Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
A 23-year-old man who was struck by a Prescott, AZ police vehicle is seeking $100,000 in damages including $4,800 in medical bills, $2,800 in lost wages and $92,000 in pain and suffering costs. The victim suffered damage to his left knee and lower leg following the incident. The lawsuit claims the victim was forced to undergo extensive treatment for his injuries including 12 weeks of recuperation time. A police report stated the victim refused medical attention at the time of the collision. The report states the accident occurred as the officer was attempting to make a left turn at an intersection and was momentarily blinded by the glare of the sun.
An investigation was conducted by Prescott Police Department but the lawsuit claims this investigation had an immediate conflict of interest because the officer involved in the incident was also from the same police department. The investigating officer cited the victim for violating a pedestrian control sign but a Magistrate Judge dismissed the citation.
This incident demonstrates that civilians and police officers alike should be held to the same standard according to the law. There is always a chance for conflict of interest to interfere in an investigation, especially one regarding a police officer from the same department. However, if a second investigation shows that the police officer was responsible for the hit-and-run accident, he should be held accountable for his actions despite his position as a law enforcement officer. Nobody should ever be allowed to get away with things simply because of their employment position or their status in society. The victim in this case deserves to have some form of compensation for the pain and suffering he has gone through as a result of this incident.
Negligence is something that will always occur because people are not always consciously aware of their actions and they do not take into account the potential consequences of their actions beforehand. As a result, there is always going to be a case where a person takes some course of action that could be proven to be negligent and harmed another person. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of this sort of negligence, you should contact an attorney who can help you determine the legal action you can take against the perpetrator.
Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
Four people ages 19 and 20 were all seriously injured in an automobile accident in St. Claire, MO when the vehicle they were in went off the road and slammed into a tree after being airborne for a short time. The 19-year-old driver was given a citation for driving while intoxicated and authorities were conducting an investigation to determine if the accident was caused because of a driving stunt they were trying to pull off. The accident occurred when the 19-year-old driver lost control of the Volkswagen causing it to flip multiple times before landing on its roof.
The 19-year-old driver will be charged with assault and armed criminal action in connection with this accident. All four people injured in this accident are still hospitalized at this time as an investigation is underway.
Authorities are trying to determine if the four victims were trying to perform a hill jumping stunt when the driver lost control of the vehicle. If that is the case, the 19-year-old driver could be given more charges in connection with the accident for endangering all four of them in this type of stunt. Driving erratically or recklessly in this way is extremely dangerous and can easily injure somebody as this incident demonstrates. If the investigation finds that the 19-year-old driver was responsible for causing this accident, he should be held accountable for his actions and face the proper punishment according to the law.
Reckless driving could easily result in a fatality or serious injuries and the four victims in this incident were very lucky to have been able to walk away from this accident at all. Although they did suffer serious injuries, they could still recover fully from their injuries. Unfortunately, there are many accidents that occur that do not end the same way and the victims often suffer life-threatening injuries or fatality. This is especially true in incidents that result in the vehicle flipping over multiple times and/or ending up on its roof as in this incident. Now all four victims are still in the hospital as a result of a potentially serious reckless driving case.
The families of the victims could potentially sue the 19-year-old driver or the driver’s family if the investigation reveals that he was responsible for injuring the other victims in this accident because he was trying to pull off a hill jumping stunt as the authorities believe. Nobody should have to face injuries of any kind because of reckless driving and victims of these accidents should contact an attorney to hold the perpetrators of these accidents responsible for their actions.
Posted on January 24, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
The Ford Motor Company has recalled just over 128,000 of its Mercury Milan vehicles and its Ford Fusion vehicles because of concern over a defect in the vehicle that could cause the wheels to fall off of the vehicles while they are in motion. The NHTSA stated that the model years for some of the vehicles are 2010 and 2011 models. The defect affects the studs on the wheels which could fracture and cause the car to start shaking. If the driver chooses to ignore the shaking, the wheels could possibly fall off the car while it is moving.
