Accident Information

Pool Safety in Omaha

Posted in Accident Information on December 8, 2016

Earlier this year, a three year old girl was in critical condition after almost drowning in a home swimming pool in west Omaha. Reports indicated that she was likely under water for up to two minutes before being pulled from the pool, administered CPR, and taken to Children’s Hospital & Medical Center down the road.

While incidents like these may seem rare or unlikely to happen to you, the CDC estimates that about 10 people die from unintentional drowning every day, making it the fifth leading cause of unintentional death in the country. Of those deaths, 20% are children under the age of 14, and for every child who dies, five more receive emergency medical treatment for non-fatal injuries.

Although pools are a great source of entertainment, exercise, and even relaxation, they also come with a number of risks. If you own a pool or visit one frequently with your children, it is important to keep in mind some of these safety tips in the event of an emergency or to prevent one from happening altogether.

Learn CPR

As the case above shows, knowing and administering CPR can be the difference between life and death in an emergency situation. There is no doubt that the young girl is alive today because those around her acted quickly. Just a few days after the incident in Nebraska, a young boy in California named Alex Pierce was not as fortunate and died in a pool accident because CPR was not administered by life guards at the scene. Learning CPR as a pool owner or goer can buy those precious few moments of time before professional help arrives.

Install Pool Barriers

Did you know that half of the children who drown in a pool each year do so within 25 yards of a parent, adult, or supervisor? Even if you are nearby your child, a momentary lapse in attention can have disastrous consequences. Especially if you have young children who can wander off on their own, it’s recommended that you install a four to five foot fence around the pool area. In certain instances, insurance companies will not provide insurance if this is not done properly. Another alternative is a pool alarm which can sound whenever someone enters the water.

Restrict Diving

Did you also know that up to 6,500 adolescents are brought to the hospital each year because of diving related accidents and injuries? Although diving can be a source of fun and entertainment, if not done properly, serious harm can result. Especially in the shallow end of the pool, head first dives can lead to brain and spinal cord injury. Set rules or make sure that all pool occupants are properly trained on how and where diving is appropriate.

Swim Clear of Drains

Even if a child has taken swimming lessons and is comfortable in the water, pool drains can create enormous suction which can trap someone under water via hair, a body part, or an article of clothing. Although these types of accidents are fairly uncommon today, it was estimated that there were 74 reports of circulation entrapments in 2007 which mainly impacted children ages 5 to 9. In response to this issue, in 2008 the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was passed, providing new regulations for drain covers, after a child was trapped by 700lbs of suction pressure and killed, even as her mother tried to pull her free. In addition to warning your children to stay away from pool drains, even if there is an appropriate cover, it’s important to know the location of the pool pump so it can be shut off in case of emergency.

Although most pool related accidents happen with peak use in the summer, pool safety is a year round endeavor. To learn more about steps you can take to maximize the safety around your pool, visit poolsafely.gov for more information and tips. And if you or a loved one has been injured due to unsafe pool or drain conditions in Omaha, contact our office today to discuss the details of your potential claim.

Factors That Influence Car Accidents in Nebraska

Posted in Accident Information on February 19, 2016

Car Accidents are one of the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming 32,675 lives in 2014 alone. While it’s no secret that driving comes with a fair share of risk, a number of factors contribute to dangerous conditions on the road. Diving into some statistics, we found a relationship between both gas prices and weather conditions on the number of traffic related deaths in Nebraska.

Gas Prices: The Inverse Relationship

A study done by NPR last year analyzed the relationship between gas prices and traffic fatalities in 144 countries and found that higher gas prices are associated with fewer deaths and lower gas prices are associated with more traffic deaths. Another study done at South Dakota State University substantiated this claim, estimating that a $2 drop in gas prices across the country could translate to about 9,000 fatalities in the United States. This seems drastic at first, but the relationship makes sense. The Washington State Department of Transportation found in its 2015 Corridor Capacity Report that, “falling gas prices have a tendency to worsen traffic congestion; when gas prices decline, driving becomes less expensive and people often drive alone (or drive more) rather than using alternate commute modes such as transit or carpools.” Furthermore, low gas prices mean that drivers are less concerned with gas saving techniques, such as maintaining slower, constant speeds and gradual acceleration, which also happen to be safer driving habits. More people on the road with less regard for their driving habits certainly seems like it could translate to more fatal crashes. Combining data from the Nebraska Department of Transportation and Nebraska Energy Office, we found the relationship to be true.

