North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

The Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP is proud to offer 15 high school seniors the chance to win a $2,500 college scholarship--$37,500 in total. The winners will be selected based on several criteria, including their respective presentations on how to prevent minors from driving while drunk.

Winners will be selected from one of the 23 North Carolina and South Carolina counties where our Charlotte, North Carolina injury law firm represents clients, including the North Carolina counties of Cumberland, Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Robeson, Burke, Alexander, Iredel, Stanly, Caldwell, Rowan, Lincoln, Cleveland, Cabarrus, Union, Catawba, Gaston, and Mecklenburg and the South Carolina counties of Dillon, Marlboro, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York. Applicants must have applied to study full-time at a four-year college or university.

Charlotte car accident lawyer Michael A. DeMayo, who has awarded $125,000 in scholarships since establishing the college fund in 2003, understands the tragic consequences that can arise when a traffic collision happens because someone was driving drunk.

Unfortunately, there are teen drivers who drive drunk. Combining drunk driving with driver inexperience and the propensity to become easily distracted dramatically increases the chances that a teen motorist will cause a deadly South Carolina or North Carolina car crash.

Findings from two studies, recently published in Pediatrics, report that when a parent is very involved in monitoring and restricting a teenager’s driving habits, the minor’s drinking and driving rate goes down by 71%, while the chances he or she will become involved in a car crash drops by about 50%. Teen drivers also were 29% less likely to text and talk on the cell phone while driving. Parental involvement can consist of setting up driving rules and regulating a teen's driving habits and activities.

Educating young drivers about the dangers of drunk driving is essential to saving lives. It is important that teenagers educate themselves and each other about the deadly dangers that come with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Our Charlotte car accident law firm will award the 15 college scholarships based on each applicant’s teen drunk driving presentation, high school transcript, letters of recommendation, and SAT scores. Deadline to submit an application is March 1, 2010. Winners will be selected on April 9. For more specifics about contest rules, visit the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo on the Internet.

The Law Offices of Michael A DeMayo, LLP's annual scholarship program

Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe, US News & World Report, September 25, 2009

Related Web Resources:
MADD North Carolina

Pediatrics

It’s been official for some time now. Texting while driving is dangerous. So why do many people still do it? The risks that come with this bad driving habit are the focus of this week’s Distracted Driving Summit being held by the US Department of Transportation.

At the opening of the two-day conference, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood provide attendees with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2008 distracted driving statistics:

• 515,000 injuries
• 5,870 deaths
• On any day, nearly 800,000 drivers used a handheld cell phone

While drivers under age 21 make up the greatest portion of distracted drivers, there are many adults who text and drive. Our Charlotte, North Carolina car accident lawyers realize that it can be difficult to fathom how texting, a seemingly harmless activity, can be so deadly. But the statistics, research findings, and the number of people whose lives have been destroyed because they were injured or lost a loved one in a cell phone crash or a text messaging accident can no longer be ignored.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute recently reported that large truck drivers increase their crash risk by 23 times when they text and drive. Merely reaching for communication device or dialing a cell phone increased the chance of a car accident or a truck collision by six times. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that more than 1 million auto crashes a year that happen in North American can be linked to driver inattention.

Texting while driving becomes illegal in North Carolina beginning December 2009. There is still no law banning motorists from texting in South Carolina. Unfortunately, even with all the information and new laws, there will be still people out there who will risk their lives and the lives of others to make that cell phone call, send a text, turn the iPod dial to find the perfect song, or surf the web on their Blackberry or iPhone to stay abreast of the latest news headlines.

New Research Finds Increase in Use of Hand-Held Devices Among All Drivers, DOT.gov, September 30, 2009

Texting Trouble: Transportation Summit to Address Distracted Driving, September 30, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving Summit, US Department of Transportation

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Continue reading "NHTSA Reports Nearly 6,000 Distracted Driving Deaths in 2008" »

According to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 37,261 US traffic deaths in 2008. 1,433 of those fatalities occurred during the 1,324 North Carolina motor vehicle accidents that happened last year. Nationally, there were:

• 50,430 motor vehicle crashes
• 25,428 motor vehicle occupant deaths
• 714 bicyclist deaths
• 1,045 child traffic fatalities (under age 13)
• 4,054 teen traffic deaths
• 4,268 of the fatalities were older seniors (ages 70 and over)
• 4.008 large truck deaths
• 5,091 motorcyclist deaths
• 4,378 pedestrian deaths

Motor vehicle accidents continue to be a leading cause of fatalities in the US. The injuries and deaths that are a result of auto collisions can take huge physical, emotional, mental, and psychological tolls on traffic crash victims and their families. This is one reason that you should contact an experienced Charlotte, North Carolina injury law firm as soon as possible.

As our North Carolina motor vehicle crash lawyers reported previously, the number of traffic deaths declined between 2008 and 2007, when there were 1,705 traffic deaths in the state. Yet we cannot ignore the fact that lives are still being lost in motor vehicle collisions due to defective auto parts, defective roadways, and negligent drivers.

In addition to the hazards posed by drivers who drive drunk, speed, or fall asleep while operating their motor vehicles, modern technology now has presented us with the additional dangers of talking on the cell phone, text messaging, updating one’s Facebook status, or Twittering while driving. These activities may seem harmless are enough, but they really aren’t when coupled with operating a motor vehicle.

No two North Carolina traffic crashes are alike, which is why you should speak with a Charlotte motor vehicle crash lawyer who is experienced in dealing with your type of motor vehicle accident. The sooner you start exploring your legal options, the easier it will be to focus on physical recovery while your Hickory, North Carolina injury lawyer begins the claims process for you.

Fatality Facts, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Fatality Analysis Reporting System

A former attorney for Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. is suing his former employer for allegedly forcing him to withhold evidence from the victims of hundreds of rollover accidents. Dimitrios P. Biller says that not only did the world’s largest motor vehicle manufacturer make him conceal the evidence from plaintiffs who had sustained injuries or lost loved ones, but he claims that the company then made him resign two years ago.

Biller’s complaint accuses Toyota of getting rid of information in over 300 rollover accidents. He claims the data that was concealed proved that the vehicle roofs involved in the rollover accidents were substandard. He also accuses Toyota of illegally withholding computer-stored data from products liability attorneys and wrongful death lawyers.

Biller’s lawsuit claims that the company’s engineering unit was allowed to get rid of important documents and information that should have been turned over to the plaintiffs. The complaint also charges that Toyota held back records on vehicle roof testing and design.

Biller says that he was intimidated and harassed by Toyota employees even after he left the company. Because of the pressure that he was allegedly subjected to, Biller claims that he has had to undergo psychiatric treatment over the last four years and in 2007 he was diagnosed with major depressive syndrome.

Toyota has responded to Biller’s allegations with a statement calling the attorney’s claims “misleading” and “inaccurate.” The auto manufacturing giant portrays its former managing counsel as a disgruntled former employee who did not like the fact that he had to resign.

If in fact Toyota did withhold evidence in these cases, however, this could result in the reopening of rollover cases that over the past two decades the car maker has either won or settled.

Obtaining recovery for a Charlotte rollover lawsuit usually requires the experience of a North Carolina injury law firm who understands the intricacies involved with proving that an auto manufacturer was negligent and therefore owes the plaintiff damages for products liability or wrongful death.

Toyota concealed evidence in rollover cases, ex-attorney alleges, Los Angeles Times, September 1, 2009

Toyota Accused of Hiding Evidence, CBS News, August 29, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Q&As: Rollover and roof crush, IIHS, January 2009

Roof Crush and Rollover Information Center, Public Citizen

Over-correcting when driving is a common cause of North Carolina car accidents. A driver ends up off the road, overreacts to the situation, and over-corrects in an attempt to avoid causing a motor vehicle crash. Unfortunately, what can end up happening is that by quickly turning the steering wheel to prevent an accident from happening, a single-vehicle rollover or a collision with another motor vehicle can result.

In January, Joseph Gerald Hart, 16, died in a Raleigh head-on collision with a delivery truck. The teen driver had over-corrected after driving off the road. In November 2007, 16-year-old Joel Duran drove off Interstate 40. While over-correcting, his SUV rolled over. Two of his passengers, 23-year-old Elizabeth Arch and 17-year-old Zepherino Duran were ejected from the vehicle.

Zepherino sustained critical injuries and Arch died from hers. Joel has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and manslaughter.

Adults, too, have known to over-correct. The Highway Patrol makes its troopers practice how to reenter the highway safely and correctly.

Last January, a school bus driver who over-corrected struck an SUV, killing its driver. The North Carolina bus driver, Trumeka Deon Wilson, was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

Unfortunately, over-correction and other driving errors can lead to catastrophic North Carolina car accidents that can cause serious injuries or deaths. In these instances, it is time to contact an experienced Raleigh, North Carolina car crash law firm about your case.

Other common mistakes that can lead to catastrophic North Carolina motor vehicle crashes:

• Drowsy driving
• Speeding
• Swerving out of one’s lane. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 15,574 people died in US traffic accidents in 2007 because a driver swerved out of their lane.
• Drunk driving
• Failure to yield
• Running a red light
• Reckless driving
• Not wearing a seat belt

Over-correcting linked to many accidents, WRAL.com, May 21, 2009

Most Lethal Driving Mistakes, MSN.com

Over Correction- One of the Most Common Mistakes Teens Make, ParentalCourage.com, May 22, 2008

Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Administration

Teen Drivers, CDC

According to preliminary statistics from the N.C. Highway Patrol, nine people were killed in North Carolina motor vehicle accidents over the Memorial Day weekend. That is the same amount of people that died over last year’s 3-day holiday period when 534 motor vehicle riders were injured.

