Girl Dies Falling Out Of Car Window

Going to Miami for spring break should involve sunshine, sandy beaches, multiple pairs of sunglasses, and aside from a bad sunburn an overall a safe trip..

Mariah Michelle Logans’ Spring Break trip to Miami checked everything on this list, right up until she got in her car to drive home to Chicago. She and her friends were driving on State Road 112 on the way to the Miami International Airport at 4:43 am on March 17, 2019. According to the Miami Herald, Logan, 23, was “hanging out” of the right rear passenger window of a rented Hyundai, trying to capture every last moment of her memorable trip and yelled, “Bye, Miami,” out the window.. In these few seconds, Mariah fell out of the window and landed on the road. A Range Rover was driving behind the Hyundai and was in the process of merging into the lane to the right when Mariah fell out of her car and he crushed her to death. The driver of the Range Rover stopped when he ran over Mariah but then drove off.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) investigators are looking into whether or not alcohol was involved in this hit-and-run car crash. Unfortunately, highway surveillance cameras are making the investigation difficult because they only live-stream. The FHP also won’t say if there are any other witnesses other than the three other passengers in the Hyundai.

Mariah’s friends and family are understandably reeling from the loss. Her boyfriend, Ray Olden spoke to The Miami Herald saying, “She was just being silly. She loved life...She brought energy and life. She never looked at the bad.”

Car crash deaths are very unfortunate events. Car accidents are not 100% preventable. However, there are precautions that every passenger in a vehicle can take to help lessen the chance of getting into a car crash or to avoid serious car crash injuries. One such car accident prevention tactic is that passengers in a moving vehicle should never stick their bodies out of a vehicle window and should always stay seated with a seat belt strapped on. According to the The National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives in 2016.”

It seems as though passengers do know the importance of wearing a seat belt since the NHTSA reported that the national use rate for seat belts is at 90.1%. However, like Mariah Logan, nearly 27.5 million people still don’t wear their seat belts and put their lives at risk. The NHTSA also mentions that, if passengers wear a seat belt, they may reduce their risk of fatal injuries by 45%. So, remember, seat belts save lives!

Wearing a seat belt can help keep passengers secure inside a moving vehicle. Neglecting to wear a seat belt can result in being ejected from the vehicle during a car crash accident, which may further lead to broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and even death. The Michigan Law Firm, PC attorneys fight to seek justice and compensation for car crash injury victims.all us at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free legal consultation.

It's National Child Passenger Safety Week!

Child injury and death from car collisions are unfortunately all too common, but the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) is part of a campaign to help raise awareness as to how parents can help reduce the risk of injury or death to their kids while traveling in the car. The week of September 17th through the 23rd is National Child Passenger Safety Week, and aims to shed light on the importance of using proper restraints for kids when traveling in a vehicle. 

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, automobile accidents are the leading cause of unintentional deaths for children ages 1-13. The National Security Council reports that in 2015 alone, 1,346 children under the age of 15 were killed in motor vehicle accidents, which is an average of more than 3 kids per day. While these statistics are scary, luckily, there are ways parents can help to reduce the likelihood of their child being injured or killed in a car crash. The simplest way to avoid child car accident injuries is by using the proper restraints. In 2012 alone, the lives of 284 kids, ages 5 and under, were saved due to restraint use, according to Safe Kids. Using car seats, seat belts, and booster seats can reduce the risk of injury or death by up to 50%. Safe Kids also gives the following tips on to how to keep young passengers safe while traveling.

Child Car Seat Safety Tips

  • The back seat is the best. It is the safest place to ride for all children under the age of 13. Not all cars allow for a car seat in every place that has a seat belt. Check your car owner manual to see where you can put a car seat.
  • Be wary of toys in the car. Choose toys that are soft and will not hurt your child in a crash. Secure any loose objects in the car.
  • Wear your seat belt. We know that when adults wear seat belts, kids wear seat belts. So be a good example and buckle up for every ride. Be sure everyone in the vehicle buckles up, too.
  • Never leave your child alone in a car, even for a minute.

Safe Kids recommends that children need to be riding in some sort of restrained device until the age of 13. According to the OHSP, children who are under the height of 4 feet and 9 inches cannot fit comfortably in a seat belt, making them more likely to tuck it behind their back or under their arm, thereby reducing its effectiveness. Seat belts are designed to fit across the hips and shoulders, which are the strongest part of the body. Booster seats lift up smaller children to allow the seat belt to fit properly. According to the OHSP, less than half of children aged 4-7 in the state of Michigan are using booster seats. As kids get older, the use of restraints goes down, even though booster seats are cheaper and easier to use than car seats. Older children are at risk too, as kids over the age of 14 are more likely to not use a seat belt at all. 

Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan branch of the OHSP, says that the goal is not to scare parents, but to make them aware of the risks that come with not restraining child passengers properly. They also want to provide encouragement by reinforcing how useful car seats and booster seats are when it comes to reducing the number of child injuries and deaths from car accidents. Prince also said that the timing of the campaign is intentional. With school starting, kids are being driven back and forth not only to school, but to sports practices and other activities. The OHSP wants to make sure that parents are ensuring their kids are safe during travel times.

While no parent can guarantee that their child won’t be involved in an automobile accident, they can guarantee that their child is properly restrained. For younger children, it's as simple as making sure they are using car seats and booster seats until they are big enough for seat belts to fit properly. For older children, it's important for parents to set a good example and make sure they are wearing their seat belt so that even when they are not travelling with you, teenagers will remember to wear one. In making child car safety a priority, parents are responsibly helping keep their children as safe as possible in the event of a motor vehicle accident.

Using the proper restraints can reduce the risk of death or injury to children, in the event of a car accident. If you or a loved one have been injured in an automobile accident, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. Our attorneys are experienced in handling all types of automobile accident cases, especially those involving children. Our car accident lawyers understand that while car crashes can be confusing enough for adults, they can especially take a toll on children. 

Should School Buses Have Seat belts?

Many people may remember the 2016 Chattanooga, Tennessee school bus crash that killed 5 students and injured more than 20 children. While this school bus accident shocked and stunned most of the country, in reality, school bus crashes are more common than most people realize. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that there have been an average of 135 fatalities per year from school-transportation-related crashes since 2003. To make matter worse, there is currently no federal regulation that requires children to wear seat belts on school buses. One of the arguments against school buses having seat belts is actually that the large vehicles are statistically shown to be safer than passenger vehicles. The NHTSA describes how large school buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than passenger vehicles and light trucks do. Strong, closely-spaced seats with energy-absorbing seat backs in school buses are supposed to "compartmentalize" children enough that they are protected without buckling up. 

Another reason many people argue against buses having seat belts is due to the incremental amount it would cost to install them. CNN estimates that seat belt installations inside of a large school bus could range anywhere between $7,346 to $10,296. "Installing seat belts on buses is not free, and requiring their installation might mean reducing funding on other critical safety aspects, such as crossing guards for those children who do walk to school," said Richard Williams, former director of the regulatory studies program at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

On the other hand, and possibly more importantly, the NHTSA argues that by adding three-point seat belts to school buses, the average number of lives lost annually in school bus crashes could be cut in half. Deborah Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council also makes a good point about installing seat belts on school buses. 

"That's the best protection that we can give our kids. It's what they're used to in cars," said Hersman. "We know that there are very few fatalities involving children on school buses every year-they are a safe form of transportation-but anything we can do to make them safer is really our responsibility." 

Currently, there are only six states that have legislation in place requiring buses to have seat belts - California, Texas, Florida, New York, Louisiana, and New Jersey. Despite the lack of regulation around the country, it is important for motor vehicle operators, and especially school bus drivers, to be screened properly and to focus on safe driving. A car, truck, or bus crash may happen at any time, and wearing a seat belt is just one of many ways for drivers to stay safe while on the road.

Incidentally, a similar bus crash to the one in Chattanooga also happened in Anaheim, California. The Anaheim bus slammed into a light pole and some trees, splitting open the left side of the vehicle while students from a middle school were on board. Both of the buses involved in the Chattanooga and Anaheim accidents were driven by 24-year-olds, in clear and dry conditions, and yet, both buses happened to flip onto their sides. The only difference is that the bus in Anaheim was equipped with seat belts and no one was killed.

So, what do readers of The Michigan Law Firm, Blog think? Given the above information, do you think school buses should have seat belts?

Although the government requires drivers and passengers to wear seat belts in passenger vehicles for their safety on the road, they don't enforce seat belt safety in all modes of transportation. Although the NHTSA lists school buses as one of the safest modes of transportation for school-age children, due to their safe design with reinforced sides, bright coloring, stop signs, and standard seat size and height, it couldn't possibly hurt to wear a seat belt on a school bus anyway, could it? Have you, your child, or someone else's child been involved in a school bus accident or any kind of bus accident? If so, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. 

