Wrongful Death

Wrongful death suit against the Des Plaines police moved in federal court

2011-04-25T14:32:00.000+08:00

Wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of Des Plaines man fatally shot by city police more than a year ago was moved to federal court.

Suit, originally filed on December 17 in Cook County Circuit Court, says Des Plaines police used excessive force when the officer shot the 24-year-old Krzysztof Kaczor "without sufficient provocation or imminent threat to their lives."
Mother Kaczor's, Danuta Kaczor from Elmwood Park, filed a lawsuit, which lists the city of Des Plaines and 11 members of its police officers as defendants. Four-count suit seeks more than $ 50.000 in damages.

The city this week asked the case be moved to the U.S. District Court, since such cases usually fall under federal jurisdiction. Trial date has not yet been established.

Krzysztof Kaczor was killed in early morning hours of December 21, when, according to police accounts, he threatened an officer with a long-handled ax.

Police said officers went to the area near the house Kaczor on 400 block of Washington Street about 1 am that morning after receiving a call of shots in the area. The officer later spotted Kaczor works on Oxford Road, carrying an ax, according to police The officer got out, drew his pistol and ordered Kaczor throw an ax, police said.

Kaczor has not heeded the warnings, the police said, but instead turned to the officer, held an ax in a threatening manner and approached. He was shot at least four times after refusing to give up arms and died shortly thereafter, according to police.

Danuta Kaczor attorney, Jay Paul Deratany, earlier said the officer did not have to kill the son of his client because he was not an immediate threat.

Deratany said it Kaczor who called the police the night he was shot, and as he spoke limited English, he probably does not understand the officer who ordered him to drop the ax.

Des Plaines Police Chief Jim Prandini said Cook County Public Integrity investigated the case and ruled it as a justified shooting.

Various wrongful death cases handled by St. Louis Wrongful Death Law Firm

2011-04-22T22:08:00.000+08:00

Death is the end of life. This is the inevitable truth. It's an uninvited guest who can come in anytime and anywhere. But the untimely and unpleasant death of a man leaves his family high and dry. Family members of victims suffer much in these cases of wrongful death. the victim's family has the legal right to sue a person or party who is responsible for the case. Service St. Louis wrongful death law firm is required to go through the process in court.
Fatal accidents and catastrophic events can lead to wrongful deaths. Medical malpractice, negligence, health care and social injustice of other factors that cause premature death. The following are possible causes of wrongful deaths that trial court is favorable to victims under the leadership of Louis wrongful death law firm -
1. If a person acts recklessly, carelessly and brutally intend to harm or kill another person, a person's death is considered as illegal. In this case, the responsibility of the party should be responsible for his unjust cause. He is responsible for their unjust actions in the St. Louis law firm wrongful death.
2. Motor vehicle accident is a very common cause of wrongful death. Some vehicle owners do not comply with road safety regulations can not stand the traffic rules and do not see the pedestrian safety in rough driving or alcohol influence. Another motorist or pedestrian to lose his or her life for slight negligence or minor errors crazy driver. St. Louis wrongful death law firm can help you file a wrongful death charge of defective humans.
3. Slight negligence in caring for the patient who suffers from a serious illness can bring upon the death of the patient. Physician is held liable for a negligent service to the patient. St. Louis wrongful death law firm will drag him or her to court for wrongful death of a patient.
4. Manufacturer and distributor of products required to ensure that the product is safe for consumers. If the product should be used with caution and not a statement on the use of the product specified on the product coverage, production designer and should be blamed for this serious mistake. If the product has potentially disastrous risk to the life of any consumer, to take council of St. Louis wrongful death law firm to a supplier or production responsibilities.
In addition, in case of accidental inflicting fatal injuries to a person, a person may apply to the St. Louis personal injury lawyer of the accident to receive compensation from the at-fault.

What is a Chicago wrongful death?

