South Carolina Lawyer Blog

The No. 1 safety fear of drivers age 50 and older is not being able to see clearly at night.
That’s according to the study “Enhancing Safety and Comfort For Mature Drivers” by The Hartford and the MIT Age Lab.

Twenty-four percent of those surveyed said night vision was their top concern. Other fears: distractions such as music and phones (13 percent), changing lanes in traffic (12 percent), and merging on the highway (12 percent).

The findings are important. In South Carolina, as in most states, more than half of all new cars are bought by people aged 50 and older.

And here’s good news: Auto makers are equipping new models with safety features designed especially for older drivers:

• Smart headlights. These change the intensity and angle of direction of headlights to reduce glare and make driving easier at night or in bad weather.

• Emergency response systems. Quick-response systems are being enhanced and improved each year.

• Blind spot warning systems. These warn of objects or other vehicles that are in your car’s blind spot, making merging and changing lanes easier.

• Assistive parking systems. These cars essentially park themselves, without needing a driver, by letting you know distances to spots and warning you of obstructions.

• Drowsy driver alerts. This technology lets you know when your inattention or tiredness is a problem.

Free Consultation With A South Carolina Auto Accident Lawyer

Have you or a loved one been in an automobile accident? Do you have a question about insurance liability or coverage? The Columbia car crash attorneys of the Louthian Law Firm are here to discuss your legal options. Call us today at 888-616-4339 or use this online form. We will give you a free and confidential case evaluation.

Sources:
• The Hartford study http://www.thehartford.com/sites/thehartford/files/TopCarTechnologiesInfographic.pdf
• AARP http://blog.aarp.org/2012/09/19/top-five-new-car-technologies-older-drivers/

One tragedy can lead to another, as shown by a car crash on I-20 that took the life of a 21-year-old Winthrop University student.
The fatal collision was part of a chain reaction that occurred as vehicles backed up on the interstate while authorities pulled another car from the Wateree River.
The accident victim, who died, was riding with her two roommates in a car struck by a Mercedes SUV. Both cars were approaching traffic that was stopped due to the recovery of a car submerged in the river containing the bodies of two missing North Carolina teens.
Following is from WIS-TV:
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the accident happened around 8:00 PM in the westbound lanes of Interstate 20 near mile marker 98.
[The victim] and her roommates … were headed back to campus when the collision sent their vehicle careening into the median.
The SUV that slammed into the students was being driven by an 18-year-old man from New Jersey. He was transported to the hospital.
The Mercedes also hit another vehicle driven by a 16-year-old from Leesville. The driver and passenger in that vehicle were uninjured.
Both of the other students in the car were injured. One suffered fractures to her back and the other sustained serious head injuries.
The Louthian Law Firm has pursued wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits in South Carolina since 1959. Its experienced wrongful death attorneys provide professional and caring service to victims and their families.
Compensation in wrongful death cases can include funeral costs, medical bills, lost wages, and damages for loss of companionship, mental anguish and pain and suffering.
Free Consultation With A South Carolina Auto Accident Lawyer
Have you or a loved one been in an automobile accident? Do you have a question about insurance coverage? The Columbia car crash attorneys of the Louthian Law Firm are here to discuss your legal options. Call us today at 888-616-4339 or use this online form. We will give you a free and confidential case evaluation.
Source: WIS-TV http://www.wistv.com/story/19959345/winthrop-students-recover-as-friends-mourn-death-from-crash

Millions of people suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) each year, causing tens of thousands to die and many others to have their lives dramatically altered. Although these injuries can affect people in numerous ways—from physical disabilities to cognitive difficulties—recent studies have highlighted the troubling fact that traumatic brain injuries may be linked to the development of deviant, or criminal, behavior.

Facts About TBI and Criminal Behavior

While many people are aware that personality and mood changes can result from TBI, medical professionals and researchers have only recently uncovered a link between traumatic brain injuries and deviant behavior. Some facts regarding this link include:

• Psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis found that all the death row inmates who participated in her mid-1980s study had previously sustained traumatic brain injuries
• Numerous studies have shown that traumatic brain injuries often decrease a person’s control, causing him or her to act out or become deviant
• Traumatic brain injuries often lead to mental disorders or problems like paranoia that can later result in violent behavior

In his 2003 article in Medical Ethics, Vol. 10, Issue 3, William J. Winslade, professor at the Institute for the Medical Humanities University of Texas Medical Branch, states that people who are the victims of traumatic brain injuries often suffer from serious consequences that can have devastating effects on both their lives and the lives of others.

Sadly, many traumatic brain injuries are the result of people’s negligent actions rather than sheer accidents. In situations such as the former, the party responsible for the injury might be held legally accountable for their actions by the victim and his or her personal injury lawyer. Whether a person who has been the victim of a traumatic brain injury has become violent in the wake of his or her injury or has suffered other effects, the victim and his or her family should not have to bear the burden of the TBI alone.

