Kentucky State Police have been quite successful in battling road dangers, such as speeding, lack of seat belts, and intoxicated drivers, that motorists face on the state’s highways for the past month. According to Channel 14 News, in January alone, 766 citations were issued to drivers and 44 impaired driving arrests were made.

In addition to those arrests and tickets 238 criminal arrests were made and a total of 2,100 citations were issued across seven counties. Other highlights included:

• 121 Seat belt citations
• 9 Child restraint citations
• 67 Traffic crashes investigated
• 189 Stranded motorists assisted
• 819 Responses to calls for service
• 50 Opened criminal cases

Only three lives were lost in fatal traffic accidents in the district in the month of January. A lack of seat belt use was reported as a contributing factor to deaths involved in two of the fatal crashes.

Law enforcement says that they credit the low number of fatalities to the high police presence on highways in the district over the past month. They hope that these numbers will help with increasing state funding for more campaigns in the area, with more patrols and sobriety checkpoints.

The Kentucky auto accident attorneys with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers are thankful for all that area law enforcement does to keep our highways safe and can only encourage motorists to do their part in keeping the roads safe by slowing down and buckling up. If you have been injured in a car accident at no fault of your own, contact an experienced attorney today for a free initial consultation.

The whole town of Taylorsville, Kentucky, paused today to remember two area teens who were killed in a single-vehicle crash on Wednesday afternoon. Reports from WAVE 3 News say that the accident happened just after 3:00 PM at the intersection of the rural Mike Brown Road and Kentucky 1633.

Kentucky State Police Spokesman Trooper Ronald Turley said that lack of seat belts, speeding, and texting while driving are to blame for the crash.

Reports from the incident show that 1990 Ford pickup truck driven by the teenage girl veered off the road and into a 6 to 7-foot deep ravine. The truck then flipped several times, ejecting the driver and a passenger who were not wearing seat belts. Both girls were declared dead at the scene. A third passenger in the vehicle survived the crash and was taken by helicopter to University Hospital, where she remains with serious injuries.

Speed and a lack of wearing seat belts are leading factors in fatal teenage motor vehicle accidents, and the more passengers in an experienced driver’s car, the more danger and risk is involved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the risk of an accident grows exponentially with each additional passenger in a vehicle with 16 and 17-year-old drivers.

The Kentucky car accident lawyers with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers are here to help if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident. Contact an experienced attorney today.

A 50-year-old truck driver from Owensboro, Kentucky, was killed Tuesday night in an accident outside a warehouse. According to reports from Channel 14 News, the accident occurred between 8:15 and 8:45 PM at the Estes Warehouse on W. River Drive in Davenport, Iowa.

Reports from the incident say that the man was working alone in the warehouse yard hooking up a dolly to a trailer. He was standing between the dolly and the trailer, when suddenly, the trailer rolled back and pinned the man between it and the dolly. The man was trapped there for nearly 30 minutes before help arrived. The man was taken by ambulance to Genesis East Medical Center, but died shortly after arriving from injuries sustained in the crash.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has data showing that the transportation industry is second only to construction for the highest number of worker fatalities. Trucking saw a 2% increase in the number of fatalities last year, with specialized freight trucking seeing an even more substantial jump of 17%. The industry as a whole accounted for the deaths of 633 people in 2010.

It’s because of these dangers that the Kentucky Truck Accident Lawyers with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers recommend that truckers follow all regulations and safety procedures while on the job. If you are hurt, seek medical attention and then consult an attorney. 

A 27-year-old Owensboro, Kentucky, woman is lucky to be alive after being pinned beneath her vehicle following a single-vehicle accident. According to Channel 14 News, eight good Samaritans who stopped after witnessing the accident were able to lift the vehicle off of the woman.

The crash occurred as the woman traveled westbound along Kentucky 54. It was at the one-mile marker where witnesses say the woman veered off the right side of the road. When she realized what was happening, she jerked the wheel back over to the left, but over-corrected. The 2004 Chevy Trail Blazer then slid across the highway and into an eastbound ditch before it hit a group of trees and rolled several times before screeching to a rest. The impact of the collision caused the woman, who was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, to be thrown from the vehicle. The SUV then landed on top of her, trapping her beneath the wreckage.

By standers were able to lift the mangled metal off of her and paramedics quickly transported her to a local hospital where she is still listed in critical condition.

The Kentucky auto accident attorneys with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers say that not wearing a seat belt is one of the top three contributing factors in motor U.S. vehicle fatalities today. That is why they encourage motorists to always buckle up before they even start the car and require passengers to do the same.

In an effort to get Kentucky’s children to participate in a more active lifestyle, the government has allocated more than $1 million to school systems in eight cities across the state to fund programs that will allow children to safely walk and bike to school. According to the Tristate Homepage, the program is called “Safe Routes To School” and is federally funded through the Department of Transportation (DOT).

The money will be available to each city for funding projects that will make biking and walking to school a safer option for children, such as: building better bike lanes, crosswalks near schools, and sponsoring programs that get parents and children to walk to school together.

The program is being heavily supported as children walking and biking to school is on a sharp and steady decline in the state through recent years. Research has shown that today, less than 15 percent of all students walk or ride the bus to school.

School districts in Henderson, Kentucky, have already said that they will use their share of the money ($200,000) to build a new bike and pedestrian path near Sand Lane.

