This past Saturday at approximately 10:30 p.m., after leaving a political dinner, the South Dakota Attorney General called police to report he had hit a deer with his vehicle. The next day, police discovered that he had not, in fact, hit a deer but instead a pedestrian who was walking to his disabled truck. The pedestrian died. Right now, more questions remain unanswered than answered, but one thing is for certain: pedestrian accidents are on the rise, and here are some simple but effective ways we can help prevent them. Continue reading
Articles Posted in Automobile Accidents
Labor Day Safety Tips
The unofficial end of summer is here. A lot of kids are back in school and this is the last hoorah before settling into a different season and, hopefully, some cooler temperatures. Like everything else associated with 2020, Labor Day is going to look different for a lot of folks. While your plans may not be the same as usual, good safety practices for driving, boating, swimming and outdoor picnics remain the same. Keep reading for your refresher because you don’t want to end up in the hospital because of food poisoning or an avoidable accident. Continue reading
Car Accidents and Black Box Data
In airplane accidents, investigators and experts often refer to “black box data”, and that terminology has carried over and is sometimes used in the context of car accidents too. However, in car and truck accidents, the more accurate description of black box data is Event Data Recorders (EDR). Of course, nothing is ever quite that simple because some experts and manufacturers refer to an Event Data Recorder more specifically as an Airbag Control Module (ACM), Restraint Control Module (RCM) and System Diagnostic Module (SDM), etc. But regardless of what you call it, these devices can be invaluable in determining what happened in a car or truck accident. Read on to find out how EDRs came into existence, how they work, what information they record and why it is important to know what to do immediately after an accident so that this valuable information is not lost. Continue reading
Coronavirus Chaos for Commuters
First, the problem was an increase in reckless driving. As a large number of commuters began working from home, many drivers saw the decreased congestion on the roads as an opportunity to turn into Mario Andretti. As a result, the number of fatal accidents increased markedly. Now, as more people are returning to work in some places, two new issues confront commuters. Continue reading
June 11th – National Make Life Beautiful Day
Well, we could all certainly use some more beauty in our lives these days. We often think of beauty as a physical attribute but it is so much more. Kindness is beautiful, justice is beautiful, truth is beautiful, courage is beautiful and so many more things. In honor of National Make Life Beautiful Day, we wanted to announce another give-away from our office. On June 27th, we are going to be giving away 1,000 washable cloth masks from the parking lot of our Murfreesboro office. Just drive through and get a free mask. More details are below. In addition, below are some easy suggestions on how you could make life beautiful tomorrow, and we would love for you to comment with some suggestions of your own. Continue reading
Memorial Day Boating Safety Tips
It is hard to believe it is Memorial Day weekend. If you are like me, you have been suffering a certain level of time disorientation courtesy of the pandemic. One day inexplicably races by and some weeks feel like they lasted a year. Nonetheless, here we are – Memorial Day weekend. Typically, this is a heavy travel weekend but this year experts predict folks will stay close to home and visit local parks, rivers, lakes or just their own backyard. Whether you are towing your own boat to the river, renting a boat from a lake marina or heading to your lake house or cabin, we wanted to remind you of some incredibly important safety tips as the boating season officially gets underway: Continue reading
Strange Days, Indeed – Memorial Day 2020
If you need further proof of these strange times, Memorial Day weekend may be Exhibit No. 15,643,782. For decades, AAA has issued travel forecasts for Memorial Day weekend, but it will not this year because all of the normal predictors it uses for its models are not reliable in the face of the pandemic. So what do the experts think this Memorial Day weekend will look like travel-wise? Continue reading
Smiles, Encouragement and Tips – Week 6
Around our house, for quite a while, we have been using the euphemism “With everything that has been going on . . . ” We like it because it gathers up the collective burdens and tribulations surrounding CoVid 19 and tries to make it more palatable especially around a 12 year-old, who certainly does not need nor want to hear much more than that. So even with everything that is going on, we have some smiles, encouragement and tips to help you get through this slog. Continue reading
Smiles, Encouragement and Tips – Week 3
Time for a mid-week boost. We are back with some more legal tips and good news. First, we have a new give-away going on our Facebook page. All you have to do is upload a picture of you fur baby to be entered to win one of three $50 VISA gift cards to be given away on Friday, April 10, 2020. We have loved doing these fun quarantine give-aways to help folks with groceries or take-out dinner from a local restaurant. Now, on to some legal tips and more good news. Continue reading
Smiles, Encouragement and Tips – Week 2
Last week, we started this mid-week boost where we try to give you something to smile about in the face of all the bad news and anxiety. We also want to give you some important legal tips that can help your neighbor or you during this time of social distancing. But, let’s start with an update. Continue reading