Posted on September 02, 2016 in Drunk Driving Accidents

While Hurricane Hermine might make the start of Labor Day weekend kind of soggy for some travelers through the state, the Virginia Trucking Association wants to make sure that motorists avoid accidents this holiday.

Below are some safety tips for drivers to employ:

— Don't set out without conducting a pre-trip inspection of fluid levels, tire pressure and making sure that routine maintenance tasks have been carried out.

— Check the weather reports for the areas where you will be traveling through as well as your final destination. If the storm in Florida tracks east and brings wet weather to Virginia, be on the alert for detours and closed roads.

— Have a plan in mind. Plot your course ahead of time and be aware of the exits. Indecision behind the wheel can lead to wrecks.

— Never ride in trucks' blind spots — when you can't see the trucker in the truck's mirrors, realize he also cannot see you.

— Ditch distracted driving. Focus on driving and the road ahead of you. Let passengers deal with cellphones and radio stations.

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 Posted on August 25, 2016 in Truck Accidents

Virginians who use the interstates to commute or simply travel for everyday purposes frequently have to contend with large trucks that can become very lethal hazards.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, in 2014, 3,903 individuals died and roughly 111,000 others were injured in collisions with large trucks in the United States. That same year, it's estimated that there were 438,000 big rigs involved in accidents that got reported to the police.

While those statistics are indeed sobering, deaths from accidents with these large commercial trucks actually declined 2 percent from 2013 to 2014, dropping from 3,981 to 3,903. That appears not to be a one-off as statistics over a decade show a 26 percent decline in the total number of fatalities from highway collisions with large trucks, from 5,240 deaths in 2005 down to 3,903 in 2014.

The breakdown of the fatalities for that year, which is the latest data available to study, showed that 73 percent of those who died were in other vehicles, 17 percent were in large trucks and 10 percent were pedestrians, motorcyclists or bicyclists.

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 Posted on August 19, 2016 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Prince William County police officers with the Crash Investigation Unit arrived on the scene of an auto fatality at 6:30 a.m., on Aug. 5 near Sudley Road and its intersection with Coverstone Drive in Manassas.

Investigators came upon a collision that involved two vehicles, a late-model Freightliner tractor-trailer and a 2012 model Toyota RAV4. According to reports, the Toyota driver tried to turn right from Coverstone onto the southbound lane of Sudley Road. However, the 18-wheeler was heading south on Sudley as the driver approached the intersection. When the driver of the big rig ran a red light, the vehicles collided.

Five Manassas residents were riding in the Toyota, a man, 43, two women, age 41 and 33, and two young boys, age 2 and 3. The 33-year-old woman was ejected from the middle rear seat and succumbed to her injuries after being taken to a local hospital. She was not wearing a safety belt when the crash occurred.

The RAV4 driver received only minor injuries and received treatment by first responders at the accident scene. The Toyota's front seat passenger suffered minor injuries and was taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital. The two boys, who had both been secured properly, were not injured.

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 Posted on August 11, 2016 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

With another school year about to start, it's a good time to focus on school bus safety. Do you realize that every school bus route removes potentially 36 vehicles from the roads in both the mornings and afternoons? School buses cut down on the congestion involved with parent drop-offs and pick-ups, too.

Because there are fewer vehicles on the roads when buses transport kids to school, the emission levels from cars and SUVs decline.

But just how safe are school buses?

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration claims that 58 percent of children who die while traveling to school during the normal times were riding in automobiles being driven by teens. Another 23 percent died in vehicles driven by adults. But children riding to school on the bus made up less than 1 percent of collision deaths. statistics show that school buses are the safest way for children to get back and forth from school.

But why don't they come with seat belts?

School buses have enhanced structural integrity that is different from passenger vehicles. Kids are protected the way eggs are in a carton. They have padding all around them, seat backs are high, they are in compartments within the vehicle surrounded by a shell that's reinforced to protect them from impact.

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 Posted on August 04, 2016 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

You understand the risks associated with driving. You know that you could be involved in an accident at any time. Unfortunately, there is no way to prepare yourself for losing a loved one in a commercial vehicle accident. If this happens, your life is sure to change forever.

There are many types of fatal commercial accidents. For example, this could happen if an 18-wheeler hits a passenger vehicle from behind at a high speed. If this occurs, there is a good chance that the people in the smaller vehicle will be injured or even killed.

Some of the most important questions to ask after a fatal commercial accident include:

— Who was at fault?

— Was the commercial vehicle driver speeding or driving in a reckless manner?

