Monday, January 30, 2012, Mark Dean is still putting up a remarkable fight for his life. The Salt Lake Tribune reported on his condition Tuesday, January 31, 2012. It is amazing that despite his most serious injuries that he is still alive. The Salt Lake Tribune explains the tragic event stating that Dean had driven on the gravel pit’s edge in West Valley City, Utah at 6800 West and 5400 South, when his vehicle began to tip over the 40-foot grade. While the bulldozer was rolling, Dean was ejected and was pinned down by the heavy machine. It wasn’t until firefighters came to his rescue that he was able to escape the traumatic scene. Out of respect for his family’s request, the specific information on his injuries is being withheld.

Workplace injuries that were caused by a worker’s negligence or that of a co-worker are typically handled through the Utah Workers Compensation Fund. If a third party, i.e., someone besides the employee or co-worker contributed to the injury, then there very well could be a claim against them. The family of this man would be well advised to speak with a Utah accident attorney to find out what options might be available to them.

A 31-year-old Kearns man was fatally injured February 1, 2012. According to the  The Salt Lake Tribune, police say that a Honda Accord was seen swerving erratically before it ended up crashing into a parked semi. Investigating officials claim that alcohol, drugs, and excessive speeds were issues in the incident. It is speculated that drowsy or distracted driving may have been the cause of the accident, but it is not certain. The family has not been notified of the accident so the victim’s identity is not being released at this moment.

I send my condolences to the family and friends of this man for their loss.

As a Salt Lake City personal injury attorney, I can’t help but wonder what role a parked semi played in causing this accident to occur. Was its parking lights on? Was it parked too close to the road? Why was the semi there in the first place? Although there is no excuse for erratic driving, the semi being where it was at may have contributed to this crash happening. The family of the deceased may wish to speak with a Utah wrongful death attorney to see what options may be available here.

18-year-old Trenton W. Crawford of Tooele, Utah passed away from injuries received in a rollover accident Friday evening, January 27, 2012,  at 10 p.m. According to ABC News, Crawford was heading north on State Road 36 close to milepost 35 when the accident occurred. According to reports, Crawford was having a diabetic reaction and had reached down, evidently, to grab a drink or a snack and drifted to the right of the road. He then lost control of the vehicle and after over correcting, ended up rolling the vehicle and sending it through several lanes to the west side of the road. Unfortunately, Crawford and a female passenger, 18 year old Cassandra Quaid of Pine canyon, were not wearing seatbelts. Quaid was ejected from the vehicle and was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Fortunately, the third passenger, 20 year old Darrin P. Yadon of Tooele only received minor injuries and was not ejected from the vehicle.

I send my deep condolences to the family of Trenton Crawford for their tragic loss. I also send my best wishes to Mr. Crawford’s passengers for the best possible recovery.

This is a sad story. It seems that there are far too many fatal and serious accidents along this stretch of road. I’m not sure what the answer is to fix this. From the story, however, this crash should not have happened if the driver was taking appropriate precautions. Some of these precautions may have included making sure that blood sugar levels were at safe levels before getting in the car.

It appears that those injured in this crash have a claim against the insurance company that the driver may have had on the car. They also likely could have a claim against their own insurance company or their parent’s insurance company if they live at home. I would recommend that they contact a Utah accident attorney to find out what remedies may be available in their situation.

Steven A. Shade of Ogden, Utah was involved in an accident on Saturday, January 28, 2012, when he lost control of his pickup truck and struck a guardrail. According to The Voice, Shade was headed northbound on I-15, just south of Pocatello Idaho, along with his passenger 25-year-old Tyson W. Shade, also of Ogden. The driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle and drifted into a guardrail, causing the pickup to swing around. A semi truck, traveling behind the pickup and driven by C. J. Palmer, 29,  also lost control of his truck when the front of his semi hit the back end of the pickup. The impact sent both the semi and the pickup into the guardrail and then down a a 50-foot slope. Both the men in the pickup truck were wearing their seat-belt. Palmer, the driver of the semi, regrettably was not. All three individuals were transported by ambulance to the  Portneuf Medical Center.

I wish all those injured a full and complete recovery.

As an Ogden Utah personal injury attorney, I wonder if the semi truck in this story was following maybe a little too close. Operators of large trucks need to keep more than just a two second gap between their vehicle and the one in front. Indeed, they need to leave enough room to take full and evasive action when an incident in front of them unfolds.

Taylor Sauer, an 18-year old Utah State University student from Caldwell, Idaho, lost her life on January 14, 2012 while heading west on I-84, just east of Mountain Home, Idaho. According to KTVB News, the accident happened when her car slammed into the back of a slow-moving semi truck. Her car was then hit from behind by another semi driven by Slawomir Porada of St. Louis, MO. Sauer was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver who rear ended her was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

I offer my deep condolences to the family of Taylor Sauer for their tragic loss.

Posting on Facebook is alleged to be the major factor in causing this crash. Police say that just
minutes prior to the crash that Sauer had posted a message on Facebook. Furthermore, they say, there were no skid marks, suggesting, they say,  that she was distracted by something she was doing in her car.

While being on Facebook might explain the distraction and her rear-ending the semi in front of her, what’s the explanation for why she was rear-ended by a semi? That collision was sufficiently serious to send that truck driver to the hospital in an ambulance. I suspect that if Taylor had not been rear ended by the semi truck driver, that she very well would still be around today.

