Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1950-03-14

Voters and citizens of Ohio
must take the initiative in seif-pro-
lection TO provide themselves
with a plan of auto accident COM
pensation for death and personal
injuries" Judge Robert S. Marx,
noted Cincinnati attorney, former
Superior Court judge has declar-.
ed in "a challenge to the people"
recommendation.
Our system of dealing with
the human wreckagc resulting
from highway accidents is an out
worn and archaic as the use of
a horse and buggy on our high
ways. archaeological changes and
modern science has displaced the
horse and buggy with motor Ve-
hicles of great weight and power,
travelling on our highways at a
speed which would have shocked
our ancestors, but we are still
using the legal procedure and the
pitjfully inadequate remedies of
our ancestors to deal with this
new hazard to life and limb.
To-day the only remedy avail
able to the victim of an auto ac-
cident or his dependent family is
the old-fashioned personal in
jury suit. Where the guilty mot
orist has no money or not enough
to pay the damages a law suit
is useless. In many other cases
the guilty party is immune to
suit Fifty per cent of the auto
mobiles in Ohio have no insurance.
The cars are usually mortgaged.
The number of uncollectible
judgements in our court are ap-
palling. Many cases are not
brought because it would be fut-
lie Even where the guilty party
is financially responsible a clever
lawyer can defeat the victim Of
the accident by a plea of contri-
butory negligence. In any event,
it takes two to three years to
process a law suit to judgement.
Then out of the recovery the
plaintiffs lawyer usually takes
40Gl to 509t of the money award
ed the victim as his fee.
Something must be done 10
moderniZe the law and bring re-
lief to the victims of automobile
accidents in the same way that
We now bring financial compen-
sation to the victims of industrial
accidents Thirty years ago Ohio
adopted a modern Workmen's
Compensation Law which aboli-
shed the personal injury suit
and insured immediate compen-
sation, according to fixed sched-
ules, to all Workmen who were
injured in the course of their enl-
ployment This law has worked
welt No one today would go back
to the ante-dated plan Of making
an injured workman sue his en-
ployer for compensation. No one
today calls that plan socialistic.
(which one of these methods is
adopted is not importane. There
are several practicable plans. Ii
is important to do something now
to correct the archaic injustice Of
our treatment Of the disabled
victims of automobile accidents.
The burden of caring for the dis
abled and the dependents Of our
traffic fatalities should be placed
where it properly belongs on the
automobiles which cause the haz-
ard. This will take the burden
off of our hospitals and off the
taxpayer. It will bring immediate
relief to lives blightcd by an
automobile accident; 1t will do
more. 1t will cut down the number
of these accidents because it can
be made more expensive for the
careless and reckless motorist 10
drive. In addition, part Of the
premium can be set aside for ac-
cidcnt prevention.
I'VE now compel fleet owners,
public carriers and taxicabs 10
carry insurance. Workmen Who
are struck by automobiles or in
jured in a motor vehicle are now
compensated by Workmen's Com
pensation. There is no reason for