Also killed over this holiday weekend, but on Friday morning—which is not included in the NC Highway Patrol's holiday weekend injury and death report, which covers the period beginning 6pm on Friday through Monday at midnight—was a family of four. Wayne Pride Hicks, his wife Natalie, and their five children were taking advantage of the long weekend to meet with Wayne’s biological father, who had never met his daughter-in-law and grandchildren before.

However, on Friday morning, on Interstate 77 close to Elkin, the minivan they were riding in drove across a 60-foot wide median, hitting oncoming traffic and crashing at full speed into two other vehicles. Wayne, 44, Natalie, 35, Wayne Jr., 10, and Natalie, 3 all died in the tragic North Carolina car accident. The three surviving children, Elijah, 8, John, 7, and Josiah, 5, were treated at a hospital for their injuries. Police think Wayne may have fallen asleep while driving.

Also killed in the deadly North Carolina traffic accident was Hickory resident Bryan Mowry, who was riding the pickup truck that was struck by the minivan Wayne was driving. The other person riding in the car with the 59-year-old car accident victim was Sandra Mowry, 57, who was seriously injured. 50-year-old Bonnie Casstevents Weddle, whose car was also struck head-on by the minivan, was treated at a hospital for her injuries before being released.

With summer fast approaching and more people expected to travel on state roads, North Carolina troopers are taking more steps to prevent traffic crashes. The state’s Highway Patrol has been part of the nationwide “Click-It or Ticket” seatbelt campaign meant to remind people that there are consequences to not wearing a safety belt.

9 die in NC wrecks over Memorial Day weekend, Citizen-Times, May 26, 2009

Van crash in North Carolina kills four from Queens family on way to a first-time reunion, Daily News, May 23, 2009

Fifth Person In I-77 Crash Dies, Fox 8, May 23, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Click It or Ticket, North Carolina Department of Transportation

NHTSA

Continue reading "North Carolina Motor Vehicle Crashes: State Highway Patrol Reports 9 Traffic Deaths Over Memorial Day Weekend" »

This month, The Law Offices of Michael A DeMayo participated in two community service events. The first event was Walk Like MADD, which is hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Michael A DeMayo served as the honorary chair for the annual 5k walk, which took place on May 2. Proceeds from the walk will go toward helping drunk driving victims and fund programs to prevent underage drinking and drunk driving.

Over two dozen of the North Carolina injury law firm’s employees and their families took part in the event. Together, they helped raise over $2,500. Attorney DeMayo and his staff are familiar with the struggles that drunk driving accident victims and their families face. He and his law firm represent North Carolina and South Carolina clients that have been injured and those whose loved ones have died in drunk driving accidents in their pursuit to recover personal injury or wrongful death compensation from all negligent parties. Just last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that both states experienced the largest spike in DUI fatalities among all US states between 2006 and 2007.

This past Saturday, employees from the Charlotte branch of the Law Offices of Michael A DeMayo participated in another event, this one at a Habitat for Humanity house. They pulled up their sleeves and spent the morning hanging dry wall at the home, which is being built for a low-income family. The North Carolina personal injury law firm, which also has law offices in Monroe and Hickory, made a $15,000 donation to this worthwhile cause.

Attorney DeMayo praised Habitat for Humanity for helping so many people in the Charlotte community that are in need of affordable housing. He also touted the benefits that his employees reaped by volunteering for this "great, team building" experience.

The Law Offices of Michael A DeMayo, LLP also helps clients with injury or wrongful death cases involving medical malpractice, nursing home abuse or neglect, defective medical devices, products liability, dog bites, and workers’ compensation.

Related Web Resources:
Walk Like MADD, Charlotte, NC

Habitat for Humanity, Charlotte

NHTSA Ranks North Carolina and South Carolina as Two US States With Greatest Increase In DUI Deaths, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, September 2, 2008

In Wake County, visiting Durham Superior Court Judge Ronald Stephens has decided to continue the hearing in the criminal case of driver Victoriano T. Layon. The 38-year-old Selma man is ready to plead guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2008 North Carolina car accident deaths of siblings Wanda Gail Altman, 53, and Daris Wayne Hancock, 49.

Layon struck the Ford Taurus that the siblings were riding in at the intersection of White Oak Road and US 70 on January 11, 2008. Layon, who had been operating a Ford F-150 at a high speed, rear-ended their vehicle, crushing it and killing Hancock and Altman.

Pleading guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charges would have set Layon free on probation. The defendant was at first charged with second-degree murder and has been behind bars for 16 months. Stephens, however, has requested that the defendant now be given a psychiatric evaluation. He says he doesn't feel comfortable releasing Layon just yet.

Layon’s psychiatric state at the time of the crash has long been an issue. His wife Jennifer, who was in the car with him and their two sons when he struck the other vehicle, reportedly told police that prior to the deadly auto incident, her husband started behaving strangely. He read specific portions of the Bible, experienced painful headaches, slammed the family cat into the ground, commented that Satan lived inside the pet, and told his wife that God was inside him. She also said he stepped on the gas pedal right before hitting the car that Altman and Hancock were riding in.

Following the deadly North Carolina car accident, he managed to throw off the people who were holding him down and ran off. Clayton police found him the next day. They say that he told them that God told him to hit the other car.

Wake County Car Accidents
If you were involved in a Wake County, North Carolina car accident that was caused by another party’s reckless, negligent, or careless behavior and you sustained serious injuries, you may be entitled to North Carolina personal injury compensation. If your loved one was killed in a Wake County traffic accident, you may have grounds for filing a North Carolina wrongful death lawsuit.

Did man's crisis cause crash?, News Observer, May 12, 2009

Bond Denied for Suspect in Fatal Hit-and-Run, WRAL.com, January 14, 2008

Related Web Resources:
Car Accidents Overview, Justia

The Tragedy of Fatal Hit and Run Accidents on America's Deadly Roads, Deadly Roads

Continue reading "Man that Caused North Carolina Car Crash that Killed Siblings May Have Been Having Psychiatric Breakdown" »

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is doubling its roof strength requirement for light vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds and introducing an actual requirement for vehicles weighting 6,000 to 10,000 pounds. According to US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, these tougher standards will offer passengers greater protection during rollover accidents.

The current light vehicle requirement is the ability to withstand 1.5 times the force of the vehicle’s weight. The new standard would require that a light vehicle’s roof withstand 3 times the motor vehicle’s weight. Heavier vehicles will now have to meet a roof strength requirement of 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight.

September 2012 marks the beginning of the phase in schedule of these new requirements that must be completed for all vehicles that fall under the applicable weight categories by the 2017 model year. Some 10,000 people are killed in rollover accident each year.

Kinds of Rollover Accidents:
Tripped Rollovers: When a vehicle trips over an object, like a guardrail, a curb, or a steep slope.

Un-Tripped Rollovers: Can occur when the driver is driving at a high speed and tries to avoid getting involved in an auto collision.

While driver negligence can lead to rollover accidents, auto manufacturers must make sure that they make sport utility vehicles and other autos that are designed in such a way that they prevent rollover accidents from happening. In the event of a rollover collision, then the motor vehicle must offer vehicle occupants the proper safety protections needed to minimize injuries and prevent deaths.

Other safety precautions that auto makers can include in their motor vehicles:

Electronic Stability Control: Helps drivers stay in control of the auto so that it doesn’t go off road or skid out of control.

Rollover Air Bags: Side-impact head air bags can prevent occupants from getting ejected during a rollover accident.

Seat Belts: Use of seat belts improves survival chances in a rollover crash by 75%.

Auto makers must make sure that their vehicles are free from defects and come with the proper safety precautions. When a rollover accident occurs and a person gets hurt of dies because a vehicle part was defective or the vehicle malfunctioned, the car manufacturer can be held liable for North Carolina products liability or wrongful death.

U.S. DOT Doubles Roof Strength Standard for Light Vehicles, NHTSA, April 30, 2009

Rollovers, Safercar.gov

Related Web Resource:
Read the NHTSA Final Rule (PDF)

Continue reading "North Carolina Products Liability: Tougher Roof Strength Standards Will Provide Better Rollover Crash Protection, Says US Department of Transportation" »

The family of a 77-year-old North Carolina woman who died when she drowned in her car is suing three companies for her wrongful death. In mid-October 2008, Tecora Young left a birthday party at a South Carolina recreational facility and then disappeared. By Mid-December, Young’s car was found in the Broad River with her body inside.

According to a local coroner, the elderly woman died because she drowned. Foul play is not suspected and she may have accidentally ended up driving into the water.

Now, Young’s family is suing the Gaffney Board of Public Works, Duke Energy, and the Department of Natural Resources for her wrongful death. They contend that proper lighting, warning signs, a barricade, or another design change could have prevented Young’s drowning accident and she would still be alive today.

According to the family’s wrongful death lawyer, they are suing Duke Energy because it is in charge of the Broad River and all access to it. The Board of Public Works is in charge of the area near the river and made improvements. DNR approved a study conducted by Duke Energy that made improvements to the water area a number of years ago. Young’s family wants to receive a wrongful death settlement or a civil trial.

Proving liability in a North Carolina or South Carolina motor vehicle crash can be complicated—especially if the collision is one involving just one auto. However, there may be more than one party responsible for the personal injury or death. The best way to determine this is to hire an experienced car accident law firm to help you prove your case.

