Blinking Traffic Signals in this Case Were Fatal Says Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer

Atlanta, GA (Law Firm Newswire) November 18, 2011 – Blinking traffic lights often cause confusion. In this case, they caused a death.

“While cities may have their reasons for reverting some traffic lights to blinking status after a certain designated hour, they can be confusing. This reported case is a clear example,” explained Robert Webb, an Atlanta personal injury lawyer with Webb & D’Orazio, a law firm specializing in personal injury, malpractice, criminal defense, and business law.

“The young teen in this reported case, a 17-year-old, was a passenger in a car with his mother, when they were T-boned by a truck in the middle of an intersection,” Webb said. “Apparently at midnight the usual traffic light functions were switched over to blinking yellow and red lights.” Residents in the area were used to auto accidents at that intersection. Despite the fact that there had been prior accidents at this location, the city still used blinking lights in the intersection. One wonders how many deaths it will take before they do something about it.

According to police reports, the driver of the truck that hit the small Honda Civic was headed south when it hit the car. Emergency responders got to the scene quickly, but the teen was pronounced dead. His mother sustained no life-threatening injuries and was taken for medical care. The driver of the truck, a 47-year-old man and his 19-year-old passenger were taken to hospital in serious condition.

From details provided by eyewitnesses, the smaller car had a flashing red light and the truck had a flashing yellow light. After impact, the truck plowed onwards, hitting a tree and then the side of an elementary school.

“Most people know that the flashing red light means come to a complete stop, as it is considered to be the same thing as a stop sign. The flashing yellow means slow down and proceed with caution,” reiterated Webb. “It’s obvious someone did not do what they were supposed to do. Based on the nature of the impact, and the fact that the truck hit the small car, it may indicate that the truck did not slow down while entering the intersection. However, only time will tell who entered the intersection first.”

The matter of who is the at-fault driver is crucial to the family of the teen if they wish to file a wrongful death lawsuit, and it would also be of interest to the truck driver, if he wished to pursue a personal injury case. The same could be said for the truck driver’s passenger, who may wish to file a personal injury suit based on the driver’s possible recklessness prior to the accident.

Personal injury lawsuits are typically based on the assumption that there has to be negligence present and that negligence injured or killed someone. “In this case, once the at-fault driver has been determined by the police, or even if both drivers were at-fault for the accident, it will determine how a case may proceed in court,” said Webb.

For accident victims that have been involved in a crash and injured, it is a smart decision to call an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney. “If you want justice and compensation for your injuries, then we need to discuss the details of your accident. I’d be happy to talk to you,” added Webb.

Webb & D’Orazio are Atlanta personal injury attorneys practicing personal injury law, business law, and criminal defense in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more, visit http://www.webbdorazio.com.

Webb & D’Orazio
2551 Roswell Road
Suite 201
Marietta, GA 30062
Call: (800) 275-9144
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