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Pregnant Women and Car Accidents
Having a child is one of the fondest memories in a person’s life. However, there are many factors to consider when a woman is expecting a baby, such as driving habits. Research has shown that pregnant women are 42 percent more likely to be involved in a car accident by the second trimester. By the third trimester, however, the likelihood of being involved in a car accident is far less than it is for mothers in their second trimester.
Statistics of Pregnant Women in Car Accidents
About one in 50 pregnant women will be involved in a car accident at some time in their pregnancy. At the first month of the first trimester of pregnancy, there was a reported 4.33 crashes per 1,000 women per year. However, at the first month of the second trimester, the car accident rate increased to 7.66 crashes per 1,000 women per year. During the entire second trimester, the car accident rate was 6.47 car accidents per 1,000 women per year. During the last month of pregnancy, the car accident rate decreased to 2.74 crashes per 1,000 women for every year. After the birth of the baby, the car accident rate further decreased to 2.35 crashes per 1,000 women per year.
Symptoms of Concussion after a Car Accident
A car accident can be a very life-changing event. As scary as car accidents always are, there is always the risk of developing physical problems following an accident. One of the most common injuries following a car accident is a concussion. If you have been injured in a car accident, you may not always know that you are suffering from a concussion, as this type of injury is often difficult to diagnose.
Signs of a Concussion
Symptoms of a concussion may not appear for weeks following a car accident. Research has shown that one incident of mild brain trauma or concussion is sustained every 21 seconds in the United States. Even though a concussion is fairly common, it is important to fully understand the signs of a concussion to properly treat the injury. Some of the symptoms of a concussion include but are certainly not limited to:
Keeping Children Safe in Car Crashes
Having a child is one of the most exciting times in a person’s life. To make sure that your child is safe in your car at all times, it is very important to understand when to use booster seats and when to remove the booster seats. If your child is very young and not in a booster seat, the chances of him or her being seriously injured in a car accident are greater than that if he or she is in a booster seat.
The Benefits of Booster Seats
If a child is only protected by someone else’s lap or by a shoulder harness, the chances of him or her being injured in a car accident is 59 percent greater than if the child is appropriately strapped in a five-point harness or booster seat. Booster seats have the advantage of raising the child up and giving him or her room to sit comfortably with no slouching. Booster seats also give the benefit of having the lap belt across the upper thighs and not the abdomen. Restraining force is then kept away from the abdomen by increasing the lap belt angle at the time of a car accident.
How Can an Irregular Heartbeat Affect Treatment Following a Car Accident?
It is very important for all of us to stay healthy. This can include eating healthy food, exercising regularly, and generally taking care of our bodies. Unfortunately, there are situations where we have medical issues that cannot go away, no matter how hard we try to stay healthy. Some of these medical conditions can greatly increase the likelihood of a car accident, including diabetes, epilepsy, and irregular heartbeat. These medical conditions can also increase the likelihood of more serious injuries, deaths, longer hospital stays, and more costly hospital payments.
How Is an Irregular Heartbeat Linked to Car Accident Injuries and Deaths?
An irregular heartbeat, also known as atrial fibrillation, is a common heart rhythm disorder. Research has indicated that having an irregular heartbeat can greatly affect the likelihood of dying if involved in a car accident.
Car Accidents Can Leave Pedestrian Victims with Serious Injuries
Being injured as a pedestrian in a collision with an automobile can be extremely serious. These pedestrian accidents are also common. It is estimated that a pedestrian is injured every eight minutes in the United States. Pedestrian accidents can also be deadly. In fact, the United States averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 1.6 hours.
How Pedestrians Are Injured
No two accidents are alike, and that is one reason why an attorney will be helpful in making your best arguments to an insurance adjuster or a judge and jury. However, most pedestrian-car accidents follow a similar injury pattern.
First, the car’s front bumper strikes the pedestrian’s lower leg area. Then, with the legs moving in the same direction as the vehicle’s travel, the upper body hits the car hood or windshield.