Wrongful Death
Losing a loved one is never easy. Not only will there be expenses to pay for and other financial losses, but there is also the loss of your loved one that can never be quantified. There are, however, ways to hold the responsible parties liable for your suffering and the loss of your loved one’s life.

Upstate Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit, WYFF.com, April 23, 2009

Body From Submerged Car Identified, WYFF.com, December 18, 2008

Related Web Resources:
Duke Energy

Gaffney Board of Public Works

Now that the North Carolina House of Representatives has made it overwhelmingly clear—by a 104 to 5 vote—that texting and emailing while driving should be banned, the bill now heads to the state Senate and then Governor Bev Perdue. If the bill becomes law, anyone caught violating the ban would b fined $100 plus court expenses. Rescue workers and police are among those who would be exempted. An amendment to the bill helps determine when negligence might have occurred if someone was texting when a North Carolina car accident happened.

There are more people texting in North Carolina than ever before. According to the 2008 “Big City Wireless Use Study,” from April 2006 to April 2008, text messaging use increased among Verizon customers by over 600%. The International Wireless Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry says text message sending and receiving increased from 14.4 million in 2000 to 48.1 billion in 2007. That same year, a University of Utah study reported that texting while driving is similar to driving under the influence and is 50% more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving.

Even the American Medical Association has spoken out about texting while driving, calling the habit a health hazard. Another recent study says that texting while operating a motor vehicle forces a motorist to spend 400% more time with his or her eyes off the road—a dangerous practice whenever someone is driving.

In order to send or receive texts, a driver must take one if not both hands off the steering wheel, which can lead to catastrophic North Carolina motor vehicle crashes—especially if he or she has both eyes on his or her cell phone while reading or composing a text message.

Currently, in North Carolina, only minor drivers and school bus drivers are banned from texting while driving. They are also banned from speaking on cell phones any time they are operating a motor vehicle.

Texting while driving is negligent behavior.

N.C. bill would ban texting while driving, McclatchyDC.com, April 16, 2009

Texting While Driving Dangerous To Your Health, RedOrbit, November 2008

Related Web Resources:
Cell Phone Driving Laws, Governors Highway Safety Association

National Safety Council

Continue reading " North Carolina Bill Banning Text Messaging While Driving Now Goes to Senate" »

According to the North Carolina Transportation Department, the number of people that died in motor vehicle accidents throughout the state in 2008 compared to 2007 decreased by 18%. State transportation officials say there were 1,406 traffic deaths last year, compared to 1,705 the year prior.

Traffic fatalities involving alcohol use also dropped, by 19.8% from 489 deaths in 2008 to 392 fatalities in 2007, while motorcycle deaths declined by 26% from 192 to 142.

N.C. Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti says that the decline in traffic deaths shows the state’s commitment to working with local agencies to ensure that North Carolina is a safe place for ground travel. So far, in 2009, North Carolina traffic deaths are down 12% compared to the same time period during 2008.

Earlier this year, South Carolina’s public safety department also reported a sharp drop in traffic deaths for 2008. While 1,077 people died in South Carolina motor vehicle crashes in 2007, 894 traffic fatalities occurred in 2008.

According to the UNC-Chapel Hill's Highway Safety Research Center, the decrease in motor vehicle deaths in all of the US states last year can be attributed to the fact that there weren’t as many motorists on US roads. Yesterday, the US Department of Transportation reported that the number of motor vehicle deaths that occurred nationally for 2008 was the lowest figure since 1961.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says about 37,313 traffic fatalities occurred throughout the US last year. There were 41,059 motor vehicle deaths the year before. Seat belt use was slightly up in North Carolina, at 89.8% in 2008 compared to 88.8% in 2007. Safety belt use in South Carolina went up to 79% last year from 74.5% the year before.

Any decline in motor vehicle deaths is a positive step forward toward creating greater safety on US roads. However, if you have been involved in a North Carolina or a South Carolina motor vehicle accident that was someone else’s fault, you should consider your legal options regarding personal injury or wrongful death before settling with the negligent party’s insurer.

N.C. traffic deaths down in 2008, News-Record, January 7, 2009

SC traffic deaths plummet in 2008, The Post and Courier, January 2, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2008(PDF)

Seat Belt Use in 2008-Use Rates in the States and Territories, NHTSA (PDF)

North Carolina Department of Transportation

Continue reading "North Carolina Traffic Fatalities Dropped 17% in 2008" »

In Henderson County, a 16-year-old driver died on Tuesday when the vehicle he was driving went off the road and hit a tree. According to North Carolina Highway Police, Travis Sain was driving approximately 50mph in a 40mph zone. Another teenager who was riding in the car with him was transported to Mission Hospital.

This is the third teen motorist death in Western North Carolina already this year. On January 29, a 15-year-old passenger died in a single-vehicle crash that occurred close to Waynesville. The vehicle’s driver was the same age. Earlier in January, a 16-year-old driver died after he drove off the road and hit a tree close to Canton. The teen driver was reportedly driving nearly twice the speed limit in a 35 mph zone.

For the entire 2008, there were only four reports of fatalities involving teen drivers in this area. Speed was cited as a cause in two of those deadly North Carolina motor vehicle crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that in 2007:

• 3,184 young drivers died in US motor vehicle crashes.
• 252,000 young drivers sustained injuries.
• 6,982 young drivers were involved in 55,681 deadly auto accidents.
• 1,631,000 young drivers were involved in traffic accidents that were reported to police.
• 31% of young drivers involved in deadly accidents lacked a valid driver’s license when the accident happened because of a license revocation or suspension.

While North Carolina law allows teenagers to get their driver’s license when they turn 16, this does not instantly make them good drivers. Learning how to drive properly and safely takes time and experience.

According to a study conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Sponsored by the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the three most common risk factors for people ages 8 to 17 that can lead to motor vehicle deaths are riding with young drivers, riding without seat belts, and riding on fast speeding roads.

Henderson teen dies in traffic accident, Citizen-Times.com, February 5, 2009

Teen Drivers, Insurance Information Institute, January 2009

Related Web Resources:
2007 Young Driver Traffic Safety Facts, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

North Carolina Teen Drivers Guide, DMV.org

Continue reading "Another Teenager Dies in North Carolina Traffic Accident" »

The chances of a motor vehicle occupant sustaining a spinal fracture decreases if the driver or front side passenger is wearing a seat belt and riding in a car equipped with air bags. This information comes from research gathered from records of over 20,000 auto accident victims who received medical attention at Wisconsin hospitals after t auto collisions that occurred between 1994 and 2002. The article, found in the latest issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, is called "The continued burden of spine fractures after motor vehicle crashes.”

A spinal fracture occurs when at least one vertebrae in the neck or back breaks. A serious spine fracture can cause a spinal cord injury, paralysis, or death. Auto accidents are the number one cause of SCIs. 2,530 of the accident victims who took part in the study had spinal fractures. 64 of them died while they were in hospitals.

The 20,276 study participants had to be older than 15 and were riding in the front of the vehicles when the auto collisions happened. They also could not have been ejected from the vehicle and their files had to come with complete ICD-9-CMs.

Among the study's findings:
• Combined seat belt and air bag use provide added protection and lower the risk that an auto accident victim will sustain a spinal fracture
• 38% of the victims were not using seat belts when the auto collision happened.
• Just 14% of the study participants were equipped with both air bag and seat belt protection when the auto crash happened.
• Air bag use alone without a seat belt was linked to a greater risk of thoracic spine fracture injuries.
• Speeding and drunk driving were two of the major causes of these motor vehicle crashes studied.

SCI Facts
• 250,000 Americans have spinal cord injuries.
• 11,000 new injury cases happen each year.
• Common causes of spinal cord injuries include auto accidents, violent incidents, fall accidents, and sports-related accidents.

Research: Air Bags/Seat Belts Important in Preventing Spine Fractures, Huliq.com

Spinal Cord Injury Facts and Statistics, Sci-Info Pages

Related Web Resource:
Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine

Continue reading "Spinal Fractures From Motor Vehicle Accidents Can Be Prevented if Seat Belts are Used Along with Air Bags, Says New Research" »

The National Safety Council wants US lawmakers to push for a nationwide ban of all cell phone use while driving. The NSC says that even hands-free devices are a distraction to drivers, who should be focusing all of their attention on the road and in the vehicle and not on a phone or text messaging conversation going on with someone who is elsewhere.

Findings from the University of Utah and the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis support the claim that use of cell phones and their accessories, including handheld devices, can make for distracted driving. The National Transportation Safety Administration is also backing up these findings and plans to push local lawmakers to establish tougher laws on the issue.

In North Carolina, current laws ban cell phone use and text messaging by teen drivers younger than 18, as well as bus drivers. Now, North Carolina Representative Nelson Dollar says the state should consider banning text messaging while driving.

According to the National Institute of Health, 636,000 auto crashes resulting in 2,600 deaths happen every year because people were talking or texting on a cell phone or another PDA device while driving. 330,000 other victims were injured, with 12,000 of them sustaining serious injuries. The costs incurred by such accidents is over $43 billion annually.

The NSC says that in addition to pushing tougher legislation, it will offer more education and materials about the dangers of driving while using a cell phone.

Distracted Driving
The NHTSA says that driver inattention is the cause of 80% of all auto crashes. According to the NSC’s Cell Phone Use While Driving Fact Sheet:

• The chances of a motorist becoming involved in an auto accident increases by four times whenever he or she is driving while talking on a cell phone.

• Over 100 million people drive and use their cell phones at the same time.