Gas Prices Vs. Traffic Fatalities: Nebraska 2000-2015

Weather: The Most Dangerous Months to Drive in Nebraska

Common sense leads many to believe that the most dangerous times to drive occur under adverse weather conditions. Reduced visibility, slick roads, and less control are all negative byproducts of rain, snow, and ice. According to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, the first snow storm of the year generates twice as many crashes as those occurring on a typical day. While this is true that more accidents may occur during harsh weather conditions, according to the statistics on traffic related fatalities, the most dangerous time to drive is actually on a hot, sunny day in August.

Using data also provided by the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety and WeatherDB, since 1960, we found that the most dangerous months to drive in Nebraska begin in July and end in October. For example, a Nebraskan is almost twice as likely to die in a traffic collision in August as opposed to a much colder month like February. While this seems counter intuitive at first, warm weather creates a number of unfavorable conditions for drivers:

  • More people are outside enjoying the weather
  • Children are out of school and more teen drivers are on the road
  • Vacation and travel spike during summer months
  • More hours of light keep people on the road later

Don’t believe us? Check out the data below:

Traffic Deaths By Month

Year Population Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total
1960 1,411,000 17 15 12 18 31 19 24 35 31 33 33 24 292
1961 1,446,000 15 21 27 33 26 25 30 35 28 36 21 25 322
1962 1,464,000 18 16 23 29 27 42 33 46 41 46 46 34 401
1963 1,476,000 23 23 19 25 26 29 30 36 40 41 23 34 349
1964 1,482,000 21 31 34 24 29 33 37 57 46 52 34 52 450
1965 1,471,000 23 35 13 20 24 36 39 57 36 40 26 37 386
1966 1,456,000 32 20 34 33 41 33 44 44 34 39 30 41 425
1967 1,457,000 28 25 42 24 37 29 53 45 27 50 38 47 445
1968 1,467,000 36 37 20 30 39 48 40 42 47 39 45 29 452
1969 1,474,000 33 25 26 20 29 38 36 31 43 47 57 37 422
1970 1,485,333 28 14 25 42 33 42 48 41 40 36 34 29 412
1971 1,504,604 21 16 26 43 33 50 44 61 39 53 47 56 489
1972 1,519,013 26 30 26 39 32 41 50 59 56 50 31 45 485
1973 1,529,567 33 18 34 37 30 39 37 42 40 59 36 28 433
1974 1,539,191 19 18 26 32 37 33 55 40 29 43 28 28 388
1975 1,543,117 19 15 32 30 23 29 48 37 46 43 24 30 376
1976 1,550,911 31 20 11 24 35 32 41 68 36 32 26 46 402
1977 1,556,842 22 22 31 30 37 32 37 31 28 21 29 30 350
1978 1,563,884 21 18 23 22 29 39 38 28 37 43 34 18 350
1979 1,567,344 23 27 14 30 34 26 33 31 24 31 26 31 330
1980 1,569,825 25 16 29 23 36 32 48 44 43 29 31 40 396
1981 1,578,515 29 28 25 30 44 44 42 34 21 31 21 29 378
1982 1,581,780 18 16 16 17 26 14 30 36 19 30 21 18 261
1983 1,584,293 21 15 15 15 17 26 35 35 23 28 14 11 255
1984 1,588,639 21 17 19 17 14 27 29 41 32 25 22 21 285
1985 1,584,664 19 8 23 18 19 23 22 24 23 25 22 11 237
1986 1,574,333 17 24 22 22 26 26 27 37 17 20 25 27 290
1987 1,566,547 24 23 19 17 23 20 32 31 28 31 29 20 297
1988 1,571,477 17 14 17 20 22 31 25 29 32 18 24 12 261
1989 1,574,864 23 18 27 17 13 23 43 32 23 23 20 34 296
1990 1,578,385 16 7 19 14 23 28 29 34 25 25 16 26 262
1991 1,590,805 13 13 18 22 24 27 38 36 23 25 16 20 275
1992 1,602,406 26 21 15 18 25 19 31 24 27 29 22 13 270
1993 1,612,149 18 15 20 14 16 17 16 36 27 23 23 29 254
1994 1,621,551 27 20 14 24 27 27 24 23 18 26 20 21 271
1995 1,635,142 12 18 21 15 12 23 33 32 19 25 27 17 254
1996 1,647,657 20 11 28 21 25 33 26 24 24 31 30 20 293
1997 1,656,042 22 13 20 17 28 17 23 33 32 31 35 31 302
1998 1,660,772 21 23 22 23 24 26 19 32 32 31 35 27 315
1999 1,666,028 14 26 24 27 19 23 25 24 29 30 23 31 295
2000 1,713,345 35 19 17 13 33 16 22 32 21 28 21 19 276
2001 1,717,948 8 14 21 17 20 19 23 24 32 16 35 17 246
2002 1,725,083 34 16 28 30 29 17 24 31 20 31 17 30 307
2003 1,733,680 23 15 16 27 25 31 32 25 21 36 27 15 293
2004 1742184 17 22 13 18 30 22 21 25 20 27 15 24 254
2005 1751721 15 25 22 16 16 26 25 24 21 34 33 19 276
2006 1760435 15 18 27 27 18 21 24 21 21 28 24 25 269
2007 1769912 21 16 20 22 22 30 20 25 20 20 19 21 256
2008 1781949 18 22 21 9 16 14 13 19 17 22 14 23 208
2009 1796619 14 12 17 15 20 11 25 28 24 17 21 19 223
2010 1829696 8 19 11 12 9 26 29 10 12 21 17 16 190
2011 1842234 7 12 12 10 17 23 14 20 20 15 17 14 181
2012 1855525 22 11 15 11 8 25 19 26 29 17 13 16 212
2013 1868516 25 16 7 14 15 22 27 18 23 11 13 20 211
2014 1881503 14 15 19 19 16 24 22 18 27 19 21 11 225
2015 1896190 22 12 28 18 19 13 23 18 21 21 26 21 242
Total 1190 1056 1205 1254 1408 1541 1757 1871 1614 1733 1477 1469 17575
Average 21.25 18.86 21.52 22.39 25.14 27.52 31.38 33.41 28.82 30.95 26.38 26.23 313.84
Average per 100k 1.33 1.18 1.35 1.41 1.59 1.73 1.98 2.11 1.82 1.96 1.66 1.66 19.78

