Utah Personal Injury Law Firm Blog

The snow storm that hit the Salt Lake Valley early Thursday morning made for bad driving conditions and directly affected commuters during rush hour traffic. Car accidents, unplowed roads and low visibility slowed traffic by up to a reported 45 minutes on I-15 southbound near Provo. Unfortunately, on 5400 South and State Road 111, in West Valley City, a car accident involving three cars left five people in critical condition.

What Caused this Utah Car Accident?

Around 7 am on February 11, 2010, three men in a pickup truck attempted to make a left hand turn when they crashed into an oncoming car. The pickup truck was then hit by another oncoming car. All three men in the pickup truck and woman in the car that were involved in the initial head on collision sustained critical injuries. The specifics of their injuries and the names of the victims have not been released to the public at this time. The driver of the third car also sustained injuries but has been released. Witnesses state that the low visibility may have contributed to the truck not seeing the oncoming small sedan. The Salt Lake tribune reports that citations have not yet been issued as West Valley Police Department are still conducting their investigation of what caused this Utah motor vehicle accident.

My concern and sympathy go out these car accident victims and their families as they go through this difficult time. I pray that they each make a speedy and full recovery from the injuries they sustained in this tragic Utah car accident.

How Weather Conditions Can Affect Rescue

Utah is known for its heavy snow storms that blanket the mountains and neighborhoods in the surrounding Salt Lake Valley. Last Thursday’s snow storm was no exception. Due to the severity of the storm, the life flight medical helicopters dispatched to the scene of this West Valley City car accident were unable to land. Consequently, all five seriously injured victims were had to be transported via ambulance to the emergency room at the Intermountain Medical Center. Fortunately, all victims were able to receive medical treatment in time.

Snow and Ice Car Crashes in Utah

On December 28, 2009, there were an astounding 208 motor vehicle accidents on Utah Roads alone. Roads that are covered with ice and snow often cause a loss of control and skidding of a motor vehicle. Car tires have reduced traction during these conditions. Utah residents should take the initiative to have all terrain and weather tires put on their car especially if they do not drive cars with four-wheel drive. Here are some safety tips for driving in inclement weather conditions:

• Drive with your lights on to promote visibility
• Scrape off all the snow off your vehicle. This included all windows and the top of your car. Sudden stopping with cause the snow on the top of your car to fall onto the windshield of the car behind you.
• Check your tire pressure. Low tire pressure significantly reduced the traction ability on your tires.

An Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You

The time to file a car accident claim is limited, which makes contacting an experienced Salt Lake personal injury attorney as soon as possible of vital importance. Attorney Kenneth L. Christensen and The Christensen Law Firm, PLLC know the laws relating to personal injury, particularly auto accident injuries. If you or someone you love has suffered through an auto accident injury in Utah and you feel it is the result of the negligence of another we urge you to contact us online or call us at 801-506-0800 (Main number), 801-224-2999 (Utah County) or 801-294-9500 (Davis County) to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal rights.

According to a recent report released by the Salt Lake Tribune, car accidents caused by West Valley City employees, while driving city vehicles, have increased by an astounding 54% in the last year. West Valley City employees cost the city over $107,000.00 in damages so far for 2009. This amount is likely to rise as there are still pending personal injury claims that have yet to be settled. Utah residents are angry that instead of spending public monies in areas like health care or education, these funds are being funneled into paying for reckless and preventable accidents caused by city employees.

West Valley Police Officers Overwhelmingly At-Fault in Car Accidents

West Valley City Attorney, Richard Catten, explained to the public that WVC employees have increasingly been cited for causing minor accidents like backing into other vehicles, mail boxes, trees or rear ending other motor vehicles. Distracted driving is a key characteristic of these types of accidents and the damages are not cheap. For example a city employee, driving a WVC water truck scraped his truck against two parked cars when making a right turn. The city employee was not observant that he was driving an extra wide load and his mistake cost the city $11,000 in property damages.

Interestingly, the report demonstrates that West Valley City police officers caused 37 of the 60 at-fault car accidents in 2009. In fact, for the past three years, police officers have consistently caused 60% of at-fault traffic accidents.

• One officer attempted to make a U-Turn over a median and got stuck. This accident cost the city $6,000.

• Another police officer rear ended a vehicle causing $14,000 in property damages and injuring the driver of the other motor vehicle.

Warning:
Your Ability to File a Utah Personal Injury Claim is Affected if a Government Entity is Involved

Utah statute of limitations is an important timeline that designates your window of opportunity to file a claim against the responsible party. If the statute of limitations expires, you may no longer bring a case to court. In standard Utah motor vehicle accidents, the statute of limitations is four years. However, In the State of Utah, the statute of limitations on filing a personal injury claim is decreased to one year if the at-fault party is a government agency.