• It is safer to talk to someone who is in your vehicle with you than it is to talk to someone on your cell phone.

N.C. lawmakers could consider texting-while-driving ban, WRAL.com, January 2, 2009

National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving, NSC.org, January 12, 2009

Cell Phone Use While Driving Fact Sheet, NSC.org

Related Web Resource:
Cellphone laws, IIHS.org

Continue reading "National Safety Council Wants All US States to Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving " »

In North Carolina, former WXII News anchor Tolly Car has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of the man he fatally struck during a 2007 drunk driving accident in Winston-Salem. Carr is currently serving a 25 – 29 month prison sentence for his role in the deadly motor vehicle crash.

Police say Carr drove his pickup truck through a construction zone before running his car off the road and striking Casey Bokhoven in March 2007. In August 2007, Carr pleaded guilty to felony serious injury by vehicle, felony death by vehicle, and driving while impaired.

Carr, whose blood was tested four hours after the accident, had a blood alcohol level of .13. North Carolina’s legal BAC limit for driving is .08. In their wrongful death lawsuit, the plaintiffs accused the former news anchor of trying to conceal his actions by telling witnesses not to call police.

The terms of the wrongful death settlement with Bokhoven’s family are confidential. However, their wrongful death lawyer says Carr will start making payments to the family in 2010.

Also named as defendants in the wrongful death lawsuit are three Winston-Salem bars. The plaintiffs accused the establishments of serving the former news anchor about 17 drinks. Their wrongful death lawyer says that bar employees should have stopped serving Carr more alcohol or made him get into a cab.

The Burke Street Pub reached a wrongful death settlement with Bokhoven’s family last week. Another bar, 6th and Vine, settled with the family in August. The third establishment, Sounds on Burke, has filed for bankruptcy.

Tolly Carr Settles Wrongful-Death Lawsuit, MSNBC.com, November 18, 2008

Bokhoven Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Tolly Carr, MyFox.com, May 21, 2007

Related Web Resources:
Tolly Carr Pleads Guilty, Sentenced To Prison, Digitriad.com, August 13, 2007

WXII

In North Carolina, a 12-year-old Greensboro boy is in critical but stable condition after a drunk driver hit him last Tuesday afternoon. Drew Gardner and Taylor Rhynehardt were playing near a creek bed when a van, driven by Michael Charles Parks, rolled through a stop sign and drove through 40 yards of wood before striking Gardner and then crashing into a tree.

Gardner, who is at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, sustained two collapsed lungs, eight fractured ribs, a broken collarbone, and skull fractures. He has been sedated and unconscious a majority of the time since the North Carolina auto accident.

Rhynehardt, who was not hit by the van, sustained less serious physical injuries when the tree broke and fell on him. However, he told a local TV news program last week that he has not been able to close his eyes without reliving the accident.

Greensboro police have charged Parks with driving with a revoked license and driving while impaired. They say more charges are likely. However, the 40-year-old has not been arrested for his involvement in the crash.

This is not Parks’s first DWI offense. He has one prior DWI conviction, while two other DWI charges that were dismissed.

NHTSA 2007 Children and Traffic Accident Facts
• 200,000 children, age 14 and under, were injured in motor vehicle crashes last year.
• 245 of the 1,670 kids in this age group were injured in drunk driving accidents.
• 306 children, age 14 and under, died in pedestrian accidents in 2007.
• 14,000 kids sustained pedestrian-related injuries.
• In North Carolina, 54 child pedestrians, age 14 and younger, died in traffic accidents.

If your son or daughter was seriously injured in a North Carolina or South Carolina traffic accident, you and your family may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party.

Boy hit by van is critical but stable, News-Record.com, November 15, 2008

Other Boy Injured In DWI Crash Speaks Out, Digitriad.com, November 11, 2008

Children, 2007 Traffic Safety Facts, NHTSA

Related Web Resource:

2007 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment -- Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities, NHTSA, (PDF)

Continue reading "12-Year-Old North Carolina Boy is in Critical Condition Following Greensboro Drunk Driver Accident" »

A deadly North Carolina motor vehicle crash that occurred outside Lillington on Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Shady Grove Road and N.C. 210 has left three young people dead and one adult with serious injuries. According to State Highway Patrol, excessive speeding may have been the cause of the multi-vehicle crash.

Police say they believe that 20-year-old Sharon Southerland was driving her 2000 Lincoln at a speed of 90mph when she lost control of the vehicle, which crossed the center line and struck another vehicle headed in the opposite direction. A 2008 Ford passenger sedan, driven by Spring Lake resident Timothy Evan, drove into Southerland’s speeding Lincoln, while the car of Raleigh resident George Tracy, was struck by flying debris.

Southerland and her two passengers, Abraham Ryan Lowe, 18, and Ashley Williams Richardt, 21, died from injuries they sustained in the crash. Lowe and Richardt were siblings. Evan was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center with serious injuries. Tracy was not injured in the auto crash.

According to the NC State Highway Patrol, the Lincoln was moving at such a fast speed that it split in half upon impact. Southerland and Richardt, who were sitting in the front of the car, were ejected from their seats.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2005:

• Over 13,000 people died in the US in speeding-related motor vehicle crashes.
• Speeding was a contributing cause in 30% of all deadly crashes in the US that year.
• 86% of all speeding-related traffic deaths happened on non-interstate roads where the speed limits were no more than 55 mph.
• 28% of all deadly accidents that took place on dry roads involved speeding.
• Speeding was a contributing cause in 33% of fatal traffic accidents that took place on wet roads.

Mother Of Crash Victims Warns Others To Slow Down, Dunn Daily Record, November 6, 2008

NHTSA Speed Campaign Tool Kit

Related Web Resources:

North Carolina Department of Transportation

Speeding, SafeRoads.org

Continue reading "Speeding May Have Been the Cause of Deadly North Carolina Accident that Left Three People Dead and Another Person in Critical Condition" »

In Harnett County, five people died and two others were injured on Friday night in a multi-vehicle collision involving a tanker truck filled with gasoline.
The deadly crash occurred at the intersection of NC 27 and Old Fairground Road at around 11pm.

According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the deadly truck crash accident happened after the driver of a black Honda Accord ran a stop sign and drove into the path of the tanker truck. The truck drove over the Accord before the two vehicles crossed the center line and struck an Oldsmobile station wagon.

Police say that the truck did not explode or leak gas. The Honda, however, was crushed during the collision with the tanker truck. All of the victims that died were riding in the Accord. Driver Esteban Isidro (a 22-year-old Raleigh resident), Jorge Gallardo (age 23 and also from Raleigh), and Angier residents Norma Martinez, 15, Germain Chavez, 25, and Ashley Martinez, 17, died at the scene. Martinez was pregnant.

The driver of the station wagon, 18-year-old Benson resident Kimberly Jones, was admitted to Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn where she received treatment for a broken collarbone and a broken ankle. She was released from the hospital on Saturday.

Truck driver and Pikeville resident Ronnie Vanatta was treated at the crash scene for minor injuries.

Car Accidents
If you were seriously injured or someone you loved died in a North Carolina or South Carolina car accident, you may be able to sue the negligent party or his or her estate for personal injury or wrongful death. To maximize your chances for financial recovery, it is important that you work with an experienced personal injury law firm that knows how to conduct an investigation on your behalf to determine the facts surrounding your accident.

There may be more than one party that can be held liable for your injuries or your loved one’s death. Your medical and recovery expenses may also be significantly more than you think. A good personal injury lawyer will know how much it will cost for you to recover.

Five killed in collision with tanker truck in Harnett, News & Observer, October 26, 2008

Troopers name 5 killed by oncoming truck in NC, FoxNews, October 26, 2008

Related Web Resource:

Large Truck Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA

Continue reading "Multi-Vehicle Accident involving Tanker Truck Leaves Five North Carolina Residents Dead and Two Others Injured in Harnett County" »

A new education campaign by AAA Carolinas warns drivers in North Carolina and South Carolina counties against distracted driving. There are 10 counties targeted in the campaign (5 in each state). The North Carolina counties are Wake County, Watauga County, Pitt County, Durham County, and New Hanover County. The counties were selected because of annual figures pinpointing these counties as the most dangerous in each state for motor vehicle crashes and injuries.

The campaign strongly cautions about talking on the cell phone while driving. Graphic posters placed in gas stations note that a driver is four times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash while he or she is talking on a phone.

According to a 2008 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Study, for every 10 auto collisions, eight of the auto crashes involved drivers that were using cell phones or smart phones. 65% of near-crashes also happened when motorists were talking on the phone or text messaging.

A 2001 University of North Carolina study estimates that some 284,000 distracted motorists are involved in serious injury accidents each year. The AAA Carolinas Web site says that 4,000 to 8,000 traffic collisions occur every day because of distracted driving. Driving while distracted can also be linked to up to 3 million of the 6 million auto collisions that occur in the United States each year.

Distracted driving can also occur while a driver is:

• Searching through an iPod or another MP3 player
• Eating while driving
• Putting on makeup
• Reading a book or a newspaper

AAA says distracted driving contributes to one-third of S.C. crashes, SCNow.com, September 26, 2008

AAA tackles problem of distracted driving, The Watauga Democrat, September 22, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Distracted Driving, AAA

AAA Carolinas

Drowsy and Distracted Driving, NHTSA

Continue reading "AAA Carolinas Warns Against Distracted Driving in North Carolina and South Carolina" »

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, North Carolina and South Carolina are the two US states that have experienced the largest increase in DUI deaths between 2006 and 2007. The report, called the 2007 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment—Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities, found that out of the 1,675 traffic deaths that occurred in North Carolina last year, 487 of these motor vehicle deaths involved alcohol—66 more deaths than the 421 alcohol-related fatalities that occurred in the state in 2006.