The recall primarily affects the steel wheels and not the alloy wheels installed in the 2010 and 2011 cares built between April 2009 and December 2009 to November 2010. The problem in the wheel could be caused either by poor construction in the mounting pads or the disc brake system. There is no report of any injuries or fatalities linked to accidents potentially related to these faulty tires.
A majority of car recalls are often announced for faults in vehicles that do not pose an immediate threat to drivers on roadways. However, this recall is very different because there is a possibility for extremely serious accidents resulting from the defects in these Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles. The fact that the wheels could come off the vehicles while the car is in motion would place the driver in very serious danger, especially if the driver is moving at high speeds. Fortunately there have not been any reports of injuries despite at least 6 cases related to the wheels falling off of the vehicle.
In one case the front wheel fell off the car while the rear wheel fell off the vehicles in the other 5 cases associated with this defect. The recall will be taking effect beginning in January. It is important to note that the company has made the effort to announce the recall as opposed to attempting to hide it from consumers, which not only could have placed those consumers in serious danger but brought legal action against the company if any accidents had occurred. If that had been the case, the victims affected by this type of accident would be able to speak with an attorney to get compensation for their suffering and damages.
Posted on January 18, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 19-year-old woman. The 34-year-old man had his license suspended 10 times and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The charge is a felony charge. He was also charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, vehicle and traffic violations, and failure to exercise due care; all of which are misdemeanor charges.
The accident occurred when the 19-year-old woman was walking along the roadway and was struck by the 34-year-old driver’s Dodge Dakota vehicle. The teen was transported to a medical facility where she was later pronounced dead. Further charges could be given pending the results of a toxicology report.
Depending on what the toxicology report shows, the driver could be charged with further penalties pertaining to driving while intoxicated or under the influence of some substance. If that is the case, the penalties could be severe for the 34-year-old man. There are many hit-and-run accidents where one person does not stop to render some sort of aid to the victim; however, failing to stop and help the victim is considered a felony. Therefore, the driver should face the charges against him. The family of the 19-year-old woman that was killed deserves to have justice on their behalf and on behalf of their loved one.
Depending on the severity of the accident, New York law carries a penalty of $250 in fines and/or up to 15 days in jail following this type of accident. Taking this into consideration along with the other charges that the 34-year-old driver faces in this incident, he could be facing significant jail time or significant fines as a result of his negligence and failing to stop and help the 19-year-old victim.
If you or somebody you know has lost a loved one as a result of this type of accident, you can hire an attorney who can help you get compensation for your loss and the resulting pain and suffering that occur. Nobody should ever have to face this type of loss and although monetary compensation will not help them cope with their loss, they will still get justice for their loss.
Posted on January 18, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
A four-car pileup left one person dead and one seriously injured in Seminole County, Florida. The accident occurred when a 31-year-old woman failed to stop in time to prevent from hitting a Jeep in front of her. Authorities said the woman did not see that traffic had stopped in front of her but they are unsure what caused her to not see the traffic stopping. The vehicles both caught fire and the passenger of the Jeep was burned beyond recognition. These vehicles are currently the subject of a recall because they are susceptible to catching fire if they are struck from behind; a result of the location of the fuel tank on the vehicle. As a result of the fire, the roadway near the area where the accident occurred will need to be resurfaced.
The Jeep Company stated they had cooperated fully with the investigation launched by the NHTSA regarding the fuel system in the Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The vehicles affected are from 1993 to 2004 model years. The company said they had conducted their own tests on the affected vehicles and found that they do not pose a serious threat in rear-impact collisions in terms of the location of the fuel system. However, if the police investigation in this accident presents evidence that the vehicle caught fire as a result of the fuel system being damaged in the rear-impact accident, the company could be held liable for their negligence in ensuring that the affected vehicles were safe.
