Intersection Cameras Can Prove Accident Lawsuits

Intersection Cameras Provide Evidence for Car Accidents Personal Injury Attorney Georgia

Multiple Car Accident on Woodland Parkway Leaves Roswell Woman Dead

A car accident in Cobb County left a Roswell woman dead Sunday, according to Patch.com. The crash, which involved four vehicles, happened when a woman driving an SUV drove into an intersection against the red light and collided with several other vehicles. Emergency medical responders transported the driver of one of the vehicles to nearby Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. None of the other victims of the accident appear to have suffered life-threatening injuries.

Washbourne Was Under the Influence at the Time of the Accident

The intersection where the crash occurred is at Johnson Ferry Road and Woodland Parkway. Investigators from the Cobb County Police Department say that around 6:45pm, the driver of the SUV, 38-year-old Courtney Washbourne, was driving down the southbound lane of Johnson Ferry Road. When she reached the intersection with Woodland Parkway, the traffic signal was red, but she continued into the intersection. She collided with two vehicles in the northbound lane of Johnson Ferry Road, both of which were turning left onto Woodland Parkway, then entered the northbound lane and struck a third car. Emergency response personnel transported Washbourne to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for injuries that were non-life-threatening. Police charged Washbourne with violation of a traffic control device, driving under the influence and felony homicide by vehicle.

More Traffic Cameras Means More Accident Evidence

In accidents like this one, you might ask yourself, “How did the police know that the driver entered the intersection against the red light?” Of course, they could have proved this the old-fashioned way: by questioning witnesses. But nowadays, that isn’t always necessary, because of the growth in the use of cameras at intersections. As Atlanta upgrades its traffic signals, new systems will make increased use of cameras, metal detectors and other sensors to help regulate traffic more efficiently, WABE Atlanta reports. Some of these cameras can also be used to document the events surrounding an accident. An attorney for a victim in a traffic accident can subpoena evidence from traffic cameras. Some of this evidence may appear in a police report, if there is one. If it’s not in a police report, then there’s a risk it will disappear, since many traffic cameras cycle through storage and delete old footage after a certain period of time elapses. This means that you need to move quickly to protect your rights.

Victims of Parkway Accident May Use Camera Footage in Lawsuits

So would the victims of the accident on Woodland Parkway or their survivors be able to use traffic camera evidence in a lawsuit against Ms. Washbourne? Possibly, but it depends on the situation. If we assume that there was a camera at the intersection, then there was probably footage at one time of the accident, since the camera would be angled to capture cars entering the intersection. Since the police filed charges against Ms. Washbourne, they might have included photos from the camera in their police report or saved footage from the camera for the prosecutor. If so, the attorneys for the victims of the accident may be able to subpoena this footage. If the police did not save any of the footage from the camera, then plaintiffs may need to file quickly to make sure to save the footage from the cameras before it disappears.

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Can a Mother Who Loses an Unborn Child in an Accident Sue for Wrongful Death?

Georgia Wrongful Death Case of Fetus Car Accident Lawsuit

Pre-K Teacher Loses Fetus, Suffers Massive Trauma in Cobb County Accident

A pre-kindergarten teacher is in intensive care in Cobb County after a car crash in Powder Springs killed her unborn son, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  The woman, Karlissa Darby, 22, of Dallas, Texas, sustained serious injuries after a couple driving the wrong way down a freeway collided with her car. Officials who investigated the accident indicated that the couple in the other car were at fault for the accident. Her mother, who is staying with Darby at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, says that if Darby survives her injuries, her recovery will take a very long time.

Elderly Couple Drove Wrong Way on Street, Struck Darby

Police sources say that a couple in a Crown Victoria were driving eastbound on the westbound side of Macland Road when they hit Darby’s Plymouth Voyager.  Darby suffered a broken leg, broken ankles, broken wrists, serious head trauma, and a stroke. The crash also resulted in the death of her unborn child. 11 Alive Atlanta reports that the elderly couple who crashed into Darby’s car both died in the car accident. Doctors are uncertain whether Darby will ever regain the ability to walk.