In South Carolina, out of the 1,066 motor vehicle deaths in 2007, 463 of the fatalities involved alcohol. The state experienced 419 drunk driving deaths in 2006.

The report also included national DUI statistics and facts, including:

• 12,998 DUI-related deaths in the US in 2007.
• While 32 states experienced a drop in alcohol-related fatalities between 2007 and 2006, other states experienced an increase in deaths.
• Total drunk driving deaths dropped 4% in 2007 compared to 2006.
• The number of alcohol-related motorcyclist deaths increased in 25 US states.

Also, motorcyclists comprised 57 of the 487 drunk driving deaths that took place in North Carolina last year. In South Carolina, there were 56 alcohol-related motorcyclist deaths in 2007.

Meantime, some 100 college president, including the president of Duke University in North Carolina, are calling on lawmakers to lower the legal drink age. The presidents belong to a movement known as the Amethyst Initiative, whose members believe that lowering the drinking age might make teens less likely to “binge drink.”

In North Carolina and South Carolina, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or greater. Drunk driving is dangerous and can lead to serious personal injuries and deaths.

Area Tops List of Fatal DUI Crashes in 2007, WSPA.com, August 29, 2008

Drunken-driving deaths fall in 32 states, Boston.com, August 28, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Amethyst Initiative

2007 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment—Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities, NHTSA (PDF)

Continue reading "NHTSA Ranks North Carolina and South Carolina as Two US States With Greatest Increase In DUI Deaths" »

In Northern Wake County, four people were transported to hospitals on August 14 after the vehicles they were riding in became involved in a head-on car accident on Highway 98 between Ghoston Road and Marsh Field Road.

North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers said the accident happened when a Mustang crossed over the center lane and struck a sport utility vehicle. The SUV spun to the other side of the road. A pickup truck riding behind the SUV swerved to avoid the crash and landed in a ditch.

EMS workers spent almost two hours extricating one of the victims from the Mustang. The jaws of life had to be used to get him out. He was given pain relief shots while the EMS team worked and before he was transported to the hospital. The driver of the SUV and the pickup truck driver and his son were also taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries.

2007 Traffic Accident Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 2,491,000 motor vehicle injuries that occurred in the United States in 2007 and 41,059 fatalities. The NHTSA says that of those deaths 1,675 took place in North Carolina.

Head-on collisions can result in serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, massive internal injuries, and wrongful death. If you or someone you love was injured in a motor vehicle crash in Raleigh, Charlotte, or another city in North Carolina, our personal injury law firm would like to talk to you. Our North Carolina car crash lawyers are dedicated to helping our motor vehicle accident clients recover the maximum compensation they are owed for their injuries.

Three vehicles involved in accident on Hwy. 98, ABClocalgo.com, August 14, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Head-On Collisions, Safety.Transportation.org

Continue reading "Several People in North Carolina are Injured in Head-On Collision on Highway 98 in Wake County" »

Beginning Friday, state and local police officers in North Carolina will intensify their patrol for drunk drivers using patrols and checkpoints. The statewide campaign, coordinated by the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, is called “Booze It & Loose It” and will run until September 1.

Last year, over 500 alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents happened in North Carolina for the period beginning August 17 through September 3, 2007. 27 people died and 400 others sustained injuries.

The total number of drunk driving-related deaths in North Carolina for 2007 was 488 victims, while over 9,000 people sustained serious injuries. For the entire year of 2007, 488 people died in North Carolina in drunk-driving related accidents and over 9,000 people suffered serious injuries.

On August 8, 2008, North Carolina conducted a one-day statewide “Booze it and Lose It” anti-drunk driving blitz. 454 people were cited for DWI. State and local police also filed 2,047 speeding charges and 190 drug charges. Seatbelt violations numbered 808, and 185 citations for safety violations related to child passengers were issued.

Drunk Driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is against the law. In North Carolina, getting caught drunk driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or greater can be grounds for criminal charges. A drunk driver that injures or kills a pedestrian or another motorist can be sued for personal injury or wrongful death.

General drunk driving statistics (from MADD Web site):

• 17,602 people in the US died in auto crashes involving drunk drivers in 2006.
• Close to 50 people a day are killed in drunk-driving related accidents.
• 275,000 people are injured in this country every year in collisions involving alcohol.

State to check for drunken drivers, The News & Observer.com, August 13, 2008

North Carolina Runs Special 'Booze it & Lose it' Blitz, Insurance Journal, August 8, 2008

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Related Web Resources:

North Carolina Department of Transportation

Labor Day Campaign: "Booze It and Lose It," August 15 - September 1, 2008, NCDOT.org (PDF)

Continue reading "North Carolina's Latest Drunk Driver Crackdown Begins on Friday " »

In Raleigh, North Carolina, 17-year-old Lillian Broox Manis of Chapel Hill died on Saturday after the car she was riding in was broadsided by a Ford motor vehicle. Durham resident Philip Iavorov Jurov, the driver of the Honda that Manis was riding in, also suffered serious injuries from the North Carolina crash.

The driver of the Ford, 19-year-old Raleigh resident Justin Caleb Crouse, appeared in Wake County District Court today to face several criminal charges related to the deadly motor vehicle accident. Crouse was charged with felony death by vehicle, a red-light violation, and provisional DWI.

According to North Carolina police, Crouse lost control of his vehicle before running off the right side of the road. The tires on the right side of the Ford deflated and his car entered the intersection, ramming into the passenger side of the Honda that carried Manis and Jurov at about 50 mph.

After the two cars traveled another 120 feet across Glenwood Avenue, the Honda rolled over. Manis was transported to WakeMed hospital where she died from her injuries.

One woman called Wake County 911 at about 3:30am and reported that a very “intoxicated” man was getting ready to leave the neighborhood.

In North Carolina, there were 490 alcohol-related deaths in 2006. Some Teen Drunk Driving Facts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• 28% of 15-20 year olds that died in auto crashes in 2005 had consumed alcohol.
• 64% of young drivers that were involved in alcohol-related deadly crashes were not using seatbelts.
• Over the past 30 days, 28.5% of US high school students have traveled at least once in a motor vehicle where the driver had consumed alcohol.

Drunk driving is a reckless and negligent act that can lead to serious injury accidents on the road. Our North Carolina car accident lawyers can help you determine whether you have grounds for a personal injury or wrongful death case.

Driver charged in Raleigh wreck that killed teen girl, WRAL.com, July 14, 2008

Teen Killed in a Raleigh Car Crash, Newsobserver.com, July 12, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Students Against Destructive Decisions

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Continue reading "Chapel Hill Teenager Dies After Being Struck by Car in Raleigh" »

In Hillsborough, North Carolina, town members are trying to raise funds for Khari Clark-Hester, a 6-year-old girl who is paralyzed from the waist down after she suffered spinal cord and brain injuries during an auto crash on April 10.

Khari sustained these catastrophic injuries when the passenger side of the car she was riding in was hit by a pickup truck. Khari spent several weeks in intensive care at NC Children’s Hospital and was later moved to a rehabilitation center. Her mother and 2-year-old sister were also involved in the crash but are now both fine. Khari needs money to pay for a medical car seat, a wheelchair ramp outside their house, and other medical costs.

In North Carolina and South Carolina, our catastrophic injury lawyers can help you or your injured family member recover personal injury compensation from the negligent party to cover your losses and damages. Catastrophic injuries are often life changing accidents, and living with a TBI or an SCI can be very expensive.

Traumatic Brain Injury
A sudden trauma to the brain can cause a traumatic brain injury. While a mild TBI can result in temporary unconsciousness, headaches, dizziness, or blurred vision, a more person with a serious TBI may experience convulsions, seizures, permanent brain damage, or fall into a coma or brain death.

Spinal Cord Injuries
A severe blow that dislocates or fractures the spine can lead to a spinal cord injury. An SCI patient may experience loss of sensation, sexual dysfunction, respiratory problems, loss of movement, including paralysis, and other serious health problems.

Our North Carolina auto accident lawyers know how to prove that a negligent motorist or another liable party caused your catastrophic injuries. We will zealously pursue your recovery. Our personal injury lawyers have successfully obtained compensation for the families of minors seriously injured in auto crashes.

Community unites to help accident victim, The Daily Tar Heel, June 12, 2008

Town rallies for injured girl, The Chapel Hill News

Related Web Resources:

Spinal cord injury, MayoClinic

Traumatic Brain Injury

Continue reading "6-Year-Old North Carolina Girl Paralyzed in Car Crash Is Center of Local Fundraising Efforts" »

In North Carolina, the Granville County family of 18-year-old Linsey Lunsford and her 9-year-old sister Maggie are suing the town of Franklinton, Police Officer Michael Dunlap, Police Chief Ray Gilliam and Police Lt. John Green for their wrongful deaths.

According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the two sisters died after suspect Guy Christopher Ayscue crashed head-on into their vehicle while fleeing from Dunlap on December 1. Ayscue also died in the deadly auto collision.

Officer Dunlap says the chase began because he tried to apprehend Ayscue, who was driving erratically. Ayscue also reportedly had a criminal record, which included convictions for driving violations, drug and alcohol infractions, assault with a deadly weapon, and robbery.

