Did you know that 5,288 fatalities from the overall traffic fatalities in 2009 were individuals aged 65 and older (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)? The most at-risk groups for pedestrian accidents are children aged between 5 and 9 years as well as adults aged 65 and older.

Arizona pedestrian deaths in 2009 were 15 percent or 120 persons killed from the 807 total fatalities. It is almost equivalent to the total motorcyclists who were killed due to vehicular accidents on the same year. Unfortunately, the number of pedestrian fatalities is only slightly lower than the number of deaths in 2008.

Around 3 a.m. last Friday, another pedestrian was struck by a car while trying to walk across a freeway ramp in Phoenix (AZ Family 03/04/11). Investigators believed that the victim, a 61-year old man, jumped over the retainer wall and crossed the street when the car heading west on the 202 to the 10 hit him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. (more…)

32 persons are killed each day – 32 percent of all traffic-related fatalities—as result of DUI-related accidents nationwide (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2008). In that same year, more than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence.

In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also revealed that there were 196 fatal crashes due to impaired driving in the state of Arizona and 9,813 in the United States on a whole. The majority of DUI-related accidents in Arizona occur from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m.

These numbers only show that impaired driving is still major concern in terms of traffic safety. In fact, there were 10,839 fatalities from car crashes involving a driver reaching or exceeding the legal blood alcohol content of .08 percent in 2009. (more…)

Did you know that helmets are 37 percent effective in preventing fatal head injuries to motorcyclists and 41 percent effective for motorcycle passengers? The helmet is the head’s best defense during crashes and is in fact required to be worn in some states to enforce driver safety, although Arizona only requires them for certain age restrictions and allows riders the choice to wear one or not. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found an estimated 1,829 motorcycle riders were spared their lives because of wearing a helmet (2008).

Motorcycle accidents have been proven to be more fatal compared to automobile crashes. In 2006, NHTSA compared both kinds of accidents in terms of fatality rate per unit of distance travelled. The fatality rate for those involved in car accidents was 18.06 per 100,000, while for motorcycle accidents; the rate was over 3 times higher at 55.82 per 100,000. (more…)

After living and operating out of Ahwatukee, a small neighborhood in southern Phoenix, Arizona, for over a decade, the Husband and Wife Law Team of Breyer Law Offices has been recognized as the best legal team!

An annual contest put on by a local newspaper, the Ahwatukee Foothills News, has various categories for readers to vote on, such as “Best Place to Work Out,” “Best Mexican Food,” “Best Preschool,” and, new for this year, “Best Attorney/Law Office.”

The contest garnered 44,000 votes, blowing past last year’s 14,000. The Husband and Wife Law Team, handling serious injury and wrongful death cases, blew past all other entrants for the category to take first place.

Among all other accolades, this honor hits closest to home. As residents of Ahwatukee for many years, Mark and Alexis Breyer are so honored for this award given by their own neighbors. (more…)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2009 there were 30,797 fatal car accidents on U.S. roadways, 710 of which happened in the state of Arizona. While traffic fatality reports for 2010 are yet to be released, we can all just hope that numbers continue to drop as they have been in the recent years.

The state continues to witness cases of fatal car accidents as a woman, who was in her mid eighties, dies after the car she was in crashed into a light pole near Thomas Road and 105th Avenue (AZ Central 02/01/2011). The driver, a 55-year-old-woman and relative of the casualty, also obtained serious injuries from the wreck.

Both women were rushed to a local hospital after the Phoenix car crash which happened around noon on Tuesday. The passenger, who hit the windshield upon impact, was later pronounced dead while the driver remains in serious condition. (more…)

Head-on collisions, together with sideswipes and run-off-road crashes belong to the category of crashes called lane-departure or road-departure crashes. These three have similar causes but different consequences; if the driver fails to stay on the correct lane and crosses the center line, that leads to head-on collision or sideswipes, and if the vehicle swerves to avoid oncoming traffic, that could result in a run-off-road accident.

In 2005, U.S. statistics showed that head-on crashes were only 2.0% of all crashes, yet they accounted for 10.1% of US fatal crashes. Meanwhile, there were a total of 33,808 fatal crashes in the United States in 2009, 807 of which happened in Arizona (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System).

