Automobile Accidents

• High Incidence of Teen Car Crashes May Lead to Better Precautions

  Steve Lombardi | August 05, 2007 12:01 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reports that the risk of vehicle crashes is higher among 16-19 year olds than any other group. Teens in this age group are four times more likely to crash than older drivers. With all the new technology today, teen are distracted by iPods, talking on the phone, and text messaging while driving. Perhaps the answer is to find ways to better prepare...

• Iowa Centenarians Continue to Drive

  Steve Lombardi | August 04, 2007 12:01 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Of the 2.15 million licensed driver's in Iowa, citizens 100 years and older make up only a tiny percent. There are currently 35 licensed drivers in Iowa who are 100 years or older. Scott Falb, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, says that drivers 80 years and older have more accidents per licensed driver than younger drivers.Statistics show elderly drivers are as risky or riskier...

• Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Results In Several Deaths - Tort Reform Needed?

  Steve Lombardi | August 02, 2007 9:59 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  A bridge along the main north-south highway through Minneapolis, Interstate 35W, collapsed on Wednesday, August 1. At about 6:00pm, the bridge began to buckle and sway before it fell into the river below. Officials say there were about 50 vehicles on the eight-lane bridge when it fell, killing at least 4 people instantly. Rescue workers are waiting to help this morning until officials decide...

• Severe Accident Kills Two Children on I-80

  Steve Lombardi | July 23, 2007 12:01 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  On Sunday, July 15 in the early afternoon, a Ford Explorer flipped four or five times on Interstate 80 before it flew over the median and landed in a ditch. The car was heading westbound on I-80 near Newton when the driver lost control. The severe accident caused the death of two children.The two victims pronounced dead at the scene were 13-year old Andrea Bockenstedt and 10-year old Aaron...

• Iowa Ranks Third in the Nation for Young Driver Fatalities

  Steve Lombardi | July 22, 2007 12:21 AM | 1 CommentDes Moines, IA

  A recent study shows that Iowa was ranked third in the nation for having the highest rate of deaths among young drivers. 19.56% of fatal accidents in Iowa involved drivers ages 16-20 in 2005. Maine and Delaware are the only two states with higher fatality rates. Nationally in 2005, the percentage of fatalities among young drivers is 16.52%, down from 20.02% in 2004.Since 1999, when state...

• Vehicle Crash Ratings Available Online

  Steve Lombardi | July 21, 2007 12:30 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Protect yourself and your right to recieve fair compensation.Car accidents cause a significant number of deaths each year. And although car-related fatalities have been decreasing in the last decade, it may not be due to safer driving. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the reason behind the decrease in car-related fatalities is improvements in vehicle safety...

• Pedestrian Severely Injured After Being Hit by a Des Moines Bus

  Steve Lombardi | July 19, 2007 4:00 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  George Mogensen was walking along East Grand on Tuesday, July 17 when he crossed the street and was hit by a Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority bus. The driver of the bus, Gary Cozad of Indianola, was taken in for testing after the accident. There was no evidence of alcohol in Cozad's body and the results of a drug test have yet to be released. Charges have not been filed against...

• Two Accidents on I-29 Lead to Four Injuries

  Steve Lombardi | July 15, 2007 6:00 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Two accidents occurred within a half hour of each other north of Sloan on Highway I-29. The first accident involved a motorcycle traveling northbound with a small trailer that lost control and crashed into the center median. The two riders were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City to be treated for broken bones and other injuries. While officials were investigating this accident, the...

• Young Girl Severely Injured After Being Thrown From Truck

  Steve Lombardi | June 25, 2007 3:11 PM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  On Thursday, May 31, a seven-year old girl was thrown through the windshield of a pick-up truck on Interstate-35 near Norwalk. The vehicle was reported as swerving and hitting the side guard-rail before spinning out of control and hitting the opposite side guard-rail. The girl was then thrown from the truck, landing near a cement rail.The girl was taken by helicopter to a Des Moines hospital...

• Car-Tractor Accident Leads to Death of Akron Teen

  LLFClerk LLFClerk | June 20, 2007 9:27 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Tyler Edward Dawdy, an 18-year old from Akron, Iowa, was killed Saturday, May 19 in a collision with a tractor. Dawdy was headed westbound on county road C-38 when his car collided with a tractor driven by 83-year old Gerald Deiterman.Deiterman was headed eastbound, trying to make a left-hand turn when the tractor loader arms struck the left side of Dawdy's car. Dawdy was immediately taken to...