Investigators say the police chase was going as fast as 90 mph in a 50 mph zone. The 15-mile police chase began on NC Highway 56 and ended on US Highway 15. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Dunlap may have been driving as fast as 103 mph at one point.

Franklinton police policy states that police officers engaged in suspect pursuits can at no time drive faster than 20 miles above the posted speed limit. Officer Dunlap was placed on administrative leave after the crash but returned to patrolling the streets in February.

If someone you love has died in a motor vehicle collision caused by another party’s negligence, contact our North Carolina personal injury law firm right away to schedule you free consultation.

In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that over the past decade, over 3,000 people died because of police car chases. Of the 365 police car chase fatalities in 2001, 140 of the victims were not even directly involved in the actual pursuit. Federal statistics reveal that 40% of police car chases result in motor vehicle accidents.

Our North Carolina wrongful death law firm has the experience and resources to handle even the most complex wrongful death cases. We can help you recover compensation for your losses.

Family Sues Cop, Suspect's Estate in Chase Crash that Killed Sisters, WRAL.com, May 21, 2008

Sisters, Suspect Die in High-Speed Police Chase, NC Wanted, December 1, 2007

Police pressured to call off chase, USA Today, January 1, 2008

Related Web Resources:

The Lawsuit (PDF)

Franklinton Police Pursuit Policy (PDF)

Continue reading "North Carolina Family Sues Franklinton Police Officer For Wrongful Death of Two Daughters in Car Accident Involving Police Car Chase" »

In Pitt County, North Carolina, a grand jury this week indicted two men involved in separate deadly motor vehicle accidents that took place earlier this year.

Pablo Delacruz, was speeding in his Chevrolet Camaro on March 22 when he hit Harold Mills, a 75-year-old man on a bicycle. Mills was declared dead soon after he arrived at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. Delacruz had fled the accident scene but was tracked down by police after a witness wrote down his car’s license plate number.

DelaCruz was indicted for felony hit and run that caused personal injury and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

In the second fatal car accident, Danny Ellis Vick was driving his BMW headed north on NC 43 in Falkland Township on January 23 when he hit a car driven by 33-year-old Frankie Peaden after crossing the center line and hitting Peaden’s 1995 Toyota in a head-on collision. The North Carolina Highway Patrol says that Vick was driving under the influence of drugs.

At the time of the car accident, Vick was on parole after serving time in prison for robbery-related convictions. He was indicted this week on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and felony death by motor vehicle.

If someone you love was killed in a motor vehicle accident caused by another party’s negligence, not only can the responsible party be charged and convicted for committing a crime, but the driver may also be held liable in civil court.

In North Carolina and South Carolina, our North Carolina wrongful death law firm has helped many families recover damages from the responsible party for their loved ones’ deaths. We have successfully represented the surviving family members of people killed in truck accidents, train accidents, car accidents, bus crashes, and motorcycle collisions. We also have represented mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, and wives of people that died because of a defective product, a work-related accident, a premises liability-related crime, or any other injury accident caused by the negligence of someone else.

Two drivers from fatal wrecks indicted, The Daily Reflector, April 17, 2008

Hearing set for man in fatal wreck, The Daily Southerner, January 30, 2008

Greenville Police Investigating Hit and Run, WNCT.com, March 22, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Head-On Collisions

Things You May Not Know About Hit and Run Accidents, Deadly Roads

Continue reading "Pitt County Grand Jury Indicts North Carolina Two Drivers Involved in Separate Deadly Car Accidents" »

Annie McLeod, a University of North Carolina Wilmington Student, died on Sunday following a deadly car accident on North College Road in Wilmington over the weekend.

McLeod, 22, and two of her UNCW schoolmates, 19-year-old Tyler Roberts of Raleigh and 18-year-old Sarah Brown of Colerain, were on the road at around 2am on Sunday when they were struck by a Blue Lincoln that crossed the median. The Lincoln was driven by Wilmington resident Kelvin Cardwell, 22.

McLeod died on the way from the accident scene to the hospital. The other three injury victims were taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center for medical treatment of their injuries.

The Wilmington Police say that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

If someone you love was seriously injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash in North Carolina or South Carolina because another person was negligent or careless, please contact our auto accident law firm right away to explore your legal options. Our law firm handles personal injury and wrongful death cases.

Drunk Driving
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 1 person dies every 31 minutes in an alcohol-related auto accident, while 2 people are injured every two minutes.

• The CDC says that 16,885 people died in the US in 2005 in motor vehicle crashes where alcohol was involved.

• Driving with a BAC of .08% or more is illegal in all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

• Every year, alcohol-related accidents incur some $51 billion in costs in the U.S.

• Approximately 18% of auto accident driver deaths involved drugs other than alcohol.

UNCW student killed in crash, WWAYTV3.com, March 31, 2008

UNCW student killed in 2-car crash; 3 injured, StarNewsOnline.com, March 31, 2008

Impaired Driving, CDC.gov

Related Web Resource:

Drunk Driving, NSC.org

Continue reading "University of North Carolina Wilmington Student Dies and Three Others Are Injured In Car Accident Involving Alcohol" »

The North Carolina Highway Patrol says it will be on the lookout over the Easter weekend for drunk drivers, speeding drivers, aggressive drivers, erratic drivers, and drivers without seatbelts. The crackdown is intended to keep auto accident injuries and wrongful death incidents low.

The Easter weekend in North Carolina is a busy time on the roads, with motorists visiting relatives, going to church, heading to the beach, and spending time with friends. Over the 2007 Easter weekend, there were 1,153 auto accidents that left 8 people dead over the 3 ½ day period. This Easter weekend began yesterday at 6pm and ends on Sunday at midnight.

The NC Highway Patrol will also be taking part in the national CARE program—the Combined Accident Reduction Effort—that has State police officers and highway patrol officers making themselves more visible during busy holiday seasons in an effort to save lives and keep the motor vehicle accident toll low.

Unfortunately, holiday weekends can turn tragic when auto accidents occur. There may be serious injuries (and even death) for the driver, his or her passengers, and other people on the roads.

Our North Carolina and South Carolina auto accident law firm have helped many victims of car accidents, motorcycle accident, bus accidents, truck accidents, and pedestrian accidents recover compensation for their injuries or the deaths of loved ones.

Although you cannot control the behavior of other drivers on the road, you are in control of your own actions.

GMAC Insurance says the leading driving mistakes include:

• Multi-tasking while operating a vehicle.
• Following the vehicle in front of you too closely.
• Not yielding when making a left turn.
• Improper merging.
• Not looking to see what or who is in behind you.

State Highway Patrol Urges Motorists to Drive Safely Over the Easter Holiday Weekend, Lelandtribune.com, March 20, 2008

Top Driving Mistakes that Cause Crashes, GMAC Insurance

Related Web Resources:

C.A.R.E.

Car Accident Injuries - Causes and Preventive Measures, Ezinearticles

North Carolina State Highway Patrol

Continue reading "North Carolina Highway Patrol Goes Into Auto Accident-Prevention Mode for Easter Weekend" »

A report released by AAA Carolina ranks the most dangerous places to drive in North Carolina. Haywood County was named the place where there is the “Best chance of being in a collision” under the category “Top 5 Dangerous Counties for Tractor-Trailers.”

Haywood’s Interstate 40, which is winding and narrowly built, is one of the reasons for the high motor vehicle crash rate. The I-40 once was once known for having the highest rate of tractor-trailer crashes in the United States.

The large amount of traffic—in particular, tractor-trailers—that pass through the area is another reason that so many accidents occur. The cold weather can cause the roads and tunnels to become icy.

Swain County and Graham County ranked at the top of the “5 Dangerous Counties for Motorcycles” under the categories “Best Chance for Being Injured” and Best Chance of Being in a Collision.”

Graham County was also named the leading North Carolina County where one has the “Best Chance of Being Killed.” A major reason for this high ranking is the 318 curves on its 11-mile stretch of U.S. 129. The fact that the number of people buying and riding motorcycles is increasing is also playing a role.

Also ranking on the AAA Carolinas list is Gaston County, which ranked number 27 out of the 30 most dangerous counties in North Carolinas for auto crashes. On a positive note, it ranked 91 out of 100 counties where deadly accidents will most likely take place.

Mecklenburg County ranked number six under the most dangerous counties list. Also listed among the counties where motor vehicle collisions were most likely to occur were Lincoln County at number 25 and Cleveland County at number 33.

The number one county where auto wrecks were most likely to happen, for the fifth year in a row, is New Hanover County.

The North Carolina county where you are least likely to get into a motor vehicle wreck is Currituck County. Chowan County is the area where you are least likely to die in a car crash.

If you were injured in a motor vehicle crash or someone you love was killed in an auto collision that was caused by another negligent party in North Carolina or South Carolina, our motor vehicle accident law firm would like to offer you a free consultation to discuss your personal injury or wrongful death case.

Gaston County ranks in top half for wrecks, but few end in fatalities, GastonGazette.com, February 5, 2008

Mountain roads cited as among the state’s most dangerous, Smoky Mountain News, February 6, 2008

Related Web Resource:

AAA Carolinas

Continue reading "AAA Carolinas Releases Its List of Most Dangerous Places to Drive in North Carolina" »

North Carolina’s State Highway Patrol is reporting four injuries from a multi-car collision that occurred on Monday on N.C. 55. The multi-car crash occurred because New Bern resident Richard Kenneth Walter Jr was headed east in the westbound lane. The accident occurred eight miles east of New Bern.