Automobile accidents due to defective vehicles are not very common in any situation, but this accident shows that there is still a possibility for them to occur and it is the company’s responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are completely safe and there is no risk to human life as a result of the defects. Although the company did their own testing, it still does not rule out the possibility that damage to the fuel system in this particular Jeep model was a direct cause of the death of the passenger in the Jeep vehicle following this accident.
If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of a defect in a vehicle that resulted in a serious accident, the company should be held liable for their negligence and an attorney can assist you in bringing justice against the company for failing to repair or adequately prevent the defects in their vehicles.
Posted on January 17, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
Four people were transported to a medical facility, two in serious condition and the other two in critical condition following a serious automobile accident in Edinburg, Texas. Emergency crews had to use the Jaws of Life in order to rescue the four people trapped inside one of the vehicles. The roof and all four doors had to be removed from the vehicle in order to rescue the victims. The accident originally occurred when a black Chevy truck was trying to pass a slow moving vehicle that was in the middle lane and the truck rear-ended a sedan as it crossed into the next lane of traffic.
An 11-month old baby was one of the victims in the accident who suffered a fractured leg and a fractured skull. The baby’s mother had to be placed in a medically induced coma after suffering severe head trauma. The driver of the sedan was released from the hospital and expected to make a full recovery. There is no word on the injuries the truck driver suffered in the accident.
Rear-end accidents are not always as serious as this incident was. In some cases, the back of the car takes the brunt of the impact and the passengers and driver in the vehicle only suffer minor injuries as a result. However, as this incident shows, there are always cases when the passengers in the vehicle suffer severe injuries, especially when the speed of the other vehicle involved in the wreck plays a part. The speed of the other vehicle directly affects the damage that results in any automobile accident. The fact that emergency crews needed to use the Jaws of Life to rescue the victims in this accident is a clear indication that the damage to the vehicle was extensive and it is possible speed was a factor.
One of the most unfortunate details of this accident is the fact that an 11-month-old baby was severely injured in the accident. Not only is the baby fighting for its life but the baby’s mother is also fighting for her life in a medically induced coma. If the driver of the truck is found to have contributed to this accident in any way, he could face serious penalties, especially if either the baby or the mother loses their life in this accident.
If you or somebody you know has been seriously injured in an accident like this one, and an investigation shows the other party involved contributed to the accident, you should contact an attorney who can help you get compensation for your injuries and the damages that occurred to your vehicle.
Posted on January 11, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
Four teenagers in New York lost their lives in a late evening automobile accident when an automobile struck two Asian exchange students while they were walking. Two others in the vehicle were killed as a result of the accident as well. The car ultimately caught fire after colliding with an embankment. Just before crashing into the embankment the vehicle struck the two teenagers walking along the side of the road. The accident is still under investigation by police to determine what the cause of the accident was. All four teenagers were 17 and 18 years of age. The two in the vehicle were both 17 years old.
This accident demonstrates how quickly something can either alter or take away a person’s life. In a split second, one single event can seriously affect a person’s life or the lives of their family, as in this incident. Police were unable to determine what caused the accident, but there are a number of things that could have led to the driver crashing into the embankment. It is very easy for a driver to lose control of their vehicle due to a sudden obstruction in the road or some other factor they do not foresee.
Unfortunately, many victims of automobile accidents tend to be teenagers for several reasons. Many teens do not have as much experience operating a vehicle as other drivers on the road, which can sometimes result in serious accidents. They may not be prepared for some of the dangers on the roadway and that could result in an accident such as this one. Pedestrians are often in more danger compared to other drivers on the road because, as this incident proves, a single collision with another vehicle could result in a fatality or extremely serious injury.
There are a number of things that drivers and pedestrians alike need to be on the lookout for, especially slightly inexperienced drivers such as teenagers. There are a number of ways that an accident can occur and it is not always possible to avoid it, as this accident shows. If you have been involved in an automobile accident that was the direct result of somebody else’s negligence or poor judgment, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages to your vehicle and an attorney can help you to get that compensation you deserve.