The Kentucky auto accident attorneys with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers are happy to see the state not only making an effort to help keep our children safe, but also teaching them healthier and greener alternatives to transportation. The firm applauds the program and hopes to see similar projects in the future.

A 25-year-old Dawson Springs, Kentucky, man was charged today in connection with a drunk driving crash Tuesday morning that killed his friend. According to a press release by Kentucky state police, the man has been charged with murder, second offense DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to render aid/assistance.

State troopers stated in their report of the incident that the man was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck southbound on KY672 at around 10:30 in the morning, when he lost control of the vehicle. The truck left the road on the passengers side and clipped a tree before spinning and coming to a halt.

Although the man was not injured in the accident, the passenger in the truck suffered major injuries. He was taken to Caldwell County Medical Center by ambulance, but died a short time after arrival.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that drunk driving is the number one cause of fatal car accidents in the United States today. Their data shows that drunk driving killed 11,773 people in 2008. This accounts for roughly 32 percent of all traffic fatalities in the country that year.

The Kentucky DUI victim attorneys with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers would like to take this opportunity to ask motorists to keep Kentucky’s roadways safe this New Year by not drinking and driving this upcoming holiday weekend.

Debate is rumbling in western Kentucky this week after five Amish men were convicted for not displaying a “slow-moving” symbol on their horse-drawn buggies. According to The West Kentucky Star, the men refused to put the symbol on their buggies as they felt it violated their religious beliefs not to display bright colors or place faith in man-made symbols.

The five men were convicted Monday in a Graves County Courtroom of the crime of not displaying the reflective orange triangle on the back of their buggies to warn oncoming traffic of slow movement. After the bench trials, the men made it clear they would not pay the fines or court costs, despite the threat of being put in jail.

While one state representative is moving to have a change made to the law that would allow the Amish to use white or silver reflective tape instead of the symbol, the fact is, for now, they must face the penalties of the crime regardless of their religious beliefs.

The Kentucky Personal Injury Lawyers with Woods and Woods would like your opinion. Do you think the Amish should be required to use the universal symbol if they are going to be on roads, or do you think it violates their religious beliefs? Tell us what you think by posting to our Facebook page.

A flash fire in a western Kentucky plastics plant injured four workers this past Wednesday. According to Tristate 25 News, the accident occurred at the Polymer Partners, LLC plant on Commonwealth Drive in Henderson, Kentucky, at around 1:30 in the afternoon.

A machine in the back of the plant sparked the fire when it exploded. In all, Henderson Fire Chief, Danny Froehlich, said three workers suffered burn injuries while another suffered from smoke inhalation. Air Evac took two of the victims to the University of Louisville Hospital Burn Center, and another victim was transported to Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. The fourth patient is listed in stable condition at Methodist Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

Polymer Partners President Blaise Codispoti stated, “No determination as to the cause of the injuries has been made at this time.” but did confirm that both the Kentucky Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), along with the state fire marshall, have been called in to investigate the accident.

A similar accident in 2002 at the plant left three workers injured.

The Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers have helped thousands of accident victims who were injured on-the-job settle their claims with insurance companies over the years. You can trust their experience and skill to help you get the compensation you need if you have been injured at work. Contact us by filling out a free initial consultation form today.

With winter officially in the air after the first snowstorms of the season, law enforcement and other state agencies are urging motorists to use caution when hitting roadways that may have less than optimal driving conditions. The Tristate News reported yesterday that the warnings come in response to several accidents that occurred due to black ice conditions.

Black ice is a thin layer of frozen water on the asphalt of the road that looks like just a puddle of melted snow, but can be just as slick as inches of packed snow.

Indiana state police report that one such accident occurred Wednesday morning near Winslow, Indiana, when a 31-year-old Oakland City woman wrecked along State Road 61. Troopers confirmed the woman hit a patch of black ice and collided with another vehicle. Both drivers were airlifted to Deaconess Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. A passenger in the vehicle that was struck was also injured and was taken to Jasper Memorial hospital to be further examined.

Troopers say the best way to stay safe in icy conditions is to stay off the road altogether. If you must drive somewhere, buckle up and take it slow.

The Indiana Auto Accident Attorneys with Woods and Woods Injury Lawyers hope that all of Kentucky and Indiana’s motorists stay safe on the roads this winter! If you are the victim of a car accident, contact our attorneys today by completing a free initial consultation form today.

A new study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) has shown the safety pros and cons of hybrid cars. According to Channel 14 News, hybrids may be safer than their gas-guzzling counterparts in the event of a crash, but pose more of a danger to pedestrians.

Researchers point out that the extra weight of a hybrid car, up to a 10 percent increase over a gas powered car of similar make and model, may keep drivers safer in the event of a crash. The extra weight of the vehicles comes from the numerous batteries used to store energy to move the vehicle. The study concluded that drivers of hybrids are 25 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than a person driving a gas-powered car. While the vehicles may be safer for those inside, evidence shows they are more dangerous to pedestrians.

Electric cars are much quieter that gas vehicles and are more difficult for pedestrians to hear coming. Some lawmakers are pushing the United States to mandate the use of noisemakers on the vehicles to alert pedestrians of their presence.

The Indiana Auto Accident Attorneys with Woods and Woods are experienced in handling cases for victims who were injured at no fault of their own in a car accident. Contact us today to discuss your case further if you have been hurt in a crash.