Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyer

One Roadway to Carry Them All

Pierce Egerton — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:02:56 GMT

Bicyclists are perhaps the most vulnerable vehicles on the road. The accident rate for bicycles is lower than for other vehicles because they move slower. But, when there is an accident involving a bicyclist, he or she is at a greater risk for injury and death. As drivers, it is important to watch out for two-wheeled vehicles – they are harder to see, and their occupants are not encased in a protective layer of glass and steel.

Being myself a bicyclist, however, I hear the question often, “What about the bicyclists we see riding erratically, unsafely, and/or illegally?”

Sadly, the question has some merit and deserves a look. In Greensboro recently, a bicyclist was severely injured when she failed to yield at a stop sign and t-boned an SUV:

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/11/09/article/bicyclist_seriously_injured_after_hitting_car

Stop signs and traffic signals apply to bicyclists too! Many bicyclists think that they can treat Stop signs as Yield, and red lights as Stop signs. This idea may be reasonable in some situations, but any vehicle, bicycle included, ignores stop signs and traffic signals at its peril.

Another thing we see often in Greensboro is bicycles on sidewalks where they shouldn’t necessarily be. To an inexperienced cyclist, the sidewalk can seem like a safer place to ride than the roadway. This is usually not the case!! Although speeds are lower on the sidewalk, there are many additional hazards riding there, and not just for the bike. Riding on the sidewalk, first and foremost, endangers the pedestrians who have a right to be there. Also, bicyclists using the sidewalk are often not aware when a crosswalk approaches, that a car or truck making a turn might contest the roadway, with disastrous results for the bicyclist.

The roadway is usually the safest place to ride. Yes, it can be scary for riders who are not familiar with the exercise – the cars are so much closer! Drivers, however, are more likely to see a bicycle on the roadway than one on the sidewalk or the shoulder. Don’t think that bicycles are required to ride near the side of the road – in most places, the law requires bicycles to ride as far to the right as is practicable, not as far right as possible. Plus, being seen on the roadway as a bicyclist, and obeying the laws of the road, drivers will be able to predict what the bicycle will do, and thereby avoid running it over.

The NC Department of Transportation site provides resources on safe riding: Streetwise Cycling — A Guide to Safe Bicycling in North Carolina

For more I’ve written recently on this topic, have a look at:

Be on the Look Out for 2-Wheeled Vehicles!

Update: Arrest Made for Greensboro Cyclist's Hit-and-Run Death

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Yet Another Cyclist Fatality in North Carolina

Pierce Egerton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:48:36 GMT

Last week I blogged about the necessity of looking out for two-wheeled vehicles following the shocking hit-and-run death of David Sherman in Greensboro. Now there’s yet another cyclist fatality in the news, this time a teenager from Dunn, NC.

The Raleigh News and Observer reports that Devin Ray, 16, was killed while riding his bike on Bud Hawkins Road near Dunn. A truck driven by a 17-year old driver reportedly clipped him from the rear and ran over him. Police believe that darkness might have played some role in the crash.

Police aren’t filing charges in the death, but it’s a little curious that the police spokesman “noted that Ray was riding the bicycle in the roadway.” Where else would he ride? In North Carolina, bicycles are subject to the same rules and the same protections as cars. Riding on sidewalks is not just dangerous, it’s illegal in many places. It’s the responsibility of drivers to look out for all the vehicles they share the road with, not just the ones with four wheels.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Pro Athlete Has His Bubble Burst by Exercise Ball

Pierce Egerton — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:15:05 GMT

Working out carries a lot of risks for injury, especially if you’re using heavy weights. But what about when a piece of exercise equipment malfunctions while you’re using it properly? We take for granted that the machines and products we work out with are built to last, but sometimes that’s not the case.

The Sacramento Kings found this out the hard way. Starting forward Francisco Garcia will miss at least four months of the season after an exercise ball accident broke his right wrist. Garcia, who weighs 195 pounds, was laying on his back on an exercise ball, lifting 90 pound weights in each hand, when the ball burst. Professional quality exercise balls have a weight limit of up to 600 pounds.

Exercise balls should deflate slowly instead of bursting, even if they’re punctured. Check out this video to see the way an exercise ball should and shouldn’t deflate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Ig0Izz23s

Reportedly, Garcia was using a Gymnic brand exercise ball. Their site has recently started advertising a new “burst-resistant” line of exercise balls.

