Wrongful Death
Under Virginia law, whenever a person dies because of the wrongful act of another, a claim or lawsuit may be brought to recover damages for the benefit of the deceased person's beneficiaries (usually a surviving spouse or children). Lawsuits of this type are referred to as “wrongful death actions” and they arise from many different causes, including auto accidents, medical malpractice, and the use of dangerous products. We have years of experience working on these difficult and important cases. While legal action is not something a grieving family member thinks about in the aftermath of a death, in most cases it is important that an attorney be consulted as soon as possible to avoid compromising the estate’s claim. Many of our clients report a sense of relief in having an attorney handle the legal matters for the family.
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An Effective – but Controversial – Deterrent
Many of us are familiar with the most common speed deterrents, such as a
strategically placed police officer with a radar gun. The problem with this approach is that
it is fairly random, and only a small percentage of speeders are ticketed.
Technology called photo radar had been used with considerable success for more
than 20 years in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Greece,
Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan. With this
technology, cameras placed in undisclosed locations take photos of speeding vehicles as they
pass by. Law enforcement is then provided with photographs along with dates, times,
places, and vehicle speeds.
Despite these impressive statistics, photo radar has not yet caught on in America.
There’s stiff resistance because many Americans believe the cameras represent an invasion
of privacy. In Virginia, however, where photo radar is employed, more than 50 percent of
motorists support the technology, and 54 percent of all motorists surveyed in a 2004 IIHS
report favored this approach to curbing speeding.
It’s Up to You and Me
Whether the deterrent to speeding is hitech photo radar or simply a police car
hiding in the bushes, the best measure is selfimposed: choosing to drive responsibly. Don’t
get caught up in the “everyone else is doing it” mentality. We have a duty to ourselves, our
family, our friends, and to society to drive within the limits of the law. So the next time a
glance at your speedometer startles you, ease off the gas. This nugget of common sense
will make you even safer and smarter.
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For more tips Car Crash Facts from http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov
- More than 6.1 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2005. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (39,189) resulting in a death. [Crashes : 2005]
- Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2005, with 1,320 and 1,275 fatal crashes, respectively. [Crashes : 2005]
- Fifty-eight percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 31 percent of injury crashes and 31 percent of property-damage-only crashes. [Crashes : 2005]
- More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 23 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads. [Crashes : 2005]
- Collision with another motor vehicle in transport was the most common first harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollisions accounted for only 19 percent of all crashes, but they accounted for 44 percent of fatal crashes. [Crashes : 2005]
- Thirty-nine percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 75 percent involved alcohol. [Crashes : 2005]
- Nearly 6.2 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2004. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (38,253) resulting in a death. [Crashes : 2004]
- Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2004, with 1,174 and 1,277 fatal crashes, respectively. [Crashes : 2004]
- Fifty-seven percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 30 percent of injury crashes and 30 percent of property-damage-only crashes. [Crashes : 2004]
- More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 24 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads. [Crashes : 2004]
- Thirty-nine percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 76 percent involved alcohol. [Crashes : 2004]
Personal Injury Lawyers - Specialists in Auto & Truck Accident Cases 6 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219
- More than 6.3 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2003. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (38,252) resulting in a death. [Crashes : 2003]
- Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2003, with 1,228 and 1,208 fatal crashes, respectively. [Crashes : 2003]
- Fifty-seven percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 30 percent of injury crashes and 31 percent of property-damage-only crashes. [Crashes : 2003]
- More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 25 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads. [Crashes : 2003]
- Collision with another motor vehicle in transport was the most common first harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollisions accounted for only 19 percent of all crashes, but they accounted for 44 percent of fatal crashes.
- Forty percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 77 percent involved alcohol. [Crashes : 2003]
- Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2000, with 1,271 and 1,218 fatal crashes, respectively.
- Fifty-six percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 30 percent of both injury crashes and property-damage-only crashes.
- * More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 22 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads.
- Forty percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 77 percent involved alcohol.
- Nearly 6.3 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 1999. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (37,043) resulting in a death. [Crashes : 1999]
- Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 1999, with 1,215 and 1,182 fatal crashes, respectively. [Crashes : 1999]
- Fifty-six percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 28 percent of both injury crashes and property-damage-only crashes.
- More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 22 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads.
- Collision with another motor vehicle in transport was the most common first harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollisions accounted for only 17 percent of all crashes, but they accounted for 41 percent of fatal crashes.
- 1999 Motor Vehicle Crash Data from FARS and GES Thirty-eight percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 75 percent involved alcohol.
- More than 6.3 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 1998. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (37,081) resulting in a death.
- Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 1998, with 1,218 and 1,208 fatal crashes, respectively.
Personal Injury Lawyers - Specialists in Auto & Truck Accident Cases 6 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219
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Do laboratory frontal crash test programs predict driver fatality risk? Evidence from within vehicle line variation in test ratings.
Harless DW, Hoffer GE.
Department of Economics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 844000, Richmond, VA 23284, USA. dwharles@vcu.edu
A number of studies have examined whether the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) frontal crash test results reliably indicate the risk of fatality or injury in serious crashes. The conclusions of these studies are mixed. Generally, studies that examine crashes in the circumstances as close as possible to those of the laboratory test find that crash test results do predict real-world risk, but studies of crashes outside those specific circumstances find either no support for the predictive validity of crash test results or limited support with important inconsistencies. We provide a new test of the predictive validity of the crash test results using information from multiple crash tests within vehicle lines, thus controlling for systematic differences in driver behavior across vehicle lines. Among drivers of passenger cars, we find large, statistically significant differences in fatality risk for vehicles with one- to four-star NHTSA ratings versus a five-star rating. We also examine the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal offset crash test, though our sample of vehicle lines tested twice or more is considerably smaller than for NHTSA ratings. Our results also support the predictive validity of the frontal offset crash test results for passenger cars, but not for trucks.
PMID: 17270135 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
source
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