Another fatal Phoenix head-on collision happened around 4:00 pm on Monday (AZ Central 01/22/2011). The Phoenix Police Department said that the man who died in the head-on collision was driving on the wrong side of the road when the accident happened. Authorities also said that it seemed the man had turned, intending on traveling northbound, but remained in the southbound lanes. He collided with another vehicle with two 17-year old girls inside. (more…)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports there are more than 280,000 roll-over accidents every year that claim over 10,000 lives annually. Rollover accidents are a serious threat, especially for SUVs, trucks, and minivans. The design of these vehicles allows for a lot more space but unfortunately skews the weight balance, making them more prone to tipping and rolling over when making turns or quick maneuvers.

Yesterday, another fatal roll-over accident occurred on the eastbound Interstate 10 in Buckeye (AZ Central 1/20/11). The authorities reported that the pickup rolled several times and stopped about 150 feet from the freeway. The female driver was ejected from the truck and died on the scene, while the male passenger and two children were also ejected and suffered serious injuries. Luckily, it is expected for the children to fully recover.

It was found that none of the truck’s occupants were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. In a roll-over collision, seatbelts are doubly important as they reduce the probability of the occupants being ejected from the vehicle. Ironically, the safest place to be in a car accident is in the car, as victims who are thrown from their vehicles are then exposed to other threats and risk further injury. (more…)

A Chandler accident almost cost the life of a child when he nearly drowned at a neighborhood lake Wednesday afternoon (AZ Central 01/12/2011). Investigations are still ongoing as to how the 14 month old child got into the lake in the area of Dobson and Chandler Heights, but responding rescuers said they were able to pull him out around 12:45 p.m.

The authorities further confirmed that the boy was breathing and was transported to a local hospital for proper treatment.

Children of young ages are very much prone to accidents such as drowning. According to Safekids.org, from research spanning from 1987 to 2004, child injuries by motor vehicle crashes is the most common cause of unintentional injury deaths among children aged 14 and below – the second is drowning.

Where there is water there is risk. Parents and accompanying adults must safeguard children from drowning. To protect your loved ones from such accidents, here are few safety tips that you should take note of:

• Never leave a child in the care of older children during bath time. Make sure your child is within an arm’s reach in pools, the bathtub, or places where drowning can occur.
• Keep bathroom and laundry room doors shut.
• Learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be a life saver.
• Lastly, supervise your child at all times when in swimming pools or other bodies of water even if he or she knows how to swim.

If your child has been in a drowning accident, don’t hesitate to call us at (480) 753-4534 for a free consultation. As Chandler accident lawyers, we have been helping victims of child injuries get the compensation that they deserve.

Bicycling is a great way to spend one’s free time, not to mention the fact that it is an effective way to stay healthy, and with the New Year just behind us, there are many more people trying to do just that. It is important to recognize the threats on the roads as a bicyclist. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 500,000 people are treated due to bicycle-related injuries in the U.S. every year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 630 cases of bicyclist deaths in 2009 and more than 51,000 bicycling injuries in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Alarming isn’t it?

What’s Happening In Arizona

The car-bike accident toll in Phoenix continues to rise when a man was seriously injured after he was involved in a Chandler car accident. Police report that the man was riding his bike when the accident happened near Price and Dobson Road in Chandler around 6 o’clock Monday morning (01/03/11). The victim was in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital. However, the cause of the collision is still unknown. (more…)

Every minute a person is injured in an alcohol-related accident, and every 50 minutes a person dies from alcohol-related car accidents (MADD 2010). These reasons alone should be enough to stop drivers from getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, yet every year, thousands of lives continue to be lost due to these negligent drivers.

This Holiday Season

With the New Year holiday coming up this weekend, the number of impaired drivers on the road will be higher as people celebrate. However, one Arizona company is hoping to reduce that number. AAA Arizona is offering a free “tipsy tow” service from 6pm on Friday, December 31 to 6am on Saturday, January 1. Drivers who are not fit to drive themselves home can call 1-800-AAA-HELP and ask for the “tipsy tow.” A tow truck will arrive to take the responsible drinker home for free. (more…)