In Georgia, Pregnant Women Who Lose a Fetus Can Sue for Wrongful Death

In a car accident where the other party is at fault, the surviving victim can sue the party at fault for negligence and seek damages to compensate them for the injuries they have sustained. If one of the accident victims died from their injuries, then that victim’s survivors can sue the at-fault party for wrongful death. But what about if the victim who died was an unborn child? In Georgia, surviving mothers can sue at-fault drivers for wrongful death if a car accident leads to the death of their unborn fetus. However, the fetus must have reached the stage in development at which they are “quick,” which means that the mother can feel the fetus moving. Quickening can occur as early as 13-16 weeks from the mother’s last period. But the general rule is that fetuses quicken between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation.

Darby Could Sue Estate for Wrongful Death

In a case like Karlissa Darby’s, could the mother sue the drivers for wrongful death? First, the drivers at fault in the accident are deceased, so Darby would have to sue the estate for wrongful death. Second, Darby has a lot of other serious injuries that she should get compensation for. She will likely have extensive medical bills and a long, painful recovery. Next, it’s clear that the other party was at fault. Driving the wrong way on a busy street is a blatant violation of the rules of the road, and law enforcement officers who investigated the crash have found that the other drivers were at fault. But in addition, she has lost her unborn child due to the negligence of the other drivers. In Georgia, this is the basis for a wrongful death claim. It’s necessary, though, that Darby’s pregnancy had advanced to the quickening stage for the wrongful death claim to succeed. 

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If you or someone you know has suffered injuries from a car accident, it is imperative that you speak with an attorney today. Contact an experienced car accident lawyer at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today for more information on whether or not you have a case.

Road Rage Drivers Risk Negligence Lawsuits

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Marietta Court Sentences Road Rage Driver to 15 Years

A court in Marietta recently convicted a Kennesaw man of aggravated assault for pulling a gun in traffic, The Savannah Morning News reports. The court sentenced the man to 15 years in prison on Friday for an incident that occurred in November of 2014. The convicted man, James Matthew Colomb, was angry because another driver had cut him off in traffic. Colomb followed the other vehicle to a store, where he pointed his gun at the driver and his family and threatened them verbally before driving away.

Colomb Aimed Gun at Driver and Family

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the driver who changed lanes in front of Colomb did so “inadvertently” and did not realize he would be the victim of road rage. The driver of the other vehicle was traveling with his wife and three children. When they stopped at an eyeglasses store, Colomb aimed the gun at them and told the driver he could “wipe the smile off [his] face.” Colomb never fired the weapon, but prosecutors argued that anyone willing to pull out a gun because of an “innocent traffic maneuver” was a danger to society.

Road Rage Causes More Car Accidents Each Year

Road rage is causing more and more car accidents each year, as a report from The Washington Post explains. As of 2015, there were more than ten times as many fatal accidents due to road rage annually as there were in 2004. Commuters are the most likely drivers to report feeling uncontrollable rage toward other drivers on the road. What driving behavior is most likely to cause road rage in other drivers? Weaving between lanes and cutting people off. Other behaviors that tend to make drivers angry are speeding, tailgating and behaving in a hostile manner.

Road Rage Can Lead to Lawsuits

Road rage incidents involve drivers who react with anger toward other drivers. Often, the very behaviors they are angry about are the same kind of behaviors they themselves react with: aggressive driving behaviors like tailgating or expressions of hostility. Many of these behaviors are more likely to cause accidents and can lead to liability in a lawsuit. For example, drivers are expected to maintain a minimum distance between their own vehicle and the one in front of them, dependent on speed and road conditions. If a driver fails to maintain that minimum distance and this leads to an accident, the tailgating driver can be liable for negligence in a lawsuit.

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Can Accident Victims Recover for Lost Income?

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Atlanta Rapper OG Maco Loses Eye in Wreck

Atlanta rapper OG Maco has lost the use of his eye after a car accident, according to Rolling Stone. He first garnered widespread attention for his 2014 hit single “U Guessed It.” The nationally famous performer has kept fans in the loop on his medical recovery since an accident last month. He has reported having surgeries for a broken vertebra, multiple skull fractures, a broken orbital, and plastic surgery to reconstruct his face.

Maco Plans to Recovery, Record New Album

Losing vision and undergoing plastic surgery would be a difficult ordeal for anyone. For a celebrity, it might have special problems attached. If an accident deforms a well-known entertainer’s face, it might have implications for their career. Likewise, anyone who loses an eye may no longer be able to perform important daily tasks that require depth perception, including ones they need to perform for their job. Nonetheless, Billboard reports that OG Maco intends to record and release a new album about a month after his car accident.