Posted on January 10, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
A school bus accident resulted in the death of 20 people following a head-on collision. The bus, which was carrying 64 passengers, had only 9 seats on it. A majority of the passengers were children ranging in age from 5 and 6 years old. The driver and four of the children died at the scene of the accident and the rest of the passengers were transported to a medical facility. Several people suffered serious injuries in the accident. Hospital officials did not comment on the status of the passengers following the wreck. Authorities said this was the fifth auto wreck involving a school bus with children inside.
Overloading vehicles is one of the most dangerous things to do and, as this incident demonstrates, it can result in extremely serious accidents. The worst part of this incident is the fact that the victims were all children that were 5 and 6 years of age. Overcrowding a passenger vehicle like a school bus or standard metro bus poses a very serious threat because there are more lives at stake in the event that an accident occurs. If drivers do not follow the traffic laws, this adds to the danger for the passengers in the bus because there is always a chance that the driver will operate the vehicle recklessly. The report states that there are over 100,000 deaths due to automobile accidents in China either because of people not following traffic laws, or because of overcrowding in vehicles as was the case in this accident. This accident is being labeled as the deadliest to occur in the area to date.
This sort of overcrowding in vehicles should bear some sort of penalty because of the sheer number of lives that are at stake in any situation, especially in severe head-on collisions like this. You should always take care not to enter a passenger vehicle like a bus if it is in danger of overcrowding because your life could be placed in very serious danger and you could easily be killed if there is an automobile accident involving the bus you are riding. However, if you are injured in an automobile accident of this nature, you should contact a lawyer who can help you get compensation for the bus operator’s negligence in allowing overcrowding on the bus, which would directly lead to serious injuries in the event of a wreck.
Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
A man in Fruit Heights, Utah was killed and his wife was critically injured in a car-pedestrian accident. The two had pulled over on the side of the road they were traveling on when another vehicle traveling behind them struck their vehicle as they exited. Authorities said the couple did not pull over completely on the side of the road and their vehicle was still partially in the lane at the time of the accident.
The driver of the vehicle that struck them told police he had limited visibility due to heavy snow and headlights from an approaching vehicle in the oncoming traffic lane. Both victims who were in their 20’s were pinned following the accident. The male victim died on the way to the hospital because weather conditions prevented a rescue helicopter from arriving on time to help him.
This incident is being called a complete accident and nobody was at fault for causing it. Unfortunately, there are many incidents like this one that are not a result of any wrongdoing from any party involved. However, there are many accidents that are a direct result of one or more drivers’ actions. In many cases, driver error plays a major impact on automobile accidents that result in very serious accidents like this one. Car-pedestrian accidents are among the most severe, especially when factors like bad weather conditions play a part. Icy or wet roads are extremely dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike because of the severity of the accidents that could occur. In wet or icy roads, the traction that most tires have will be insufficient to grab onto the road and prevent the automobile from skidding or colliding with other vehicles or obstructions on the road.
As this incident demonstrates, adverse weather can even prevent rescue workers from getting to accident victims on time as well. In this case, if the snow had not been as heavy as it was, the rescue helicopter attempting to rescue the victims in this incident could have gotten to them on time and the man would not have died. Unfortunately, this is one of the many unforeseen problems with accidents like this one that is impossible to prepare for.
However, in the event of an accident where another driver is at fault for the injuries or damage that occur, the victims could get justice and compensation for their pain and suffering by contacting an attorney who can assist them.
Posted on January 4, 2012 by Jessica Navarro
A New York airport shuttle bus driver was charged with misdemeanor DWI charges following a single-vehicle accident. The driver claimed she swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle when she struck a sign post. However, authorities investigating the accident were unable to find substantial evidence proving that the driver in fact tried to avoid another car. There were no passengers in the shuttle bus at the time of the accident and the driver was uninjured. The vehicle travelled through a garden before hitting the sign and the front-end of the vehicle had significant damage to it.
