Arizona Accident Lawyer Blog

Despite persistent awareness campaigns and advocacy groups, alcohol continues to be a main reason for fatal car accidents. All over the world, fatal car accidents are said to be caused largely by alcohol influenced-drivers. In the U.S. alone, alcohol related car crashes comprise 22% of all major causes of car wrecks. Drivers in these situations are reported to have had the alcohol content of at least 0.8 in their blood stream.

A recent occurrence that attests to this fact happened in Phoenix. Carefree Highway, between Seventh and 23rd avenue, was closed off to westbound drivers last Wednesday morning due to a two-car collision.

At 12:40 a.m. a 39-year old woman was driving her 2005 Mitsubishi west in the eastbound lanes of the divided highway, when it clashed with a 22 year-old woman’s 2005 Kia Spectra.
The woman in the Kia was reported to have been immediately airlifted to a local hospital upon obtaining life-threatening injuries from the collision. She continues to be under extremely critical condition. The woman driving the Mitsubishi also suffered serious injuries, luckily they were not life threatening.

Sgt. Tommy Thompson of the Phoenix Police Department reported that investigators believed alcohol to be a major cause of the collision. Aerial footage of the wreck showed badly smashed cars and scattered debris blocking the roadway.

Did you know that even one drink is enough to impair your driving ability? While the legal blood-alcohol concentration level is .08, even a BAC of .04-.06 can result in impairment of reasoning, memory, and lower your cautiousness (Brad21.org). Behavior is also intensified at this BAC level, resulting in exaggerated actions. When behind the wheel, drivers must have complete control over their reasoning and behaviours—anything less than complete control can result in a deadly mistake.

Continue reading " Drunk Driver Causes Serious Injury Crash on Carefree Highway " »

A man was arrested earlier this week after endangering the lives of seven kids. In what could have led to another Mesa accident, the 23-year-old suspect was stopped and is accused of drunk driving with seven kids with ages ranging from 6 to 13 on board (AZ Central 02/22/11).

Mesa police say the person looking after the kids asked her good friend to drive them all home. Unfortunately, the driver was drunk. Further investigations revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was two times over the legal limit.

According to one of the kids, four of them sat at the backseat while the other three were stuffed inside the trunk of the drunk driver's sports car.

Luckily, the suspect was apprehended by police near Mesa Drive and Broadway Road and the terrified children were saved.

The person originally looking after the kids was present the whole time and was in fact the mother of two of the kids that were inside the trunk of the car.

Police added the suspect had been involved in a number of traffic incidents, one of which was a fatal hit-and-run accident and has previously been cited for DUI.

The driver faces seven counts of child endangerment and DUI and is now locked behind bars while the other adult faces child endangerment.

Continue reading " Mesa man arrested for DUI, 7 kids on board " »

20 percent of crashes in the United Stated are caused by drugged driving (Stop Drugged Driving). This accounts for roughly 8,600 deaths, 580,000 injuries and $33 billion in damages every year. In a national survey conducted by the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, it was reported that drugs were present more than 7 times as frequently as alcohol among weekend nighttime drivers in the U.S., with 16% testing positive for drugs, compared to 2% testing at or above the legal limit for alcohol. .

Drugged driving or driving under the influence of any drug, whether illegal, over-the-counter or prescription medications, poses dangers on the same level as drunk driving because there is always a risk that they may be misused and as a result, impair the normal brain functions. In fact, the elimination of drugged driving on the highways is deemed to be a national priority.

In Buckeye, four Hispanic males were taken into custody by the Department of Safety officers after a high-speed chase Wednesday morning (AZ Family 02/23/11). The chase began near the Buckeye area when the officer attempted to pull-over a white Pontiac due to a traffic violation. But the driver of the car did not stop. The pursuit ended on eastbound I-10 just east of Dysart Road.

The officers also recovered an estimated 150 pounds of marijuana inside the car. Further investigations are being conducted to know whether the driver was on drugs at the time of the chase, and the exact amount of the narcotics.

One effective policy to effectively prevent drugged driving is the “per se” standard. Approximately one-third of the states have adopted this policy, which says that any detectable amount of a controlled substance in a driver's body fluids constitutes per se evidence of a violation of "drugged driving."

Continue reading " 150 lbs of Drugs Found After Vehicle Chase " »

Did you know that in United States, 4,092 persons were killed in 2009 due to fatal car crashes (Fatality Analysis Reporting System)? Arizona had 120 road fatalities occur in the same year.

A hit and run accident is defined as the failure to stop and identify oneself after colliding into a person or a fixture. Hit and run accidents are very serious crimes. As Glendale car accident attorneys, we see the disastrous effects that hit and run accidents have both in regards to injuries and finances. Victims of hit and run accidents are sometimes left with no insurance coverage to pay for their injuries because the driver left the scene. In an effort to catch more of these negligent drivers, we sponsor a statewide hit and run tip line. Witnesses can call anonymously and provide information that will help lead to the capture of a hit and run offender, and they could be rewarded with up to $1,000!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that there was a 15 percent increase in the rate of hit and run accidents from 1998 to 2002. Furthermore, statistics also show that about 11 percent of the total vehicular accidents are hit and run accidents.

