Man Dies in a single-vehicle accident on I-10

It occurred on I-10 near 7th avenue around 4 a.m.on Thursday the 13th. According to DPS the victim’s truck hit the crash barriers near the tunnel, causing the driver to be ejected from the truck. Shortly after the victim was ejected a passing vehicle struck the victim. We do not know what injuries caused the victim’s death and if those injuries occurred before the victim was struck by the vehicle or after.

The victim in this incident was not wearing a seatbelt. Had he been wearing a seatbelt, his chances for survival would have improved significantly. Indeed, statistics confirm that the safest place to be in any accident is in the vehicle. It goes without saying---but I guess that I have to keep saying it----that your chances of remaining in the vehicle are MUCH HIGHER if you wear your seatbelt!

Why do some people continue to strongly reject wearing a seatbelt? Honestly, I do not understand it. Maybe some people don’t understand that they can be ejected from their car even if it does not rollover. Maybe if people knew the kind of injuries they could sustain even when they are not ejected from their vehicle. I have a very good friend, who seems for the most part to have a good deal of common sense, regardless. However, every time we are in a vehicle together, I have to tell him to PUT ON HIS SEATBELT! Despite the law, despite the statistics, despite the common sense, he continues to believe that he is protected or infallible while simply in his vehicle. I don’t get it.

Maybe he thinks that, because he is not going to cause an accident, then he does not need to worry so much. However, did you know that when you are in a crash and not wearing a seatbelt, even where the other driver is at fault, that a judge or a jury can decline to award you monies for your medical bills and injuries that can be proven to have resulted from a lack of seatbelt use? The law in Arizona places a responsibility upon all vehicle occupants to use common sense when in the vehicle. Lack of seatbelt use may be deemed later a lack of common sense, and the judge/jury can simply find YOU at fault for your own injuries, despite the fact that you did nothing to cause the accident.

Drive safely, wear a seatbelt and ask everyone in your vehicle to do so as well!


**If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email Chris Zachar directly at Czachar@zacharlaw.com, or visit our website at http://www.ZacharLawFirm.com .