Bus accidents always have the possibility to be extremely serious not only because of the size of the vehicle but because there is always the possibility that there are passengers in it. Although it is very fortunate that nobody was injured or killed in this accident, including the driver, it is still reckless for the driver to be operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol. If there had been passengers in the shuttle bus, the driver would have put all of their lives in danger in this accident. In addition, the driver could have faced a serious lawsuit depending on the severity of the injuries that the passengers suffered had they been in the bus.
One other way this accident could have been worse is because of the potential injuries that could have occurred for any pedestrians or other drivers on the roadway. The driver said she swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle. This could easily have caused her to run into a vehicle in the direction she swerved causing serious injuries. Regardless of what outside factors contributed to this accident, the fact that the driver chose to operate a large passenger vehicle while intoxicated should not be ignored and if there had been injuries, the woman would have had to face the legal consequences associated with her actions.
Anybody that has been seriously injured or has lost a loved one as a result of someone else’s actions driving while intoxicated has the right to legal representation to help them get the compensation and the justice they deserve for their pain, suffering or loss.
Posted on December 13, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
A two-vehicle accident in Milton, WV left one woman dead and at least two others injured. The incident occurred north of an intersection and the woman’s vehicle caught fire as a result. The woman was not burned but did suffer several injuries to her body. Authorities said she died after arriving to the hospital where she was transported.
The other two victims in the accident were also transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. An accident reconstruction team had been sent to determine the cause of the accident.
Authorities at the scene of the accident said the woman died as a result of traumatic injuries that she suffered. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for these types of injuries to occur even in the smallest traffic accident involving the fewest people. It is very easy to end up in a traffic accident that turns fatal. In 2009, there were a total of over 30,000 automobile accidents with fatality in the entire United States. Just over 12,000 of those accidents involved two or more vehicles according to census.gov. There is very little that can be done to predict or prevent accidents like this from occurring except to be aware of your surroundings and never get into a vehicle when your judgment or perception is negatively affected by external factors.
This accident may have been one of the few that could have been entirely avoided, and the woman that lost her life would still be alive and well if it had been avoided. Unfortunately nobody can foresee these accidents and, although steps can be taken to prevent them, often it is too late and a person ends up losing their life as a result of a serious accident of this nature. However, if an investigation reveals that another party involved in the accident was at fault, they could be held accountable for the accident and the family may decide to hire an attorney who can assist them in getting compensation for the loss of their loved one. Nobody should ever have to suffer this kind of loss, especially if the cause can be avoided or prevented in some way.
Posted on December 13, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
An Ohio man was killed in an automobile accident after the tractor-trailer he was driving collided with a semi truck and then a guardrail. The tractor-trailer then went up in flames, killing the driver. The driver of the vehicle he collided with was uninjured in the accident. According to authorities, the driver collided with another tractor-trailer that was stopped due to slow-moving traffic. Authorities investigating the incident found no mechanical failures for either of the tractor-trailers involved in the accident.
The driver of the tractor-trailer that was rear-ended went to help the Ohio man and found him pinned in the cab area of the truck. Troopers attempted to rescue the driver but the flames and heat that engulfed the vehicle had gotten to intense to withstand. The troopers were forced to retreat away from the vehicle and the driver died inside it.
It is somewhat rare when a car accident causes one of the vehicles involved to be engulfed in flames. One of the most common reasons for engine fires or total vehicle fires is because the impact of the collision causes the combustible gases in the vehicle to explode. In these cases, the flames can reach extremely high temperatures, making it very difficult for rescue workers to help victims of these accidents.
One other detail that could have been a factor in this crash is the fact that it occurred at a construction zone. In construction zones drivers sometimes may be confused as to which lanes they can use and which they can’t. This is especially true of the construction zone is not properly marked on the roadway. Since the traffic ahead of the semi-truck that got rear-ended was completely stopped, it is possible the construction zone markings played a part in this accident.
