Utah Department of Transportation’s Zero Fatalities campaign brought together the 25 families who lost a child in a car accident, reports Fox13 News. For those who have lost an child in a car accident, it can undoubtedly be a heart wrenching experience, and these family connected in hopes of alerting and educating Utahans be more alert to the dangers of inattentive driving.

My thoughts and prayers are with these families in dealing with their devastating loss.

Although many states have previously required a medical examiner to be at the scene of a fatal vehicle accident, Utah has previously not required one, which is likely to change reports KSL News. “The cause of death is not always apparent,” tell Utah Highway Patrol Maj. Michael Rapich.

Having a medical examiner on the scene of the accident helps Utahns in more than one way. First, they can help put the correct causation to the death, i.e. a toxicology report can help pinpoint whether the death was caused by chemical or natural causes. Second, it can help the family and relatives speed up the legal process. Getting a death certificate and an insurance payout can be a cumbersome process, especially if trying to get the necessary paperwork from a hospital emergency room, which are usually too busy with patients who have not already passed. Having a medical examiner present helps prevent the “legal limbo” that is created with a situation where the proper documentation wasn’t done soon enough, and also helps free up “time and resources at the hospital.”

Utah accident Victims can now order their accident reports online. Utahans, who have a history of being tech-savvy, have kept with this trend reports the Standard-Examiner. Utah Highway Patrol reports over 56,000 accidents annually, and are “very excited to offer this valuable service to our citizens,” said Commissioner Davenport of the Utah Department of Public Safety.

In the past, an accident victim has had to personally visit the law enforcement station in order to get a copy of their accident report. Now, after a few simple verifying steps, it can easily be accessed and printed online. Currently, all state-level accident reports are available at http://crashreport.utah.gov, but U.H.P. is hoping (and encouraging) county-level law enforcement agencies to join.

Kramer Law Group, is a personal injury firm who specializes in helping accident victims receive a fair amount of compensation from insurance companies. We offer free consultations to anyone with questions about their accident, and have also made available a free copy of The Utah Accident Book.

Lonnie Walker Brady, a 6-year-old girl from Duchesne, was stuck in the intersection of 100 West and U.S. Highway 40 by a man in a pickup truck. The driver of the truck is being charged with driving under the influence of methamphetamine, along with other related charges, reports KSL News.

The young girl, Utah Highway Patrol trooper Matt Pratt describes, was thrown about 43 feet. Mr. Pratt, who also witnessed the accident, recalls the driver was not speeding at the time, and also appeared to apply the brakes before cashing into the girl.

Originally Lonnie was taken to a local medical center, but soon after was flown to Primary Children’s in critical condition. Even with such a serious crash, “The doctors have a very optimistic outcome for her,” says UHP Cpl. Rex Olsen.

With this being one of many car accident traumas in the family, we offer our sympathy to the family for going through such a heart-wrenching tragedy of a young loved one.

Ben and Ashley Marsden, and Ogden couple, delivered their baby on the side of the road last Monday. Often times a vehicle is seen pulled over on the side of the freeway, and more often then not, other vehicles veer dangerously close to the stopped automobile. If the fear of getting into a horrific car accident isn’t enough to keep a person from driving too close to stopped vehicles, maybe this story of a baby making a ‘speedy’ entrance into the world on side of I-15,” will.

Early Monday morning, the Marsden’s newest edition decided he would be joining the family earlier than planned. After rushing towards the hospital in Ogden from South Willard, the mother, Ashley, quickly came to the reality that they would not be making it to the hospital in time to deliver the baby. With no other options, Ben, the father, pulled the vehicle over and called 911, and was then guided through the delivery by the dispatcher.

It is a lucky coincidence that it was so early in the morning and traffic was light with no distracted, tired, or drunk drivers on the road. With endless stories of accident fatalities from inattentive drivers, this should be a lesson and reminder to everyone to pay attention while driving on the freeway, regardless of the time or location of travel.

Ron Kramer is an  Ogden Personal Injury Attorney who specialized in auto injury accidents.

Source: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17318849

A study performed by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 25 percent of teen drivers killed in an auto accident had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit. UNITE, a Utah based company, is using technology to give teens a “crash course” into the dangers of drinking and driving.

Student’s at Juan Diego High School were given the opportunity to be in the driver’s seat of a virtual simulator that mimicked similar effects of drunken driving. All driving was a simulation so there was no danger of course. KSL news reports that the simulator is a real car linked to a computer program with sensors that pick up on a driver’s actions. The program can simulate different blood alcohol levels and the delayed reaction time associated with that level.

Bill Taggart, a DUI awareness instructor for UNITE, said that the most fatal accidents involving alcohol happen at or near the legal limit, when drivers feel they are still ok to drive. When Juan Diego High School student Mac Baird was put in the simulator with a blood alcohol level of .081, a shade above the legal limit, this statement was verified. “I think I hit two people during my simulation,” Baird said. “I had one guy jaywalking, and I hit him. Then I lost control of the car and hit another person.”

