News Update for February 16, 2012

Safety while driving continues to be a major issue for both Columbus, Georgia and East Alabama drivers.  Sadly, another severe car wreck resulted in loss of life in Columbus last night when a woman from East Alabama was killed as a result of a vehicle filliping from a severe impact.  Muscogee County news teams are following the tragic event.   For more information from those news teams click here or here.

While initial reports do not suggest that this wreck occurred due to texting or other cell phone use, that topic is also making news again today as the Alabama legislature pushes again to follow suit with many other states, such as Georgia, in banning texting while driving.  For more coverage of that issue, click here.  As we have discussed before, cell phone usage in vehicles can easily lead to car accidents.  While many states have adopted laws prohibiting such use in order to protect citizen's on the roads.  Enforcement continues to be a difficult task.

Local News Update

Safety continues to be an issue with pedestrians in Muscogee County.  Another child was struck by a car today while trying to go to school.  Follow the link for details.

HIT & RUNS: NO LAUGHING MATTER FOR LILO

A recent study by the National Institute of Highway Safety reports that 19% of all wrecks involving pedestrians are hit and runs where the defendant driver flees the scene.

Recently, Lindsey Lohan was sued by an individual claiming Lilo hit her while driving her high powered maserati. The plaintiff claims that Lilo ran a red light and hit plaintiff while she was crossing the street

Unfortunately for most victims of hit and run drivers, more often than not, the hit and run driver is never located or has no insurance. Furthermore, unlike the Lilos of the world, very few hit and run defendants have the ability to personally pay for a loss caused by their negligence or callous disregard for the safety of others. Thus, even if they are located, you are often stuck with no insurance or the state-minimum in coverage.

We have blogged before about the importance of possessing uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Most states require insurers to offer such coverage to those purchasing a policy. We always advise clients and friends to purchase such insurance. Otherwise, if you are the victim of a hit and run driver who is not located or has no insurance (as is often the case in hit and runs), you will be solely responsible for the medical bills and lost wages incurred. As can be expected, in a pedestrian v. motor vehicle collision, the pedestrian often has substantial medical bills.

The attorneys at the Law Offices of Gary O. Bruce, P.C. know techniques to maximize your recovery if you are the victim of a hit and run, including locating available coverage that is overlooked by other, less-experienced attorneys. Do not wait to call us if you have been the victim in such a matter. There are often strict time limits that must be complied with to preserve a claim against an insurance company.