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.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, on Wednesday, June 22, a 72-year-old man ran over 4-year-old Cole Mair at 9180 N. 2160 W. in Neola. The driver of the truck had stopped to speak to Cole’s mother as she walked down the side of the road. When he drove away, he didn’t see Cole as he rode his bike in front of the truck and ran over him. Cole was killed instantly.

How horrifying it must have been for this mother as she watched, helplessly, as her child was run over by a truck and be unable to save him. My prayers are with Cole’s family as they mourn his loss in this completely tragic accident.

According to an ABC 4 news report a 12-year-old girl was hit and killed while riding her bike with her 15-year-old cousin on Saturday, June 25, 2011, in Santa Clara, Utah. A Ford Expedition first hit the 15-year-old bicyclist, who was riding in front of her cousin, causing her to fall into a rocky storm drain. Then, the Expedition struck the 12-year-old, causing fatal injuries.

The 15-year-old girl had minor injuries and was treated at Dixie Regional Medical Center. However, according to the report ABC 4 received from officials, the 12-year-old girl died at the scene. The driver of the Expedition had no injuries.

Again, this is another tragic accident that could have been avoided. My heart goes out to the family of the 12-year-old victim during this time. I also hope that the 15-year-old girl that was injured during this tragedy is healing quickly and  isn’t blaming herself.

A 18-year-old man suffered internal injuries after being hit by a car while traveling on his bicycle in Layton, Utah. According to Layton police and the Salt Lake Tribune, the driver of the SUV that hit the bicyclist apparently ran a red light. This Utah bicycle accident happened on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at around 9 a.m near 500 North Main Street. A 31-year-old woman was driving an SUV southbound and continued through the intersection as her light turned red and east/west signals turned green. A semi truck initially pulled into the intersection when they saw the green light but stopped when they saw the SUV was not stopping. The SUV passed in front of the semi and hit the bicyclist as he entered the crosswalk.

I wish this young man the very best as he recovers from these serious injuries.

It appears blame lies with this woman who ran the red light. I wonder if she was talking on her phone or texting? I imagine authorities will look into her phone logs to see her activity at the time of the accident. The report mentions nothing of drugs or alcohol which could have also played a role in this accident.

Utah Bicycle Accident Statistics

In 2008, 716 bicyclists were killed and an additional 52,000 were injured in traffic crashes. This represents 2% of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. Alcohol involvement -either for the driver of the vehicle or the bicyclist- played a role in 37% of the bicycle-related fatalities. In 31% of these crashes, the driver of the bicyclist had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 9g/dL) or higher. In 2008, Utah had 4 bicycle fatalities.

Ron Kramer is a Utah bicycle accident attorney who helps the injure receive compensation for lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering.

The Kramer Law Group does not currently represent any of the parties referenced in the article at the time it was written. We have cited and linked to the source of our information. If you were involved in the above incident, or one like it, and have questions about your rights and possible remedies, you may call us or another reputable Utah personal injury law firm. Do not act based on the above information without getting a consultation. The best personal injury attorneys will offer a free consultation. We offer a free and confidential consultation to those (and their family members) not substantially at fault in causing their accident. The information and opinions expressed above are provided as a public service and should not be used in place of legal advice from a qualified Utah personal injury attorney.

An Experienced Orem Utah Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You From Getting Injured Again — This Time by the Big Insurance Companies

The most experienced Orem, Utah car accident lawyers know that dealing with insurance companies can be treacherous. There are many traps just waiting to catch the uninitiated – including those accident victims who decide to go it alone. Those that drive in the Orem metro area know that accidents out there are just waiting to happen. Statistically, Orem is the sixth largest city in Utah and home to many college-age students. On any given day, there are auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, scooter accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, drunk driving accidents and text messaging accidents that injure people and send them to the hospital, and sometimes to the morgue.

Getting What is Fair Can Be Difficult and Trying for the Uninitiated

Sadly, when someone is involved in a Orem, Utah car accident, either as a driver, motorist, or pedestrian, obtaining just compensation can be extremely trying. Sometimes the claim needs to be brought against a Utah governmental agency, such as UTA. Agencies such as this are not accustomed to giving injured victims the time of day, let alone justice. Getting fair compensation from these agencies and the big insurance companies takes real experience and dogged persistence. A knowledgeable Orem accident lawyer will tell you that big insurance, companies and governmental agencies just won’t pay over the compensation you may be deserving if they happened to have been negligent. So, unless there is a Utah advocate holding them accountable, they are likely to deny or severely minimize your valid injury claim.

