Posted on February 27, 2014 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

In some car or truck accident cases in Virginia, the events are plain to see and the cause is clearly distinguished. In others, though, there may be missing pieces of the puzzle that authorities, victims and their attorneys must work to discover. In a commercial vehicle accident, there may be even more factors that must be pieced together to tell the whole story.

On a recent Thursday morning, a 31-year-old man from Virginia was struck by what initially appeared to be a large truck. He had been walking alongside a road when the collision took place, likely between 5:00 and 7:00 in the morning. The body was discovered a short time later, and reports from the following day noted that the man had been identified. Reports also indicated that whoever had been driving the vehicle that had struck the man did not stop after the accident.

The story took another turn when the local school district issued a release. Officials with the school system acknowledged that it was one of their bus drivers who had hit the man. No children had been riding the bus at the time; the bus was on its way to pick up children when the accident took place. The release also mentioned that the district was working cooperatively with local authorities.

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 Posted on February 19, 2014 in Car Accidents

For any commuter, one of the worst pieces of news to hear is that a major snowstorm is on its way. For those who live or work in Northern Virginia, that news item was all most people were talking about in the days leading up to Valentine's Day. The most substantial storm of this winter struck the area heavily on Feb. 13, and left many drivers coping with the aftermath of two major hassles: severe weather and car accidents.

According to officials in the DC metro area, morning traffic on Feb. 14 was not too bad. Still, for those who absolutely had to drive somewhere, it was far from easy to get around without encountering an auto accident. Both the north and south lanes of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway were closed for several hours on the morning of Feb. 14 due to the presence of car accidents. In addition, the Parkway's lanes near Route 202 and Route 410 also experienced closures.

Overall, more than 20 people died in the huge winter storm that pummeled the entire east coast. In any adverse weather event, many deaths and injuries are preventable if all drivers exercise extreme caution or simply stay home when told to do so by authorities. Still, some people must still go in to work, and, sadly, this places them at risk for rollovers, a multi-vehicle accident or even a hit-and-run during a time when many are panicky, scared or confused.

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 Posted on February 13, 2014 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Interstate driving requires caution, precision, appropriate speed and good judgment. Of course, these are not always present on Northern Virginia's roadways, and the results can be devastating. Recently on I-95, a fatal commercial trucking accident took the lives of both the driver and the passenger in a Ford Focus.

On the morning of Feb. 6, the northbound lanes of I-95, in Prince William County, Virginia, were home to a frightening scene. According to police reports, a Ford Focus was in the left lane when, somehow, the driver lost control of the car. The Focus veered into the center lane, and a semi-truck, traveling in that lane, hit the Focus. When the truck hit the smaller car, both vehicles went careening off to the left and hit a third vehicle, a Honda Accord in the far left lane of traffic.

Fortunately, the Honda's driver was not seriously hurt, but the same could not be said for the occupants of the Ford Focus. Despite their seat belt usage, both driver and passenger died at the scene. The truck driver was also uninjured and had been wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. An accident reconstruction unit is assisting authorities in learning more about the crash.

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 Posted on February 05, 2014 in Drunk Driving Accidents

One of the most frightening elements of drunk driving is its unpredictability. Last week, it was noted that simply jogging outdoors could lead to becoming an accident victim via another's negligence. Recently, on the Snickersville turnpike in Northern Virginia, an alleged drunk driver demonstrated how vulnerable other drivers are.

Last month, deputies from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office attended to an apparent drunk driving accident in which one person suffered serious injury. Late on a Monday evening, just south of Purcellville on the turnpike, the driver of a Toyota Camry overcorrected his steering and wound up crossing lanes. This type of driver error can easily lead to a head-on collision or a permanent disability, in addition to being absolutely terrifying for anyone in the other lane. In this case, a 54-year-old woman was struck by the 25-year-old driver of the Toyota, and had to be airlifted to a local hospital for treatment.

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 Posted on January 30, 2014 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Fitness is an all-season activity in northern Virginia, as many residents gear up for spring, summer and even fall activities during the long and cold winter months. Few expect that their training will end with a drunk driving accident, but that's precisely what happened recently to a 34-year-old Virginia mother of three.

The accident victim had been out running near her residence earlier this month when she was struck by a suspected drunk driver. The incident claimed her life, and the community of runners to which she belonged has come out in full force to preserve her memory. A Facebook page was created in her honor, and urged runners to get out and run for the victim in order to spread an anti-drunk driving message. Over 55,000 people have declared their intentions to run for the victim and increase awareness.

The driver who struck the victim has been charged with serious crimes in relation to the untimely death. He faces charges of driving under the influence as well as involuntary manslaughter. His bail was set at $25,000 following the tragedy. He must also wear a special bracelet that monitors his alcohol levels.