It is very unfortunate that the driver involved in this automobile accident lost his life as a result of a car fire. In this incident, authorities tried for over three hours to put out the fire. This incident demonstrates that, unfortunately, it is not always possible to fight off a fire quickly in order to save a person from a burning vehicle. In order to avoid accidents that involve car fires, you should always take precautions and follow traffic laws all the time.
Posted on December 13, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
In Tampa, Florida staged automobile accidents have caused automobile insurance rates to rise to very high prices. A 43-year-old woman stated she pays nearly $1,000 in insurance premiums which she is finding increasingly difficult to pay. The staged auto accidents are created in several ways, however, one way involves perpetrators coercing innocent drivers into these accidents. The scams work as the perpetrators involved in these accidents make false medical claims to their insurance.
In the city of Tampa, roughly 739 staged accidents occurred in 2010. In order to prevent this crime from going further, the National Insurance Crime Bureau is training rural and suburban police forces to determine whether an accident was staged or not. If a staged accident is discovered, the perpetrators are arrested on the spot.
Normal automobile accidents can often be very serious and very dangerous for those involved. When people begin staging automobile accidents, especially when they involve innocent drivers; they put themselves and their victims at risk of very serious injuries. Causing an automobile accident in order to defraud insurance companies is a crime that should never occur and it is important for authorities to crack down on these types of crimes in order to reduce the number that occur throughout the nation.
To protect yourself from being involved in a staged auto accident there is a number of things you should be aware of. First off, in a staged accident the other parties involved usually avoid getting medical attention until a day or two later. This is because it is easier for the perpetrators to make false medical claims if they avoid medical attention immediately after an accident occurs. If you are involved in an accident and the other driver simply drives away without offering any sort of help or without waiting for the authorities to arrive after the accident, odds are you were the victim of a staged automobile accident. It is extremely important that you report any suspected staged automobile accidents to avoid potential monetary damages against you or to your loved ones if they are involved in a potentially staged accident.
Posted on December 13, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
A New Jersey woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a car in which she was a passenger collided with a tree. The 40-year-old man driving the vehicle was arrested and charged with assault and drunk driving and faces arraignment this week. The 36-year-old female passenger suffered a fractured ankle and a non-life-threatening head injury in the accident. The incident occurred when the driver failed to negotiate a turn and lost control of his 1999 Volvo sedan.
The vehicle sideswiped a tree after the driver lost control. Authorities said they believe the vehicle was driving on the wrong side of the road in the opposite direction of where it should have been. There was no word on any specific injuries, if any, that the man suffered in the accident.
Many people believe they are fully capable of driving after having a couple of drinks at a bar or a party or some other social gathering. What many people don’t realize though is that it does not take a lot of alcohol to negatively affect a person’s judgment. There is a wealth of information that discusses different levels of alcohol that may adversely affect a person depending on their body weight and several other factors. However, this information is not always completely accurate and can’t be treated as a set guide. In addition, there are many other factors that need to be taken into consideration. The driver’s physical state needs to be taken into consideration because there may be factors related to their personal health that could affect them.
Accidents like this one can easily be avoided simply by not getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking. Even if you feel you still have the ability to drive after drinking, the chance of being in a car wreck can still increase dramatically. The legal limit of alcohol is .08 everywhere in the United States. Even if you are physically capable of driving after drinking, if you are caught doing so you will still face the legal consequences for it. Nobody should have to face dangerous drivers on the road that have been affected by alcohol. If you or someone you know was injured or killed in a drunk driving accident, you should contact an attorney who can assist you in getting compensation for your injuries or loss.