2011-04-21T16:11:00.001+08:00

A wrongful death action lawsuit filed in the court where the wrongful conduct of a person, company or some other person results in the death of another person. Such claims are usually based on state law, and may allow the relatives of a man who died as a result of such wrongful act, to recover monetary compensation for lost financial and emotional support.
As a rule, the surviving spouse of the victim, children, beneficiaries or dependents cause such a claim. wrongful act may be based on negligence, reckless act, or even a deliberate act such as murder. Prosecute an alleged offender in a criminal court does not preclude private, wrongful death suit.
Some attorneys advance all costs of suit in their wrongful deaths, and they do not charge legal fees unless they receive compensation on your behalf.
In Chicago, for medical malpractice is one of the leading causes of wrongful death and a serious problem in our hospitals. Hundreds of thousands of people die from medical malpractice injuries in one year. There are many different ways that the wrongful death may occur as a result of medical malpractice, for example:

     * Surgical Malpractice
     * Diagnostic Errors
     * Bacterial infection
     * Birth Injury
     * Medication errors
     * Car crash
     * Nursing Home Negligence
But there are countless other circumstances in which the wrongful death may also occur.In general, if someone is unlawful actions caused injuries that resulted in the death of your loved one, then this wrongful death. Do not hesitate to enlist the help of a lawyer medical malpractice. If the circumstances of the death of your family are wrongful death, the Chicago medical malpractice lawyers are always ready to help.

Division over hands-free devices and driving distraction

2011-04-19T21:12:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Truck and Car Accidents

03March
2011

With the advent of smart phones and social networking more and more people want to stay connected to their loved ones and friends all the time and wherever they may be. The desire to stay connected in the world of driving can translate to distracted driving as more drivers text, make phone calls and even use the internet as they sit in the driver's seat. As a result, car manufacturers are creating hands-free technologies that are supposed to remove the distraction from behind the wheel. However, auto safety advocates are not convinced that hands-free technology will eliminate distraction and therefore car accidents.

Examples of in-vehicle hands-free communications technology are popping up everywhere. General Motors recently released a system via OnStar that allows drivers to send and receive texts as well as make Facebook updates. One analyst from Edmunds.com predicts that future hands-free technology will be based on voice command technology. The voice command technology will allow a car system to read e-mails or text messages aloud and will allow the driver to dictate e-mails or text messages. While consumers may be demanding new hands-free technology, the federal government's auto safety agency, the National Transportation Safety Board, is skeptical of safety benefits.

The spokesperson for the safety agency says that the primary duty of a driver is the safety of passengers and to ensure the safety of other vehicles on the road. Drivers should focus on getting to their destinations safely and not focus on socializing. The National Transportation Safety Board admits that hands-free technologies reduce some distraction, but the agency says the technology does not eliminate it. What is unclear according to the agency is whether communicating while driving is enough of a cognitive distraction to distract your mind from concentrating on the road.

Source: news4jax.com, "Cars help more devices go hands-free," 2/28/11

Tags: Pennsylvania, car accidents, distracted driving, hands-free technology, voice command

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Significant number of drivers distracted by Internet on the road

2011-04-19T20:57:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Truck and Car Accidents

07March
2011

The theme over the last week has been distracted driving and this week we continue in the same vein. Today, we focus on a growing and dangerous trend, webbing and driving. Surfing the internet while driving is the latest form of cell phone use drivers in the United States are engaging in while behind the wheel. As many as one in five drivers in the United States surf the Web while driving according to an unscientific online survey conducted by State Farm Insurance.

The informal survey conducted in November showed that almost 20 percent of drivers admitted to using the Internet while driving at least once per week. In comparison, the same survey showed 74 percent of drivers admitted to using the phone while behind the wheel at least once per week and 35 percent admitted to texting and driving just as frequently. State Farm plans to conduct a scientific study because the results of the informal survey were so significant.

State Farm believes the number of people who access the Internet as they drive is actually greater than the informal survey revealed. The majority of the informal survey's respondents were in their 30s, and researchers believe younger drivers have a higher tendency to use the Internet as they drive. What may be even more disturbing than the significant number of drivers who web and drive, is what it may take for some drivers to stop the bad habit.

