Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “I was involved in a motor vehicle accident with injuries. Do I need a lawyer?”
Police with the North Carolina Highway Patrol say that a wreck that took place near Forestview High School has sent three students to the hospital for emergency treatment.
According to troopers, the accident happened on Tuesday at around 3:45 p.m., just after school had let out. A white Mazda was heading south on Union Road near Wilson Farm road when the driver attempted to pass a slower moving car. Unfortunately, the white Mazda miscalculated the distance needed to get around the slower car and ended up crashing head-on into an oncoming Ford pick-up.
Highway Patrol officials say the accident was serious and sent three 16-year-old students of Forestview High School to the hospital. Two of the students were so badly injured that emergency responders called for helicopters to airlift one student to Carolina’s Medical Center in Charlotte and another to Gaston Memorial. Thankfully, police say that the three students appear to be in stable condition, despite the severity of their injuries.
Many people understand that head-on accidents are dangerous, though you may not know just how dangerous. Head-on collisions are serious and have substantially higher fatality rates than other kinds of crashes, with the notable exception of rollovers. In 2005, two percent of crashes were head-on collisions, but these accounted for 10 percent of all fatal accidents. Head-on crashes more frequently result in death because of their abrupt nature; stopping forward movement so suddenly.
By way of explanation, when two vehicles of equal weight and size going the same speed crash head on, it is like crashing into a brick wall, and all forward movement stops at once. For example, when two of the exact same vehicles in weight and size, going 50 miles per hour, crash into each other head-on, each vehicle comes to an abrupt stop, just as if it had hit a solid brick wall, there is no giving way or absorption of the impact force. In fact, experts say that a driver would be better off hitting a parked car at 50 miles per hour, as the parked car would give and not stop forward movement so abruptly.
According to data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the vast majority (83 percent) of all head-on crashes take place on two lane, undivided rural roads. This is just like the accident that took place in this case and should serve as a serious warning for those driving along such roads in and around Charlotte. Be safe and stay alert, also, never try and overtake a slower vehicle unless you know you have plenty of time and room to safely pass.
If you, or someone you know, have any questions regarding personal injury claims, please feel free to contact the experienced personal injury attorneys and lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina at Arnold & Smith, PLLC for a free consultation. Call at 704-370-2828.
Source:
“Forestview High students suffer serious injuries in wreck,” by Lauren Baheri, published at GastonGazete.com.
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