On Monday, May 31, 2010, the members of Roswold Law Group ran 14 miles in the 23rd annual Amy Thompson Run for Brain Injury. The proceeds from the event are donated to the Brain Injury Association of Kansas & Greater Kansas City. The funds are used to help prevent brain injuries and provide support to those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury. So far, over $1.5 million has been raised.
Jake Clough was also honored at this event. He suffered a brain injury at the age of 14 after a bicycle accident. Fortunately, he had his helmet on, so he was expected to make a full recovery. Sadly, though, he passed away shortly after his 15th birthday for unrelated reasons. Following his death, the Jake Clough Headstrong Foundation was started. The Headstrong Foundation provided free bicycle helmets to children at the race.
James and Robbie ran 5 miles each. Jen and Heather ran 2 miles each. Heather underwent a fundraising campaign to raise additional funds to donate to the Brain Injury Association of Kansas & Greater Kansas City. Thank you everyone who who donated money to help sponsor me.
Early this morning, a Chrysler 300 was traveling southbound on Benton Ave and speeding when he went airborne. Upon landing back on the ground, he could not maintain control of the vehicle and left the road striking a tree at 67th and S Benton Avenue. The force of the impact caused the tree to uproot.
The collision claimed three lives, Stephen Johnson, Dejuan Williams and Denise White. The crash also left 2 individuals with serious injuries. They were taken to an area hospital. One of those individuals suffered multiple broken bones.
Safety should be a top priority for every motorist. This particular accident only affected the individuals in the vehicle but often times that is not the case. When a driver loses control of a vehicle, many individuals are effected, including pedestrians and other motorist and passengers.
This unfortunate incident claimed 3 lives but it could have been worse had the driver hit another vehicle.
The Kansas City based auto accident attorneys at Roswold Law Group would like to express its sympathies to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery for the 2 surviving injury victims.
There are things each of us can do to prevent accidents. Common causes of accidents include:
Distracted driving
Speeding
Driving while tired
Drinking and driving
Aggressive driving, and
Inclement weather.
To that end, we recommend:
Putting away the cell phones, food, newspapers and whatever else you may be trying to accomplish while driving that is averting your attention from the road.
Heeding posted speed limit signs
Get a good night’s sleep. If you begin to feel your eyelids get heavy, you yawn frequently, you start drifting over the lines, etc., pull over or let someone else drive.
DON’T drink and drive. It’s the law.
Avoid tailgating other vehicles, changing lanes abruptly and without warning, failing to yield right of way, etc.
Shawnee Mission North High School was our first recipient of 500 donated bracelets imprinted with “I PLDG 2 NT TXT N DRV.” We are still accepting nominations for a local Kansas City metro area school on the Missouri side for our next donation of bracelets. The bracelets come with a pledge card that the students sign promising not to text while driving.
The Kansas City based personal injury attorneys at Roswold Law Group encourages everyone to join us by spreading awareness of the dangers of texting while driving and encourage those around you to take the pledge and do your part to make our Missouri and Kansas roads a safer place to travel for everyone.
Tonight, Friday, March 26, 2010, Kansas City will test run its newest transportation system aimed at providing a safe transportation option for Kansas City and boosting our entertainment districts. The Kansas City Strip, Kansas City’s new trolley service will officially kick off on April 10th.
The trolley will run passengers to and from Waldo, Brookside, Plaza, Westport, Martini Corner, Power & Light and the Jazz District. Evening passes can be purchased for $15/person and unlimited monthly passes can be purchased for $35/person. The trolleys provide their services on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.
DON’T DRINK & DRIVE! Now you have one less excuse.
Roswold Law Group, a Major Contributor To The YMCA Challenger Program with Donation
On March 16, 2010, Roswold Law Group donated money to the YMCA Challenger Program, which was created to give boys and girls 5-30 years old the opportunity to participate in a sports program regardless of any physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
YMCA Challenger program’s goal is completely in line with the goal of Roswold Foundation for Injured Children (RFFIC). The non-profit foundation was created in 2009 by Roswold Law Group attorneys, James Roswold Heather Lottmann. RFFIC is dedicated to helping children who are struggling with the long lasting affects of a serious injury and helping the families who are struggling with the hardships of raising seriously injured children. RFFIC is also dedicated to raising awareness to prevent future childhood injuries.
We all know that we are supposed to yield to oncoming Emergency vehicles who have their lights and sirens on by pulling over to the right. However, there are other tips you can use to ensure your safety and the safety of other motorists around you.
Over the weekend, around 3:30 am on Sunday morning at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Truman Road, a car crashed into the side of a fire truck. Luckily, there were only minor injuries. Although in this particular accident the fire truck did not have its lights and sirens on because it was heading back to its Fire Station, it did prompt me to post a reminder to all to practice Emergency Vehicle safety.
Often times we have the windows closed and the radio on. In the winter it is too cold, and we run the heat and in the summer it is too hot, and we run the air conditioning. Although there is nothing wrong with keeping our windows closed or radios on, it does make it harder to hear emergency vehicle sirens.
