Posted on April 02, 2013 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

In any hit-and-run case where the victim succumbs to his or her injuries and passes away, the surviving family members can be thrust into the criminal and civil justice systems. The impact of fatal car accidents can be far-reaching and severe for those who are unfamiliar with the legal issues involved, especially as they deal with already-strained emotions. In a recent case out of New York, the friends of a hit-and-run victim have planned an active protest against the man that took the life of their loved one.

Virginians read about fatal car accidents every day in their own metro areas, seeing for themselves the devastation these types of crashes can cause. In the New York case, a 30-year-old man was driving a vehicle that struck and killed a man last fall. In court, the driver pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident as well as tampering with some of the physical evidence. Both actions were felony counts.

The driver initially pleaded not guilty to the counts in February, but a police investigation into the 61-year-old victim's death revealed evidence linked to the driver's car. In March, he pleaded guilty, possibly due to the evidence pointing directly at him. With a sentencing scheduled for later this April, friends of the victim have planned a candlelight vigil to protest what they consider a too-lenient sentence. According to a spokesman for the local District Attorney, authorities will seek a sentence of two to six years in state prison for the offender.

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 Posted on March 27, 2013 in Drunk Driving Accidents

The recent St. Patrick's Day holiday had many police and media throughout Virginia warning against driving while intoxicated. One media outlet even published a blood alcohol content table for readers, explicitly defining the amount of alcohol it takes to impair a driver's judgment behind the wheel. According to the Virginia Tech Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center, just one drink can negatively affect driving skills, therefore even light drinkers can cause a drunk driving accident.

The Virginia Tech center defines one drink as containing 1.25 ounces of alcohol that is 80-proof. Alternatively, one drink can be defined as 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of table wine. Many Virginians consume these drinks at restaurants or bars, though, meaning the drinking glass or serving size for one drink can be much larger than defined above. The only manner in which drivers can be fully assured of safety, then, is to not drink at all or utilize a taxi service or designated driver.

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 Posted on March 18, 2013 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Residents of Virginia know that winding roads, adverse weather conditions, and rushed commuters can make for a dangerous drive. However, none of these conditions are quite as frightening as faulty brakes on a commercial vehicle. Local law enforcement agents in another state, West Virginia, are still investigating a grisly commercial vehicle accident that may have involved defective brakes.

Tragically, the crash, which occurred on March 9, took the lives of two children, one 8-year-old and one 7-year-old. Initial reports of the incident, which took place as a major snowstorm was moving across the country towards the East Coast, noted a water truck had somehow fallen on top of a sedan. The children's mother was behind the wheel of the sedan at the time of the crash, and had to be transported to a hospital with injuries. Fortunately the 49-year-old woman sustained only non-life-threatening injuries, though the incident robbed her of her two children.

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 Posted on March 13, 2013 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

When police officers take to the road in their own vehicles, Virginians often assume their behaviors are always safe and lawful. However, no drivers are above the law, nor are law enforcement personnel immune to the temptations of distracted driving. A recent case out of neighboring West Virginia involves a police officer who is accused of talking on his cell phone and causing a fatal car accident.

The incident occurred in October of 2011, when, according to a woman whose mother died as a result of the crash, a deputy sheriff driving in the town of Quincy hit another car. The sheriff was in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, headed east on U.S. Route 60 when he hit a car making a left turn. Inside the turning car was an 85-year-old passenger, who suffered serious injuries after the traumatic collision. Sadly, the woman succumbed to her many injuries a few days later in an area hospital.

The deceased crash victim's 58-year-old daughter is now alleging that the deputy sheriff was a negligent driver whose distracted driving led to a wrongful death. The facts surrounding the accident appear to support her claim: the officer was traveling over the speed limit when the crash occurred, and he admitted in a statement that he had been having a conversation on a mobile phone at the time. He also said that he was not using a hands-free mobile device.

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 Posted on March 08, 2013 in Drunk Driving Accidents

In Virginia, it's not just those behind the wheel that can be charged with endangering others on the road. An alleged drunk driving accident that occurred last month in Bedford County involves a passenger being arrested for driving under the influence. While traveling in a car with four other people, a 23-year-old woman from Roanoke allegedly grabbed the wheel and caused the car to crash, according to another passenger.

All five individuals were later hospitalized when the vehicle flipped over near Virginia 24. The passenger now faces a charge of reckless driving and misdemeanor DUI. While fortunately no deaths occurred in this incident, several people in a car, with any one of them drunk, can pose a massive hazard. An intoxicated person, even if they are not technically in the driver's seat, can still cause a car to careen out of control. A drunk person's poor judgment and impaired motor skills can lead to acting out, harming the car itself, or distracting the driver.