Posted on December 12, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
A self-driving vehicle manufactured by internet giant Google was involved in an automobile accident near the company’s headquarters. The company stated that the incident was not a result of the vehicle’s self-driving capability but because of human error from the driver behind the wheel. The company stated the vehicle was being manually driven at the time the accident took place. No injuries were reported but several witnesses stated there were at least five cars involved in the accident when it occurred.
The vehicle manufactured by Google contains several sensors throughout the vehicle that allow it to navigate across roadways. The company said its primary goal is to create vehicles that will ultimately prevent these types of incidents from occurring in the future. Google stated that during every test drive, a person has been behind the wheel in the event that the software controlling the car’s self-driving capabilities should fail.
There is no question that technology today is growing and increasing at a staggering rate; so much so that products are released continuously without regard to when the previous version was released. However, with this drastic increase of technology comes an increased risk of human error involved in testing or manufacturing that technology. Manufacturing a faulty product or incorrectly testing a product could produce serious and sometimes even fatal accidents as a result. Although the accident in this case was non-fatal and nobody was injured, it could have been much worse especially because the technology is still in the early testing phase.
While many of the products that technology manufacturers are creating could potentially be useful for most people, the fact remains that they could also be potentially harmful if they are not properly tested or if the company is negligent in its testing procedures. Although this vehicle is probably years away from its release, it is vital that the company ensure its safety especially since it is a product meant to transport passengers through busy roadways. The incident that occurred involving this vehicle could prove to be a small indication of what could occur if the technology is released too soon. Convenience should never take precedence over safety when an automobile is concerned.
Posted on December 9, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
A 60-year-old woman was killed and 3 other people were injured including 2 children when a backhoe that was being towed by a construction vehicle rolled onto the victims’ vehicle. The vehicle towing the backhoe was traveling on a southbound road in Southborough, MA when it jackknifed and caused the backhoe to roll off. The backhoe landed on top of the vehicle behind it. The vehicle that was struck rolled into an embankment and the backhoe landed on top of it, trapping the victims inside.
Two children, ages 10 and 13 were injured and taken to a Boston medical facility and the 49-year-old driver was also transported to a medical facility. In a statement from the company that owned the tow truck, the company said the truck was a new model and was still being test driven by employees. There is no report whether or not this had anything to do with the crash.
This incident further demonstrates the danger inherent in construction and towing vehicles. There are a number of reasons why this accident could have occurred. The fact that the backhoe rolled off the towing vehicle could have been attributed to the fact that it was not properly secured to the tow truck. In this case, any slight bump could have caused the backhoe to roll off the truck. If the tow truck itself malfunctioned somehow, the company or the driver could be held responsible for the automobile accident as well as the 60-year-old victim’s death. The weight of the backhoe being towed could also be taken into consideration especially if it was not properly secured to the truck.
The company stated the truck the driver was using was a new model that was still being test driven. This presents a larger number of hazards that could have occurred as a result of the vehicle itself or because of the driver’s inexperience with the vehicle. The company may be held liable if some element in the tow truck’s function played a part in this accident. The employees of any business should always be properly trained to handle vehicles and other equipment and any new equipment that the company acquires should go through significant testing before being used either on the streets or in the workplace.
Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
A 61-year-old woman was given a plea deal in a court case that followed a car-bicycle accident involving a police officer. The 61-year-old woman told police after the incident that she was distracted by her children in the back seat of her vehicle and although she realized she struck a bicyclist, she did not want to stop. The police officer on the bicycle was training with other officers at the time of the accident. The woman pleaded guilty to failure to stop after an accident causing death and she would have served four years of home detention but the sentence will be reduced to two years if the woman exhibits good behavior.
The woman’s travels will be restricted to counseling, work and church. The victim’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the woman after the accident had occurred and the manufacturer of the bicycle helmet the police officer was wearing was also named in the lawsuit.