One 38-year-old communications coordinator who was interviewed on the issue by USA Today said it would take a car accident or a near-accident for him to stop checking the Internet while driving. The communications coordinator admits "it's

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Unneeded stent recipient sues Westmoreland Hospital, doctor

2011-04-19T20:42:00.000+08:00

By Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Medical Malpractice

17March
2011

Attorney Jason Matzus, partner at Raizman, Frischman & Matzus, and Attorney Michael Rosenzweig, litigation manager and partner at Edgar Snyder & Associates, filed a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of a 76-year-old Latrobe man who received an unnecessary stent in 2010. The lawsuit contends that he suffered from medical complications after undergoing two stent implants in May and June of 2010. The nine-count lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages against Dr. Ehab F. Marcos and Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital for claims that include negligence, conspiracy, fraud and malpractice.

After his second procedure in June of 2010, the Latrobe man obtained a second opinion from Dr. Jerome Granato, who was the medical director of the coronary care unit at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Dr. Granato sent him a letter in March 2011 stating that the second procedure done by Dr. Ehab F. Marcos was not medically necessary. Granato now serves as the chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, PA.

This is not the only case pending concerning the placement of unnecessary stents at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital. After complaints by physicians at the hospital about excessive stent use, two teams that included nationally recognized interventional cardiologists reviewed the practices of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Westmoreland. Results of the two reviews showed that two doctors, Morcos and Dr. George Bousamra, implanted 149 unneeded stents in 141 patients in 2010.

Both physicians resigned in January after being questioned about their practices, but according to the Pennsylvania Department of State the doctors' licenses are in good standing and there have been no disciplinary actions on file. The Latrobe man is the eighth person to file a lawsuit against Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital and Morcos or Bousamra in the last week. We look for many more lawsuits to be filed in the near future.

Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital is currently reviewing the practices of the two cardiologists in 2009 and we expect that many more people will be informed that their stent was not medically necessary.

Click here to read news article in Tribune-Review

Tags: Cardiologist, Excela, Matzus, Medical Malpractice, Westmoreland, stent

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High number of drunk drivers and wrongful deaths in Pennsylvania

2011-04-19T20:27:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Wrongful Death

17March
2011

Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of fatal drinking and driving car accidents in the entire country. Many families every year experience the wrongful death of a loved one because of the selfishness or lack of foresight of other people. Other families' lives are forever changed when a loved one survives a drinking and driving crash but suffers severe long-term injury.

Just three states rank ahead of Pennsylvania in the number of DUI fatalities that occurred between 2005 and 2009 according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. When it comes down to ranking counties in Pennsylvania, Allegheny County comes in at number two in the number of DUI fatalities over the same time period. Based on those statistics Pittsburgh is one of the most dangerous areas to be on the road when it comes to drinking and driving. While DUI statistics paint a partial picture of the issue, the stories of families who have suffered because of drinking and driving send the point home.

The story of one family whose lives have been unalterably changed because of drunk driving demonstrates the need for driver responsibility. On January 18, 2009, two brothers were walking next to road when a drunk driver hit them from behind. One brother remembers being covered in blood at the accident scene. The other brother was actually killed during the accident, brought back to life and remained in a coma over the next six weeks.

The brother who suffered a coma experienced a spinal decapitation during the accident. While the accident was not fatal, the family's lives are no longer the same because the brother needs the assistance of a machine to breathe and must take 15 drugs every hour. The drunk driver spent three days in jail but the brother will likely spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed.

Source: wtae.com, "Pennsylvania's many DUI drivers devastate families," 3/14/11

Tags: DUI, Pennsylvania, car accident, drunk driving, wrongful death

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Possible medical malpractice wrong-site surgeries happen monthly in Pennsylvania

2011-04-19T20:12:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Medical Malpractice

22March
2011

According to Pennsylvania's Patient Safety Authority, over five patients every month in Pennsylvania experience one of the worst medical mistakes a patient can go through; a doctor operating on the wrong part of the body or worse the wrong patient. The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has collected health care facility data since 2004, and since that time hospitals in the state have committed 416 wrong-site surgeries. That is around 64 surgeries involving possible medical malpractice per year.

Misinformation is the cause of many wrong-site surgeries, but as the President of the Pennsylvania Medical Society says operating on the wrong part of a patient's body or the wrong patient is a "never event" and should not happen when everyone is paying attention. Misinformation can come from a variety of sources including bad memories, mixed-up patient reports or incorrect schedules. Sometimes medical mistakes can be made due to a mistake in perception. Misperception can occur when a procedure is scheduled for one part of the body but the body is flipped over, which also flips the operating area of the body.

