Washington Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Regan Zambri & Long Law Firm : DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer vacation season for many families.  Children's excitement mounts as they count down the days until school is over and the neighborhood swimming pool opens.  Unfortunately, though, it is also the season during which many children will needlessly drown.  Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related child-deaths in America, and they can and should be avoided. 

"From 2000 to 2006, drowning was the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among US children between 1 and 19 years of age," according to statistics provided in the recent Policy Statement - Prevention of Drowning issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, "in 2008, approximately 3800 children younger than 20 years visited a hospital emergency department for a nonfatal drowning event, and more than 60% of those children were hospitalized."

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

Since 1993, when the first  "Click It or Ticket" campaign began in North Carolina, seat belt enforcement campaigns have become standard nationwide in an effort to to reduce highway fatalities.

According to the annual "Click It or Ticket"  press release from the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), 45 million Americans continue to ignore warnings and encouragements to use seat-belts while riding in motor vehicles.  Included among the statistics from NHTSA: "...in 2008 alone, nearly 14,000 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants lost their lives on U.S. roadways. Nearly half of them could have been saved if they had been belted." The following shocking statistics from 2008 show the results of not wearing seat belts:

• 70% of teens killed in traffic accidents were not wearing seat belts;
• 65% of those between ages 21 to 34 involved in fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts between 2004-2008;
• 65% of male passenger fatalities were not buckled up; 45% of females were not;
• 68% of fatalities among pickup drivers and passengers didn't wear seat belts;
• 62% of SUV occupants killed were not wearing seat belts; and
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of nighttime drivers and passengers who died were not wearing seat belts compared to less than half (45%) of those killed during the daytime.

The "Click It or Ticket" campaign for 2010 runs from May 24 to June 6.  During this period, more than 10,000 police agencies are involved in promoting and enforcing seat belt usage.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

The Los Angeles Times reports that House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, speaking at his committee's hearing into the cause of Toyota's sudden acceleration crisis, said that the automaker "still had not done the testing required to determine the cause...and had been more concerned about its image than addressing the issue."  This remark was in response to Toyota's statement that it was confident electronics were not causing sudden acceleration.  Waxman, however, "said that his panel's investigation had raised serious questions about the scope of Toyota's efforts" to root out an electronic fault.

According to the report, Waxman stated, "Toyota has repeatedly told the public that it has conducted extensive testing of its vehicles for electronic defects. We can find no basis for these assertions." The Washington Post notes that Toyota has "assured worried customers and Congress that it was conducting an independent investigation," but yesterday, "congressional investigators said the company that Toyota has hired to do the review, Exponent, had offered no written plan for the project or any written specifications for the experiments it intends to run." The Post reports that Waxman called the investigation "deeply troubling," and rejected Exponent's explanation of a lack of a written plan "preposterous."

I hope Toyota and its agents are genuinely interested in determining all potential defects.  If their principal focus is avoid accountability, then consumers will be endangered more.  I'll keep a close eye on the hearings as they continue.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

BP executives have been receiving emotionally charges and pointed questions from Senators during hearings over the Gulf spill.  The Nightly News reported that "Senators had no patience ... Senators wanted answers and accountability. Two big issues drew deep skepticism. What fix will actually work and who covers the spiraling cost?"

According to the AP, "Congress called BP and its drilling partners to account Tuesday for a 'cascade of failures' behind the spreading Gulf oil spill, zeroing in on a crucial chain of events at the deep-sea wellhead" just before the explosion, during back-to-back Senate hearings. Said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, "If this is like other catastrophic failures of technological systems in modern history, whether it was the sinking of the Titanic, Three Mile Island, or the loss of the Challenger, we will likely discover that there was a cascade of failures and technical and human and regulatory errors." But Lamar McKay, chairman of BP America, told the hearing, "Liability, blame, fault - put it over here," referring to Transocean and Halliburton, "Our obligation is to deal with the spill, clean it up and make sure the impacts of that spill are compensated, and we're going to do that."

The spill has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damages to individuals, states, industries, and governments.  There is plenty of blame to go around.  This terrible incident should not have happened.  I hope the entities involved will do what is right and accept accountability for the errors that caused so much damage.

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Posted by Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

Proms are supposed to be fun.  All too often, though, they end in tragedy.  By combining common sense and advance planning, proms can be both fun and safe. As we have written during previous prom seasons, a primary emphasis for both parents and their teens should be safety.  Having lives shattered or ended is hardly the way that anyone would want to remember their prom.