In Glendale, another pedestrian fatality was recorded due to a hit and run collision. The incident happened near 23rd Avenue and Glendale Avenue just in front of Washington High School around 4:30 p.m. Phoenix Police said that a newer model of orange or red Pontiac Bonneville with dark tinted windows hit and killed a man. Due to the intensity of the collision, the car should have acquired heavy front end damage. Police are currently searching for the car based on the descriptions they have. If you have any information, please call our tip line to bring this driver to justice.

Continue reading " Fatal Glendale Hit and Run Pedestrian Accident " »

A car crash involving three vehicles was reported earlier this week. One of the vehicles that got caught in the crash was that of an Avondale police officer (AZ Central 2/15/2011).

According to police report, the Avondale car accident happened near Dysart Road and Van Buren Street Tuesday morning when a car pulled out of a parking and hit the police car which was heading southbound on Dysart. The impact caused the patrol car to hit a dump truck before coming to a stop. The driver of the car that initiated the collision faces citation for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.

It was fortunate that the accident did not result in any injuries as many cases of car accidents do. Each year, millions get hurt from vehicle crashes in the United States, while tens of thousands lose their lives due to their injuries. These numbers have made car accidents a big threat to human life. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that at its present rate, motor vehicle crashes are expected to become the third most serious threat to human health by 2020.

Let us all help prevent it from happening by following traffic rules and by practicing utmost care when on the road – the life you save could be your own or those of your loved ones.

Continue reading " Avondale DPS Officer Caught in 3-Car Crash " »

Late last week, a Mesa car accident occurred involving a driver whom onlookers say may have suffered from a medical condition causing him to lose control over his vehicle.

The driver, who was in his fifties, crashed his SUV into two cars on one side of the road, before crashing it again into a home on the other side of the street while going reverse. The car crash happened in the Guadalupe and Loop 101 area causing major damage.

Witnesses say that the driver seemed dazed and confused and is suspected to have suffered from a heart attack or a seizure at the time of the accident.

No one was reportedly hurt except for the driver who was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment.

While heart disease continues to be the top cause of death in Americans, it is quite rare to hear reports of people having a heart attack while driving and resulting in a car crash.
Though, driver error and other factors remain to be major causes of car crashes all over the world.

Distracted driving (cell phone use, rubbernecking, listening to music, talking to someone) and impaired driving (alcohol and drug use) are two of the most common causes of car accidents in general.

Continue reading " Mesa Multi-Car Accident Leaves One Car in a Home " »

As reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 10,839 car accident fatalities involving alcohol impaired drivers happened in 2009. This is why drunk driving is still considered to be one of the major causes of traffic accidents, and fatalities, in the United States.

In 2008, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found an estimated 32 people die every day because of DUI-related accidents. During that same year, approximately 1.4 million drivers were arrested due to the same circumstances.

In Arizona, many innocent lives of motorists as well as pedestrians are lost every year due to impaired driving. On Wednesday, a Pinal County Assessor was arrested for driving under the influence in Casa Grande (KPHO 02/09/11). The incident happened last Monday when the Pinal County Sheriff received a tip through email that the Assessor had left the bar driving his car. When he was pulled over, he smelled heavily of alcohol and had watery eyes. The assessor was tested with a breathalyzer; his BAC content was 0.99, which is higher than the allowed BAC of 0.08 in Arizona. He was also submitted to a blood test but the results were not yet released.

Drunk driving accidents can easily be prevented with responsible drinking and driving. Concerned agencies have stepped up and are trying to put a stop against impaired driving in Arizona through the zero tolerance approach. But this strategy will not be successful if we do not help each other. It's about time that drivers start to become even more responsible when it comes to drinking and driving.

Continue reading " Pinal County Assessor Arrested for DUI " »

Did you know that a total of 10,839 deaths were recorded in 2009 involving Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels more than .08 - .32 percent (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System)? The legal limit is .08, but even driving with a BAC below the legal limit can leave drivers with symptoms of impairment. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention also estimated that 32 people die every day due to alcohol-related crashes.

Looking into the history of vehicular accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers, we recognize that even though the number of fatalities has been declining steadily for the past few years, they are not low enough. In fact, car crashes are still considered to be one of the most common causes of fatalities for almost all age groups.

Sadly, even with the efforts of both the government and private sectors to lessen the number of car accidents injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving, many people seem to continue to ignore the risks and dangers that DUIs present.

Everyone was heavily anticipating Super Bowl Sunday and when it opened, it brought with it the arrest of 13 drivers on suspicion of DUI in Prescott, Arizona (KPHO 2/6/11).

