Laws regulating Oklahoma auto accidents might seem strict. But a national safety study recently gave Oklahoma a low grade for injury prevention. On a scale of 10, Oklahoma received a score of five.

Oklahoma also ranked 6th highest in the nation in a state-by-state analysis of injury fatality rates for 2007 through 2009, according to the same national study. A total of 83 people per 100,000 died due to a fatal injury during that time period. New Mexico had the highest injury fatality rate nationwide, with 97.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

The report entitled “The Facts Hurt” examined a wide range of factors, including each state’s laws concerning seat belts, bicycle helmets and car booster seats. Each state’s safety grade was based on statewide auto accident injury and fatality statistics. See: personal injury lawyer oklahoma Injury prevention grades also took into account factors such as motorcycle helmet laws, federal funding for injury prevention efforts and other strategies to designed to save lives and reduce serious injuries.

“There are proven, evidence-based strategies that can spare millions of Americans from injuries each year,” said Jeff Levi, Executive Director of The Trust for America’s Health, which co-authored the study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This report focuses on specific, scientifically supported steps we can take to make it easier for Americans to keep themselves and their families safer.”

Oklahoma drivers face all sorts of hazards every day on the road. Just recently, a 34-year-old man from Oklahoma died on Interstate 44 in Grady County when the tread separated on his tire and his vehicle struck a guardrail, according to NewsOn6.com. The accident may be grounds for a defective tire lawsuit.

Read The Full Story

Share this:

Driving in New England can be challenging any time of year. Sudden blizzards or violent rainstorms. Aggressive drivers on Interstate 84. Confusing street patterns created by Colonial settlers based on chaotic cow paths.

Add to the list the dramatic differences in state traffic laws throughout New England. What’s legal in Massachusetts can often be against the law in Rhode Island or Vermont. Here are some of the highlights from a recent article published by The Boston Globe.

Take Connecticut’s confusing traffic laws. Connecticut is a hands-free state in terms of cell phones. This means you need a headset if you want to make calls on the road. Talking on a cell phone without a headset while driving can result in a $125 fine. The same fine applies to texting while driving in Connecticut.

Connecticut has a “primary” seat belt law, which means a police officer can pull you over and fine you whenever an officer sees someone unbelted in either front seat. As for passengers riding in the back seat, Connecticut’s seat belt laws only require passengers under 16 years old to buckle up.

Connecticut’s child safety restraint laws are also unique. Children under 7 years old or less than 60 pounds must sit in either a child booster or car seat that’s belted into place. All others must be buckled up. Meanwhile in Massachusetts, children must be strapped into a car safety seat until they are either 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

At the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli, a New Haven Connecticut personal injury lawyers at our law firm can work with you if you’re dealing with a car accident. We know what’s legal or against the law in Connecticut.

That might sound simple. But keeping up with Connecticut’s constantly changing laws can be complicated. Allow us to help you cut through the red tape and decide what’s the best thing for you to do, including whether to file an auto accident lawsuit in Ct.

Read The Full Story

Share this:

If you were involved in a Kansas City, Missouri car accident today due to someone else’s negligence, do you know what benefits YOUR OWN auto insurance provides? What if the negligent driver only has $25,000 in coverage and your bills alone are $50,000? Will your insurance company pay the difference? You might need a Kansas City car accident attorney . See: http://www.castlelaw-kc.com In Missouri, you can purchase optional coverage known as underinsured motorist coverage (also known as UIM) and insurance agents do not always go out of their way to tell you about this coverage because it typically costs very little for that extra protection.

What is UIM coverage?
UIM coverage protects you in the event that a negligent driver is underinsured, meaning your injuries and damages exceed that driver’s policy limits. The state of Missouri only requires that drivers carry minimum policy limits of $25,000. That may be fine in your average fender bender but $25,000 is typically not enough if you are seriously injured. Following a four day hospitalization as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash, you could incur upwards of $50,000 or more in initial medical expenses, not including the ongoing treatment you will likely need such as physical therapy and/or surgery.
How much UIM coverage do you need?

In order for UIM coverage to apply, you have to have more coverage than the other driver. If you only have $25,000 policy limits, the minimum required insurance, UIM coverage will not provide any additional coverage or benefit to you because UIM pays the difference and if both parties have the same amount of coverage, there is no difference to pay. In other words, if the other driver has $25,000 in coverage, and you have $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage, your insurance will pay up to $75,000 for a total of $100,000. So you need to purchase at least $50,000 policy limits with the same amount for underinsured motorist coverage. We typically recommend that you purchase $100,000 in policy limits with uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, though. The additional cost of that extra security is minimal, especially when compared to the cost of a devastating car accident with significant bills and not enough money to pay the providers who will go after you for payment, not the negligent driver.

Get The Full Report

Share this:

Massachusetts has the third lowest rate of injury death in the country, according to a new study. A new report titled “The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy Report” examines key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injuries. See Boston MA Personal Injury Lawyers Injuries may be linked to Massachusetts car accidents or motorcycle crashes in Massachusetts.

The report, released by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), concludes that millions of injuries could be prevented each year if more states took action such as adopting additional research-based injury prevention policies. The report also recommends fully implementing and enforcing programs.

While the average score for states is 5 out of 10, Massachusetts received a 7 out of 10 score (with zero being the lowest and 10 being the highest possible score). Only New York and New Jersey have lower injury death rates in the nation.

Injury prevention strategies include requiring bicycle helmets for all children and helmets for all bicycle riders. Some states require mandatory ignition interlocks for convicted drunk drivers. Seat belt laws also are recommended for injury prevention.

Read The Full Story

Share this: