The effects of a car accident can be devastating. They can be aggravated depending on the manner in which a person is positioned in a vehicle and depending on what he or she may be doing in advance of an accident. By avoiding these positions and activities, a person enhances the prospect of being able to minimize the injuries, damages, and losses associated with a car accident.
A common, and understandable, practice when traveling by car greater distances is for passengers to sleep. Indeed, people on such journeys oftentimes take turns between sleeping and driving to make a trip more efficient.
The reality is that sleeping in a car increases the odds that a person will sustain more serious injuries in the event of a car accident. This happens for two reasons.
When sleeping, a person by definition is not aware of his or her surroundings and what is going around him or her. Accidents can happen with next to no warning. However, that is not always the case. A person in a motor vehicle may have some warning and some ability to take defensive posturing, provided that individual is awake and alert before an accident occurs.
In addition, when sleeping, a person typically ends up in a less than ideal position when it comes to the prospect of an accident. For example, a sleeping person may be slumped against the door, which has the prospect for making injuries in an accident more severe than if a person was able to be in a more protected position.
The ultimate aggravation of potential injuries when sleeping is when a person is prone in the backseat, spread out across the seat without a seatbelt on. The prospect for serious injuries to a person in this position if an accident occurs is significant.
The vast majority of people travel, short and long distances, with an array of items in their vehicles that are not secured. These can include everything from soda cans to books to mobile electronic equipment. Indeed, many items placed into a vehicle are items that are considered necessities of daily living.
The stark reality is that unsecured items of this nature can increase the severity of injuries in the event of an automobile accident. Various types of items morph into dangerous projectiles when a car accident occurs. Indeed, there are instances in which individuals would have walked away from car accident but for the injuries sustained because of something in the interior of an automobile that became a dangerous, or even deadline, projectile at the time of an accident.
Yes, it’s old hat to say make sure a seatbelt is on when a car is in motion. Yes, it’s the law in every state to have a seatbelt on if a person is in the front seat. Moreover, it’s also the law in a majority of states when it comes to sitting in the back seat.
Despite being the law, a surprising number of people do not wear seat belts, particularly if they are in the back seat. Moreover, an many people actually wear seat belts incorrectly with regularity.
For example, time and again, people in a motor vehicle find the shoulder strap crossing their front sections uncomfortable or inconvenient. In turn, the loop their arms through the shoulder harness in a manner that renders it less effective. By trying to make themselves more comfortable while motoring, these individuals actually enhance the prospect that they will sustain more serious injuries in the event of a car accident.
After spending his secondary years of study at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, G Turner Howard III earned his BA at Tulane University. A member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, he received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Before becoming an attorney, he earned a Master’s and Doctor of Divinity at Andrews Theological Seminary and Columbia Theological Seminary. He also served as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army in Vietnam. With more than 20 years of experience, his firm has helped clients receive millions of dollars for personal injury, and in many cases, much faster than they ever expected.