One out of every 126 cars in South Carolina will crash into a deer this year, according to State Farm Insurance, which has issued a “deer alert” to Palmetto State motorists.
South Carolina ranks 18th in the country for overall likelihood of striking a deer.
A recent case in point: A female motorcycle passenger was killed in a collision with a deer in Lexington County on October 24. Here is the WIS-TV report:
According to the coroner, 48-year-old Lynne M. Wilke was taken to Palmetto Health Richland for her injuries. She died at the hospital.
Troopers say Wilke was the passenger on a 2003 Harley Davidson traveling south when a group of deer ran into the road. The woman was thrown from the motorcycle when it hit one of the deer.
The driver and Wilke, who were not wearing helmets, were transported to Palmetto Health Richland Hospital. The driver, from Columbia, had minor injuries.
Deer are most active during evening, dusk and dawn. They tend to travel in groups. When you see one crossing the road or on the shoulder, chances are there are others nearby.
Following are some additional deer safe driving tips:
• Scan both sides of the road. Watch for deer eyes reflecting light.
• Most accidents occur when drivers try to swerve out of the way of deer.
• Brake firmly and maintain control of your vehicle.
• Using high beams and sounding the horn may repel the deer, but won’t necessarily prevent a collision.
• Reduce speed at the first sign of deer. Keep your eyes peeled.
• Buckle up at all times.
• Try to avoid driving at night.
Free Consultation With A South Carolina Auto Accident Lawyer
Have you or a loved one been in an automobile accident? Do you have a question about insurance coverage? The Columbia car crash attorneys of the Louthian Law Firm are here to discuss your legal options. Call us today at 888-616-4339 or use this online form. We will give you a free and confidential case evaluation.
Sources:
• WIS-TV http://www.wistv.com/story/19913789/woman-dies-in-motorcycle-vs-deer-collision
• WSPA Channel 7, Spartanburg

Not all automobile crashes involve one vehicle running into another.
Sometimes a vehicle crashes into someone’s home or store – and in South Carolina it is happening more frequently.
In the past year, at least 14 vehicles have smashed into residences or businesses in the greater Charleston area alone. A half-dozen of those wrecks occurred within the past month.
According to the Charleston Post and Courier:
The most recent incident involved a Buick that plowed through the wall of a North Charleston home on Tuesday. A pet store, a pain management center and a barbecue joint also have been unwitting targets in recent weeks.
But why does it happen?
If you ask College of Charleston psychology professor Lisa Ross, driver distraction plays a large role in such collisions.
On her daily commute, Ross said she often sees people with their heads down and eyes looking everywhere but on the road as they fiddle with their phones, adjust their radios or attempt to balance some other multitasking maneuver.
“The number of tops of people’s heads I see as I am driving to and from work seems to be increasing,” she said. “Everyone seems to be looking down and at something else.”
Sometimes – as in a February incident where a Goose Creek man deliberately rammed his car into a home he shared with his fiancée – the collision is intentional.
Other times the driver has a medical condition. According to state records, medical conditions contributed to 1,804 drivers colliding into fixed objects along public roadways from 2008 to 2010. Thirty-three of those wrecks were fatal
Following are summaries of some of the reported incidents of cars colliding with fixed objects:
• An elderly man is hospitalized after his car jumps a curb and crashes into a home in North Charleston (October).
• A taxi driver crashes through a plate glass window at a Petco store on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston, coming to rest against the back wall. No people or animals are injured (October).
• A Chevrolet Impala crashes into the Trident Pain Center on Medical Plaza Drive in North Charleston after the driver accidently hit the gas instead of the brakes. One person inside the facility sustains a minor injury (October).
• A car crashes into a Family Dollar store on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard in West Ashley (October).
• A man in a pickup truck crashes into a barn wall at Bessinger’s Barbeque on Savannah Highway. The man, who has minor injuries, is charged with drunken driving (September).
• A sport utility vehicle crashes into a Londonderry Road home in North Charleston, taking out a living room wall (September).
• A Cadillac Escalade crashes through a wall of Anthony’s Seafood on Redbank Road in Goose Creek near closing time, taking out the front counter where the owner normally stands (August).
• A car crashes into Buck’s Pizza on Central Avenue in Summerville (August).
• A sport utility vehicle crashes into Medical University of South Carolina’s STAR Children’s Treatment Center on Iron Horse Road near Ladson. The facility’s receptionist receives injuries from flying debris (June).
• An 18-year-old James Island man is arrested after crashing his Buick into a Quail Drive home, causing $50,000 in damage to the house and $10,000 to the car. Nobody, including two children inside the sedan, is seriously hurt (May).
• A driver who thought the gas was the brake crashes his Dodge wagon through a brick wall at Pine Lakes Apartments on Cranford Road in Goose Creek (December 2011).
• A car careens across a lawn and crashes into a home on Resinwood Road near Moncks Corner. Two people are injured (December 2011).
• A man faces drunken driving charges after crashing his pickup truck into a home with three people inside on Columbia Drive in Ladson. No one is injured (October 2011).
Free Consultation With A South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured in a vehicle accident, get a free case evaluation from an experienced South Carolina auto accident lawyer at the Louthian Law Firm. Call 888-616-4339 or use this online form. The call is confidential and toll-free.

Source: Charleston Post and Courier