Calabasas Fiery Rollover accident Kills R&B Singer Gilani Taylor’s Daughter

1 Comment

Certain music videos include some tragic car accident sequences to emphasize the emotion of the song. However, in the case of an aspiring R&B singer and songwriter, Gilani Taylor, the car accident that took her daughter’s life and caused her severe injuries was not a music video, it was real.

According to a news report by KTLA, the 27-year-old Taylor lost control of her 1995 Chrysler sedan and hit the center divider on 101 Freeway in Calabasas. The rollover accident caused the crashed vehicle to catch fire.

continue reading…

5 Fastest Roads in the US: What Slowing Down Speeding Violators?

No Comments

If you think citation tickets or fatal crashes can deter reckless motorists from racing through roads, think again.
It’s neither the penalty nor the fatality that can slow down over-speeding violators –-it’s the economy.
Unbelievable, but true. According to INRX, a company that provides traffic data used in GPS, high gas prices, poor economy and high unemployment rates have kept young drivers – those who tend to speed and engage in risky road behavior – off the road.

INRIX has also recorded the fastest car on the fastest road in the US which clocked in at 94 mph in Arizona’s Route 79 between Saguaro National Park and Phoenix. The company drew information from GPS data used by nearly 5 million drivers from January to June 15 this year.

The second road where motorists are more likely to hit the gas is the Oklahoma State Highway 33 with the fastest driver going at 87 mph. California State Route 73 is next where the top speed was recorded the 85 mph in both directions between Moulton Parkway and Bear Street. Eastbound MI-5 Michigan Highway has motorists going at top speed of 83 mph while the fifth fastest road is Arizona State Route 77 where INRIX has recorded the top speed of a motorist at 81 mph.

continue reading…

Driving Safety: Are you Driving a Safe SUV?

No Comments

If you think injuries and fatalities in crashes and collisions can be blamed solely on human error, think again.

We all know that vehicle accidents are caused by factors other than driving error. This includes design defects, mechanical and engine problems, faulty vehicle parts and other external factors such as weather and road conditions.

continue reading…

Young Woman Dies in Los Angeles Single Rollover Crash

No Comments

A young woman’s death is humanity’s hounding loss. Such saying on the value of women to society’s future is much felt as a 22-year-old lady was killed in an LA car crash on Monday.

How many more young women need to lose lives on already hazardous LA roads? Isn’t it time for city officials to take drastic measures to correct danger on freeways?

continue reading…

Gene Simmons’ Teen Daughter Involved in Chain Accident in LA

No Comments

KISS frontman Gene Simmons’ 18-year old daughter Sophie Simmons was recently involved in a multi-vehicle crash in Los Angeles.

It was reported by TMZ.com that the accident occurred while Sophie was stuck in traffic. Allegedly, a car behind her plowed right into her Dodge Charger while she was stopped which caused her to crash into the car in front of her. The rear-end crash triggered a chain accident which ended up as a four-car pile-up with Sophie right in the middle of it.

continue reading…

Motorcycles: Built to Thrill or Built to Kill?

2 Comments

Can the type of motorcycle you ride increase your risk of getting into a crash?

In South County, an active-duty sailor was killed in a motorcycle accident after crashing head-on with another bike. The 22-year old deceased, who was riding west aboard a Yamaha R1, allegedly tried to overtake a group of motorcycles right before a curve but ended up colliding with an eastbound Harley Davidson.

Despite the attempts to revive the sailor, he died at the scene of the accident. The rider of the Harley Davidson suffered arm and leg fractures and was airlifted to the hospital.

Certain bikes such as the Yamaha R1 which is considered as a sportsbike or supersports/superbikes have been shown to have the highest rate of motorcycle accident deaths and injuries than any other class. These bikes are built for racing but were actually only modified for highway use, thus, with its light weight and high-horsepower engines, most of its riders (who are usually young men) have a tendency to push the speed limits of these bikes.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveals that supersport motorcycle are almost 4 times higher and sports bike 2 times higher than the accident rates and deaths of other bikes like cruisers or standards. But while these 2 classes are overrepresented in accidents, it isn’t their actual design that it dangerous. Actually, speeding and driver error are the 2 bigger factors in fatal crashes involving supersports and sport bikes.

continue reading…

Dennis Rodman Worms Out of SUV Rollover Crash Unscathed

No Comments

Controversial NBA star and former defensive player of the year, Dennis Rodman was involved in a rollover crash near Fort Lauderdale in South Florida during the weekend.

Rodman, who was a passenger in a Land Rover SUV, was on Interstate 95 when one of the vehicle’s tires blew out. It was reported that the SUV rolled over three times and that Rodman had to be pulled out from the vehicle.

He and the other passenger suffered no serious injuries, although Rodman allegedly had a scratch on his finger. The driver of the SUV was taken to a local hospital after suffering head injuries.

The Florida Highway Patrol will not be pressing any charges for the solo vehicle crash.

Lucky for Rodman, he was able to worm his way out of serious physical injuries in the rollover crash. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), while rollover crashes account for less than 3 percent of all crashes, its fatality rate makes up for more than a third of passenger vehicle occupant deaths.

In fact, last 2008, of the 25,428 passenger vehicle fatalities, 9,023 died of them died rollover crashes.  Rollovers are particularly dangerous because of an increased risk of injury or death due to partial or full ejection from the vehicle.

While SUVs and pick-up trucks are particularly vulnerable to rollover accidents, there are many factors that can cause one, here are some of them:

  • Loss of control over a vehicle
  • Tripping over objects while turning such as curb, guardrail, tree stump
  • Making a turn too aggressively
  • Being struck on the side by another vehicle
  • Vehicle defects such as blown tires

Obviously, while there are some rollover crashes that are just “accidents” such a tire blowing out while making a turn, there are some that are caused by the reckless operation of the motor vehicle or negligence of the driver.

In such instances, especially when there are parties which are hurt or killed because of the fault or negligence of the driver, he may be held civilly and criminally liable for the accident. Occupants of the vehicle or motorists may file a personal injury lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit as the case may be through a car accident attorney who is experienced in handling rollover vehicle accident claims.