According to the Lakeland Ledger, 43-year-old, Andrew T. Nguyen was killed Tuesday morning October 20, 2009, when he ran into the back of a dump truck that was stopped on U.S. 98 North and Clubhouse Road in Lakeland, FL.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that Nguyen was driving Northbound on U.S. 98 in Lakeland, FL, in his 1997 Lexus sedan at 5:13 a.m. He ran into the rear end of a 2001 Mack dump truck that was stopped in the outside lane at the intersection. Nguyen died at the accident scene.
He was not wearing a seat belt, the report said. The driver of the truck, Mario L. Besu Perera, of Tampa FL, was not injured, the report said.
Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. Sixity three percent of people killed in car accidents were not wearing seat belts. Seat belt use is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways, as stated on the Center for Disease Control website(CDC).
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,(CDC) In the United States, motor vehicle-related injuries are the leading cause of death for people ages 1-34, and nearly 5 million people sustain injuries that require an emergency department visit. The economic impact is also notable: motor vehicle crashes cost around $230 billion in 2000.
CDC's research and prevention efforts target this serious public health problem. They also concetrate on helping groups at risk such as child passengers, teen drivers, and older adult drivers. CDC also works to prevent pedestrian and bicycle injuries.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), age related decreases in vision, cognitive functions, and physical impairments may also affect some older adults' driving ability. Across all age groups, rates for motor vehicle-related fatalities are higher for men than for women. Finally, older drivers are more likely than younger drivers to die from injuries they sustain in a motor vehicle crash.
Research has shown time and time again that seatbelts save lives. In my practice as a Polk County, FL lawyer, specializing in personal injury law, I am amazed at the astounding number of traffic fatalities occurring each year in Polk County, FL due to the lack of seatbelts or infant car seats. From a legal perspective, it should be noted that failure to wear a seatbelt is an available defense in Florida. The plaintiff's recovery can be reduced or even depleted for failure to wear a seatbelt.
