Aug 7, 2009 | 2 min read

Union County Crash Kills Driver in “Smart Car”

| Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

In a two vehicle crash in Union County, a Charlotte, North Carolina (N.C.) man died while he was driving his “smart car”. The car wreck occurred at the intersection of Beulah Church Road and Antioch Church Road around 9:45 a.m.

N.C. Highway Patrol has reported that Donald Dixon, 81, was traveling in his smart car south on Antioch Church Road and ran through a stop sign. Dixon was then struck by a minivan traveling east on Beulah Church Road. The gentleman died at the scene.

The driver of the mini-van, Linda Gay, 47, and her 13-year-old son suffered serious injuries. They were both transported to Carolinas Medical Center where their condition is yet to be determined.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJHpUO-S0i8

Driving a smart car might make good economical sense, but is it a smart decision to have one with regards to safety? The rub with a smart car is that the cage design creates its own dilemma. Even though you may not get crushed to bits when you slam into a larger vehicle such as a truck or SUV, you will still likely die.

Your death would not however be from getting crushed between your seat and the steering-wheel, but rather from your internal organs smashing into your skeleton. Since the smart car is designed not to crumple, the impact will eventually be absorbed by your body. Overall, a smart car is probably a safe choice for slower driving, but not something you want to slam into a wall (or another vehicle) with at high speeds.

Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), with an office also in Elizabeth City, in Northeast North Carolina (NC), practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our Carolina Injury Law website is: http://carolina.hsinjurylaw.com, the firm edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and also hosts a YouTube injury law video library covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.