With Garcia’s contract worth $29.6 million over 5 years, the Kings management is considering legal action and warning other teams not to use the balls.

It’s not just NBA players who are at risk, though. A faulty piece of exercise equipment can send you to the hospital and make you miss time from work. People assume that if they get hurt working out, it’s their own fault, but that’s not always the case. Always make sure you’re using your equipment properly, but if that equipment malfunctions, make sure someone knows it.

Has anyone else experienced problems with an exercise ball bursting? Leave a comment if you have. I’d like to know just how widespread this problem is.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Reidsville Rush Hour Lands Two in ER

Pierce Egerton — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:15:44 GMT

A two vehicle collision on NC 14 in Reidsville put two men in the hospital this morning. The News & Record is reporting that Maurice Cooper, Jr., was injured when a Lincoln Town Car reportedly drifted across the center line and collided head on with his Isuzu pick up.

Mr. Cooper was taken to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. The driver of the Town Car, Freddie McCain, was also injured and taken to the hospital.

The accident report has not yet been released, but in my experience driver distraction and driver fatigue are the primary culprits in rush hour accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Apex Day Care is Shut Down After Infant’s Death

Pierce Egerton — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:56:45 GMT

Every parent’s worst nightmare is that something bad will happen to their child when they aren’t there to protect them. That’s why the issue of day care negligence is such a hot topic. Parents see red when they think of something happening to their child at a place they trust. Watch this video and read some of the comments on it. You’ll see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoUmw6Nbb0Q

It’s one thing when a freak accident injures your child. But when daycare providers systematically break the rules and put kids in danger, you can bet parents will demand answers.

A home daycare in Apex has just been shut down following the death of a 3-month-old infant on October 26. Another child’s parents called 911 when the baby stopped breathing. (Why weren’t the daycare operators the ones placing the call? Where were they?). Police are still investigating the cause of death, but the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has already stepped in and shut down the day care after they found a laundry list of violations.

According to ABC, the daycare was licensed to watch five kids at a time, but had eight kids in the house when the death occurred. Other issues such as sanitary conditions and exposed outlets were reported.

The daycare owners have not been charged with any crime at this time, but the community wants answers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Be on the Look Out for 2-Wheeled Vehicles!

Pierce Egerton — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:42:33 GMT

Lately I've blogged about the tragic deaths of a Greensboro cyclist and a man killed while test driving a motorcycle. Today, while scanning through accident reports, I found yet another case of a two-wheeled vehicle being struck when the driver of a car wasn't paying attention.

On Halloween, Stacey Elliott of Lexington was a passenger on a motorcycle traveling in High Point when a vehicle turned into their path. The driver of the motorcycle swerved, but not in time to avoid the collision. Stacey's foot was pinned in between the bike and the car.

What might have been a minor accident in a car is now likely to be a painful ordeal that could involve heavy medical bills and prolonged treatment. Drivers of automobiles have to use more caution in looking out for the two-wheeled vehicles they share the road with. It's that simple.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Update: Arrest Made for Greensboro Cyclist's Hit-and-Run Death

Pierce Egerton — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:21:51 GMT

The Greensboro News & Record reports that an arrest has been made in a hit and run case that has shocked the Triad. Grayson Dawson, a 48 year old Eden woman, has been charged with felony hit and run, misdemeanor death by vehicle, and driving with a revoked license for the death of David Sherman, the vice president of Sealy, Inc. in Trinity.

Sherman was riding his bicycle on North Church St when Dawson swerved left of the center line and struck him. She then made a U-turn and fled the scene, but witness reports led police to her driveway, where her SUV was sitting. Police identified blood on the windshield and other damage to the vehicle.

Dawson turned herself in, but was released on $5,000 bond. She has previously been in court for driving on the wrong side of the road and driving without a license.

The NC Dept. of Transportation records over 900 bicycle accidents a year, and that 112 cyclists have been killed in a four year span. Cycling is growing in popularity, especially as an alternative to cars and public transportation for young people in downtown Greensboro; in fact, one of my employees cycles to work every morning. As more people take to the road on bikes, we need more attention from the legislature and the city to ensure that cyclists are given safe streets to ride on.