If the judge in this case had not accepted the plea deal offered by the woman’s attorneys, she could have been given jail time rather than in-home detention. Unfortunately, this is the result of many cases involving a pedestrian being struck by an oncoming vehicle. In a majority of those cases, the driver in the vehicle chooses not to stop and offer any sort of assistance for the victim in the accident. As a result, the victims are left lying on the roadway until somebody happens upon them and helps them. Although the victim in this accident received help almost immediately from police officers at the scene, it was not enough to save his life.
Although the victim’s family in this case did get to see justice served on behalf of their loved one, the financial compensation they get and the justice they witness will not bring their loved one back. The police officer that was killed left behind a wife and two children and now they must live the rest of their lives without their husband and father. This is the unfortunate result of many car-pedestrian or car-bicycle accidents that occur throughout the United States. Unfortunately no amount of closure or money can help them cope with the loss that they suffer.
Posted on November 27, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
The Cross Bronx Expressway in New York was the scene of a fatal accident after two siblings fell from the overpass in a serious automobile accident. The 21-year-old driver of the vehicle and her 20-year-old brother fell from the expressway after crashing into several other vehicles due to slick roads that had black ice. The two victims were part of a group of 10 that were riding in the Chevy Venture that crashed. The victims fell off the overpass when they got out of their vehicle to inspect the damage and were struck by an oncoming Toyota Corolla that was involved in a separate multi-car accident.
The 21-year-old woman died at the scene and her 20-year-old brother was critically injured. In total, 16 people including the two victims were injured in the accident that involved nine vehicles. The 14 others involved in this accident were all expected to recover.
Statistics from census.gov show that roughly 1,156 automobile accidents occurred in the state of New York in 2009. New York is one of many states susceptible to adverse weather conditions on a constant basis. Black ice and slick roads in general are very common in the state and cause extremely serious automobile accidents. Unfortunately, there is almost no way to prevent these types of accidents because adverse weather conditions cannot be controlled. However, there are some steps that can be taken in an attempt to avoid these types of accidents. The most important is to avoid travelling at high rates of speed in adverse conditions that involve icy roadways. As this incident shows, it is very easy to not see black ice on the roads and fall victim to a speed trap of sorts causing a serious accident.
While adverse weather conditions may play a significant role in some traffic accidents, there are others that occur involving multiple parties that are the cause of one person’s bad judgment or negligence. In these instances, that person should be held accountable for their actions and brought in front of a court in a lawsuit on behalf of the victim or victims that were injured. A person should never suffer this sort of loss as a result of an accident that may be prevented.
Posted on November 21, 2011 by Jessica Navarro
In New York, an 18-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by a 29-year-old driver. The victim was walking home from a friend’s house late at night when the accident occurred. The driver reportedly fled the scene after the accident occurred. Police eventually found the driver and arrested her, charging her with leaving the scene of an accident and failing to keep right.
The victim had been visiting home during the weekend off from State University of New York where he was a freshman in Engineering. Police were able to partially identify the vehicle that struck him which ultimately led to the driver’s arrest. A police lieutenant stated the driver most likely knew she hit somebody or something but continued to drive off.
It’s a terrible tragedy when a person is killed at a very young age as a result of an automobile accident or pedestrian-car accident, but it is much worse when the victim is simply left to die on the side of the road because the perpetrator refuses to stop and help them. Aside from that it is immoral to leave a person to die in this way, it is also against the law. If a person is able to administer aid to a victim it is their duty to do whatever they possibly can until qualified medical personnel or law enforcement arrive. This is especially true when the person is a qualified medical professional themselves.
The victim in this incident should never have been left on the side of the road even if the woman who struck him didn’t realize initially that she hit a person. When she heard the impact against her vehicle, she should have pulled over to the side of the road to ensure that everything was ok before driving away. The 18-year-old victim in this incident could possibly still be alive today if the woman had stopped to ensure whether she actually hit someone or something. The victim could have gotten better medical help early enough to possibly save his life. Now the driver in this incident could face stiff penalties because she chose to drive away rather than stay and help the 18-year-old victim.