Obesity Is A Factor In Motor Vehicle Fatalities

If you made a New Year's resolution to lose weight but find yourself falling off of the workout routine, a study conducted by Berkeley School of Health might give you an extra incentive get back in the gym. In conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation and Research Education Center (SafeTREC) decided to conduct a study on whether or not obesity played a factor in motor vehicle fatalities.

Though the study was published in 2013, this information is even more relevant in 2017 as 1 in every 3 Americans are obese, and since obesity in general is steadily on the rise. The study's results showed that obese drivers are actually 78% more to die in a car crash compared those in the normal-weight category. So, yes, obesity is definitely a factor in car crash deaths.

Co-author and SafeTREC researcher epidemiologist Thomas Rice said, “This study highlights yet another negative consequence of obesity.”

The Higher The BMI, The Higher The Chance of A Car Crash Fatality

Drivers with a body mass index (BMI) under 18 or between 25 to 29.9 are found to have around the same fatality rates as those people with an ideal BMI ranging from 18.5 to 24.9. The problem comes in for those who have a BMI ranging between 30 and 39.9. Those whose BMI falls between 30 to 34.9 have a 21% increase in risk of death as stated by the SafeTREC’s study. The study also showed that those with a BMI between 35 to 39.9 increase their fatality rates by 51%. Obese drivers with a BMI above 40 have a 81% possibility of death in the event of a motor vehicle fatality. SafeTREC's study also confirmed that woman who are obese are more likely to die in a car crash than their male counterparts. 

In simpler terms, if a male driver was the nation's average male height of 5 feet 9 inches and weighed the national male average of 195.5 pounds with a BMI of 28.5, he would essentially face the same mortality rates as a male that weighs 158 pounds at 5 feet 9 inches with a BMI of 23. However, if a male that was 5 feet 9 inches weighed 220 pounds with a BMI of 32, he increases his chances of death by 21%. 

Vehicle Changes Made For Overweight Drivers

Researchers of the study suggest that,“it may be the case that passenger vehicles are well designed to protect normal-weight vehicle occupants but are deficient in protecting overweight or obese occupants.”

Rice said, “Vehicle designers are teaching to the test –designing so that crash-test dummies do well, but crash-test dummies are typically normal size adults and children. They’re not designed to account for our nation’s changing body types.”

Now changes are underway starting with vehicle safety and design through test-dummies that are heavier in size to reflect the nation's growing weight. Michigan Medicine trauma surgeon Stewart Wang, M.D., is a collaborator on car safety as the director of the University of Michigan's International Center for Automotive Medicine (ICAM). Dr. Wang offers some perspective to engineers who are designing a safety mechanism that will later be placed into vehicles.

The surgeon says, "crash-test dummies look nothing like my patients...The condition, size and shape of an individual is hugely important in how severe their injuries are in any given crash." Dr. Wang also says that many of his obese clients suffer from lower extremity injuries in auto accidents as a result of the lap belt being too slack and causing them to slide under it upon impact. These types of injuries combined with, "their obesity makes treatment more difficult and delays recovery." Wang's medical research of live patients have provided ICAM with vital information which was used in the creation of new test dummies by manufacturer Humanetics, so that engineers can better interpret potential injuries to drivers of a certain weight, sex, and age. 

Source: GIPHY

According to ScienceDaily.com, "Teams at ICAM gain tremendous insight from hundreds of thousands of CT scans, which can quickly be used for 3-D printing of prototypes once they're shared with engineers. This has revolutionized the way dummies are made and what they look like."

With scientific research highlighting the importance of test-dummies reflecting the nation's growing population of overweight and elderly drivers, changes can finally be made to vehicles that lead to lower rates auto accident fatalities, for all ages and body types. 

According to the CDC, obesity can be combated through local and state programs that work with communities in creating an environment that encourages healthy eating and physical activity. Living a healthy lifestyle including a lifetime commitment to eating healthy and exercising should help those combating with obesity lose and keep off their weight. Have you or a loved one been injured as a result of an auto accident? Call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation today. 

Truck Accident Recorded On Facebook Live

According to CBS News a man in Rhode Island was involved in a car accident while recording a Facebook Live video. The driver was Onasi Olio-Rojas, 20 of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Olio-Rojas was recording himself going 114 miles per hour and was seen weaving in and out of traffic on Route 6, when he lost control of the vehicle, hit a garbage truck as it entered the highway, and then crossed three lanes to crash into a concrete barrier. 