Direct vs. Consequential Damages

If different injuries can be more harmful to one person than another, how does this affect car accident lawsuits? That is, how does a court decide how much to award the victim of a car accident when their injury may have been more or less important to another victim? The answer is that the jury can consider the specific situation of the victim and award them damages based on how much their injuries are actually worth.

Georgia law distinguishes between direct damages and consequential damages. Direct damages are the damages that anyone would get for a particular injury. For example, if you had to pay medical bills for an injury that you suffered in a car accident, the cost of these bills would be considered part of your direct damages, since they are an immediate result of the car accident. Consequential damages are the result of the special circumstances of the victim. The consequential damages may not be foreseeable by the person responsible for the injury, but that person can still be liable for these damages. If the injury makes the victim unable to perform their usual work, resulting in a loss of pay, this is a consequential damage.

OG Maco Could Sue for Lost Income

In the case of OG Maco, there could be both direct and consequential damages. Considering the list of surgeries that Maco has publicized, it stands to reason that the cost of his medical bills will be very high. If he were to sue the person responsible, this kind of cost would be part of the direct damages of the injury. On the other hand, it’s also possible that his injury might keep him from going on a lucrative national tour to promote his next album. If Maco could prove that this is the case, he could argue to the jury in a lawsuit how much money the tour would have made him, and ask that they add this amount to the damages. This would be an example of consequential damages.

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Does Seat Belt Use Change Accident Liability?

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Two Dead, Two Injured in Jackson County Rollover

Two people died and two more suffered injuries when an SUV rolled over in Jackson County on Wednesday, August 10 in a deadly car accident, according to NBC 11 Alive Atlanta. The three passengers were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. It appears that the vehicle veered off the road, then overcorrected to stay on the road. This resulted in a sharp turn that overturned the vehicle. After the SUV rolled over, it hit a tree and came to a rest.

Young Drivers Neglect to Wear Seat Belts, Causing Injuries

Seat belt use can make a big difference to survival chances in a car accident. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that most of the Americans under 44 years of age who die each year in car accidents were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. Young drivers (ages 18-24) also have the highest rate of hospitalization from car accidents. It’s these same drivers who are least likely to wear seat belts. Men who live outside of big cities are the group of people least likely to wear a seat belt.  Passengers are also less likely to wear a seat belt if they are riding in the back seat. But seat belts are important: they reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a car accident by about half.

Buckling Up is the Law, but It Doesn’t Change Liability

If seat belts are so important for keeping drivers and passengers safe in the event of an accident, then does that make passengers partly responsible for injuries they suffer if they don’t buckle up? In Georgia, courts follow a rule called comparative negligence, in which parties to a lawsuit are financially responsible for injuries in proportion to the extent that they are responsible for them, even if only partly. In general, a negligence lawsuit holds people responsible for taking reasonable care not to injure others when their failure leads to injuries.

But if someone else isn’t taking reasonable care and this contributes to the injury, then the two parties may share responsibility. Taking reasonable care includes following laws that try to keep people safe. According to section 40-8-76.1 of the Georgia Code, anyone sitting in the front seat of a vehicle must wear a seatbelt or face a fine. However, the law also states that failing to wear a seat belt doesn’t affect your liability in the case of a car accident. In other words, even if the passenger might have avoided their injury by wearing a seat belt, the person who caused the accident still has to pay the same damages in a lawsuit.

Jackson County Accident Passengers Broke Law, but Driver is Still Liable

In the case of the accident in Jackson County, the front seat passenger who wasn’t wearing his or her seatbelt was in violation of state vehicle safety laws. The two backseat passengers in the vehicle were not in violation of the seat belt law. However, this would not affect whether the driver or any other person would be liable for negligence in a lawsuit, or how much they would have to pay.

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Drunk Driving and Liability for Negligence

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Driver of Pickup Dies in Fiery Wreck

A driver is dead after a drunk driving accident in Cobb County led to a fiery crash, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The accident occurred on Saturday, August 6 in Austell. The driver swerved through an intersection before hitting a tree in a parking lot. No other vehicles or pedestrians appear to have suffered any damage during the incident.

