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Thanksgiving Travel Leads to High Volume of Car Accidents

The car accident lawyers and motor vehicle accident lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman urge everyone on the road this Thanksgiving holiday to exercise caution when behind the wheel, obey the speed limit and make plans to have a designated driver when drinking alcohol.

AAA projects 50.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 3.3 percent increase over last year.

The 2017 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005 with 1.6 million more people taking to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways compared with last year. AAA and INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predict travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. during the holiday week could be as much as three times longer than the optimal trip.

While unfortunate, it’s not surprising that increased drivers on the road leads to more car accidents and injuries. In fact, there are publications that report death rates spike over the Thanksgiving holiday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is again warning drivers to stay safe on Thanksgiving. And for good reason — no holiday leads to more deadly accidents.

According to the most recent data available from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 764 crashes involving a fatality during Thanksgiving 2012 and nearly 50,000 non-fatal car accidents, too. (About 400 of them involved motorists.)

In comparison, there were 654 crashes involving a fatality during Christmas that year. The American Red Cross recently published safety and travel tips to help during the Thanksgiving holiday, including the following:

Make sure your car is in good condition for a road trip.
Pack an emergency preparedness kit and supplies in the trunk.
Share travel plans with a family member or friend.
Check the weather along your route and plan for travel around any storms that may be coming.
Be well rested and alert.
Buckle up, slow down, and don’t drive impaired.
Follow the rules of the road and use caution in work zones.
Give your full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.
Make frequent stops. During long trips, rotate drivers. If you’re too tired to drive, stop and get some rest.
If you have car trouble, pull of the road as far as possible.

The personal injury lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

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   Abigail Arnett 
 40 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I first reached out 2 months after a car accident where the other party involved did not have insurance. She presented expired insurance to which the police department did nothing about. I was not in the wrong, and I was taken by ambulance after due to injury. I was worried due to the other party not having insurance, and medical bills hitting an all time high. I reached out to Jack and was immediately welcomed and felt like I was being taken care of from the start. I stated my concerns and we reached a conclusion which then started my case. I was spoken to clearly and felt genuinely cared for. Despite all the other lawyers reaching out to me after my accident, I chose to go with Cowan and Hilgeman due to the firms sincerity as well as being taken care of from the very beginning. I am very thankful to everyone I worked/talked with over the past year, and I am grateful we were able to sort everything out. I cannot begin to thank Jack for taking care of me and checking in throughout the case.
  
 
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   Alisa and William Hurtle 
 53 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Jack Hilgeman and the team at Cowan & Hilgeman were great to work with after my car accident. Jack jumped on my case last minute, right when I was up against a deadline and had just gotten a pretty disappointing offer from the insurance company. From there he walked me through everything — the paperwork, negotiations, mediation, all the way to getting it settled — and always kept me in the loop on what was going on. When the insurance company tried to lowball part of my claim, Jack pushed back and fought to get me a fair result.
Dawn was also great to work with — she called regularly to keep me updated and on track, and she was really the face of the firm for me throughout the process. Everyone there was quick to respond and patient with all my questions. Really happy with how everything turned out — highly recommend Jack and his team.
  
 
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   Jennifer Born Rachek 
 193 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I reached out with some concerns about potential snow and ice injuries on our business property, and I’m so glad I did. My questions were answered clearly and thoroughly, which really put my mind at ease. I also appreciated how welcoming they were to any follow-up questions—it never felt like I was being a bother. I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out again for professional guidance in the future.
  
 
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   Angie Seraphinoff 
 196 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Jack Hilgeman was knowledgeable, responsive, and easy to communicate with throughout the process. He clearly cares about his clients and took the time to thoroughly answer all of my questions. I would highly recommend working with him!
  
 
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   Barbara Garcia 
 197 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great communication and explanation to my questions. Appreciate the details and hearing directly from Mr.Hilgerman on the voice memo. Thank you!
  
 
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   Jess R 
 200 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great advice, very helpful in all of my needs! Highly recommend!
  
 
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   lynn berry 
 201 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very satisfied and they worked hard for me and did an exercise job!
  
 
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   McCall Gorbach Foster 
 202 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Mr. Hilgeman provides clear and thoughtful insight, delivered with professionalism and warmth.
  
 
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   Robert Apfelbeck 
 203 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great lawyer response time very fast and very good at what he does jack hilgeman will be my next lawyer if i ever need another one thank you to cowen &hilgeman
  
 
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   B Lott 
 203 days ago
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I was looking for a lawyer and after so very rude and robotic law firms, I spoke with Jack about my case. He was very professional and personable and actually cared about my situation. I highly recommend his firm!