— Was the driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol?

— Was the driver on the road for too many hours without rest?

— Was the truck improperly loaded, potentially leading to the accident?

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 Posted on July 29, 2016 in Car Accidents

A vehicle accident can be shocking and enough to send most people into fight or flight reflex. In a heightened state, it can be difficult to concentrate or know what to do next. One way to ensure you don't miss anything is to follow the four Ds if you are in a car accident: Determine, document, do research and decide.

First, determine critical factors about the accident. Start with yourself. Can you safely remove yourself from the wreckage? Are you able to move, and are you hurt? Next, move on to anyone else involved in the incident. Is anyone in need of immediate assistance to get away from danger? Is anyone hurt? Call 911 and report all of this information.

If you are able and it is safe to do so, document the accident scene. Take cellphone pictures of the damage and collect information about who was involved and who might have witnessed the accident. Exchange insurance information with all involved drivers.

After the accident is done and you've been treated for any injuries, do some research. Review your own policy and damages, the police report and any information you have about the other driver's damages. Now is the time to conduct research on a personal law attorney if you think you might want to file a claim. You might want to consult with a law professional before moving on to the fourth D.

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 Posted on July 22, 2016 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

When someone is injured in a commercial vehicle accident that wasn't his or her fault, it is quite common for the victim to seek compensation. It can also be common to only think of the driver of the commercial vehicle as liable for the accident.

When a lawsuit is filed to recover medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and more, the defendant must be listed. However, there is often more than one defendant. For example, here are some other possible defendants in a commercial truck accident lawsuit:

— The driver's employer

— The driver's insurance company

— The truck mechanics

— Commercial vehicle part manufacturers

If you and your attorney can establish that the driver was employed by a shipping or trucking company, then the driver's negligence may fall back on them. In some cases, though, a commercial truck driver is an independent contractor, and that means you have to establish how much supervision the driver was under while performing his or her job. Establishing the level of control between the company and the driver is paramount to holding the trucking company liable.

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 Posted on July 15, 2016 in Car Accidents

A United States appeals court has ruled that General Motors is not protected from lawsuits that arose from a deadly ignition switch defect. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that keeping plaintiffs from suing the automakers over their lost vehicle values and accidents due to the ignition switch would violate their right to due process. This is because the plaintiffs were not told about the vehicle defect before GM filed for bankruptcy.

General Motors was trying to keep hundreds of lawsuits at arm's length that were based on the faulty ignition switch. They believed that the bankruptcy in 2009 would automatically bar the plaintiffs because GM because a new corporate entity.

The lawyers for some of the plaintiffs who are filing injury and death cases against the auto manufacturer will be affected by that decision. In addition, those who filed claims because their vehicle lost value due to the recall will also be affected. Those claims could be worth as much as $7 to $10 billion.

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 Posted on July 08, 2016 in Drunk Driving Accidents

One of the worst things about drunk driving accidents is that they are completely preventable. In Virginia as in every other state, legal intoxication begins at a blood alcohol content of.08 percent.

At Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, we are unrelenting in our pursuit of maximum compensation for drunk driving accident victims. We don't just stop at compensation for our client's injuries or damages, but we pursue punitive damages as well. We believe that the selfish person who made the decision to drink and drive should be held completely liable. When someone's BAC is.15 or more, punitive damages can be sought. This is a way to punish the drunk driver for the devastation he or she has caused.

The common accidents that occur with drunk drivers include head-on collisions, rear-end collisions at high rates of speed and blowing through stoplights to collide with oncoming traffic. These dangerous collisions often result in injuries with catastrophic consequences. When we develop a case for a drunk driving accident victim, we consider everything, including ongoing and past medical care, pain and suffering, lost earnings, lost enjoyment of life, permanent disability and more.

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 Posted on July 01, 2016 in Car Accidents

The results from a recently released study found that there is a correlation between night-shift work and drowsy driving. The study was down by researchers with Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Sixteen night-shift workers were required to complete certain driving tasks on a closed track.

The researchers compared how workers drove after getting five hours of sleep and how they drove after just getting off of a night shift. Some of the findings included:

— Thirty-eight percent of those driving after working all night almost had a near-crash. Those who had several hours of sleep did not have any near-crashes.

— Ocular measures of the drivers who had just completed a night shift were significantly higher than those who had a few hours of sleep.

— Seven of the drives that were done after ending a night shift had to be discontinued because the driver was not able to keep the control of the vehicle.

— The near-crash events and discontinued drives occurred 45 minutes or more after starting the drive for those who worked a night shift.

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