Driver was Drunk and Speeding Before Crash

The accident took place at about 4:15 in the morning on Saturday. The driver of a Dodge Ram pickup truck drove through the intersection of Old Alabama Road and Gordon Road and began to move into the next lane of traffic. The truck continued to drive at an angle until leaving the road and driving through an adjacent parking lot. Next, the truck hit a tree and burst into flames. Police believe that the driver was intoxicated and that he was traveling at a high rate of speed. There are currently no reports as to why the vehicle caught fire after the collision with the tree. Police have not yet released the identity of the driver, although the Cobb County Medical Examiner is currently working to determine who he is.

Violating Rules of the Road Makes Drivers Liable for Negligence

Luckily, it appears that no one other than the driver suffered any injuries in the collision. If they had, though, the driver would likely have been held liable for negligence.  Negligence lawsuits seek to hold a person liable for failing to exercise reasonable care in a way that leads to injuries to others. When it comes to driving, exercising reasonable care means following the rules of the road. Here, the driver failed to maintain a lane, which is the direct cause of the accident. It also appears that he was violating the speed limit when the wreck happened. Perhaps the most serious law that the driver was violating was the law against driving while intoxicated which can lead to punitive damages awards in Georgia.

Drunk Drivers Can Be Liable for Negligence in an Accident

If his blood alcohol content (BAC) was over .08 (the legal limit in Georgia), he was also violating the Georgia Code. According to section 40-6-391, drivers are prohibited from driving if they have a BAC limit of .08, while commercial drivers have a limit of .04. Drivers under the age of 21 have an even lower limit of .02 BAC. Not only can violating these laws lead to criminal prosecution, it can also lead to civil liability. That means driving drunk can make a driver responsible for money damages if he or she causes an accident. In some cases (especially a hit-and-run case), there may not have been a breathalyzer test after the accident to determine if the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. But in a case like the accident on Old Alabama Road, other factors such as the apparent speed of the accident and the driver’s failure to maintain a lane would make him liable in a negligence lawsuit regardless of alcohol.

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If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, it is imperative that you contact a lawyer. Get in touch with an experienced car accident attorney at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today to get the compensation you deserve.

Who Pays for Accidents at Dangerous Intersections?

State of Georgia Liable for Dangerous Intersections Wrongful Death Personal Injury Case Attorney

Parent Urges State to Make Intersection Safer

Cobb County residents are petitioning the Georgia Department of Transportation to improve an intersection they say has caused numerous car accidents, according to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta. The intersection, the crossing of Meadows Road and Lewis Road, was the site of an accident this past week. There have been several more accidents at the intersection over the last several years. The mother of one of the teenagers who sustained injuries in the recent accident wants the state to install a four-way stop at the intersection.

Crash Blinds High School Athlete

The most recent accident occurred on Saturday, August 6, at around 2pm. A car filled with football players from McEachern High School in Powder Springs crashed. The driver, an honors student, lost an eye in the crash, and will likely suffer from facial deformity. The passengers sustained broken bones in the accident. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that almost all of the Atlanta metro area’s most dangerous intersections are outside of the I-285 perimeter. One intersection, Memorial Drive and North Hairston Road in Stone Mountain, was the site of 22 accidents last July. The Atlanta Regional Commission believes that most dangerous intersections are located outside of central Atlanta because drivers in the suburbs are traveling at greater speeds, increasing the odds of an accident.

Government is Responsible for Building Roads to Standards

If someone has an accident at a dangerous intersection, how does this affect their liability in a lawsuit? This depends on what makes the intersection so dangerous. If, as the Atlanta Regional Commission believes, these suburban intersections are so dangerous because the drivers are traveling at high speeds, then the question becomes whether the drivers are exceeding the speed limit. If someone is violating the speed limit at the time of the accident, they may be liable for negligence in a lawsuit.

On the other hand, if the intersection is dangerous because the state or local government has made some mistake in its design, construction, or maintenance the state may be liable for negligence instead. In general, the state is immune from lawsuits related to road construction when the state agency has followed standard engineering procedures, especially those included in state laws. However, if they failed to meet those standards, the government agency could be liable for damages when their mistakes lead to injuries. If the government was only partly responsible, and the driver also violated the rules of the road, then both parties can share liability for injuries.