The Tri-City DUI Task Force, composed of twenty-two officers from six different agencies took part in an effort to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road over the past weekend. From their command post in the intersection of Highway 89 and Highway 89A, they were briefed and patrolled in their designated areas.

It was reported that among the arrests, four cases were extreme DUI or having BAC of over .15 percent. The police reported that the average BAC of drivers arrested was .113 percent.

Tri-City DUI Task Force is an excellent initiative from the Prescott Police Department, Prescott Valley Police Department, Chino Valley Police Department, Clarkdale Police Department, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, and the Cottonwood Police Department. This kind of strategy can be an effective way to help decrease the number of alcohol-impaired drivers on the roads who pose threats to everyone.

Continue reading " 13 Drivers Arrested for Suspicion of DUI " »

Did you know that injuries from car accidents are the leading cause of death among children in the United States? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 150 children between 0 and 19 are treated in emergency departments due to traffic-related accidents every hour, and more children from ages 5 to 19 die from crash-related injuries as compared from any other type of injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System reported that the total number of fatalities of children ages 15 and below was 1,538 in 2009. Although that is 100 fatalities less than 2008, the number is still alarming. In Arizona, 50 out of the 807 fatalities in 2009 were children ages 15 and below.

On Sunday evening, an 8-year old girl from Queen Creek was injured after she was run over by her father's car (KPHO 02/06/11). Authorities said that the girl lost her grip and fell after grabbing her father's truck while he was pulling out of the driveway.

The girl was taken to a care facility with broken ribs and then to a hospital.

Parents play a vital role in protecting their children not only against traffic injuries on the road but also within the premises of their own homes. As parents of eight ourselves, we are constantly on the lookout for potential hazards. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has provided some protective tips for parents to apply while in the car with their children:

Know the Stages
• Typically, babies should be placed in rear facing car seats until they are at least 1 year old and weigh 20 pounds.
• When babies move into front-facing car seats, they should remain in these seats until they are at least 4 years old or weigh 40 pounds.
• Children should be seated in booster seats from about age 4 to age 8, or until they reach 4’9" tall.
• All children ages 12 and under should be seated in the back seat of vehicles.

Continue reading " Queen Creek Child Injured in Back-Over Accident " »

Did you know that 18,350 passenger cars were involved in fatal crashes in 2009? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, this is equivalent to 40.4 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes. The good news is in that same year, the total number of vehicle occupants killed declined 2,317 fatalities from 2008 with an unfortunately still high number of 24,474 deaths.

In Arizona, traffic fatalities have been decreasing from 2007 to 2009. Traffic fatalities in 2009 accounted to 807 deaths or a 14 percent change from 938 in 2009 (NHTSA-FARS).

Two more victims were killed in another Phoenix car accident when a 2006 Kia struck a house early Friday morning on Osborne Avenue near 25th Street (KPHO 02/04/2011). The driver was a 30-year old man with a 35-year old female passenger. The Phoenix Police Department reported that the driver lost control of the car and hit a home just after midnight.

The two occupants were ejected from the car and later pronounced dead. None of the occupants of the home were injured although the home was severely damaged because of the crash.

Just as the total number of traffic fatalities in Arizona has declined, the number of fatal collisions with passenger cars and fixed objects has decreased as well from 47 cars in 2007, 42 in 2008, to only 32 cars in 2009. Nevertheless, car crashes are still one of the major threats to human health. In fact, they kill more than a million globally each year. Because of this current trend, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that by 2020, vehicular accidents will rank third in the list of threats to human health.

Continue reading " Car Crashes into Phoenix Home, Kills 2 " »

Traffic goers on the Loop 202 were met with heavy traffic Monday morning as a result of a Mesa car accident involving three vehicles according to DPS (AZ Central 1/31/2011).

According to reports, the car collision, which blocked the right lane of traffic on the westbound of Loop 202 happened just before 7 a.m. and was only reopened after 7:35 a.m. Luckily, no one was hurt in the accident, but no further details were available at the time.

Aside from taking away millions of lives each year and leaving even more people injured, motor vehicle crashes are also notorious for being very costly, both to consumers and the government. According to AAA, a motorist safety advocacy group, car crashes cost Americans $164.2 billion each year (via CNN Money 03/05/2008). This includes costs for medical care, emergency and police services, property damage, lost productivity and quality of life.

To avoid finding yourself as another victim in a car accident, take note and be wary of the most common factors that lead to crashes, including distracted driving (i.e. using your cell phone while driving, eating while driving, or rubbernecking), and impaired driving.

Alcohol impaired driving is historically a major cause of fatal car crashes on U.S. roadways every year. In 2009, 32 percent or nearly ten thousand out of 30,797 reported fatal crashes involved an alcohol impaired driver. Thousands of lives could have been saved if these negligent drivers did not get behind the wheel.

Continue reading " Mesa Multi-Car Accident Blocks Traffic on Westbound 202 " »