Maine Injury Lawyer Blog

April showers may bring May flowers but in Maine spring means floods and often winter-like storms. The combination of bare trees, frozen ground and ice in rivers is a recipe for flooding when spring rain arrives.

Our Maine personal injury lawyers caution motorists that as spring arrives so does the risk of Bangor car accidents from bad weather and flooding.

The National Weather Service is very helpful in giving advance notice when Maine's large rivers have the potential to flood. However, flash flooding occurs when too much rain comes down too fast. And even the weather service might not have enough time to issue warnings before the flooding starts.

Maine's Emergency Management Agency want you to know that that almost 50% of all flash flood deaths are vehicle related. It only takes about 2 feet of water for small cars and trucks to float. Recent deaths from flooding included: a man traveling on a road flooded by water came upon a section that had been washed away, a man trying to kayak in a stream, and a grandmother and her granddaughter who were swept away when they attempted to walk in flood water.

Flood and flash flood safety tips:

-Don't drive a car on a flooded road. You have no idea how deep the water is and unknown to you the road could be washed away.

-Avoid streams during heavy rainfalls. Quick moving water is very powerful and can easily knock you off your feet.

-Never try recreational boating in flood water. The combination of swift moving water and heavy debris makes this a deadly activity.

-Don't let children or pets outside; keep them away from flooded culverts, streams and streets.

-Always notify the appropriate authorities of any flooding.

-Never go through road blocks or barriers. You might not see water but the road could be damaged from the power of the water.

-Have a plan if you live in a flood prone area. Listen to flood or tornado warning horn signals in your town or a town nearby.

-Immediately evacuate if told to do so.

Continue reading "Spring Floods can Increase risk of Maine Car Accidents" »

Our Maine personal injury lawyers know there is no worse tragedy for a parent than a child being seriously injured or killed in a Bangor car accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released guidelines for the best method of securing your child while riding in a vehicle.

Up to 12 months

-Always use a rear-facing car seat for any child under age 1.

A rear-facing car seat is the best seat to use for securing very young children. Its harness protects the child in a crash because it cradles and moves with your child. This helps to reduce the stress to the child's body especially their spinal cord and fragile neck.

1 - 3 years

-Children should be kept in rear-facing seats until they reach the maximum height or weight limit per the car safety seat's manufacturer. They can then be put in a forward-facing car seat.

The harness and tether in a forward-facing car seat greatly reduces the child's forward movement during an accident.

4 - 7 years

-Children should be kept in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the maximum height or weight limit per the car seat's manufacturer. They can then be put in a booster seat.

A booster seat is the interim step used when a child is too big for a car seat but not big enough to use a seat belt.

8 - 12 years

-Children should be kept in a booster seat until they can fit in a seat belt properly.

An improperly placed seat belt can cause serious injuries. The lap portion of the belt should lie across the upper thighs and never rest on the stomach. The shoulder portion of the belt should be snug across the shoulder and never lay across the neck.

The guidelines from the NHTSA match up pretty well to Maine's law. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, Maine requires children less than 40 pounds be in a child safety seat. Children 40 to 80 pounds and less than 8 years old must use a safety system (booster seat) that lifts the child high enough so that a seat belt fits properly. Children 11 years of age or younger and weigh less than 100 pounds should ride in the rear seat. The first offense is a $50 fine while subsequent offenses carry a maximum fine of $250.

Continue reading "Maine Adopts New Car Seat Recommendations to Help Reduce Child Injury in Car Accidents" »

Our Portland car accident lawyers want to point out to motorists in Maine that they have one more thing to put on their calendars. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month according to a recent announcement by National Safety Council.

We frequently post on our Maine Injury Lawyer Blog about the dangers of distracted driving and how many times talking or texting on a cell phone can lead to serious or even fatal car accident in Bangor, Portland or elsewhere in the state.

