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.

Authorities say 22-year-old, Dustin Rice was critically injured in an Utah automobile crash in Clearfield, Utah near the 650 North exit. According to abc4.com, the man was driving a pickup truck that slammed into a sound wall on Interstate 15 on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. UHP’s Sgt. Greg Lundell says, “When he went off the west side, he actually vaulted. So, he went from the lower side of the road, flipped up and actually struck about eight feet up on the wall before coming back down on the top.”

The man may have actually been dead when paramedics arrived, but paramedics were able to revive Mr. Rice and transport him to McKay-Dee Hospital where he is being treated for his injuries. Officials say he was not wearing a seat belt and had to be extricated from the truck.

I wish the best for Mr. Rice as he recovers from this auto accident..

Single-Vehicle Run-off Road Car Accidents

Run-off the road car accidents (ROR) involve a vehicle that leaves the normal travel lane and encroaches onto a median, roadside, sound barrier or separator. According to a study performed by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, ROR crashes contribute to the largest proportion of fatalities and serious injuries in single-vehicle accidents. About 70% of fatal single-vehicle crashes involve a vehicle that is outside the normal travel lane.

Many factors contribute to single-vehicle auto accidents including drowsy driving, alcohol use, roadway alignment with curve, speeding, and adverse weather. Vehicle speed is the number one reason that increases the risk of a fatal single-car vehicle accident.

Curved road segments are more likely to be the scene of ROR crashes and speed is a factor in 90% of these type of accidents. ROR crashes occur 74.2 percent of the time at night and are much more likely during times of adverse weather such as rain, sleet, snow, fog or smoke. Also, vehicles with young drivers (age 15 to 24), like this accident with Mr. Rice, are more likely to be involved in ROR crashes as compared to other age groups of drivers.

Ron Kramer is an Utah personal injury lawyer who specializes in auto accident case. He has offices in Provo, Draper and Bountiful, Utah.

57-year-old Mary E. Doty, head of Utah State University’s counseling center was killed in a Logan, Utah car accident on Wednesday August, 12th, 2009. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that
Doty’s vehicle was hit head-on by a pickup truck on State Road 30.

Utah Highway Patrol Officers believe the driver had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel. He drifted into Doty’s lane killing her on impact. The driver of the pickup was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

My thoughts are with the Doty family as they struggle to recover from this loss. Doty has been the counseling director since 1992 and I think of the countless University students she has helped in her tenure at Utah State. This loss will no doubt be difficult for the Utah State community as well.

I haven’t blogged on drowsy driving in quite some time. Most people know and are concerned about the dangers of drinking and driving but do not understand the dangers of drowsy driving. According to drowsydriving.org, driving drowsy causes many of the same problems as driving drunk. It slows reactions time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment, and significantly increases your risk of crashing.

Although it is difficult to determine if a crash was caused by fatigued driving, a 2005 poll called Sleep in America showed that 60% of adult drivers say they have driven a vehicle while drowsy, and more than 1/3 have fallen asleep at the wheel. Approximately, 100,000 accidents are contributed to driver fatigue each year. causing 1550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in losses. Startling statistics considering we are reliant on other drivers to make proper decisions to keep us safe.

I have had a few clients who have been victims of another parties driving while drowsy. Large settlements and/or jury verdicts have been paid to families of crash victims of individuals who were involved in drowsy driving. As far as I’m concerned, drowsy driving can and should be avoided. We all have busy schedules but we should not put ourselves in a car if we know we are going to be drowsy.

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