NHTSA Reports Approximately 16,626 Motor Vehicle Deaths from January – June 2009
According to statistical projections provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for January – June 2009, about 16,626 people died in US traffic crashes. This figure is a 7% decline compared to the first half of last year when there were 17,871 traffic deaths.
Meantime, the Federal Highway Administration is reporting that the number of vehicle miles traveled for this time period went down compared to last year by approximately 6.1 billion miles. The fatality rate for the first six months also went down from 1.23 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2008 to 1.15 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2009.
While any decline in the number of traffic deaths is always positive news, there are still many people who are dying or getting hurt in motor vehicle accidents.
At around 12:45 am on Monday, 22-year-old Claudia Gonzales sustained fatal injuries when driver Victor Manuel Pena lost control of the 1996 Mazda A3S they were riding. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say the car went off the road, struck a power pole and crosswalk signal, and rolled over a number of times.
Gonzales, who was partially thrown from the vehicle during the Charlotte car accident, was trapped under the vehicle. She was pronounced dead while at Carolinas Medical Center.
Pena, who was treated for his injuries at the same hospital, faces felony death by vehicle and driving while intoxicated charges. This would not be the 25-year-old motorist’s first drunk driving offense.
In a few weeks, Pena is scheduled to be tried for DWI over an incident in Union County, North Carolina.
Last month, 18-year-old Logan Stroud died in a Kannapolis car accident when another vehicle struck his Chevy S10 pickup truck on the driver’s side. His truck rolled down an embankment close to the intersection of Kannapolis Parkway and Highway 73. Police are dealing with conflicting reports over who had the green light.
Throughout South Carolina and North Carolina, our Charlotte car accident lawyers represent injury victims and their families.
Police: Witness drove away from fatal wreck, WCNC, September 25, 2009
DWI suspect faces similar charge in Union, Charlotte Observer, October 6, 2009
Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half of 2009, NHTSA, October 2009 (PDF)
Related Web Resources:
Federal Highway Administration
North Carolina Department of Transportation