Attorney Ken Christensen’s book Seven Biggest Mistakes that can Wreck Your Utah Accident Case contains additional information on Utah Traffic Laws and guidelines on how to file an insurance claim for bodily injury. It is an invaluable resource that offers real life education and advice on how to protect yourself if you have been in a Utah personal injury accident. Give the Christensen Law Firm a call to request a FREE copy of this book at 1.801.506.0800 or visit us online at www.utahaccidentbook.com.

WVC Fire Department Takes Action to Curb Accidents

Several years ago, the West Valley Fire Department also experiences a substantial increase in accidents. Most of the accidents were from hitting objects when backing out. WVC instated a policy that a “spotter” is designated whenever the fire truck backs out of any premise. The results have been significantly positive: the department has seen a 50% reduction in their at-fault truck accidents. If West Valley City were to implement basic changes on employee driver protocol, training and safety then the West Valley City won’t lose so much public money on preventable car accidents. Increased driver’s education on how to on how to maneuver government vehicles properly and how to avoid distracted driving will be quite beneficial to all.

The ongoing push for a cell phone ban for drivers seems to be coming to resolution. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, a Senate committee unanimously passed a bill that would prohibit emailing and text-messaging on a cell phone while driving. The bill was passed Friday, February 6 and will now move to the full Senate for voting. The bill proposes strict violations analogous to charges for driving under the influence. For the first two offenses, drivers will face a class B misdemeanor and class A misdemeanor for the third offense. If a driver is text-messaging and causes a death, he/she will be charged with third-degree felony.

This bill, sponsored by Sen. Lyle Hillyard, does not ban any other use of electronics while driving. Other Utah legislators worry the bill does not go far enough. Rep. Phil Riesen wants a bill that will completely ban wireless devices for drivers except for two-way radios and emergency situations. Rep. Riesen’s bill has not yet had a hearing. Rep. Carol Moss is sponsoring a bill that bans text messaging while drivng and requires hands free devices at all times.

I think Rep. Moss' bill is best. Although some research indicates its the distraction with the brain, not the hands that causes people talking on cell phones and texting on cell phones to drive like a Drunk Driver. I think we should clearly ban texting and emailing while driving, but also require hands free devices. Then lets wait and see if the amount of accidents caused by distracted drivers decreases. California and Washington have already enacted similar laws. However, I think texting and cell phones is only part of the problem. I have seen just as many accidents caused by drivers distracted by IPODS as cell phones and text messaging.

Daily commuters rejoiced at the completion of Utah’s Legacy Parkway, a four-lane highway in Davis County which provides an alternate route from Interstate 15 for commuters. Traffic on I-15 has been reduced since Legacy Parkway’s completion. However, police are concerned that commuters on the new highway seem to have a knack for speeding. According to KSL News, many drivers are disregarding speed limits along Legacy Parkway. The speed limit along the highway is 55 mph. However, the Utah Department of Transportation estimates that commuters are driving an average of 10 mph over the speed limit. Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) worries that there are not enough troopers to properly regulate the highway. UHP has four troopers to patrol Davis County. I-15, Highway 89, and Legacy Parkway are all in their zone, leaving the troopers stretched thin.

If you are a commuter in Davis County and use Legacy Parkway, please abide by the posted speed limit for your own safety and for the protection of commuters sharing the road.

Winter weather makes driving extremely difficult. Icy roads, white-out snow storms, and heavy winds provide even more dangers to commuters. While it is best to avoid driving in the winter whenever possible, below is a compilation of winter driving tips from The Weather Channel and AAA Insurance.

First things first: vehicle maintenance. Keeping your vehicle in good shape will help prevent needless accidents. Make sure to keep your gas tank at least half full. Gas lines can freeze if the tank falls below half full and it is expensive to repair. Also, it is important to keep your tires properly inflated and do not mix radial tires with other types of tires.

Continue reading "Winter Driving Tips" »

A new program at Miller Motorsports Park is teaching teen drivers how to deal with dangerous situations, according to a Deseret News Article “Programs steer Utah teens toward safer driving.” The program, called the Teen Driving Academy, provides teen drivers with professional training on how to handle a skidding vehicle, avoid accidents at high speeds and properly use a car’s anti-lock braking system.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, in the year 2006, car accidents were the leading cause of death for American teenagers, accounting for 36 percent of all death in this age group. The CDC also suggests that the most strict and comprehensive drivers licensing programs (like the one at Millers Sports Park) have shown a 40 percent reduction in fatal and injury crashes among 16 year-olds.

This program is unique and very valuable in that it provides drivers with such experiences in a simulated environment. Directors of the program hope that by experiencing such situations in a safe environment drivers will be better prepared to handle them.