Truman Shares Stats on Personal Injury

Bob Bramlage, SGR’s Sergeant-at-Arms was on duty greeting Rotarians and others visitors to the 3737th regular weekly meeting of St. George Rotary. Ray Robinson lead the SGR Choir in an enthusiastic rendition of "You’re A Grand Old Flag." Richard Isom invited members to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance and Gary Benson asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. Jack Petersen lead Horseplay while Richard Brown collected fines on behalf of the Guatemalan stove project.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jeff Morby read a letter of resignation from Lee Warren, citing age-related health problems as the basis for his decision. Ken Seefeld reported on Don Dunham’s health noting Don had been out to church and was still hopeful of being able to return to full activity in SGR.

Ron Haun, DSC’s head football coach, shared his enthusiasm for his players and his hope for a successful season. The spring season will be kicked off with a scrimmage on Saturday, April 11 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Haun announced his team will be made up of 11 local players and 26 recruited from around the country. "We are anxious to develop a viable booster club and support from the community through strong season ticket sales."

Ken Sizemore reminded members of SGR of the New Member Orientation on Thursday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m.

PROGRAM: Guest speaker Ron Truman spoke on the subject of personal injury law. According to the local attorney, there is a high probability of at least one member of SGR being seriously injured in an automobile accident in 2009. In 2006, St. George had 1772 personal injury accidents compared to 56,887 in the state of Utah - including 287 deaths. "No matter how careful you are, there is no way to plan for who’s in the vehicle behind us or beside us - including those talking on cell phones or impaired due to drugs or alcohol." The population most likely to be involved in a personal injury accident are those age 16-24. Road rage accounts for approximately 32% of accidents and speed is a factor in nearly every accident.

What should you do when you are involved in an accident? "Exchange information, call for police assistance, render injury assistance, take photos (even with a cell phone camera), and keep a personal journal chronicling how you feel from day-to-day during the recovery period. It is also important to review automobile insurance from time to time and consider adding "uninsured" or "underinsured coverage" to your policy.

A graduate of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU, Truman practiced law in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas - representing such major players as Motorola and Hughes Aircraft in personal injury cases - before returning to his St. George hometown in 1994 where he practices law and occasionally judges small claims cases.