On July 28, 2012, an ambulance collided with a minivan in Hurricane, Utah, leaving an 8 year old girl from Switzerland in critical condition. The other individuals sustained injuries as well, but none quite as critical as the girl.

The ambulance was carrying 7 people, including a stroke victim and his wife. The minivan was a rental from California carrying 4 people, a family from Switzerland. As the minivan was making a left turn eastbound at a green light, the ambulance was crashed into them going westbound through the intersection.

Serena, the 8 year old girl, was transported to Dixie Regional where she was then transported by Life Flight helicopter University Medical Center in Vegas. Joyce Kuzmanic of St.GeorgeUtah.com says that “the hospital reports Serena remains in critical condition, she is not breathing on her own, has a fractured leg as well as head injuries, her blood pressure and heartbeat are strong; there is no additional prognosis at this time.” The ambulance driver was issued a citation for running a red light.

We want to let all of those effected by this injury that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Professional Car Accident Attorneys in St. George, Utah

With years of experience as accident attorneys in St. George, attorneys at Dixon, Truman, Fisher & Clifford have seen so many accidents that should not have occurred, especially in the past few years. Distractions have almost become a permanent companion while driving. We wanted to give you a perspective on just how many people have been effected by automobile accidents.

Motor Vehicle Accidents | Number and Deaths

In 2009, there were 10.8 million motor vehicle accidents throughout the United States. There were 35,808 motor vehicle deaths. Those numbers are staggering. We’re waiting to see the 2010 and 2011 statistics. Even though state after state is banning the use of hand-held devices while driving, more and more people are getting in accidents and even dying because they neglect those laws.

In Utah alone, there were 244 fatalities from car accidents in 2009.

Distracted Driver Accidents

Distracted driving is an enormous problem today. Whether somebody is on their phone or playing with the radio, driving while distracted can be fatal.

In 2009, there were 448,000 estimated crashes that were caused by distracted driving. 5,474 people were killed from those crashes. That is 4,898 people that could still be alive today if someone wasn’t texting, eating, playing with there radio, or performing any other distracting activity while driving an automobile.

20% of injury-related automobile crashes involved reports of distracted driving in 2009. That needs to stop. As St. George car accident attorneys, we’re are aware of what goes on in peoples’ minds behind the wheel. It is very easy to get distracted. But these statistics open our eyes to just how important it is to focus when we’re driving. Our negligence can end someone’s life in an instant.

The statistics above were taken from the United States Census Bureau and Distraction.gov.