The most common types of wrong-site surgeries are wrong-site operations on the spine and wrong-site operations on fingers. Sometimes a wrong-site operation does not produce any harm such as a wrong-site operation on a patient who is having bilateral cataract operations. The surgery team operates on the wrong eye first but since both eyes need the procedure the patient is not harmed. Mistakes like that are included in wrong-site surgery statistics.

Fortunately, the grimmest situations like the permanent removal of a limb or vital organ have not occurred in Pennsylvania since the Authority began keeping track of data. Patients can protect themselves by voicing concern if they notice uncertainty regarding their procedure.

Source: The Morning Call, "'Never events' happen dozens of times per year," Tim Darragh, 3/19/11

Tags: Pennsylvania, medical malpractice, medical mistake, misinformation, wrong-site surgery

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Westmoreland Hospital placed medically unnecessary stents

2011-04-19T19:57:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Medical Malpractice

24March
2011

A medical audit of the Excela Health hospital system in western Pennsylvania has shown that 149 coronary stent implants placed in 141 patients in 2010 may not have been necessary. The significant amount of unnecessary stents represents possible medical malpractice issues for the hospital system. Cardiologists identified as having performed the medically unnecessary procedures have been let go from the hospital system's staff.

Generally, patients who normally receive coronary stents have arteries that are narrowed or block by fatty plaque. Coronary stents are placed in patients' arteries through a catheterization process, and the stents help support artery walls. Supported and more open artery walls help keep oxygen laden blood flowing to the heart. In February 2010, the CEO of Excela Health learned of possible problems with stent procedures there.

The following May a medical audit was conducted on performed procedures of the hospital system's cardiologists. A panel of seven cardiologists from across the United States reviewed cases of patients who had coronary stents placed. The panel reviewed the severity of patient blockage, responses to stress tests and symptoms. The panel's review led to the focus of two doctors.

Normally, the threshold of a patient needing a stent implant is an arterial blockage of 70 percent. The review panel looked at patients whose blockage was 50 percent or less in order to determine whether their overall case merited a stent implant. It is through this process that the panel identified 141 patients with 149 medically unnecessary implants. All patients who were identified were notified and are being offered free medical assistance.

Source: Pittsburg Post-Gazette, "Audit finds medically unnecessary stents placed," Jill Daly, 3/4/11

Tags: Pennsylvania, coronary stents, medical malpractice, medically unnecessary

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Care bundles shown to decrease birth injuries and death

2011-04-19T19:42:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Birth Injuries

28March
2011

Care bundles or best practices to emergency birth situations have recently proven to decrease birth injury and death according to recent medical information. This is good news for expecting families. Every year the majority of medical malpractice claims are filed for obstetric care and almost 91 percent of obstetricians and gynecologists have had a claim filed against them according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Studies have shown that there are five major issues that cause problems during delivery. The first is failure to initiate a timely Cesarean section. The second issue is the failure to recognize a baby in distress. The third issue is the failure to properly resuscitate a baby. The fourth is an inappropriate use of labor-inducing drugs, and the final major issue is the misuse of vacuums and forceps. Often, injuries occur when delivery teams do not act fast enough in handling an unexpected emergency.

The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded grants to hospitals in order to improve obstetrics safety. Among the developments is care bundles, which are a series of protocols produced out of best practices that work better than one individual action. For example, during vacuum-assisted birth, babies can suffer scalp lacerations and hemorrhages. A safety feature of the vacuum is its suction cup will pop off if the angle is inappropriate or if there is too much traction. However, there is no clear rule when the suction has come off too many times or when the procedure should be discontinued.

In the care bundle for the procedure physicians and nurses share a series of steps. They discuss the risk, benefits and alternatives of the procedure with the patient. The conversation is documented and the patient is reviewed to determine the success of the procedure. The best practice also specifies the number of times the suction cup may pop off and the length of time the procedure should be attempted. It also provides a backup plan.

