Phoenix Personal Injury Law Blog

It is no secret that teenage drivers are more likely than other, more experienced drivers to be involved in car accidents. For the most part, transportation officials chalk the higher accident rates up to teen drivers' inexperience behind the wheel. However, two new studies indicate that other factors may contribute to car accidents involving teenage drivers, such as distraction and aggressive driving.

But the most dangerous factor, researchers found, was having another teenager in the car. In particular, one of the two studies found that teenagers who drive with multiple passengers generally consider themselves to be thrill-seekers, were not aware of the risks of driving, and did not feel that their parents were strictly monitoring their whereabouts or driving habits.

In recent years, the number of serious or fatal injuries to walkers, bicyclists or other pedestrians who are listening to headphones has more than tripled, according to a new study. This increase in pedestrian accident deaths is affecting young people the most, as they are more likely to be listening to headphones while they walk or bike than many other demographics.

The study was completed through a review of about 120 pedestrian accidents that took place from 2004 to 2011. All of the crashes studied involved a pedestrian who was wearing headphones when he or she was struck by a car, train, or other motor vehicle. Researchers found that the pedestrians were injured in nearly all of the accidents, and that they suffered life-ending injuries in about 70 percent of the motor vehicle accidents studied.

In a new report from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a national highway safety group, Arizona was ranked second to last in terms of the state's traffic safety laws. According to the group's president, implementing the recommended laws could prevent many car accident deaths in the state. However, state lawmakers say that traffic fatalities have significantly decreased in Arizona in recent years, and there is no indication that the additional laws recommended by the group would have any significant effect.

According to the highway safety group's ninth annual report, Arizona has adopted fewer than five of the 15 laws that the group considers "basic to traffic safety." These laws include required use of motorcycle helmets and seat belts and stricter laws on teen and distracted driving.

Last week, a man who was kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico off of the Florida coast noticed something unusual: a dog in the water, swimming for his life. The kayaker paddled over to the dog and lifted him out of the water. He saw that the animal was terrified, exhausted, and injured, with bleeding wounds on his legs.

The kayaker headed toward shore and took the dog to a nearby veterinary office. When the vet scanned the dog's microchip and identified his owner, the sad truth was learned. It turned out that the dog had fled a fatal pedestrian accident that morning. His owner, however, had not survived the crash.

An Arizona woman received several criminal citations after her dogs reportedly broke out of her yard and attacked another woman who was also out walking her dog. The victim and her dog suffered serious injuries in the dog bite attacks, and it remains to be seen whether she will decide to file a personal injury lawsuit against the dogs' owner.

The incident occurred east of Sierra Vista, Arizona. According to police reports, the 60-year-old victim was walking her dog, an Australian Shepherd, when she passed a house with three large dogs inside the yard. Upon seeing the passing dog, the two boxers and one pit bull broke out of the yard and began to attack the victim's dog.

In order to receive reimbursement for Medicare patients, participating hospitals must track medical and surgical errors and "adverse patient events," analyze the causes of those incidents, and use them to develop a plan for the improvement of care.

But according to a recent study, the overwhelming majority of hospitals do not comply with those requirements. In fact, only one out of seven hospitals report medical errors that affect the health of Medicare patients while they are hospitalized. Yet for some reason the hospitals that do not comply continue to receive Medicare reimbursements from the government.

After working for more than a decade to increase DUI sentences and get drunk drivers off the road, an Arizona state senator recently took action to lower DUI penalties in the state. Now, safety advocates believe that those gentler laws will cause an increase in drunk driving car accidents, injuries and deaths in the state in the coming months.

The law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, lowers the time requirements for ignition interlock devices. Now, first time DUI offenders will only be obligated to have the devices in their vehicles for six months, a decrease from the previous one-year requirement. Repeat and hardcore offenders will not be eligible.

Over the years, we have all seen and heard the public service announcements and government campaigns against drunk driving. Just this week, in fact, we blogged on the topic, noting that Arizona police would have extra drunk driving patrols out on New Year's Eve. But a recent report indicates that it might be time to expand the notion of unsafe drinking behaviors to include one that previously seemed harmless: drunk walking.

Earlier this week, economist Steven Levitt made this surprising statement: "If you're faced exactly with two choices, walking drunk or driving drunk, you absolutely should drive drunk." The reason, Levitt says, is that walking while intoxicated creates a huge risk of pedestrian accidents, injuries, and fatalities.