“When you have alcohol in your system, you don’t realize how slow you are reacting to things. You think everything is happening in real time, but it’s actually more like a tape delay you are reacting to,” Taggart said.

The simulator made a big impression on students at Juan Diego High. Other government departments are using the technology to educate the public.

Utah DUI Statistics

The results of drunken driving are devastating. I’ve represented many victims of Utah drunk driving accidents and have seen those devastating results first hand. In 2008, 20% of the 275 total accidents in Utah were alcohol related. Of those, 46 of the accidents involved a driver with a blood alcohol level of at least .08.

In Utah, 1rst and 2nd DUI offenses are class B misdemeanors, and subsequent offenses are considered felonies.

Ron Kramer is a Utah personal injury attorney who has represented many drunk driving victims in his years practicing law in Utah.

A Sandy, Utah car accident sent two people to the hospital on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. According to abc4.com, this Utah auto accident happened near 9150 South Monroe. A woman was driving a white truck and for an undetermined reason, crossed the center line and hit a minivan traveling in the opposite direction.

Drivers of both vehicles were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police are now investigating, and believe alcohol may have been a factor.

Utah Drunk Driving Statistics

An estimated 11,773 people died in alcohol related accidents in 2008. This number represents a 9.8 decline from the year previous. In 2006, 1.46 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This represents an arrest for 1 in every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.

Utah drunk driving arrests have seen a steady increase and Utah legislature looks to pass new regulations for harsher penalties for those caught driving under the influence. Studies have shown that simply taking away a drunk drivers license is not sufficient. Fifty to 75 percent of drunk drivers whose licenses have been suspended continue to drive. Americans show a willingness to support tough penalties for drunk drivers. In a 2008 AAA poll, AAA found that 80% supported requiring drivers who have been convicted of a DUI of DWI to use equipment that tests for alcohol before they are allowed to start their vehicle.

In 2009, Utah residents saw the fewest traffic fatalities in 35 years. Across the state, 245 people were killed in traffic related fatalities as reported by the Utah Department of Transportation. This number is an 11 percent drop since 2008 and a 34 percent drop since 2000. The last time Utah had fewer than 245 traffic fatalities was in 1974, during the heart of the nation’s oil crisis.

Officials attribute the drop in fatalities to several key factors, including an increase in public transportation options, improved driver safety courses, new safety measures on state roads and extensive public awareness campaigns.

Although Utah residents should be happy with the progress, UDOT executive director, John Njord reminds that a majority of the fatalities were still preventable, and 245 lives were still lost. “The numbers show great progress, but I will never feel comfortable saying that 245 people died on our roads. Even if we get to 100 fatalities or 50 fatalities or five fatalities, we won’t be satisfied until we can say that there were zero fatalities on Utah’s roads,” he said.

According to standard.net, UDOT analyzed the 245 fatalities in 2009 and found that 19 were fatigue-related, 29 involved impaired driving, 67 were speed-related and 96 were attributed to drivers who were not wearing their seatbelts. A total of 196 of the 245 fatalities were on dry roads.

Ron Kramer is a Salt Lake City, Utah personal injury attorney with offices in Bountiful, Draper and Provo, Utah.

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after she drove into an oncoming UTA bus on Wednesday, December 16, 2009. The Utah drunken driving accident happened near 800 West and 750 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, around 6 a.m. KSL news reports that the woman wanted to make a right-hand turn. She instead crossed the double yellow line and tried to go southbound in the northbound lanes, hitting the front of a UTA bus.

No one was injured on the bus, and the woman who hit the bus had no serious injuries. The bus driver tried to swerve but there wasn’t much he could do besides slow down. The woman was given a field sobriety test and officers report that she “did poorly”. She was transported to be processed of driving under the influence.

People, when you drive, lay off the alcohol. The life you save may be your own.

Reduce the Number of Utah Injury Accidents, Obey Utah’s DUI Laws

According to alcoholalert.com, approximately 20% of the fatalities are attributed to alcohol. In 2008, there were 55 alcohol related fatalities.

According to the law in Utah, those driving with a blood alcohol level above .08 are arrested for DUI. After you are charged, your license is confiscated by the arresting officer and replaced with a temporary licence. You’ll be taken to the police station and your car may be impounded. You will most likely spend the night in jail and face more severe penalties if convicted. You may serve a 48-hour jail sentence, be subject to a series of fines, have your license suspended or be required to seek treatment for alcohol or drug abuse.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Highway Patrol, law enforcement will focus on making the streets safe for Halloween festivities. The UHP is planning a statewide drunken driving blitz for Saturday night. Last year, police did the same thing and were able to make 343 arrests.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a motor vehicle accident is considered alcohol-related when at least one driver involved in the crash has a blood alcohol concentration of .01 gram per deciliter or higher. On average, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2007 there were 284 alcohol related deaths in Utah. That number is 22% of the total accident fatalities, the lowest percentage in the country.

It is a tremendous blessing to live in a state where drunken-driving fatalities are relatively low compared to other states in the country. But despite the low average, we should not stop until drunk-driving related fatalities are eliminated. Be safe this weekend and enjoy a Happy Halloween!