Standard Engineering Practices Determine Placement of Four-Way Stops

In a car accident like the one at the intersection of Meadows Road and Lewis Road in Cobb County, the mother of the teenager believes that the intersection should be a four-way stop. The standard practice, as the Federal Department of Transportation’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices describes, is for the agency designing the road to conduct a traffic study to determine if the intersection qualifies for a four-way stop. If the two roads are of similar traffic intensity, and if the overall traffic does not justify a traffic light, the agency should install a four-way stop. If these conditions are true, but the agency has failed to install a four-way stop, the agency may be liable for negligence if the failure causes a car accident. If the teenagers were also violating rules of the road, like speeding, then the state may only be partly liable for their injuries.

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New Henry County Toll Roads May Cause Accidents

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Express Lanes Will Run from SR 155 to SR 138

Emergency responders are planning for how to provide response to car accidents and vehicle breakdowns inside new toll lanes in Henry County, according to The Henry Herald. The lanes are part of I-75. The lanes will be reversible, and a concrete barrier will separate the express toll lanes from the regular travel lanes. The lanes will change direction based on the time of day and the predominant direction of travel. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the 12 miles of express lanes will run between State Route 155 to State Route 138. Anyone with a Peach Pass will have access to the lanes.

Police and Fire Departments Plan Response to Toll Lane Accidents

Emergency first responders in Henry County are making plans for what to do in the event of a breakdown or accident inside the concrete barriers that separate the reversible express toll lanes from regular traffic. The lanes will have full shoulders within the concrete barriers to allow drivers who are experiencing a vehicle breakdown to pull off the road and allow traffic to pass by. Signs throughout the express toll lanes will display the contact information for the towing service that will service the tollway so that any driver experiencing a breakdown will be able to request a tow immediately. A tow truck will need to remove any vehicle that has broken down in one of the express toll lanes before the toll lane operators reverse the direction of traffic. Otherwise, it will be difficult to tow any broken down vehicles against the direction of express lane traffic.

Toll Roads Can Be Deadly

Officials are building the express lanes to ease traffic on the state highways in Henry County. Express lanes should make travel faster, but they can also lead to increased accidents. As a report by The Miami Herald confirms, the I-95 express lanes in southern Florida led to an increase in deadly car accidents. Some drivers complained that those express lanes lacked proper divisions from regular travel lanes.

This can be dangerous because the direction of traffic in an express lane changes at certain times of the day, so drivers who cross over into the express lane may be driving in the opposite direction of high-speed express lane traffic. Even though the I-75 toll roads will have concrete separators to prevent the drivers in the normal travel lanes from passing over into the express toll lanes, it is still possible that drivers will face oncoming traffic if they break down on the shoulder before the operators reverse the direction of travel.

Highway Agency Could Be Liable for Accidents

Drivers have a responsibility to exercise reasonable care while driving on the freeway to prevent injuries to other drivers or pedestrians. This includes following all the rules of the road, even special rules for using toll roads or other specialized roads. If a driver violates the rules that govern special lanes and passes into oncoming traffic, they will be liable for negligence in a lawsuit. If the state agency that is planning and building the lanes fails to follow standard engineering practices in constructing the lanes, and their failure to build in safeguards against potential dangers leads to an accident, the state agency may also be liable for damages.

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Atlanta Could Pay Damages for Cops that Cause Accidents

Georgia Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Cases Involving Police Officer

Police Officer Hit Driver at Intersection

A police officer driving in Atlanta hit another driver in a car accident on Saturday, July 30, according to NBC 11 Alive Atlanta. At the time of the accident, the police officer was driving south on Peachtree Road. At the intersection with Peachtree Battle Avenue, the officer struck another vehicle. The driver was attempting to turn left when the police officer continued driving straight and struck the other driver’s car.

The police officer had the green light to continue through the intersection. The police officer stated that the other driver began to make the left turn at the moment when the police officer was entering the intersection, and that the the police officer had no time to stop before their vehicles collided. The officer hit the car on the passenger side. Emergency first responders transported the police officer and the other driver to Grady Memorial Hospital. Officials have stated that their injuries should not be life-threatening. ABC 9 Atlanta reports that police have stated that the driver who made the left turn caused the car accident.

Cops Are Liable for Accidents When They Violate Procedure

In an accident involving a police officer’s vehicle, one question that arises is, could the police department or city be liable for damages in the accident? In Georgia, all drivers are responsible for taking reasonable care to avoid injuries to other drivers or pedestrians on the road. This includes following all of the rules of the road when driving. If a driver violates the rules of the road, and their violation leads to an accident, that driver can be liable in a lawsuit for the injuries that result from the accident.

