Drugged Driving

Teens die due to driving while drugged

More and more teens are losing their lives due to driving under the influence of marijuana. This is the stark fact which has been revealed by Columbia University. Researchers have uncovered that the number of fatal car accidents where the driver was high, due to having smoked marijuana, has actually tripled over the last ten years.

What is more, according to a survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in eight High school seniors actually admitted that they had gotten behind the wheel of a car having just smoked marijuana. The survey also showed in those fatal car crashes where the driver was drugged, in one in four incidents the driver was under the age of 25.

As more and more states look to be moving towards legalizing marijuana, more and more parents and grandparents are becoming increasingly concerned. Legalization may bring with it easier access to marijuana which could in turn lead to more incidents involving drugged driving and more unnecessary deaths among young people.

If you have been injured in a serious vehicle accident involving a drugged driver, or an automobile with defective parts, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

It has long been known that newer drivers are often the most susceptible to becoming involved in serious or deadly automobile accidents. Some of the reasons for this are that newer drivers have far less experience handling automobiles, responding to road conditions, and may find themselves presented with situations that they simply do not know how to handle. Because most new drivers are usually teenage drivers, their first cars usually are given to them by their parents. However, the practice of giving teenage drivers the old family car has given way to a more modern practice which sees the teen get a new car.

An increasing number of families are deciding to buy teenage drivers newer cars, while the parents continue to drive the older cars. The reason for this is that newer cars generally have better safety features and better handling than older cars. Such advantages could mean the difference between life and death for a teen driver should they find themselves confronted by unusual road conditions or involved in a serious automobile accident.

In the following video you will is see several tips which you may use to help decide which kind of automobile is best for your teen driver to drive.

If you have been injured in a serious vehicle accident involving a teen driver or new driver  in Connecticut, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help

Today’s professionals have an increasing number of technological means for determining exactly what happened in an accident. Using a wide variety of forensic techniques, these professionals are able to corroborate or debunk witness testimony. One of the most promising areas of investigation, which lends itself to the verification of the details of how an accident transpired, is biomechanics.

Biomechanical engineers study the way biologic solids and fluids react to various internal and external forces over time and with respect to specific spatial orientations. They are able to study what kinds of effects certain stresses on the human body produce, and then use this information to compare the facts of a case to witness testimony. For example, biomechanical mechanical engineers would be able to view a particular kind of bone fracture and compare it to the description of events given by witnesses, and better determine the truthfulness of the witness accounts.

When assisting a client with a lawsuit, professional and competent attorneys may make use of biomechanical engineers and other expert witnesses in order to help paint the picture of exactly what happened during a particular accident. In order to get the very best presentation of your case.

If you have been injured in a serious vehicle accident in East Haven or another part of Connecticut, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help

An accident over the weekend has resulted in one victim suffering severe burns over much of his body.

According to witnesses a man, driving a Mitsubishi which was apparently on fire, drove into a Hess gas station on Frontage Road, running into a gas pump. Reportedly the man was on fire when he exited the car. The flames were later extinguished, and the man was transported to a local hospital with severe, third degree burns over much of his body.

Police and firefighters are still investigating the cause of the initial fire. East Haven Fire Chief Doug Jackson says that the man suffered critical injuries, and that the fire department is still attempting to “put it all together”. Police are also interviewing witnesses in an attempt to gain more information about the accident.

The identity of the man has not been released.

As this story illustrates, there are often unexpected developments which can appear at any time on East Haven roads. We want to wish the best to this driver and hope that he is able to make a significant recovery from these horrendous injuries.

Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480 – We are here to help

3 East Haven students and one adult were injured recently in an incident in which their school bus collided with another vehicle.

While traveling northbound on I-91 near Exit 23, three sixth-graders from Joseph Melillo Middle School and one staff member were injured in an accident involving their school bus and a car. According to the driver of the vehicle, East Haven resident Tara Downes, she was driving in the middle lane of the highway at about 9:30 am when a tractor trailer, which was driving to her left, suddenly moved into her lane, pushing her into the school bus which was in the right lane at the time. She says that as a result of the accident her car became pinned between the bus and the tractor trailer.

This injured students and the staff member were on a field trip, going to the Connecticut Science Center at the time of the accident. They were all taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The remaining students were boarded onto another bus and returned back to school. The field trip was rescheduled.

If  you or someone you know were injured in an automobile accident, the attorneys at Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP can help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us now at (888) 244-5480. We are here to help

Though manufacturer defects and adverse conditions may play a primary role in many East Haven car accidents, the vast majority of automobile crashes are as a result of human error.  The best way to ensure that East Haven roads are safe for all drivers and passengers is to be aware of the most significant causes of car crash, and make a mental note to avoid participating in any such activities.  Here we will take a look at the top three causes of car crash in East Haven.

Impaired driving

Driving while impaired is a category which covers many kinds of dangerous driving states and behaviors.  The most common kinds of impaired driving include driving while intoxicated and driving while drowsy.  Everyone knows that a motorist must be 100% sober and 100% alert in order to be best prepared to operate a motor vehicle.  Considering the fact that driving under the influence of drugs, and driving while drowsy, can both impair the driver to the same extent as alcohol, it is advisable that all East Haven drivers commit to avoid driving while impaired

Speeding

Many people think of speeding as something that is primarily done on the highways.  But in fact speeding in residential neighborhoods and commercial areas can be every bit as dangerous, if not more so, than speeding on the interstate.  The next time you find yourself going significantly over the speed limit, reduce your speed.  Not only will you save gas, but you may save someone’s life.

Driving distracted

Driving while distracted is attracting a lot of media attention due to its prevalence and the dangers associated with it.  Often times people feel that they simply cannot pull themselves away from such distractions as cell phone usage and eating while driving.  But, drivers must realize that whatever the distracting activity is – it can wait.  As an increasing number of states pass anti-distracted driving laws, the public will hopefully continue to become aware of its dangers and cease to engage in these dangerous activities.

The East Haven accident attorneys of Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP, encourage you to drive safely and always pay attention to the road. We can be reached at (888) 244-5480 or contact us online today. We are here to help.