Cincinnati Car Accident Law Blog

Most Cincinnati area residents understand the importance of safe driving. Safe driving means that a driver is not engaged in dangerous behaviors, such as speeding, texting, or drinking. Despite knowing that drinking can lead to serious drunk driving accidents, some area residents still engage in it.

It is estimated that every 7.8 hours a person is killed on an Ohio road. Many of these accidents are preventable, as one third were caused by alcohol. Alcohol has dangerous effects on a person's body and impairs their reaction time and coordination, harms their vision, and inhibits their judgment and concentration. A person who is driving while impaired can easily cause an accident by veering into another lane, driving the wrong way on a road, hitting a bicyclist, motorcyclist or pedestrian, or many other situations.

This time of year, extra trucks are on the road to deal with the ice and snow the Cincinnati area receives. There are plows, salt trucks, and private plows along with the usual semi-trucks that are common. Drivers have a lot of obstacles to deal with when they're out on our roadways and sometimes these obstacles can cause serious truck accidents.

A recent accident near Centerville involved a car and salt truck. The salt truck was attempting to make a u-turn in the emergency lanes on I-675 when it cut off the car. The car hit the back of the salt truck. Both the driver of the salt truck and the car were taken to local hospitals with injuries. The accident is still under investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol.

When the weather cooperates in the area, many residents enjoy taking to the roads on their motorcycle. A motorcycle is a great way to see the city and surrounding suburbs and countryside in an adventurous way. Many motorcyclists are able to safely share the road with other vehicles, but occasionally a serious accident occurs because of a negligent driver.

A Cincinnati man is facing new charges in an accident that killed a motorcyclist this past October in West Chester Township. The defendant was allegedly driving while impaired southbound on I-75 and was speeding when he struck the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene due to multiple traumatic injuries. The driver has now been indicted for operating a vehicle under the influence and aggravated vehicular homicide.

Driving around the Cincinnati area is usually a safe endeavor. Unfortunately, many families are still affected by an unexpected car accident each year. Many of these accidents are caused by preventable factors, including distracted driving and drinking and driving.

Car accidents that involve drinking and driving will now be receiving a more thorough investigation. There is a group of state agents who can trace back the negligent driver to where they were drinking and who was serving them. These investigators can be called in when there is a serious or fatal accident involving alcohol. Over the last year, the use of these investigators has increased over 76%. The investigators search for where the negligent driver received his alcohol and whether the establishment should have served him and hold the bar owners and bartenders responsible. If the investigators determined that a bartender or bar served a customer too much alcohol or if the patron was under age, they could face criminal charges, fines and liquor-license suspensions. One example of this program is a West Chester man who was charged with six counts of serving alcohol to a minor. These minors left the restaurant and were involved in a car accident with injuries. The restaurant in Clifton that he worked for was also charged and paid a $15,000 fine.