Alcohol Involved Fatalities in the U.S.

Posted in Accident Information on February 17, 2016

We examined data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find who was most at risk to be at fault, most at risk to be a victim, and the true cost for those involved from both perspectives. And even though you may be an adult or a college freshman who has heard it all before in high school health class, it’s important to always be aware of just how many drinks it takes for you to be over the limit.

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 What Factors Influence Alcohol Related Fatalities?

 

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Are colder weather states more likely to be involved in Alcohol Related Fatalities?

 

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How “Fine” Are You?

We’ve all heard the term “lightweight” before, and that is mainly because there is scientific evidence to back it up. It takes far fewer drinks for someone weighing 100 pounds to find themselves over the legal limit than for someone weighing 200 pounds. But the effects of a .08 BAC are the same for everyone, no matter your size or gender. It’s unlikely that you’ll have a breathalyzer on hand to test what your BAC is, so it’s important to always be aware of how many drinks you’ve had.

To expand upon that, given the craft beer craze and the propensity of making yourself drinks at home that are much stronger than those made for you at the bar, it’s always important to be aware of how much alcohol content is in your drink. A lot of beers have more than the standard 5% ABV used to measure a single drink, which means that you can’t drink anywhere near as much of that as you could a light beer before finding yourself over the legal limit. There are many occasions that call for a drink, but carelessness in what you do after those drinks is where a good night can turn bad real quick.

 

Young and Inexperienced

We all know that the legal age of consumption is 21 – there are states with exceptions to consumption and possession – and most states have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to minors and alcohol. That doesn’t mean that most Americans haven’t had a drink by the time they reach 21; in fact, 65 percent of those 18 and younger have had a drink in their lives. On top of that, drivers aged 16-20 accounted for 17 percent of the total fatalities related to car accidents involving alcohol; those 21-24 comprised 30 percent of the total, the highest of any age group.

Penalties for a DUI are much more severe for those underage. Fines vary from state to state but if you are involved in an accident with alcohol in your system, you can count on paying a few thousand dollars in fines and losing your license for a while, even if it’s your first offense. And not many things are worse than losing your license as a teenager. Except of course prison, which depending on how far over the legal limit you are or if you’re responsible for injuries, is a possibility as well. Some states have a .02 BAC minimum for those underage to prevent false readings from mouthwash or gum, but the zero-tolerance policy of other states mean that, even if you blow a .01, you’ll be arrested.

Repeat Offenders and Innocent Bystanders

One of the more troubling statistics for DUIs are the amount of drivers who have been arrested for the same offense before. It is estimated that 25 percent of drivers arrested or convicted fall into this category, and while that number has declined in recent years, one-fourth is still a very high percentage. Currently, there are only 21 states that require a mandatory ignition interlock system for first-offenders, despite 79 percent of respondents to a AAA poll saying they would support such initiatives.

However, the interlock is not completely fail-safe. It does reduce the likelihood of a repeat offender by 67 percent, but some counties are reporting problems. One in California found that only 27 percent of those required to install the device actually do so, which means a lot of people are driving with a suspended license or not at all. These results are not typical though, as 97 percent of drivers in the entire state of Michigan follow through with the program, and only 2.8 percent become repeat offenders. Nationwide, interlocks are responsible for a 70 percent reduction in DUI arrests.

Of greater concern than the number of drivers being arrested who perhaps shouldn’t have been driving in the first place, are the passengers and pedestrians that fall victim to someone else’s poor decision. Sadly, 209 children 14 and younger died as a result of being in an accident caused by an impaired driver. Approximately 29 percent of those kids were occupants of other vehicles. The tragic reality is that this just happening once is too much, and passengers, whether with the driver or in a different car, of all ages make up 27 percent of the total fatalities. The number of innocent pedestrians killed makes up eight percent of the total.

When and Where Alcohol-Related Accidents Happen

The increased likelihood of a DUI happening at night may be obvious, but just how much more is startling. These accidents happen at four times the frequency at night compared to the day, and that gap only increases on the weekend. The rate of those killed during holidays is also very high. New Year’s, the Fourth of July and Labor Day have the highest frequency, as 44, 39 and 38 percent, respectively, of the car accident deaths during these holidays happen as the result of a drunk driver.

There also appeared to be a direct correlation between states that consume more alcohol and those with a higher frequency of DUI occurrences. North Dakota, Delaware and Montana were the worst three of this category; North Dakota had the highest rate of fatal accidents involving alcohol, and the fourth highest gallons of alcohol consumed. Delaware was sixth and third, Montana was fifth and six th in each respective category.

Measures Taken to Prevent

Over the past few years, many steps have been taken to cut down on the frequency of DUIs. We’ve mentioned mandatory interlock systems for first time offenders and zero-tolerance policies for those underage, but other efforts are in place as well. Sobriety checkpoints, media campaigns and instructional programs in schools are just a couple of ways the government and local law enforcement are attempting to keep the roads safe. Friends and family can do their part as well by simply talking to those whom they feel could be at risk, because those who drink a lot or have prior convictions are more likely to be arrested for drunk driving.

Some do question the effectiveness of such programs, though. Checkpoints are especially tricky, in part because 12 states view them as unconstitutional; so it’s tough to reduce occurrences of drunk driving nationwide when many police officers believe them to be a much more reliable way to curb DUIs than simple patrol. According to the most recently available data, drivers in the U.S. admit to driving within two hours of having alcohol one billion times per year. This equates to only one arrest being made for every 88 instances of someone driving over the legal limit. Checkpoints have been found to reduce alcohol related accidents by 17 percent, but some believe that these checkpoints are improperly used because far more citations are issued for a broken taillight or driving without insurance than for a DUI.

The state and federal governments can only institute so many programs. The majority of the responsibility still lies with the driver. If you feel like you’ve had too much, don’t drive. It’s estimated that alcohol-involved crashes cost a total of $236 billion in 2015. A $40 Uber home (and again to get your car in the morning) or crashing on your friend’s couch is far cheaper than the fines, court costs and jail time you could be faced with if you cause an accident while driving drunk.