Torrential rain showers have plagued the Carolina’s all week and it doesn’t appear that we’re out of the danger zone quite yet. According to this news report, flash flooding is the number one cause of weather related-deaths in America. That means more people are killed from flash flooding than from hurricanes, tornadoes or blizzards. Strong rains can cause cars to hydroplane, in which their tires lose complete traction from the road causing them to slide out of control. When your vehicle hydroplanes, a driver has no control over braking or steering.
Heaving rains can also cause a road to collapse, posing a serious threat to drivers. The South Carolina Highway Patrol has put up barricades on roads that are particularly hazardous due to deep water. However, even if barricades aren’t up, the SCHP urges drivers to use caution and common sense. Lance Corporal Collins stated, “Just be that extra good driver. All those things we practice all the time–slowing down, driving defensively–when rain comes in like this it just amplifies all of that.”
As a North Charleston personal injury lawyer, I would like to remind drivers that the speed limits posted are for ideal weather conditions. You should travel extra slowly when driving through standing water. In addition, give the driver in front of you plenty of space so that you can brake in time. The SCHP has extra patrols in place to respond to car accidents and other emergencies as a result of this inclement weather.
Yesterday, I reported a story in which the mother of a young girl was killed in a car accident as she rushed to pick the girl up from a family member’s house. Initial reports made it seem as though the woman was speeding and driving recklessly as she hurried to get her daughter in time for a doctor’s appointment. She lost control of her vehicle while navigating a turn and crashed into a brick pillar.
However, the Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown has made a statement that the 26 year-old woman likely crashed as a result of going into insulin shock. The woman was a diabetic dependent upon insulin and at the time of the crash her blood-sugar level was zero. With diabetics, their body’s blood sugar is used up quickly and needs to be replaced with food. Since she was in a rush to pick her daughter up, she may have neglected to eat.
The coroner stated, “If you have low-blood sugar, your brain is not functioning like it normally does. That’s why most diabetics are so conscious about their diet because they know their risk of insulin shock,” he said in this news report. When a diabetic’s blood sugar dips to dangerously low levels, they can become lethargic, disoriented or unconscious. As a Columbia personal injury lawyer, I apologize if my original post made it sound as though the woman was driving recklessly, when in fact she suffered a medical emergency.
The manufacturer of an infant sleep positioner has issued a recall for their product after receiving reports that 12 infants had suffered personal injury and suffocated as a result of the product. Mothercare has pulled their Head ‘n’ Back, Resting Up, and Snugglenest products from store shelves in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as U.S. Consumer Product Safety. As a South Carolina personal injury lawyer, I urge you to stop using your infant sleep positioner immediately.
The CPSC began receiving reports regarding infant suffocation with these products in 1997. Parents reported finding their infants face down or trapped between the crib mattress and the pillow-like positioner. The product was designed to actually decrease sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, by helping infants stay positioned on their back while sleeping. Now it seems as though the products may potentially do more harm than good.
Now, the FDA is asking for other sleep positioner manufacturers to submit data that they’re products are not harmful to children. According to this article, the FDA even made a statement that there is technically no clinical proof that the sleep positioners reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Torrential rains in Charleston County have created major headaches for residents and drivers. Unfortunately the rain showers are expected to continue into the evening as well. Flood advisories have been issued for Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. On man had to walk his daughter to the bus stop in water that was two feet deep since he couldn’t get his car out. By the time workers had arrived to pump water out, the rain had started up again.
These heavy rains don’t pose just an inconvenience, but they are also a major safety threat. As drivers attempt to travel down roads covered with standing water, potential hazards such as potholes are hidden from view. In addition, the water makes the roads slick, potentially leading to a car accident if your tires can’t get the traction they need while navigating a turn or while braking.
According to this news report, the inclement weather has already caused numerous accidents, including three in Dorchester County alone. Other accidents occurred on Interstate 26, US 78, Fisher Road, and US 15. As a North Charleston personal injury lawyer, I urge drivers to use extreme caution when traveling in these road conditions. If possible, you should avoid driving all together, just as you would if it were a snow storm. And as always with extreme weather, stay well under the speed limit to keep you and your family safe.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is still trying to uncover the details surrounding a fatal accident involving a Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Deputy on Monday evening. The car accident took place near where SC 261 and SC 512 intersect. The deputy had been traveling eastbound on SC 261 in his squad car when it collided with a 2005 Chevrolet Sedan. The near head-on collision involved a 48 year-old woman from Kingstree. The wreckage from the crash backed up traffic for over three hours.
The 41 year-old Sheriff’s deputy sustained serious injuries in the accident, and it has been deemed that he was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the impact. Upon the last update, he was in surgery, but his current condition is not known at this time.
The woman involved in the crash has finally been identified as a teacher from Hemingway High School. According to this news report, she was buckled in but the injuries were too severe. A team of accident reconstructionists are still trying to determine which car drifted over the center line and caused the accident. As it stands, no charges have been filed. As a Columbia personal injury lawyer, my condolences go out to the families of both the victim’s in this case. There have been much too many accidents involving students and teachers since school has been back in session.
As a South Carolina personal injury lawyer, I always warn against the dangers of rushing around while driving. If you’re running late and in a hurry, you’re more likely to speed and drive recklessly. However, speeding rarely gets you there any faster than you would have by following the posted speed limit. If you’re rushing, you’re also more likely to fail to yield at stop signs, run red lights, and make risky lane changes. In Williamston yesterday morning, a woman was killed as she was in a hurry to pick up her child.