Walter first struck the back of a Honda, driven by Aurora resident Frederic Cutler, before going on to hit a Hyundai SUV, driven by Pamlico County resident Crystal Baker. Walter’s car then crashed into a 2004 Buick, driven by Greensboro resident., Caroleen Cuthrell.

Caroleen and her husband Ervin, Crystal Baker, and Walter all sustained injuries in the car accident. Three of the cars were totally wrecked in the collision.

Personal Injury and Property Damage
If you or someone you love was injured in a motor vehicle accident in North Carolina or South Carolina, you should contact a car accident law firm immediately. While the liable party may be insured, this does not mean that you are guaranteed to receive the compensation that you are entitled to for your injuries and related expenses.

An experienced North Carolina and South Carolina personal injury lawyer will know how to deal with the liable party and their insurer to maximize your chances for financial recovery.

Not only will you need help covering your medical costs, pain and suffering, and related damages, but you may also need help recovering compensation for the property damage that your car sustained. A good car crash lawyer can make sure that the insurance company gives you the right amount of recovery.

Causes of Car Accidents
Although sometimes motor vehicle collisions cannot be avoided, there are precautions that all drivers can take to be safe on the roads. Careless or negligence can lead to car accidents that can injure not only the driver but innocent bystanders whose lives can be altered forever—possibly even cut short—because of a moment’s recklessness.

In addition to driving the wrong way up a road, here is a list of other negligent behavior that can lead to catastrophic collisions, personal injuries, and wrongful death.

• Speeding
• Not paying proper attention
• Talking on the cell phone or text messaging while driving
• Not paying attention to the traffic lights and street signs
• Not driving defensively
• Drunk driving
• Driving while under heavy medication
• Tailgating
• Driving while exhausted or emotionally upset
• Not checking mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes

Driver going wrong way triggers N.C. 55 crash, Newbernsj.com, January 9, 2008

10 Common Driving Mistakes, AAA Public Affairs

Related Web Resources:

2006 Crash Data Files, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

What to Do After an Auto Accident, State Farm Insurance

Continue reading "Four People Injured On North Carolina Highway When Driver Going the Wrong Way Causes Multi-Car Collision Near New Bern" »

The holiday season in Raleigh, Charlotte, and the other cities of North Carolina are a time for family and friends to gather together to celebrate the season and each other. This time of the year, however, can easily turn tragic if you are seriously injured or if someone you love is killed in a motor vehicle accident caused by a careless, reckless, or drunk driver.

This year, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol wants to work with North Carolina motorists to make sure that people stay safe while riding on state roads and freeways during the holiday season.

Already, with 1257 traffic related-deaths, the motor vehicle death toll for 2007 in North Carolina is 109 fatalities more than what it was at this time of the year in 2006. Last year, from November 30, 2006 to January 2, 2007, 127 North Carolina drivers were involved in deadly traffic accidents that killed 27 people.

In an effort to keep the number of auto crash related-deaths from rising further this year, North Carolina troopers plan to set up DWI checkpoints and make sure that car drivers, motorcyclists, truck drivers, and bus drivers comply with state DWI laws through North Carolina’s “Booze It and Lose It” campaign and the nationwide Combined Accident Reduction Effort program through the holiday season.

Although we can’t control what other drivers do, each of us can take the proper safety measures to do our best to keep others and ourselves safe.

A Few Holiday Safety Tips from Precision Tune Auto Care:

• Don’t drink and drive
• Avoid driving if you are very tired or taking prescription medication
• Obey the speed limit
• Drive defensively
• Follow your car’s maintenance schedule
• Don’t talk on the phone/text message while driving
• Follow at a safe distance from the driver in front of you

In the event that you or someone you love is injured in a car accident, truck crash, or motorcycle collision anywhere in North Carolina or South Carolina, an experienced motor vehicle accident lawyer can help you file your personal injury claim or auto accident lawsuit to obtain your financial recovery from the negligent party.

Troopers encourage motorists to slow down and enjoy the holidays, The Leland Tribune, December 17, 2007

Gov. Easley Announces Holiday Booze It and Lose It" Campaign, State of North Carolina Office of the Governor, November 30, 2007

Safe driving tips for the holidays, Seacoast Online, December 26, 2003

Related Web Resources:

North Carolina Highway Patrol

Continue reading "North Carolina State Highway Patrol Urges Motor Vehicle Drivers to Avoid Injury Accidents During the Holidays" »

Troopers in North Carolina issued over 50,000 traffic violation tickets during the November Operation Slow Down/No Need 2 Speed program, which is designed to apprehend drivers speeding on highways in North Carolina. From November 13 until November 25, 2007, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and local troopers worked together to apprehend anyone driving over the speed limit.

Speeding is considered a major cause of motor vehicle accidents. Last year, 554 people in North Carolina died in a motor vehicle accident where speeding was a factor. The NHTSA says that 13,713 people died in the United States in 2002 because of accidents involving speeding.

North Carolina’s Highway Patrol says that of the 51,198 citations that it issued, 24,274 of them were for speeding violations. 954 violations involved DWI (driving while impaired).

If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a car accident, truck collision, bus accident, pedestrian accident, or motorcycle crash because another driver on the road was speeding, you should contact an experienced South Carolina or North Carolina motor vehicle accident lawyer right away.

Perils of Speeding
Speeding can make it hard for a driver to stop their motor vehicle suddenly and safely. It also decreases a driver’s ability to steer around objects on the street or go around curving roads safely. A driver who is intent on speeding may end up changing lanes unnecessarily in order to keep up the pace. Many deadly car crashes happen because a driver was speeding.

Safedrivingtest.com offers a number of survival strategies that doesn’t involve speeding:

• Drive the speed limit.
• Don’t let the car behind you pressure you to speed.
• Slow down even below the speed limit in rainy, icy or snowy weather or on a road that is under construction.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Generally keep pace with the flow of traffic.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says that it plans to continue keeping a vigilant watch for anyone speeding on the roads.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, 20 peopled were killed on North Carolina’s highways. Although the causes of all the accidents have not yet been determined, officials expect that speeding, not paying proper attention to the roads, carelessness, drunk driving, and not wearing seatbelts will arise as some of the reasons for the deadly crashes.

Troopers issue 50,000 tickets during statewide speeding crackdown, Charlotte.com, November 27, 2007

20 killed on N.C. highways over holiday, Charlotte.com, November 27, 2007
N.C.'s Operation Slow Down to 'Crack Down' on Speeders, Enhance Safety, Insurance Journal, November 13, 2007

More about Speed, Safedrivingtest.com

Related Web Resource:

Gov. Easley Announces Operation Slow Down/No Need 2 Speed, State of North Carolina Office of the Governor

Continue reading "North Carolina State Highway Patrol Issues More Than 50,000 Traffic Violation Citations During Operation Slow Down " »

Two young boys were thrown from a van in South Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday when the van collided with a car. Police say that the boys, two brothers ages 7 and 6, were not buckled in properly by the driver of the van that was hired by Charlotte-Mecklenberg School to transport the boys to and from school. The police also think that the driver could have been speeding.

Gavin, 6, had to undergo facial surgery.

Statistics show that seatbelts save many lives and prevent many others from suffering from serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes. Over 63% of people killed in motor vehicle collisions were not using seatbelts.

In North Carolina, any child younger than 8 years of age and weighing under 80 pounds has to wear a child restraint device that must be properly buckled. The CRD must meet federal standards of safety at the time it was manufactured.

Under the NC Child Passenger Safety Law, the driver of a motor vehicle is responsible for ensuring that a child younger than 16 is properly buckled up. Failure to do so can lead to penalties and personal injury liability if a child is injured or killed because he or she was not properly restrained.

Not only must children be buckled up, but their seatbelts must be secured properly.

• Children under 20 lbs and under age 1 should be placed in a rear-facing CRD.
• Children 1-4 years of age and weighing between 20-40 lbs should be placed in a forward-facing car seat.
• Children should not wear a regular seatbelt until they are the proper weight and age.
• Children 5-8 years of age should use a booster seat.
• Children 9-12 years of age can use a regular seatbelt. It is highly recommended that they sit in the backseat of a car.

Not properly restraining a child could result in the child sustaining serious injuries or dying.

Child Severely Injured After Being Thrown from a Van, WBTV.com, October 30, 2007

Buckling Up Is Not Enough To Protect Children In Auto Accidents; Seat Belts And Child Safety Seats Must Be Used Properly, Science Daily, June 8, 1999

Child Passenger Safety Law, Buckleupnc.org

Related Web Resources:

National Child Passenger Safety Board

Continue reading "6-Year-Old Thrown From Van In Charlotte, North Carolina Sustains Serious Injuries " »

Operation Buckle Up begins in North Carolina today. The state and local initiative by law enforcement officers is designed to reduced the number of injury accidents and deaths, as well as prevent certain traffic violations. Over the next two weeks, police officers will crack down on motor vehicle drivers and riders that are in violation of North Carolina’s seat belt laws.

Statistics:

• 1558 people died on North Carolina’s roads in 2006.
• 48% of fatalities involved people that did not wear seat belts.
• 88.6% of people in cars and trucks are believed to be in compliance with North Carolina’s seat belt laws.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol has also been cracking down on drunk drivers. Police cited 2,905 drivers for driving while impaired between August 13 and through the Labor Day weekend ending September 3.

The areas where the largest number of drunk drivers were apprehended in North Carolina during the two-week initiative were Carteret (86), Mecklenburg, (100), and Wake (342). One Highway Patrol officer at the Lexington office says that his agency has arrested 182 people for DWI this year.