The Secret Way Insurance Companies Make Their Millions

Let’s face it, the insurance industry is a highly-competitive industry. Every day, we hear and see countless commercials in Utah from car insurance companies that want us to switch over to them for our car insurance needs. Despite their insistence that we all become their customers and pay them premiums however, the insurance companies make most of their profit when they deny or minimize otherwise valid claims. What skilled Salt Lake City accident attorneys know is that as long as the insurance companies bring in more in premium dollars than they pay out, they are profitable. However, if the insurance companies can avoid paying out on valid claims, or only pays pennies on the dollar, the amount they avoid paying out is pure profit to them. So, for example, if they paid out $10,000 less than they should of on your claim, that is an extra $10,000 of pure profit to that insurance company. That’s where the BIG money is for them. This is the area that they really focus their business attention on.

Fight Fire With Fire:  Get a Good Lawyer!

Insurance companies hire the best lawyers to defend them so they can limit their payouts to the bare minimum. This is why you need to fight fire with fire by consulting with the best Orem accident and injury lawyer you can find. Such a lawyer will not bow to the manipulative games that these insurance companies play. They have trial experience and take cases to trial when necessary. They stand firm in the face of their claims that your case is worth less because you have “degenerative disc disease,” that you were in a car accident 10 years ago, that your accident was too minor to have caused you injury, etc. Since almost all accident and injury lawyers will offer a free consultation, make sure you consult with one who can explain what your rights are and what you can expect on your claim. Remember that it costs NOTHING to meet with an experienced lawyer. If you were seriously injured, you will be miles ahead if you do.

Learn All You Can To Get the Best Possible Outcome on Your Case

Finally, you should take the time to educate yourself as to what you are in for when you have been involved in a Orem accident and what mistakes you must avoid to get full and fair compensation for your case. Ron Kramer wrote the Utah Accident Book to give Utah consumers this very direction. This book is free to those who have been injured in a Utah accident. You can get one by calling our office or clicking here: http://www.MyAccidentBook.com.

If you have been injured because of someone’s neglect, we would love to meet with you or a family member. You can visit us in our office conveniently located in Provo:

Kramer Law Group
495 North University Ave., Suite 100
Provo, Utah 84601
801-374-7445

We reported last year of the tragic auto-bicycle accident occurring at State St. and 3900 South in South Salt Lake City that took the life of 48-year old Gregory Allen Hayes. One year later, the person accused of running a red light and striking him, Otto Telesa Sua, 52 years old, has plead guilty to negligence homicide. As part of the plea deal, the class A misdemeanor charge has been reduced to a class B charge.

Sua has confessed that he was driving while sleep deprived and fatigued, having had only one hour of sleep at the time he fell asleep at the wheel and hit Haye’s bike. Sua now faces the prospect of being deported since it has been revealed that he is in this country illegally.

Ron Kramer is a Utah bicycle accident attorney serving clients in Salt Lake County, Utah, Weber, Davis Counties as well as all Utah communities statewide.

A bill that would allow Utah bicyclists to simply yield at intersections governed by a stop sign or traffic signal, was killed by the Utah House Transportation Committee who evaluated it. The proposal would have put Utah in line with an Idaho law on the books there for 20 years. Whether this rule would have reduced the incidence of auto-bicycle accidents in Utah is another story.

The bill, not surprisingly, met with a lot of resistance, with bike riders actually being on both sides of the issue. The argument in favor of the change is that cyclists already in practice treat intersections as “yield” signs anyway. The law change would simply be legalizing what is already a common practice. Some of the law makers debating this admitted that yielding at this intersection is a common practice for them as well.)

As a cyclist myself, I think the biking community will be safer by following the rules that motorists are required to follow, even though the practice of “blowing” stop signs will undoubtedly continue. With the animosity there seems to be in Utah between motorists and bicyclists, I think it best not to create any law that will create even more animosity between the two transportation groups.

Ron Kramer is a Utah personal injury and Utah bicycle accident lawyer with offices in Draper, Provo and Bountiful Utah.