In spite of all the cautions and warnings available now, the primary cause of death and injury for teenagers is motor vehicle accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  Alcohol is the number one youth drug problem, per the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and kills six times more people than all other illicit drugs combined.

Listed below are our earlier postings that provide prom advice:

• Senior Prom Safety Tips for Teens
• Prom Safety Tips for Parents and Teens
• Prom Safety Tips: Common Sense Advice

Listed below are more safety tips, courtesy of www.ourpromnight.com.

"Parents, make sure that your children are safe on prom night. There are so many drug and alcohol related accidents on prom night that is is critical for you to be aware of what you can do to help keep your children safe.

• Know who is driving to the prom and who will be a passenger.
• Limit the number of passengers to increase safety and reduce driver distractions.
• Encourage seatbelt use: The best accessory!
• Know the location of post prom parties and who is sponsoring them.
• Talk to your teenager about the serious dangers and consequences of underage drinking and driving.
• If your child's plans change, confirm the change with the parents of other children.
• Remind your child that you are there for them if they need a ride home or to an after prom affair.
• Alcohol is illegal for persons under the age of twenty-one. Underage drinking is illegal and can result in arrest, injury, or worse!
• Don't let friends drink and drive.
• Plan ahead - make sure you have a safe plan for prom night.
• Discuss your plans with your friends, remind each other about responsible decision-making and confronting peer pressure.
• Do not accept any drinks from someone you do not know.
• If you leave your drink, discard it and get a new one.
• Do not leave your possessions unattended.
• Learn the warning signs for alcohol poisoning and drug intoxication, contact 911 for assistance and immediate treatment.
   

Teens, take responsibility and plan your prom night. This will be an important night to remember as you grow old in age. Make this night a joyous night to remember by thinking about and following these few tips before you leave the house for the prom that evening.

• Alcohol is illegal for persons under the age of twenty-one. Underage drinking is illegal and can result in arrest, injury, or worse!
• Don't let friends drink and drive.
• Plan ahead - make sure you have a safe plan for prom night.
• Discuss your plans with your friends, remind each other about responsible decision-making and confronting peer pressure.
• Do not accept any drinks from someone you do not know.
• If you leave your drink, discard it and get a new one.
• Do not leave your possessions unattended.
• Learn the warning signs for alcohol poisoning and drug intoxication, contact 911 for assistance and immediate treatment.
• Take extra money or have a responsible person available for transportation for a safe ride home or in case an emergency arises.
• Remember to charge your cell phone and have it with you.
• Know where you are and where you are going, keep your parents and friends informed.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel endangered or uncomfortable, leave immediately.
• Intoxication by alcohol or drugs can lead to poor judgment and dangerous situations.
• Remember to contact your parents if your plans change. Practice and discuss answers you can use to get out of uncomfortable situations.
• Do not allow anyone in your car or limo that has drugs or weapons.
• It is dangerous and every one in the car is at risk of getting arrested.
• It is illegal to alter your drivers' license or any other form of government identification."

Have a wonderful time if attending a prom, but be careful.  Don't jeopardize your future or the lives of others.  The prom should be a celebration of past accomplishments and the promise of the future.  Please enjoy the celebration responsibly.

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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner

According to a Washington Post article, a report by the Texas Transportation Institute, which used federal traffic fatality data from 1999 to 2008, has found that  "[d]riving after dark is the single most-dangerous risk a teenage driver can take and is more likely to result in death than drinking, speeding or disregarding a seat belt."  The the study was released Thursday.

"Everything points in the same direction for this age group, and that is to the use of cellphones behind the wheel," said Bernie Fette, one of the study's authors. "Whenever you combine the nighttime danger and the cellphone danger with inexperience, you have created a perfect storm . . . Because teenagers have grown up with these devices in their hands, they feel a comfort level and a very false sense of security. They will tell you, 'I can text with my phone still in my pocket, so I certainly can text while I'm driving.' "

As you know if you have been following my blogging, I give volunteer presentations to students at local middle and high schools, education teens about the devastating consequences of distracted driving.  If you have a teen, they should see my presentations.  Just let me know if you are interested, and I'd be happy to present it.

Please travel smartly and safely.

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