The James Madison University Web site offers the following facts and statistics about seat belt safety:

• Out of every five motor vehicle drivers, one driver will be in a traffic accident this year.
• About 35,000 people die in accidents involving a motor vehicle every year. About 50% would not have died if they were wearing seat belts at the time of the fatal crash.
• If just 172 of the 35,000 people did not die, some $100 million a year in personal injury and wrongful death recovery costs would be saved.
• Children have been known to die or be seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash because they were crushed by adults that were not wearing seatbelts.
• 80 out of every 100 children that die in a motor vehicle collision would have been saved if they had been a safety belt or child safety seat.

Many motor vehicle accidents happen because a car driver, truck driver, motorcyclist, or bus driver was negligent. If you were injured in a motor vehicle injury victim because another party was negligent—even if you were not wearing a seat belt—you should speak to a personal injury lawyer right away.

Your personal injury attorney can file a personal injury claim or lawsuit for you so that you can obtain the recovery that you need to cover your medical costs and other related damages.

If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident because of a defective seat belt, you could have grounds to file a seat belt injury claim for your injuries.

Highway Patrol focuses on seat-belt usage, The Dispatch Online, September 17, 2007

Safety Belt Statistics, James Madison University

Related Web Resources:

NC Seat Belt Law, NC Crime Control.org

The Disaster Center's Motor Vehicle Accident Death and Injury data Index, Disaster Center.com

Continue reading "North Carolina Highway Patrol Starts "Operation Buckle Up" to Reduce Motor Vehicle Injury Accidents and Deaths " »

One person has died and 10 others were injured during a head-on collision involving a Church van and a pickup truck in Eastern North Carolina on Monday.

The church van was going to a Baptist retreat center in Oak Island when the accident took place. The teenage and adult passengers in the van were members of Boonville’s Charity Baptist Church.

Norma Shore, a 60-year-old Boonville resident, is the woman who was killed in the motor vehicle crash. The injury victims were treated at Hoots Memorial Hospital in Yadkinville and at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

Dwaine Dobbins, the driver of the pickup truck, was injured.

Head-on collisions can often lead to serious if not fatal injuries. They are motor vehicle accidents where the impact has occurred at the front of the vehicle. A car, truck, or motorcycle can become involved in a frontal impact collision, if it collides from the front with another motor vehicle or a nonmoving object. The speed that the motor vehicle was moving at, whether or not the passengers and driver were wearing seatbelts, whether the car or truck was equipped with working airbags, and the circumstances and severity of the crash are some of the factors that can affect whether or not any personal injuries sustained by accident victims are severe and/or fatal.

Common causes of head-on crashes include:

• A motor vehicle going the wrong way on a one-way road
• A car, truck, or motorcycle trying to overtake another vehicle when there isn’t enough passing space
• The driver of the motor vehicle has lost control of the car, truck, or motorcycle, and ends up crossing over the dividing line on the road and into oncoming traffic
• Speeding
• Following another vehicle too closely
• Not stopping soon enough before colliding into another automobile
• Driving under the influence of alcohol
• A defective motor vehicle
• Careless or negligent driving

Church van wreck kills one, injures at least 10 others, Winston-Salem Journal, August 6, 2007

What factors are associated with head-on crashes?, Austin City Connect

Related Web Resources:

Preventing Head On Collisions

Head-On Collisions, Safety Transportation

Continue reading "10 People are Injured and One Woman is Killed in Eastern North Carolina When Church Van and Pickup Truck Collide in Head-On Crash" »

Shannon White, a 29-year-old Shelby resident, gave himself up to North Carolina police on Wednesday following his indictment on involuntary manslaughter and felony hit and run charges for the death of Jonathan Scruggs, 18. Scruggs was walking down Caleb Road in Shelby in May when he was hit by White’s motor vehicle.

Scruggs, who had been home-schooled his entire life and was autistic, was headed to his first day of school at Cleveland Community College and his new job at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries during the time of the hit-and-run accident. His family went looking for him and found his body on the side of the road.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver in North Carolina, criminal charges can be filed against the driver for fleeing an accident scene. North Carolina law says that a driver has a “Duty to stop in event of accident or collision; furnishing information or assistance to injured person, etc.; persons assisting exempt from civil liability.” If found guilty for hit and run after causing an accident, the defendant may have to pay a fine and serve time behind bars.

As a victim of a hit-and-run car accident, you are entitled, by law, to seek legal remedies against the negligent party that caused your injuries. Injuries in any kind of car accident can range from mild to severe and can include mild bruises, broken bones, fractures, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, traumatic brain injuries, and wrongful death.

An experienced personal injury lawyer can examine your injuries, investigate the accident, and prove that your injuries were caused by a hit-and-run driver. A criminal conviction will force the defendant to face the law for committing the crime of hit and run. A personal injury claim or lawsuit will allow you, the injured person, to collect damages for the injuries that have been done to you.

If your injuries are severe, you will need assistance covering your extensive medical bills and recovery costs. A personal injury case lets you hold the negligent party responsible for the costs that they have caused you to incur through your pain and suffering and injuries from the accident.

Shelby man turns self in to face hit-and-run charge, Charlotte Observer, July 20, 2007

Hit and Run Laws in North Carolina

Related Web Resource:

Fatality Facts 2005: Pedestrians

Continue reading "North Carolina Hit-And-Run Driver Turns Himself in to Face Charges In Death of Autistic Teenager" »

State officials in North Carolina are investigating whether the Department of Correction administrator let a group of inmates work on a six-person roadside cleaning crew last Tuesday without giving them the proper safety equipment that they needed to stay safe on Interstate 40 near Lake Wheeler Road. One of the inmates, Charles Wilson, died after an SUV struck an empty prison van nearby. The van then rolled onto him.

Several inmates and workers at the Wake Correctional Center said that a corrections officer told his supervisor that the crew lacked the proper safety equipment, including road signs to warn motorists of their presence while working in the area. They say that the supervisor disregarded the absence of the equipment. A corrections department spokesperson says that the accusations are being investigated.

The van also struck inmate John Terry and correction officer John McDonald.

Police have charged Frederick Henri Beaujeu-Dufour, a Clinton resident and the man driving the SUV, with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

Road Construction Site Injury Statistics

• From 1995-2002, 844 workers died at a road construction site in the US
• More than 50% of these deaths involved motor vehicle accidents

The Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices defines a work zone as:

“an area of a highway with construction, maintenance, or utility work activities. A
work zone is typically marked by signs, channelizing devices, barriers, pavement
markings, and/or work vehicles. It extends from the first warning sign or high-
intensity rotating, flashing, oscillating, or strobe lights on a vehicle to the 'End Road Work' sign or the last temporary traffic control device.”

By law, safety markers must be in place to ensure that workers on the road are safe. If North Carolina’s Department of Corrections knowingly allowed the inmates to work on the roads without the proper safety equipment, they could be held liable for the personal injuries and wrongful death sustained by some of the inmates. The driver of the SUV, Frederick Henri Beaujeu-Dufour, could also be held liable for the wrongful death of inmate Charles Wilson.

Inmates in roadside accident lacked safety equipment, Winston-Salem Journal, July 13, 2007

1 North Carolina Inmate Dies, 2 Injured in Roadside Crew Accident, WRAL.com, July 11, 2007

Fatal occupational injuries at road construction sites

Related Web Resource:

Notification of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Final Rule, U.S. Department of Transporation Federal Highway Administration

Continue reading "North Carolina Inmate Killed On Roadside Cleaning Crew Lacked Proper Safety Equipment " »

A North Carolina woman was killed on Tuesday when the 1995 Isuzu Trooper SUV she was riding in overturned after colliding with a 1999 Chevrolet van on South Carolina’s Interstate 77 in York County. Six other people were thrown from the sports utility vehicle. Three of these passengers were young children, ages 5,4, and 3.

The woman who died, 53-year-old Alice Mouzone, had been riding in the front passenger seat at the time of the motor vehicle accident. She was the only one who was not thrown from the SUV because she was the only person in the motor vehicle who had been wearing a seatbelt. They were headed to a 4th of July celebration when the crash occurred.

The six injured passengers were taken to a local hospital. Two of them had to airlifted from the accident scene. All seven people in the SUV were from Thomasville, North Carolina and from the same family.

The passenger and driver of the Chevrolet van were both wearing seatbelts and were not injured in the deadly motor vehicle crash.

The cause of the motor vehicle accident is under investigation.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident caused by another party’s negligence, you may be able to file a personal injury claim to cover your medical and recovery costs.

Medical care for serious injuries can be expensive and ongoing, which is why you need to retain the services of an experienced personal injury lawyer that knows how to handle personal injury claims.

Potential liable parties can include a negligent driver, a manufacturer of a motor vehicle (if the car, truck, or vehicle in question was defective or malfunctioned), and possibly even the local or state government if, for instance, a faulty traffic light was the cause of an injury or wrongful death accident.

SUV rollovers are not uncommon, especially because the way this kind of vehicle is designed puts it at a greater risk for a rollover accident. A lawsuit can be filed against the manufacturer of an SUV if a person is injured or killed because of the vehicle’s design.

I-77 Accident Kills Woman And Throws 3 Children Onto Road In York County, WSOCTV.com, July 4, 2007

I-77 reopens after fatal wreck, Charlotte.com, July 3, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Rollover: The Hidden History of the SUV

The Physics of SUV Rollover Accidents

Continue reading "North Carolina Woman Dies And Six Others Are Injured In Deadly SUV-Van Collision on South Carolina’s I-77" »