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 Posted on February 27, 2013 in Car Accidents

When natural hazards, such as the weather, or man-made dangers, such as a stray construction cone, pose a danger to motorists, it's important for drivers to still show responsibility on the road. A car crash can easily result from either of the above, and other motorists or pedestrians can sustain serious injuries either way. The recent controversy surrounding a Virginia public official underscores the presence of potholes on the state's roads.

The former Hampton Roads district administrator for the state department of transportation, VDOT, resigned on February 15, despite nearly ten years of service in the position. The decision came after criticism regarding the handling of dangerous road conditions. In particular, a strong rainstorm on Interstate 264 earlier this month led to the formation of numerous potholes along the busy route. Conditions became so unsafe that Virginia State Police had to close down portions of the roadway.

Potholes can pose countless threats to motorists, from a simple flat tire to a multi-vehicle accident caused by swerving. Unlike other highway hazards, such as deer that congregate near wooded areas or ice that forms near bridges, it can be tough to predict where a pothole will occur. According to the mayor of Hampton, Molly Joseph Ward, properly maintaining roads is difficult without adequate funding.

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 Posted on February 23, 2013 in Truck Accidents

Whether one is behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler or a moped, it is imperative to devote one's full attention to the road ahead. However, in today's high-tech world, distractions can prove more dangerous for drivers than ever before. According to information from the Virginia Tech Traffic Institute, distracted driving contributed to 6,000 fatalities in America in 2010, the most recent year such data is available. Moreover, distracted driving was a factor in 500,000 injuries.

Adding to these alarming statistics is the fact that driving while distracted can be deadly no matter which type of vehicle one is operating. Trucking accidents caused by distracted driving can lead to catastrophic injuries or worse, as the size differential between tractor-trailers and personal vehicles can be vast.

The Virginia Tech study categorized distractions as belonging to several different groups: visual, manual and cognitive. In the first group, anything that diverts a driver's vision from the road poses a threat. This can include reading a billboard of looking at a cellphone screen.

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 Posted on February 12, 2013 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Parts of a car left at the scene of an accident proved to be instrumental in tracking-down the vehicle's driver, whom Virginia police say fled the scene of a deadly crash on January 29. Along with help from the Wilson Fire Department, Virginia State Police investigated a traumatic incident that left a 47-year-old man dead and another man on the run.

While fatal car accidents typically involve a car striking another car or truck, or a drunk driver wreaking havoc on the road, some crashes feature a different type of motorized vehicle, but with the same result: death. Such was the case in late January in Lyndhurst, when police say a car struck a moped on Mount Torrey Road near the Shenandoah Valley Animal Shelter. Initially, the car continued on its way, its driver failing to stop and check on the condition of the moped's operator. Unfortunately, the driver of the moped died as a result of the collision, which occurred around 8 p.m. on a Tuesday night.

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 Posted on February 06, 2013 in Car Accidents

Over a period of just nine hours during the winter storm of Friday, January 25, Virginia Beach police responded to a massive number of auto crashes. Almost 200 car accidents tangled-up the icy roadways that day, with a total of 275 accidents in Virginia Beach over the entire weekend. The time period between 3 p.m. and midnight that Friday, though, was the busiest for area responders. They were called to the scenes of 185 accidents that afternoon and evening, with nine of those featuring reported injuries.

The following Saturday, local officers continued their busy schedule of responding to car crash sites. January 26 saw 63 accidents in Virginia Beach; eight of those included injuries. On Sunday, the number of accidents continued to go down, but police still reported 18 car accidents, with one involving injuries. Fortunately, none of these numerous accidents resulted in the deaths of any drivers or passengers, but authorities did report plenty of minor injuries.

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 Posted on January 28, 2013 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Transportation safety researchers from the University of California - Berkeley and the University of West Virginia have noticed a troubling aspect of vehicle safety design, one that could point to a link between obesity and the risk of dying in a fatal car accident.

According to Thomas Rice and Motao Zhu, cars are generally engineered to provide a safe structure to drivers and passengers of normal weight. Obese occupants, on the other hand, may not benefit as much from existing car safety design. The researchers reviewed the extensive Fatality Analysis Reporting System, or FARS, to get an idea of fatal motor vehicle accidents in America. Looking at information spanning over a decade between 1996 and 2008, the scientists found that a higher body mass index (BMI) corresponded with a higher risk of death in the event of a crash.

The research team examined only collisions involving two cars, with both of the vehicles being of similar size and structure. Observing the data gathered from over 57,000 accidents, they found that drivers with a BMI between 30 and 34.9 (considered obese) had a 21 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than their non-obese counterparts. Extremely obese drivers, or those with a BMI of 40 or above, saw a whopping 80 percent increase in their risk of death by car accident, compared to drivers with a normal BMI (between 18.5 and 24.9).

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