Following an almost unanimous vote by the U.S. House of Representatives last month, the National Safety Council (NSC) and FocusDriven (an advocate group opposed to distracted driving) are announcing the inauguration of April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The resolution was brought to the House by Betsy Markey (D-CO) following the tragic death of Erica Forney who was struck and killed by a distracted driver in November 2008.

"Erica's memory will forever live on through this resolution and help prevent other distracted driving deaths from occurring," said Shelley Forney, Erica's mother and founding board member of FocusDriven.

The two non-profit organizations are asking motorists to promise during the month of April to not use their cell phones while they drive. It is estimated that 1.6 million crashes occur each year because of a driver who is talking or texting on their cell phone while they are behind the wheel.

Drivers are being asked to turn off or silence their cell phones while they drive. A further precaution that can be used is to put your cell phone in the glove compartment or trunk to reduce the temptation to reply to a phone call or text alert on your cell phone while you drive. Drivers are encouraged to create a temporary voicemail which alerts callers you are driving. By letting the caller know that you can't respond at the time, it will stop them from repeatedly leaving messages for you while you drive.

"Many drivers realize most of the calls they thought were so important, really aren't. It is our hope drivers will decide to make the change permanently. Doing so will make our roadways safer for everyone," said Jennifer Smith, FocusDriven president and founding board member.

Businesses are also being asked to participate in the awareness by creating and enforcing cell phone policies to protect employees. Many companies offer cell phones to their employees but few have a policy in place to discourage them from using their phone while they drive.

"National Distracted Driving Awareness Month also is the perfect opportunity for businesses to implement cell phone policies to protect employees. When businesses allow employees to conduct business on cell phones while driving, they are putting their employees at a 4 times greater risk of a crash," said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO.

Employers are encouraged to view the Cell Phone Policy Kit provided by the NSC to devise a policy that will keep your employees safe.

Continue reading "National Distracted Driving Awareness Month to Reduce Car Accidents in Portland and Elsewhere" »

Maine is one region where the fatality counts from traffic accidents rose substantially from 2009 to 2010 despite the decrease in percentage for the rest of the country, according to the preliminary report by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Our Bangor personal injury lawyers aren't all that surprised considering the improvement in the economy. In fact, more people getting back to work will certainly mean the risk of car accidents in Bangor or Portland will increase due to the high volume of vehicles back on the roadways.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that traffic fatalities in 2010 dropped to the lowest level since 1949. This would be pretty remarkable if it weren't for the fact that it was really only the first 6 months of the year that showed a decrease. The first and second quarter (January through June) reported a 11.4% and 5% decrease respectively from 2009 to 2010. However, the third and fourth quarters showed an increase of almost 2% from 2009 to 2010 (during the months of July through December).

Region 1 located in the northeast part of the U.S. -- including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island -- experienced the biggest change, positive or negative, of any region in the U.S. Traffic fatalities in 2009 were reported at 983 for this region but in 2010 they are estimated at 1,157 which is almost an 18% year-over-year increase.

The government wants to point to its efforts as the cause for the overall decrease of 3% in traffic fatalities for 2010. By promoting strong safety laws, vehicle safety programs, and public awareness, the government feels it's on the right track to success.

"Last year's drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first."

In 2009, LaHood imitated previous campaigns like "Over the Limit. Under Arrest" and Click It or Ticket" by launching a national anti-distracted driving campaign. Disctraction.gov. Steps for improving vehicle safety with electronic stability control, forward collision and lane departure warning systems have also been taken to improve driver and passenger safety.

"The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be."

The government can pat its back as much as it wants, but the reality is, fewer drivers have been on the roadways. The boost in the economy will likely lead to more traffic fatalities in 2011 than the 32,788 reported for 2010. Motorists are reminded that as traffic volume increases, it is best to be patient and avoid aggressive driving behaviors in order to reduce the risk of a Maine car accident.

Continue reading "Maine Area Leads Nation in Increased Number of Car Accidents" »