Eastern Shore Crash Leave One Dead, Two Injured
In late August, Sharon Paul was driving on Fleming Road with two passengers when she accidentally drove off the roadway. She overcorrected, and the vehicle crossed the centerline of the highway, where a truck traveling the other direction struck the rear passenger door. According to the Daily Press, Thanmayee Yerkala, of Castle Rock, was in the rear seat of Paul’s car at the time of the accident.
Paul and her other passenger were airlifted to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Maryland. Yerkala wasn’t so lucky. She wasn’t wearing a seat belt, and was ejected from the vehicle during the accident. She died at the scene.
Seat belts save lives
The sad fact is that Yerkala’s death was preventable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Adult seat belt use is the most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes. Yet millions of adults do not wear their seat belts on every trip.” The CDC reports that the following groups are the least likely to buckle up:
- “Of the teens (aged 13-20 years) that died in crashes in 2012, approximately 55% of them were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
- Adults age 18-34 are less likely to wear seat belts than adults age 35 or older.
- Men are 10% less likely to wear seat belts than women.
- Adults who live in rural areas are 10% less likely to wear seat belts (78% use) than adults who live in urban and suburban areas (87% use).
- Seat belt use is lower in states with secondary enforcement seat belt laws or no seat belt laws (80%) compared to states with primary enforcement laws (89%).
- Rear-seat motor vehicle passengers are less likely than front-seat passengers to wear a seat belt, making them more likely to injure themselves and other passengers in a crash.”
As a driver, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of the passengers in your vehicle. Whether they are friends or family, your insistence on proper safety procedures can save someone’s life. Seat belts have proven the most effective form of reducing the risk of injury or death in an accident by numerous independent studies; it costs nothing to do, and could save the lives of you and your loved ones.
Regardless of safety precautions, accidents can and do happen all the time. Even with proper safety practices, you can still be severely injured in a high-speed collision. If you or someone you know has suffered an injury in an accident, our attorneys can help get you the compensation you deserve. Our offices are conveniently located in Newark, Seaford and Wilmington; contact us today for a free consultation with a skilled Delaware auto accident lawyer.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.