In general, an employer can be liable for damages that an employee causes in an accident as long as the accident occurs while the employee is on-duty and carrying out their work responsibilities. However, police officers and city governments are usually immune from lawsuits as long as the accident occurs while the police officer is following standard police procedures. On the other hand, if the officer is violating standard police procedures, and this causes an accident, the police officer and the city government may be liable for injuries that result from the accident.

Atlanta Cops May Be Liable for Officer-Involved Accidents

In a case like the accident on Peachtree Road, it’s possible that the city of Atlanta could be liable for injuries to the other driver that resulted from the accident. It appears from police reports that the driver who turned left did so when he should have instead yielded to the oncoming police officer, who seems to have had the right of way, since the officer had a green light. If this is the case, then the driver turning left violated the rules of the road. However, if the police officer violated the rules of the road, they could be liable for negligence. Even if both parties broke the law, the police officer could be partly liable for the damages that resulted from the accident.

For example, if the police officer was speeding at the time of the accident, and the speeding prevented them from being able to brake in time to prevent the collision, the police officer could be partly liable for the accident. In many cases, the police officer would be immune from a negligence lawsuit, as long as they were on-duty and performing their job according to standard police procedures. However, if they were violating police procedures (for example, by speeding without illuminating their emergency vehicle lights), they may not be immune from liability.

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If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident, you need legal assistance. Get in contact with an auto accident attorney at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today to get the compensation you deserve.

Hit-and-Run Drivers Are Liable for Negligence

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Marietta Drunk Driver Backs into Parked Car and Gas Station

A drunk driver crashed his car into a gas station in Cobb County on Monday, August 1, according to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta. The accident took place on Powers Ferry Road in Marietta. He hit several cars and collided with the side of the gas station’s main building. A video of the crash shows that the car was driving in reverse at the time of the collision. The man, who was driving a black BMW, sped backward through the gas station parking lot. The black BMW collided with a car in front of the gas station before slamming against the front of the building. Police believe that the vehicle was traveling over 60 miles per hour, based on video footage of the parking lot from the gas station’s security camera.

The collision caused serious damage to the front of the gas station, where the wall buckled in. The crash wrought havoc inside the store, where merchandise and shelving overturned and fell across the aisles. The driver narrowly avoided striking a cage containing propane tanks, which could have caused a powerful explosion. The driver, 38-year-old Jon Gatsby Karr, was allegedly under the influence of the alcohol when the crash occurred. He suffered serious injuries. Emergency responders transported him to Kennestone Hospital. None of the customers or employees of the gas station suffered any injuries. Police have charged Karr with driving under the influence and committing a hit and run.

Hit-and-Run Accidents Are on the Rise

USA Today reports that hit-and-run crashes are on the rise in the United States. Many hit-and-run accidents involve a driver who is under the influence of alcohol. Pedestrians are often the victims of hit-and-runs, with over one in five pedestrian collision fatalities being hit-and-runs. In recent years, many states have closed legislative loopholes that encouraged hit-and-run drivers to flee the scene, including penalties for hit-and-run convictions that were lower than those for vehicular manslaughter. In Florida, where hit-and-runs are a particularly severe problem, they caused over 3 in 5 pedestrian road deaths.

Hit-and-Run Drivers Are Liable for Accidents

Georgia law prohibits drivers from leaving the scene of a car accident without attempting to render aid. Section 40-6-270 of the Georgia Code requires drivers involved in any accident with another occupied vehicle or pedestrian to stop and perform several duties:

  1. Provide their name and vehicle registration
  2. Provide their driver’s license on request
  3. Render reasonable medical assistance, including arranging for transportation of an injured person to a hospital
  4. Request emergency help for anyone who has lost consciousness.

If a Georgia driver is convicted of violating Georgia’s hit-and-run law, the court will sentence them to a minimum sentence of one year in prison and a maximum of five. In a negligence lawsuit against a driver who causes an accident, a hit-and-run conviction will also provide evidence that the driver failed to take reasonable care, especially if the failure to provide reasonable assistance lead to worse injuries to the accident victim. If a driver is under the influence of alcohol during a car accident, this can also make them liable for punitive damages in a lawsuit.

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If you or someone you know has been in a car accident, you need legal help. Contact an experienced auto accident lawyer at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County to get the compensation you deserve.