On Monday, June 2, 2008, a horrible collision occurred on U.S. 280 in Mountain Brook. According to the Birmingham News, a 20-year old Auburn University student, Heather Eagan, may have fallen asleep, crossed the median, and killed Mary Anne Blake, the wife of former Birmingham City Councilman, Dr. Jimmy Blake. Miss Eagan was apparently driving back to Auburn from Illinois.
This type of collision shows how dangerous driving can be and what can happen if you lose focus on the road. Falling asleep, using a cell phone, drinking and driving, and violating the rules of the road in general can lead to accidents, injuries, and death. As a result, our system of laws allows for compensation to the victims of these accidents. This type of system not only compensates those who were injured, but it also punishes those who kill others on our roadways (Alabama only allows punitive damages for wrongful death, and look for more information on that in future articles on our site).
We want this system to work so that people will obey the laws and driver carefully. If they don’t, there will be financial consequences and, possibly, criminal consequences. When you are on the roadways of Alabama, pay attention and be considerate of other drivers. Driving while drowsy risks other people’s lives. Driving while on a cell phone risks other people’s lives. Driving while intoxicated risks other people’s lives. Is it worth it? Obviously not. All of these things can wait until you are no longer in a moving vehicle.
Comments for this article are closed.