Care bundles have improved birth injuries and birth death rates by 50 percent at Ascension Health, the St. Louis based hospital system that started its obstetrics-safety program in 2003.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Delivering results," Laura Landro, 3/28/11

Tags: best practices, birth injuries, care bundles, emergency birth, obstetrics

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Debate whether smartphone apps will contribute to number of car accidents

2011-04-19T19:27:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Truck and Car Accidents

30March
2011

Some drivers are using the technology of their smartphones to gain information about the road or gain information on how to evade the police. The answer probably depends on what type of driver you speak with. The technology some drivers are using are smartphone and GPS applications that provide information on benign topics like speed limits and school zones. The applications also provide information on controversial topics like DUI checkpoints and speed and red-light cameras. Some police believe the use of the apps for controversial purposes will eventually cause more car accidents.

Some of the names of applications used by drivers are Fuzz Alert, Trapster and Cobra's iRadar. One of the most popular smartphone and GPS applications is called PhantomAlert. Like its cousins, the application provides drivers information on speed limits, school zones, red-light cameras and DUI checkpoints. Some police believe the only reason a person would use the DUI checkpoint aspect of the application is to drink and drive and avoid police. The same officers believe those type of users only think about one consequence of drinking and driving and not about the consequence of causing a deadly car accident.

Other police officers have another perspective -- at least on the non-DUI features. One police officer from Virginia Beach has actually helped GPS companies verify red-light camera information. The officer believes the applications make drivers more aware, and that if using the technology helps them comply with the law, then the technology is beneficial. One retired firefighter from Newport News, Virginia uses the PhantomAlert app to stay alert on roads he travels every day. He believes people are less aware when they travel familiar roads and the app helps him stay on top of his driving game.

Source: USA Today, "High-tech apps help drivers evade police," Larry Copeland, 3/21/11

Tags: DUI checkpoints, GPS apps, car accident, drinking and driving, smartphone apps

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Senators get into the mix with smartphone DUI app controversy

2011-04-19T19:12:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Truck and Car Accidents

05April
2011

Last week we wrote about how members of the law enforcement community are divided over the benefit of smartphone apps that inform drivers on the location of school zones, speed limits, red-light cameras and DUI checkpoints. Some members of the law enforcement community believe the smartphone applications will cause more car accidents by inhibiting law enforcement efforts, and other members of the law enforcement community believe the additional information can help drivers abide by highway laws.

Four United States Senators have also decided to weigh-in on the issue as well. The four Senators, Harry Reid, Charles E. Schumer, Tom Udall and Frank Lautenberg wrote to the leaders of Apple, Google and Research in Motion and asked for the removal of any apps that contain DUI checkpoint information. The letter the four Senators sent did not specifically identify one single application but rather provided a general description. The Senators described an app where users contributed to the DUI checkpoint database and had a subscription of around 10 million users.

Each of the technology companies has their own guidelines regarding the creation and functionality of smartphone applications. Generally, each of the companies has a policy that bans apps that promote illegal activity. Despite the similar guidelines, the three companies had unique responses. Apple did not immediately respond to the Senators' request. Google said it would remove any application that did not conform to its policy but did not identify any applications that were not compliant. Research in Motion was the only company that promised to remove applications from its app store.

Source: CNET, "RIMS says it will pull drunken-driving apps," Josh Lowensohn, 3/23/11

Tags: DUI checkpoints, car accidents, drinking and driving, smartphone apps

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First patient to go through stem cell therapy for spinal injury talks about experience

2011-04-19T18:57:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Spinal Cord Injury

07April
2011

Six months ago the first person to receive human embryonic stem cells for a severe spinal injury completed the procedure. The patient was infused with a drug made from embryonic stem cells and received the treatment in his partially paralyzed spine. Since the time of the procedure the identity of the patient has remained secret. Recently, the patient who received the treatment identified himself.

The patient is a 21-year-old nursing student from Alabama. In a telephone interview with the Washington Post he said he was the first patient and that he was, "doing well." Before the young man's accident occurred, he was a student at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing. On September 25, 2010 the 21-year-old crashed his car and suffered a spinal cord injury that left him partially paralyzed.

The young man first received emergency medical care at a regional hospital but was then transferred to Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The Shepherd Center specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of spinal cord injuries, and it is there the young man agreed to the novel procedure. The young man was injected with more than 2 million cells created from stem cells in his spine. The experiment was the first attempt to study an embryonic stem cell therapy.

The main purpose of the first trial of the procedure is to measure safety, but there is an obvious interest in whether the procedure will restore sensation and movement. The young man has had three follow-up tests and is scheduled for another two tests this year. The 21-year-old said it was too premature to talk about whether the procedure has helped. He plans to continue his nursing studies in August.

Source: The Washington Post, "First patient to get stem cell therapy comes forward," Rob Stein, 4/7/11

Tags: car crash, partially paralyzed, rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, stem cell therapy

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Fatal car accidents increased in Pennsylvania last year

2011-04-19T18:42:00.000+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Truck and Car Accidents

11April
2011

According to the AAA Mid-Atlantic, the state of Pennsylvania has not kept up with the rest of the nation and at least one neighbor state in reducing the number of annual car accident fatalities. Across the United States traffic fatalities during 2010 decreased around three percent and the fatal car accident rate in Delaware decreased by an astonishing 10 percent. The fatal car accident rate in Pennsylvania in 2010 increased by almost 5.5 percent, which is the first increase after a period of declining rates.

United States Transportation Secretary celebrated the national statistics where the number of fatal car accidents in 2010 was the lowest number since 1949; a time when millions less traveled the roads. The number of fatalities from car accidents in the United States in 2010 was 32,788, which was down from 33,808 in 2009. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, highway deaths in Pennsylvania increased by 68 to 1,324 in 2010.

Highway safety advocates have urged Pennsylvania to toughen its driving laws. Groups like AAA Mid-Atlantic would like legislators in Harrisburg to bolster measures against distracted driving, non-use of seat belts and teenage driving laws. One proposed bill on teenage driving would increase the number of training hours behind the wheel from 50 to 65 hours. Of those hours 10 would have to be at night and five would be during inclement weather. Teenage drivers ages 16 and one half to 18 would be limited to one passenger excluding family members.

The bill would also expand the enforcement of seat belts. Drivers who allow passengers under the age of 18 to not wear seat belts could be automatically pulled over. Finally, safety advocates would like Pennsylvania to adopt an anti-texting while driving law.

Source: The Time Herald, "AAA: Pennsylvania slipped into reverse for reducing highway fatalities last year," 4/10/11

Tags: Pennsylvania, car accident, fatal car accident, teenage drivers, traffic fatalities

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Three common mistakes cause most teenage car accidents

2011-04-19T18:27:00.001+08:00

On behalf of Raizman Frischman & Matzus, P.C. posted in Truck and Car Accidents

14April
2011

During our last post we talked about the general decline in fatal car accidents across the United States and the conflicting increase in the number of fatal car accidents that occurred in Pennsylvania over the last year. We also talked about proposed laws on teenage driving and in this post we will talk about three common factors that cause teenage car accidents. In addition, the main thesis of the study is that the majority of teenage car accidents are not caused by reckless driving or by alcohol but by inexperience.

According to one of the authors of the study who is the director of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Center for Injury Research Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia teenage car crashes do not occur because teenagers are behaving badly but because teenage drivers have not developed the required skill set. The study examined around 800 serious teenage car accidents from around the United States and found that 76 percent of the crashes were caused by a critical teen driving error. A critical driving error is an error committed immediately before a crash.

The study found three errors common to teenage car accidents. Those three errors are: being distracted by someone or something inside or outside of the vehicle; traveling too fast for road conditions not just driving over the speed limit; and not properly observing the circumstances on the road or "scanning." An example of insufficient scanning would be a teenage driver not checking for on-coming traffic while completing a left-hand turn from an intersection.

The authors of the study the Center for Injury Research and State Farm Insurance also make three recommendations to parents on how they can better teach their teenage drivers. Parents should teach teen drivers to observe the entire field of the road and to be aware of conditions to the left and right. Teenagers should also learn how to control their speed in a variety of conditions including traffic and weather. Finally, parents should help teens reduce distractions such as electronic distractions and the reduction of rowdy passenger behavior.

Source: health.usnews.com, "Driver errors explain most teen crashes, experts say," Kathleen Doheny, 4/12/11

Tags: Pennsylvania, car crashes, inexperience, reckless driving, teen car accidents

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