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.

Police identified Geoffrey Claiborne, 24 years-old, as a victim in an early-morning pedestrian accident in Salt Lake City. According the Salt Lake Tribune, Claiborne was hit by a car as he crossed an intersection at 100 South and 400 East in Salt Lake City around 4:47 a.m. on November 15, 2011. He was traveling in the southside crosswalk, going from east to west, when he was struck by a northbound car. Police say that Claiborne was wearing darker clothing and suggest he was crossing against the light. Another contributing factor may have been an incline in the road that may have made it difficult for the driver to see the pedestrian.

I offer my deep condolences to the family and friends of Geoffrey Claiborne for their sad loss.

The news story does not mention that there were any witnesses besides the driver of the vehicle. Certainly independent witnesses can help settle the score when there are differences in accounts on how an accident may have happened. If the only source for the claim that the man was crossing against a light was from the driver of the car, then it’s hard to say with certainty if the pedestrian was crossing with the light or against it.  Police say that the accident remains under investigation, which seems to suggest, that the evidence is inconclusive at this point. The family will want to closely review the accident report to get a better handle on what actually happened. If there was a witness, then they should find out what the witnesses said about the cause of this tragic event to determine what remedy they may have, if any.

The opinions above belong to Ron Kramer, a Utah pedestrian accident and injury attorney.

Video Courtesy of KSL News

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.”

A 15-year-old girl was hit at the crosswalk by Heartland Elementary School at 1500 West and 7000 South in West Jordan, where she suffered a serious head injury reports The Salt Lake Tribune. The lights at this intersection had not yet been activated for the morning school, but traffic was heavy and the girl was wearing dark clothing. This West Jordan pedestrian accident is still under investigation.

I offer my best wishes for this young woman and her family as she recovers.  With serious head injuries in a developing, young teenager, the full impact of such an accident may not be known for years to come. Although not required, the family may wish to consider consulting with an West Jordan accident attorney to find out what remedies may be available in this situation. An experienced Utah attorney will be able to investigate all angles of this pedestrian accident to determine if there is a claim here or not.

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.

According to a Desert News article,  4-year-old boy was critically injured at about 8:40 a.m. in front of Herriman Elementary School, 13170 S. 6000 W. when he exited his mother’s vehicle and walked into the street. It was estimated that the SUV that hit the boy was traveling between 25 and 30 mph, which caused abdomen and pelvis injuries. He was flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

Hopefully this little boy will be able to quickly recover from the injuries he sustained from this tragic accident. My thoughts and prayers are with him for a speedy recovery and with his family during this trying time.

Devon Cowan, 52, of Provo, Utah, died from injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident when she was struck by a car on December 18, 2010, as she attempted to cross the I-15 on foot in Lehi with two others. According to KSL News, the car they were in ran out of gas and the three of them were making a run across the freeway around 9:30 p.m. when, after clearing the northbound lanes, hopped over the divide into the southbound lanes. The three were then all hit by a car, with Ms. Cowan receiving fatal wounds. The others involved include Jason Cowan, 36 of Provo, Utah (son of Devon Cowan) and his girlfriend, Shelly Jarvis of Orem, Utah. The two injured are said to be in serious condition.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

I send my condolences to the family and friends of Devon Cowan for this terrible tragedy. I wish the very best to the others who were injured for a full and complete recovery.

Florida woman Janice Vargas, 30 years old, is in critical condition following an auto-pedestrian accident in Midvale, Utah. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Ms. Vargas was crossing the street near 7200 South and 50 West in Midvale at 11:30 at night on December 15, 2010. At the time, there was no marked crosswalk in this area and the driver of an eastbound car said he did not see the woman as she crossed the street. She was taken to the Intermountain Medical Center in an unconscious state. She remains in critical condition.

I offer my prayers for this woman’s recovery. No doubt her loss of consciousness has been caused by the head trauma she received. The road ahead of her is likely to be quite difficult.

While the story said that the woman was not crossing the street at a crosswalk, to the extent that a motorist sees a pedestrian crossing the road, they are required to stop. Furthermore, Utah law recognizes “unmarked” crosswalks where pedestrians may also cross the street.

I would recommend that the Ms. Vargas and/or her family contact an experienced Utah accident and injury attorney to find out what remedies may be available in this situation. There well may be none. However, it really depends on what this other driver saw or should have seen. An experienced Utah attorney will be able to investigate all angles of this pedestrian accident to determine if there is a claim here or not.