Ejection car crashes are among the most dangerous kind of wrecks. Often when a driver or a passenger is thrown through a windshield they lose their life or suffer critical injuries. A man died in a wreck that closed all lanes of I-85 for nearly two hours in March in DeKalb County, police said.
A news story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in early March made for depressingly familiar reading.
A man was killed in the crash that closed I-85 for hours. The AJC reported Shamell Maleek J. Rushmore was ejected from a 2001 Acura Integra during a crash involving a 2016 Jeep Patriot near the Pleasantdale Road exit. The report noted Rushmore’s passenger, Antonio Mahnke, was also ejected from the car, suffering serious injuries.
Belt up – ejection car crashes have a greater death rate
Belt up – Police said the driver of the Acura either stalled in the road or spun out in the HOV lane.
The driver of a Jeep and a passenger were reported to be in a serious, but stable condition after the wreck, police said.
The report noted no charges were filed pending a toxicology report. As police cleaned up the accident scene and tried to get the victims into an ambulance, a second crash occurred, Channel 2 Action News reported. Police suggested that wreck was likely caused by distracted drivers watching the aftermath of the initial crash.
Ejection car crashes are some of the most serious types of wreck in Georgia and elsewhere.
A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggested occupants who are not ejected from a vehicle are considerably more likely to survive the impact. This is common knowledge and one of the reasons why safety belts are mandatory in Georgia and elsewhere.
Studies have put the increased risk of death as a result of ejection at anything from 2.5 times more to 25 times higher.
Ejections are often associated with rollover crashes which have some of the highest rates of fatal injury.
You should always wear a safety belt when riding in a car or a truck. Statistics show drivers and passengers who buckle up are more likely to survive a wreck.
We are sometimes asked if the failure to wear a safety belt will impact a personal injury claim in Georgia. Not wearing a seat belt will not bar you from making a claim. However, lawyers for the other driver’s insurance company may argue you contributed to your injuries and seek to reduce the amount of money you are entitled to.
If you were hurt in an auto accident, please contact the Law Office of Michael West today.