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2023 Personal Injury

Georgia Football Player Jalen Carter Charged With Reckless Driving in Fatal Crash

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department revealed on March 1 that Jalen Carter, defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, had been charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a fatal crash in January that killed a fellow player and a recruiting staff member. The crash occurred several hours after a parade celebrating the Bulldogs’ second straight national championship. According to police, Carter had been racing his Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Ford Expedition driven by recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy. Both vehicles were traveling well in excess of the speed limit and darting into oncoming traffic before the crash. The Expedition left the road traveling at about 100 miles per hour when it crashed into a utility pole, killing LeCroy and passenger Devin Willock, a redshirt sophomore for the Bulldogs. 

The accident vividly illustrates the dangers of speeding; if you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in which speeding was an issue, a Tifton car accident attorney can help you recover. 

How Speeding Causes Car Accidents 

Speed limits exist for a reason; they indicate the maximum speed at which a vehicle can safely drive on a particular roadway. While minor speeding here and there (e.g., five miles per hour over the limit) is not unusual, excessive speeding can amount to reckless driving and pose serious risks to nearby drivers. Speeding such as this tends to cause car accidents and may result in more serious injuries

Shorter Reaction Time

The typical time it takes to respond to a threat (e.g., a deer in the road or a child running into the street) is about ¾ of a second. It then takes the average driver another ¾ of a second to decide to act and hit the brakes, resulting in total reaction time of 1.5 seconds. Speeding vehicles are capable of traveling significantly longer distances in that 1.5 seconds, by which time it may be too late to react. 

Increased Stopping Distance 

Similarly, speeding vehicles take longer to stop than vehicles driving at safe speeds. At 55 miles per hour, it takes the average vehicle on dry pavement about 265 feet to come to a complete stop. At 30 miles per hour, it takes roughly half that distance. Thus, speeding vehicles are more likely to strike obstacles than vehicles driving at lower speeds. 

Increased Crash Energy 

Speeding often leads to more severe injuries in crashes due to the exponential ncrease in energy that must be dissipated when the vehicle comes to a stop. For example, when the impact speed increases from 40 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour (a 50% increase), the energy released increases by 125%. 

Failure of Safety Mechanisms 

Driver safety mechanisms, including everything from guard rails, median dividers, airbags, crumple zones, and concrete barriers, among many others, are designed to withstand a certain amount of force before the amount of protection they provide decreases. Speeding thus reduces the ability of such safety mechanisms to perform the way they should, thereby resulting in greater injuries to drivers. 

Seek Compensation for Your Injuries With Help from a Tifton Car Accident Attorney 

If you have suffered an injury in a speeding-related car crash, you may be legally entitled to compensation. For more information, please contact a Tifton car accident attorney at the Hudson Injury Firm by calling 229-396-5848 or using our online form