Thus, there are typically three points where the pedestrian is hit:
- Between the lower leg and bumper;
Hit and Run Deaths Are at an All-Time High
Fatalities from hit and run accidents have never been higher in this country, according to a 2018 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
According to the study, 2,049 people died in hit and run accidents in 2016. This figure is an astonishing 62 percent increase from 2009. AAA reports that 2016 is the year with the most fatalities since 1975 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began collecting numbers on fatal motor vehicle collisions.
The study found that the states with the highest rates of fatal hit and runs were New Mexico, Louisiana, and Florida. The states with the lowest rates were Maine, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.
What Is a Hit and Run Crash?
A hit and run collision occurs when at least one person leaves the accident without offering appropriate information or help to the other parties. Failing to report the accident can also be considered a hit and run.
Illinois Passes New Children's Car Seat Law
Illinois recently passed a law mandating that child passengers under two years old must ride in car seats that face the back of the vehicle. The bill was signed into law on August 3, 2018.
The law states that children under two years old may sit facing forward in car seats if they are at least 40 pounds or 40 inches tall. A first offense is punishable by a $75 fine, and a second offense is punishable by $200.
This requirement had long been the recommendation made by experts, however, the law previously only required rear-facing car seats up to a year old. Prior to 2011, the Academy of Pediatrics recommended rear-facing car seats until the child was a year old or 20 pounds.
The new recommendation and subsequent law came about after studies showed that death rates were 75 percent lower when car seats were positioned rear-facing until two years of age.
Common Vehicle Collision Injuries in Children
Why Soft Tissue Injuries Should Be Taken Seriously after Car Accidents
If you have been in a car accident, you run the risk of getting soft tissue injuries. These injuries are common and can be debilitating for significant periods of time. If you were not at fault, or not fully at fault, in the car accident, you should be fairly compensated for your injuries.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
This class of injury involves damage to the soft tissue of the body such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries can leave one immobile and in pain for weeks and months. These injuries can also require extensive physical therapy in order for you to be fully rehabilitated.
Types of soft tissue injuries that can be sustained in an auto accident include:
- Whiplash. This is the most common soft tissue injury caused by car accidents. Whiplash occurs when a car strikes another and the force causes a victim’s head and neck to violently move backward and forwards. Symptoms of whiplash include stiffness of the neck, sharp neck pain, back problems and even cognitive issues, such as problems with memory and concentration.
Pedestrian Safety Tips
In 2007, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration reported that over 4,500 pedestrians were killed as result of an auto accident. It is the responsibility of drivers and pedestrians to keep each other safe on the road. Drivers should always be operating in a defensive mode. However, a pedestrian suddenly crossing into the road to cross does not give a lot of time to react behind the wheel. A driver disobeying a traffic light also puts a pedestrian, crossing safely, at risk.
Traffic Lights Explained
At intersections, traffic lights help us stay organized and safe. For drivers, the light patterns are more straightforward: green: go, yellow: slow down, red: stop. Here are the pedestrian lights explained further:
- Walk: The symbol of a walking person means that pedestrians may cross the street that the signal is facing, and have the right of way.
Preventing Pedestrian Accidents
A pedestrian is considered a person who is not utilizing a motor vehicle. People go to the streets on foot to get to a destination or even to get exercise in the form of a walk or run. Despite safety precautions from motorists, over 5,000 pedestrians were killed during an auto accident in 2015 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Even more pedestrians were injured, so in the case of an auto accident with a pedestrian, who is responsible?
It is important for drivers and pedestrians to be mindful of each other. Here are steps each party can take to lower their chances of getting into a potentially fatal accident.
Vehicles
- Obey the speed limit - 30mph speed limits are not there to annoy, but to keep everyone safe. The road may be unsafe to drive at higher speeds, or the low-speed limit may be there because the area is residential or there is a school. A slower speed gives you a higher reaction time if a child suddenly crosses the road.
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32, Orland Park, IL 60462
708-966-2408
