Daniel Wayne Blair Killed in Benton, AR, Accident
Saline County, AR -- January 6, 2017, Daniel Wayne Blair was killed following an accident where his vehicle lost control and crashed.
According to a report released by the Arkansas State Police, the accident occurred around 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of I-30 and Alcoa Road.
Their preliminary accident report indicates that 49-year-old Blair was driving a 1999 Ford westbound on the interstate. The report indicates that the vehicle went over an ice patch and lost control. As it spun out, the Ford crashed into a concrete barrier and overturned. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the middle of the road.
The report indicates that Blair was taken to Saline Memorial Hospital for treatment of critical injuries. He eventually died there.
Authorities did not release any additional information regarding this accident. Their investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
Every winter, there's just so many of these kinds of accidents. The roads can become dangerous during icy conditions, and some drivers end up paying the ultimate price as a result. One thing that not a lot of people consider when looking at these accidents is how safety features factor in. Some details may be obvious--tire condition, seatbelts, airbags, etc.--but there are many ways in which a vehicle can contribute to its own driver's harm.
Our firm has represented several accidents over the years where a lack of or under-performing safety features exacerbated the injuries of the driver and passengers. For instance, there was an accidents where a vehicle overturned off the side of a highway and went down a shallow ditch--maybe 5 or 6 feet. The speed of the vehicle at the time wasn't very fast, yet the vehicle suffered severe damage to its roof, causing it to cave in. Despite the driver having their seatbelt on, they suffered critical head trauma from hitting the roof and later died.
There was also the issue not long ago where certain models of GM vehicles experienced mechanical failures mid-drive. The ignition switches were faulty, and sometimes the engine would turn off even though the car was still in drive. This resulted in drivers losing control of their vehicles, braking systems, and even airbags. This led to the deaths of around 100 people.
The motor vehicle industry has a well-documented history of having safety features that either don't meet industry standards or fail when drivers need them the most. These sorts of occurrences aren't entirely common, however, so it's not often that they come up in police reports unless they're obvious. Usually these sorts of things come up when victims and their families have an independent investigation conducted by an industry professional. That way all factors are considered, not just the obvious or common factors.
Whether or not this is the case in any given accident depends on how thoroughly evidence is examined. Like I said, poor safety features and mechanical failures aren't that common. They're just one of many factors that can contribute to injury or death of people involved in accidents. That being said, a factor shouldn't have to be common to be considered. Even unlikely scenarios deserve consideration when investigating an accident. If this means going beyond a police investigation through a 3rd party investigator, then so be it. When someone is hurt or killed in an accident, nothing less than the complete story will do.
--Grossman Law Offices
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