If you are like most people in Ohio, you have passed your fair share of post-accident scenes on a local road or highway. Sights of crumpled vehicles or vehicle parts may be all that is left by the time you go by but the tragedy that was involved could be far worse than what those automotive pieces might make you think at first glance. The sad reality is that many people die in vehicle accidents that should not ever happen due to the negligent actions of others.
Records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that across the state of Ohio and in Hamilton County specifically, three consecutive years of an increase in vehicular fatalities was seen. In 2013, both the state and the county saw a drop in deaths over 2012 but then increases were recorded in 2014, 2015 and 2016. During that time, statewide deaths jumped from 989 to 1,132 and countywide deaths rose from 38 to 61.
The increases were seen across multiple types of accidents including those involving drunk drivers, speeding drivers, motorcyclists and pedestrians in both the state and the county. Hamilton County lost 259 people in traffic accidents between 2012 and 2016. Ninety-seven of those deaths involved alcohol and another 64 involved excessive speed. Forty-eight motorcyclists and 44 pedestrians died in that same five-year period.
If you would like to learn more about the steps you or your loved ones should take to protect yourself and seek compensation after a car accident happens, please feel free to visit the vehicular crash assistance page of our Ohio personal injury website.