According to this news report, the 26 year-old woman was on her way to pick up her 5 year-old daughter from her father’s house, as her daughter had a doctor’s appointment that morning. She sped along Garren Road, just south of Williamston. As she tried to navigate a curve in the road, she left the right side of the highway and then overcorrected to the left. She lost control of her 1995 Chevrolet Blazer at this point and crashed into the gate of a residence. Her Blazer hit a brick pillar and she was killed immediately upon impact.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol found that the woman was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the car accident. Her passenger, a 27 year-old man, was wearing his seat belt and did not suffer serious injuries but was taken to a hospital for treatment. Though it’s not known whether she would have survived the accident if she’d been wearing a seat belt, this horrible crash should serve as a reminder to always buckle up and stay within the speed limits.
When it comes to car accidents, particularly fatal accidents, there aren’t always witnesses to help investigators determine the chain of events leading up to the crash. Often times, a family is left without any sense of closure after the loss of a loved one, struggling to understand who was to blame. Over the last 15 years, South Carolina has assembled the second largest accident reconstruction team in the nation. The team is called M.A.I.T which stands for Multi-Disciplinary Action Investigation Team.
The team is normally called to investigated fatal accidents or felony DUIs, particularly is charges could potentially be filed against the at-fault driver. They use a “total station” to measure and map the accident scene. Then, they take that information to work from reverse and establish a computer model of the events surrounding the crash. According to this news report, that data can be used in court to make convictions or acquit someone who was falsely charged. Members of the team are often called upon to act as experts and testify in court.
Reconstruction has been made easier in recent years by the implementation of data recorders in many newer vehicles. In one instance, they found that a driver didn’t so much as tap their brakes before a fatal accident and even accelerated to 120 mph. As a North Charleston personal injury lawyer, I have handled many cases in which a reconstruction expert was able to prove fault so that my clients could obtain the compensation they deserved.
East Clarendon High School students are left mourning the loss of one of their fellow classmates. A seventeen year-old boy was killed in a fatal car accident late Saturday night as he was driving home from work. As he traveled along US 301 North, he lost control of his 2001 Mercury Sable and swerved off the highway. Investigators aren’t positive as to why he lost control of his vehicle but he may have fallen asleep at the wheel. They do not believe that alcohol was a factor. Though he was wearing a seat belt at the time, it wasn’t enough to save his life in this horrific crash.
As fellow classmates returned to school Monday morning, there was an obvious mood of devastation. According to Principal Kelvin Lemon in this news report, “As students came in, you could see the hurt in their eyes. It was a rainy day outside, so that kind of made it worse. We had our counselors and about 12 ministers on hand for the students.”
The young man was very popular at East Clarendon and played on the football team. He was also very involved with the culinary arts program. One of his classmates said, “I knew [him] personally as well as his family. They were great people and always honest, willing to help and genuine. [He] stood up for me on many occasions and I will always be indebted to him for that.” As a Columbia personal injury laywer, I was devastated to hear this news. It’s always tragic to hear about a life that was taken too soon.
When it comes to product recalls, Eveflo Co. Inc really takes the cake, and that’s not a good thing. They have had a total of 8 recalls since 2008, which is more than any other manufacturer that is regulated by the CPSC. Their products that have been the target of recalls include drop side cribs, high chairs, toys, and baby gates. An astonishing 187 personal injury accounts have been reported to the CPSC in regards to Evenflo products. As a personal injury lawyer in South Carolina, I was relieved to hear that at least no deaths have occurred as of yet.
Evenflo issued a statement claiming that child safety is still their priority. They stated, “Although the word ‘recall’ can panic consumers, it is important to realize that not all recalls are a cause for panic and many should more appropriately be viewed as safety upgrade campaigns which are often initiated by responsible manufacturers.”
One safety advocate doesn’t buy into their propaganda regarding ‘safety upgrades’. According to this article, the executive director of Kids in Danger claims that those safety upgrades are really a mandated necessity after someone has been injured. Nancy Cowles claims, “If it wasn’t serious, it wouldn’t have been recalled.” To date, the CPSC hasn’t issued a civil penalty against the manufacturer but they are currently in settlement in negotiations. If 8 recalls don’t raise red flags about a company’s integrity and the quality and safety of their products, I don’t know what does.
Though National Child Passenger Safety Week has technically come to an end, that doesn’t mean that car seat safety will go on the backburner. Because the car seat inspection locations got such a huge response last week, a permanent inspection station is slated to open at the Seneca Fire Department. According to Cortni Nations of Safe Kids Upstate in this article, “Four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly. We know riding unrestrained is one of the greatest risk factors for death and injury for children riding in motor vehicles.”
The permanent inspection point is made possible thanks to a partnership by Safe Kids Upstate, Oconee Medical Center, the City of Seneca, Children’s Hospital of Greenville and the Hospital System University Medical Center. The car seat inspections will be available on the first Wednesday of each money from 12-5:30 by appointment at the fire station on 321 West South 4th St.
As part of this new program, the inspection officials will offer educational pamphlets and classes focused on child safety. They will also offer discounted car seats for those families who cannot afford one. They will be made available for $35 if a family has participated in the education program and has Medicaid. As a personal injury lawyer in North Charleston , I’m very excited to have this safety asset in our community and I hope many families will take advantage of the opportunity to have their car seats inspected. It is my hope that with more car seats installed correctly, the statistics on child fatalities in car accidents will start to decline.