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 Posted on January 24, 2014 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

In Northern Virginia, tour buses are not an uncommon sight. Tourists frequently flock to the DC area during all four seasons, while countless charter buses zip up and down the interstates that pass through the area. As with any type of vehicle, though, tour buses are susceptible to getting involved in a commercial vehicle accident, and their sheer size can be extremely destructive

When buses share the road with trucks the effects of an accident can quickly multiply. A total of 17 people became accident victims of an incident in California recently, when a tour bus and a semi-truck collided. According to the driver of the bus, the semi-truck was in front of him and hit the brakes. The tour bus operator also hit his brakes, but it was too late and there was little he could do to avoid slamming into the truck.

More than 30 people had been on the bus at the time, including three children. An Officer on the scene said the bus riders were fortunate the accident wasn't more severe than it was as the crash took place while many of them were sleeping. Still, being jolted awake by the impact of two massive vehicles is not on any tourist's itinerary, and neither are medical bills, lost wages and the other negative effects of an injurious semi-truck accident.

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 Posted on January 16, 2014 in Drunk Driving Accidents

It is not unusual for a drunk driving accident to involve multiple vehicles in Virginia. Even a simple, everyday intersection can be a setting for death and disaster when just one driver behaves with negligence or recklessness. Sadly, that happened in Virginia Beach recently when an apparently drunk driver blew through an intersection and hit a car, which in turn was pushed into colliding with a third vehicle.

Fortunately, the driver of the third vehicle escaped with no serious injuries. However, the same could not be said for others involved in the drunk driving accident, which took place earlier this month on a Sunday night. According to police, officers had been chasing a Suzuki SL7 whose driver refused to stop for suspected traffic violations. The Suzuki was heading south, right through an intersection, when it collided with a van heading east. The van's 59-year-old driver, described as a kind man by others, lost his life at the scene.

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 Posted on January 09, 2014 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

It is always heartbreaking when we are reminded of the fragility of life. Often times, these reminders blindside those surrounding the disaster, occurring suddenly and without notice. The dangers of the road can often lead to incidents such as these and, tragically, can be born out of the negligence of another. Unfortunately, a Virginia Beach family is dealing with one such instance of heartache due to a fatal motor vehicle accident.

After an officer attempted to pull over a Suzuki on a recent evening, police say the vehicle fled the scene, eventually crashing into a Chrysler van. The Suzuki rolled before landing on its roof and catching fire, ejecting the driver in the process, while the Chrysler was pushed across the median, hitting a third vehicle. While the driver of the Suzuki (and its two other passengers) and the passengers of the third vehicle sustained no injuries, the driver of the Chrysler van died at the scene. The driver of the Suzuki faces multiple criminal charges in connection with the accident.

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 Posted on January 02, 2014 in Truck Accidents

While current winter temps make many Virginians want to stay inside, summers in the state are a great time to hit the road and have some fun. Interstate traffic tends to be particularly heavy during the summertime, as people are headed all over the state or even to other parts of the country. Both summer and winter driving, though, can result in breakdowns which, for some, have proven fatal.

In the summer of 2012, a pregnant woman from Newport News was attending to her car, which had broken down on the side of I-664. Despite having her flashers on, a truck accident occurred when a tractor-trailer ran into her vehicle, ultimately claiming the life of the 27-year-old mother of two children. At the time of the crash, she was about four months pregnant.

Her husband has since pressed forward with a lawsuit against both the truck driver as well as Vitran Express, Inc. When a truck crash leaves fatalities in its wake, it is not unusual for families to examine the actions of, not only truck drivers, but also their employers. Operators can exhibit negligence via speeding, being distracted, driving inappropriately for weather conditions or disregarding traffic signs. Truck drivers can also behave negligently, if they are intoxicated or under the influence of certain substances, while on the road.

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 Posted on December 26, 2013 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

When two different types of commercial vehicles collide, the end result can be frightening and even fatal. Sadly, that was the case with a recent commercial vehicle accident in Virginia, which ultimately claimed the life of a 56-year-old man.

The crash happened in the early afternoon of Dec. 17, on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Virginia Beach. A 2000 Freightliner delivery vehicle and a 1988 box truck were both heading west on the boulevard. The delivery truck rammed into the back of the older box truck; the box truck was run off the road and ended-up slamming into a pole. Tragically, the driver of that truck was thrown from the vehicle and died on the scene.

As this collision demonstrates, even a seemingly simple rear-end incident can become a deadly trucking accident. Unlike some smaller passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles don't need to be traveling very fast to wreak a lot of havoc. Sometimes, as in this case, the driver of a freightliner won't suffer any injuries while someone in a different vehicle can be severely hurt or killed. The Dec. 17 accident remains under an ongoing investigation, and it is not known if there are additional accident victims.

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