“He has his camera in his right hand, videotaping himself as he’s driving, has no seatbelt on, he starts to hit speeds of 90 miles an hour, which increases to 100 miles an hour, then you see several erratic lane changes where he goes from the high-speed lane to the low-speed lane, into the breakdown lane, in and out of traffic,” Capt. John Allen of Rhode Island State Police told CBS affiliate WPRI.

The video was posted to Olio-Rojas’ Facebook page and authorities have verified its authenticity. The Rhode Island State Police has even asked Facebook for an official copy so that it could be used as evidence in court.

“I mean, the video makes the case. The independent witnesses certainly help, but nothing beats actually watching it on the video.” Capt. Allen said.

Rescue crews extracted Olio-Rojas from the vehicle and rushed him to the hospital Fortunately, Olio-Rojas was diagnosed to be in fair condition. Once he is conscious and alert, Mr. Olio- Rojas will be arraigned from his hospital bed. Police told Olio-Rojas that he was charged with reckless driving and operating a vehicle while having a suspended license. In fact, Olio-Rojas' license was suspended due to 5 previous traffic violations including texting while driving. He was also involved in 3 vehicle car crashes in 2016 alone. 

“Mr. Rojas just has a blatant disregard for anyone else on the road,” said Allen. Mr. Olio-Rojas will be arraigned from his hospital bed.

Distracted driving accidents have increased by 28% since 2005, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Accidents caused by distracted drivers are becoming a growing problem in America with drivers using their cell phones to not only make phone calls and text, but to record video and watch movies, all while they are behind the wheel. These actions not only put the driver but other drivers and pedestrians in danger. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) list drivers in their 20s to be responsible for 27% of distracted driving accidents. 38% of drivers in their 20s were using their cellphones at the time of the fatal accident. Have you been hit by a distracted driver? Speak to an auto accident attorney today at The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC.  Call 844.4MI.FIRM.

Michigan Sees Increase in Seat Belt Usage And Fatal Accidents in 2016

A study conducted by students at Michigan State University, in partnership with the Michigan State Police shows an increase in seat belt usage in 2016. The seat belt use rate climbed from 92.8% in 2015 to 94.5% so far this year. This comes as welcomed news, as there has been a significant increase in traffic deaths in the past two years. 

“Traffic safety programs are meant to reduce traffic deaths and mitigate the impact of injuries,” Michael L. Prince, Director of the Michigan Office of Highway Planning (MOHP) said in a statement sent out by the Michigan State Police. “The Click It or Ticket campaign remains our cornerstone effort to remind motorists about Michigan’s life-saving seat belt law.” MSP reports that since the state’s all-time belt use record of 97.9% in 2009, the rate has been declining or plateauing around 93%. 2016’s numbers are the highest it has been in five years. 

So what does a couple of percentage points mean? For every one percent increase in seat belt usage, there will be an estimated 10 fewer traffic deaths and 100 fewer serious injuries. Michigan ranks near the top in seat belt usage in the United States, as numbers range from 69.5% usage (New Hampshire) to 97.3% (California and Georgia). 

Cell phone usage was also tracked during this study, which found that the numbers remained the same from the previous year. 7.5% of respondents said they use some type of electronic device, including a handheld device or hands-free device. 

FATAL ACCIDENTS UP IN 2016

Even though seat belt usage has risen, MOHP reported that traffic deaths are 42 higher than this time last year with 440 traffic fatalities taking place as of June 28th. Electronic billboards have been spotted on Michigan highways displaying the fatal crash statistic in hopes that it influences drivers to be safer while out on the road. 

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and MSP are continuing their “Toward Zero Deaths” statewide safety campaign, which is looking to reduce traffic fatalities from 889 in 2011 to 750 in 2016. “As part of Operation C.A.R.E and the summer-long statewide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over drunk driving crackdown, troopers will take a zero-tolerance approach to motorists who are driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, are unbelted or exhibiting other dangerous driving behaviors,” Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, Director of MSP, told MLive. 

One of the first things drivers should do when they enter a vehicle is buckle their seat belt. It can be the difference between life and death when you are involved in a car accident. Distracted driving habits such as texting or taking pictures can also be very dangerous, not only to yourself but also to other drivers on the road. If you or somebody you know has been injured in an accident caused by distracted driving, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Whether caused by distracted driving or drunk driving, our attorneys are highly experienced in handling all types of car crash cases. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation.