Atlanta Pedestrian Fatalities on the Rise

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Jason Schultz

While the overall number of automobile and car accidents in the metro Atlanta region declined by as much as 14% over the past ten years, the number of pedestrian accident fatalities actually increased. Those statistics concern this Atlanta Newnan Peachtree City Wrongful Death Lawyer.

The information comes from a report Dangerous by Design by Transportation for America. According to the report, the metro Atlanta region including Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta ranks as one of the top twenty most dangerous areas for pedestrians in the country. 

This area was ranked #11 with 798 pedestrian accident fatalities between 2000 and 2009.  The average number of annual pedestrian accident fatalities here was 71 in 2000, but spiked to 94 by 2004. In 2009, the average number of pedestrian fatalities had stabilized at 77, an increase over a decade. This increase was seen during a time of decline in overall traffic accident fatalities.

Some groups of pedestrians seem to be at much greater risk. Pedestrians over 65 are much more likely to be killed than younger people. The report also highlights the different safety concerns involving Hispanics and black communities, as well as people belonging to lower-income groups. The higher death rates among minority and lower income groups are generally thought to be related to the higher volume of pedestrian traffic in these groups.

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Warning - Crocs and Escalators Proven Again To Be A Dangerous Mix

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Jason Schultz

In yet another incident involving Crocs, escalators and the Atlanta airport, Lexi Pregliasco, a 3 year old on her way to Disney suffered significant injuries to her toes and foot while she was holding onto the rail on the escalator.  The escalator did not stop and it took 15 minutes to get the child's foot out of the escalator. EMTs took the child to the hospital, where doctors put pins in her foot and performed surgery to clean bones and remove contaminated skin.

Just last year, Chloe Johnson, a 10-year-old from Kansas City, had the exact thing happen to her at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport.  Apparently another incident had occurred just last week that did not receive any media attention.  Chloe's injury was fairly mild compared to the injuries in Atlanta yesterday, but many children suffer even more serious injuries.

Mrs. Pregliasco hopes her daughter's accident may serve as a warning for other families.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently reported that 77 escalator entrapment incidents have been reported since January 2006, 75 of which involved soft flexible shoes such as Crocs.    In Japan, where 3.9 million pairs of Crocs were sold last year, the Trade Ministry asked the Colorado-based maker of Crocs to change the design of its shoes after receiving 65 complaints of Crocs and Crocs knockoffs becoming stuck in escalators between June and November of 2007. Most of the cases involved young children.

The CPSC provides the following steps to protect yourself and your children on escalators:

  1. Make sure shoes are tied before getting on an escalator.
  2. Stand in the center of the step and be sure to step off of the escalator at the end of your ride.
  3. Always hold children's hands on escalators and do not permit children to sit or play on the steps.
  4. Do not bring children onto escalators in strollers, walkers, or carts.
  5. Always face forward and hold the handrail.
  6. Avoid the sides of steps where entrapment can occur.
  7. Learn where the emergency shutoff buttons are in case you need to stop the escalator.

This commenter would add No. 8 to this list.  Have your children wear something other than Crocs if you know they will be encountering an escalator.  It may just save them a great deal of pain, anguish, and disfigurement.

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