A memorial bike ride will be held to honor Sherman, starting at the High Point Regional Hospital on Nov. 15, starting at 1:30. Organizers are urging people to donate to Yield to Life, a bicycle safety organization.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Motorcycle Tragedy: Man Killed During Test Drive

Pierce Egerton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:16:24 GMT

Riding motorcycles is a fun and exhilarating pastime. But even when a motorcycle driver does everything right, there’s potential for tragedy. Joe Cross, from Supply, NC, was only taking a test drive of a motorcycle when another motorist pulled in front of him. Joe was thrown from the bike and killed. He was 33 years old.

Fox 8 reports that Dorothea Hewitt, 51, was attempting to pull into her driveway and failed to yield the right of way.

Joe was a carpenter/painter, and father of two. The family is accepting online condolences at http://brunswickfuneralservice.com. A fund has been set up for his sons, Isaac and Elijah, and memorials can be sent to the “Elijah Joe Cross fund” and “Isaac Caleb Cross Fund” at any Bank of America branch.

Even experienced riders can fall victim to others’ negligence. A friend and associate of ours was recently hit by an SUV while riding his motorcycle, a pastime he has enjoyed for decades. Thankfully, he only sustained some shoulder injuries, but it gave us all quite a scare.

Our condolences go out to Joe’s family.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

British Woman Sentenced to Jail in Texting-While-Driving Fatality

Pierce Egerton — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:54:03 GMT

While awareness of the texting-while-driving epidemic is growing, the United Kingdom is one of the few countries that are aggressively prosecuting people whose texting causes tragic accidents on the roadway. The New York Times reports that Phillipa Curtis, 22, was sentenced to 21 months in a high-security prison for an act of carelessness that cost another young woman, 24 year old Victoria McBryde, her life.

Ms. McBryde’s car had broken down on the A40 motorway. She put her blinkers on, and her car was a neon yellow Fiat. The night was clear. Under normal circumstances, there was no way that Ms. Curtis could have missed her.

“The crash might once have been written off as a tragic accident. Ms. Curtis’s alcohol level was zero. But her phone, which had flown onto the road and was handed to the police by a witness, told a story that — under new British sentencing guidelines — would send its owner to jail.

In the hour before the crash, she had exchanged nearly two dozen messages with at least five friends, most concerning her encounter with a celebrity singer she had served at the restaurant where she worked.”

Prosecutors were able to prove that Ms. Curtis received a text just seconds before the tragic accident. The state is now appealing the verdict to give her an even harsher sentence.

It’s tragic that two young lives have to be ruined in such a way. Maybe American lawmakers will wake up and receive the message that texting while driving is every bit as dangerous and irresponsible as driving under the influence.

We’ve written before about the dangers of texting and driving, and the alarming results of a Car and Driver study that showed texting can impair someone’s reaction time even more than alcohol. Here’s the video of that test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbiHwGBsRr0&feature=player_embedded

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pierce Egerton

Distracted Driving Takes to the Skies: Pilots Flew Past Airport While On Their Laptops

Lawrence Egerton — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:51:49 GMT

The two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew more than 150 miles past their destination on Wednesday have admitted that rather than being asleep, which was speculated, they were actually using their laptops, which was so distracting for them that they didn't realize they had missed their scheduled landing destination and failed to answer radio messages from the ground controller.

If texting while driving is dangerous, surely it is more dangerous flying while surfing the net. This is compounded when the lives of 144 people are at stake. The pilots claim that they were mulling over some complicated crew scheduling software, but does it matter what they were doing? All that matters is they were not flying the aircraft.

Every time I fly the flight attendant requires passengers to shut off all personal electronic devices. If it is important for the passengers to do this, surely it is more important for the pilots. The flight attendants should check the cockpit first and see what the pilots are doing. I'd feel better if I knew they were flying the plane, not playing sudoku.

Currently, according to the Wall Street Journal, Federal safety rules don't prohibit laptops from cockpits. I think that should change. Better yet, perhaps airlines should require pilots to check their personal computers with the flight attendants before they enter the cockpit. A beeper might even be installed in the cockpit to sound an alarm if a personal computer is turned on. I, for one, feel that a personal computer has no place in the cockpit of an airplane.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Lawrence Egerton