So was Mr. Porada distracted as well? Why didn’t he keep a proper distance between his truck and Sauer’s vehicle? He sat high in his cab and was likely able to see over Sauer’s car to see the truck’s lights, which should have been flashing if it was moving up the hill at slow speed.

There are a lot of unanswered questions. I would recommend that the family contact a wrongful death lawyer to get to the bottom of what happened here. As I see it, there are possible claims against both semi truck drivers, especially the one that rear-ended young Taylor Sauer.

The above opinions are those of Salt Lake City personal injury attorney Ron Kramer.

A man was reported to have been hit in a crosswalk at 600 South and 200 West on January 25, 2012 in the early morning. According to KSL News, a motorist turning left from 600 South onto 200 West struck the man while he was crossing the street. The pedestrian was said to have been wearing dark clothing at the time. Reported injuries include broken bones and a head injury. He is said to be in critical condition.

I send my best wishes to this man for the best possible recovery.

As a Salt Lake City accident attorney, my first question after reading the story was whether the pedestrian had a walk symbol or not. Regardless, however, left-hand-turning motorists in Utah have an obligation to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. According to Utah Code section 41-6a-1006(a): “The operator of a vehicle shall … exercise care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian.” The fact that the pedestrian was hit suggests that the motorist was not paying attention. To me, the crosswalk is a safety zone where pedestrians can have a higher degree of confidence while crossing the street and where motorists need to vigilantly scour the crosswalk to make sure no pedestrians are crossing.

In terms of a remedy, a claim should be investigated against the motorist for his role in causing this pedestrian accident to occur. I would suggest that the injured man and/or his family contact a Salt Lake pedestrian accident attorney who could advise them as to what insurance or other remedies might be available. One such remedy is a given: that the motorist’s insurance will pay at least $3,000 towards the medical bills when that motorist hits a pedestrian. Other amounts are probably additionally available, so its important that the pedestrian or his family discuss the case with an accident attorney to find out what is available in this particular case.

Another TRAX accident in West Jordan has left a motorist in serious condition. According to KSL News, this UTA TRAX accident happened 9:20 a.m on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 when a 29 year-old motorist apparently ran though lowered crossing arms into the path of an oncoming TRAX train. This was the same intersection where Shariah Casper was killed when she failed to see an oncoming TRAX train because of high sound walls (that were later taken down) that most likely obstructed her view. The motorist was said to be seriously injured. No drugs or alcohol were involved, the police say. It is suspected that the sun may have been in the motorist’s eyes.

I’m really glad that this accident was not fatal. It’s sort of amazing that it wasn’t. Hopefully the victim in this crash will be able to make a full recovery.

As a West Jordan accident attorney, I have been very concerned about the high frequency of TRAX accidents we’ve been hearing about in the news. I sincerely wish there weren’t so many.

In this case, however, I don’t see any fault on the part of UTA for this accident happening. If in fact the sun was in the motorist’s eyes, then they should have slowed down to the point that they were able to see the road in front of them. I can tell you from experience that being blinded by the sun will never be a good defense to driving into an oncoming train or into another vehicle or pedestrian on the road. If you can’t see the road in front of you whether because of the sun, fog, or snow, you shouldn’t be driving.

Ron Kramer is a West Jordan personal injury attorney with his principal office at 8783 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah.

While personal injury claims in Utah will generally have a four-year statute of limitations, Utah wrongful death claims can be much shorter – as little as just one year.

According to Utah law, Utah wrongful death claims need to be made no more than two years after the death occurs. See Utah Code 78B-2-304. If the wrongful death claim is against a Utah governmental agency, a “notice of claim” will need to be filed within one year of the death occurring.

In Utah, wrongful death heirs will include: (1) the spouse of the deceased, (2) the children of the deceased under U.C.A. 75-2-114, and (3) the natural parents of the deceased. Step children have recently been added to the list of potential claimants, but only if they are under 18 and are “primarily financially dependent” on their deceased parent.

Ron Kramer is a Salt Lake, Ogden, and Provo wrongful death and personal injury attorney.

A 7-year old child was injured in an auto-pedestrian knock over in West Valley City, Utah, today, December 30, 2011. According to KSL News, this pedestrian accident happened around 4 p.m. at 3855 South and Redwood Road in West Valley City. The child was life flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in critical condition. No other details are available.

Best wishes and prayers are in order for this young child as she begins what could be a long recovery.

While personal injury claims will generally have a four-year statute of limitations, wrongful death claims can be much shorter – as little as one year.

According to Utah Code 78B-2-304, Utah wrongful death claims need to be brought no more than two years after the death occurs. If the claim is against a Utah governmental agency, a prerequisite “notice of claim” needs to be filed within one year of the death occurring. Underlying all Utah wrongful death claims is the ability to show that someone acted wrongfully or was negligent in causing the death. A claim does not arise just because someone died.

In Utah, wrongful death heirs include: (1) the spouse of the deceased, (2) the children of the deceased under U.C.A. 75-2-114, and (3) the natural parents of the deceased. Step children are also included if they are under 18 and are “primarily financially dependent” on their deceased parent.

Ron Kramer is an Ogden, Salt Lake and Provo wrongful death and personal injury attorney.