So if your windows are closed and your radios are on, be sure to stay alert and check your mirrors for flashing lights.
If you do see or hear an approaching emergency vehicle, yield to the right immediately if you can safely do so.
If you are in an intersection do not pull over to the right as that can pose additional danger. Continue driving forward out of the intersection and then get to the right side of the roadway.
Do not pull back onto the road until the emergency vehicle has passed by.
Even after the emergency vehicle has driven past you, fight the urge to get immediately back on the road because there may be additional emergency vehicles coming up so check your surroundings first.
If you come up on an emergency scene do not add additional stresses for the emergency response crews.
Drive at a safe speed.
Keep your eyes on the road, not on the emergency scene.
Follow directions from the emergency crews.
Keep an eye out for additional emergency vehicles that may also be responding.
A tragic and heartbreaking story yesterday has inspired me to discuss school bus transportation safety.
According to the NHTSA, Since 1997, there have been 152 school-age pedestrians deaths arising out of school transportation-related crashes. Of those, about 69% were killed by school buses. About 50% of those school-age pedestrians who were killed during school bus transportation-related crashes were between the ages of 5 and 7. Those numbers do not take into consideration the number of children that are injured in these types of accidents.
According to the National Safety Counsel, out of all pedestrians killed in school bus transportation accidents, about 83% of those individuals were hit by the bus. In 2005, there were an estimated 11,000 injuries nationwide arising out of school bus transportation accidents. The Safety Counsel points out that unfortunately children cannot rely on motorists to stop even though other drivers are required to stop when a school bus stops to pick up and drop off passengers.
Yesterday morning, a John F. Kennedy Elementary School student, only 9 years old, was struck by the school bus at Parkview Avenue & 66th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. Sadly, she did not survive her injuries. Unfortunately, other young students were witness to this terrible event.
At this time, we do not know what caused the accident but an investigation is under way.
The Kansas City Star reported that the local neighbors are worried about having their children wait for the bus where the incident occurred. One father said he may just start taking his son to school.
This is a terrible tragedy, and the Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys at Roswold Law Group expresses its deepest sympathies for the girl’s family and the friends she left behind. Although we do not know what caused this accident, we want to use this unfortunate tragedy as a reminder to follow school bus safety rules while waiting for the bus and when exiting the bus.
FIRST AND FOREMOST: STAY OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE
WHILE WALKING TO AND WAITING AT THE BUS STOP
Walk, don’t run to the bus stop.
Walk on the sidewalk if possible, otherwise walk on the left.
Arrive at the bus stop about 5 minutes before your pick up time.
Do not run around and play while waiting for the bus.
Watch for red flashing lights and the stop sign to be extended before you walk toward the bus.
Do not cross until all traffic has stopped. Always look to your left first, then your right. Don’t forget to look left one last time before you cross.
WHEN THE BUS DROPS YOU OFF
Again, walk, don’t run.
Do not go near the wheels.
Keep an eye out for moving cars.
Never try to get back on the bus after getting off even if you forgot something because the bus driver may not see you and may start driving again.
If you drop something by the bus do not attempt to reach for it before telling the bus driver.
Missouri and Kansas child injuriesaffect us all. Most of us have children or at least nieces and nephews, and we couldn’t imagine what we would do if something happened to our children nor is it something we want to think about. Take time to talk to your children about how they can keep themselves safe, whether waiting for the bus or playing outside. Lets all work together to keep our families safe.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that more than 280,000 rollover accidents occur yearly. Missouri and Kansas motorists have experienced their share. Rollover collisions claim more than 10,000 lives each year. A high number of those accidents have occurred in Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), Minivans and trucks.
So, Why Are SUVs More Susceptible To Rollover Wrecks?
Generally, rollover accidents are linked to a vehicle’s turning stability and SUVs are are difficult to maneuver effectively in emergencies. Factors that contribute to rollover collisions in SUVs include:
SUV’s top-heavy design
Tire Tread Failure
Tread separation
Read the full article, Vehicle Rollover Accidents Cause Over 10,000 Fatalities Yearly for more information about SUV rollover accidents including tips on how to prevent these dangerous accidents and an explanation of the star ratings system. How safe are you in a four star crash rated vehicle – Find out!
Kansas City recently presented a list of the top 20 crash sites in the Kansas City, Missouri metro area to the Board of Police Commissioners. I-435 and I-70 topped the list with over 100 crashes in 2009. 5th Street and Broadway was the only crash site listed that did not involve a highway. Kansas City Police Chief, James corwin, encourages motorists traveling these particular areas to use extra caution to avoid motor vehicle accidents. Merging traffic, changing speeds and switching lanes are all necessary endeavors when entering or exiting highways but they are also dangerous activities so proceed with care. Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys, Roswold Law Group wants to keep our local roads safe and keep our drivers informed of potentially dangerous intersections with increased risk of causing higher rates of auto accidents in Kansas and Missouri. Wherever you are driving, though, please always make safety a top priority.
