Posted on March 27, 2012 in Drunk Driving Accidents

When a holiday known for copious alcohol consumption falls on a Saturday night, the attention of local authorities inevitably turns to drunk drivers. During the recent St. Patrick's Day holiday, police in Albemarle, Virginia, set up a series of roadblocks meant to deter drunk driving accidents.

A combination of Albemarle police, deputies from the County Sheriff's office, state police and police from the University of Virginia worked together to review hundreds of drivers. Given the calamities that drunk driving can cause — permanent disabilities, head-on collisions, huge medical expenses — there is little surprise that Virginia police gave so much attention to this issue.

However, the checkpoints, which were spread throughout the local area, netted a total of only five DUI arrests. A grant from the Department of Motor Vehicles funded the 60 officers who put in hours during the holiday. However, it might very well be that drivers who might have been tempted to drink and drive were deterred from doing so by the increased police presence. It is certainly possible that those drivers were never on the road that night, and lives might have been saved as a result.

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 Posted on March 20, 2012 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Safety discussions are now taking place between school administrators and traffic officials following the tragic death of a local teen. The female high school student, who had planned on attending Liberty University in Virginia, was the victim of a fatal car accident earlier this month.

About two hours after classes had finished for the day at her high school, an 18-year-old student was attempting to cross a busy street near the school when an SUV fatally struck her. The accident caused severe injuries and the young pedestrian died the next day at a nearby hospital. Police are still investigating the incident.

Similar to many intersections in Virginia, the intersection in question requires extra caution as pedestrian traffic - due to the nearby high school - can be heavy at times. Several restaurants sit across the street from campus, making the roadway a popular spot to cross on foot. Last spring, another accident occurred around the same location, also involving a pedestrian.

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 Posted on March 14, 2012 in Truck Accidents

With many American workers struggling to make ends meet, it seems like almost everyone is working longer hours these days. One segment of the workforce, though, is facing pressure to work less. Truck drivers are among the nation's sleepiest laborers, putting themselves at risk for tractor trailer accidents, serious injuries, or truck crashes involving fatalities.

Awareness of truck driver fatigue is nothing new, but a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation discovered that, on average, truckers get less sleep than workers in other occupations. In addition, nearly half of truck drivers surveyed indicated rarely or never receiving adequate, restful sleep on a work night.

Truck operators' drowsiness is more than just an annoyance. The foundation found that 14 percent of truckers reported making a serious error, or experiencing a "near miss," due to tiredness.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has lately considered capping truck drivers' consecutive work hours at 10. The current limit is 11 hours on the road. At the end of last year, the Obama administration also instituted several new rules for truckers, limiting their weekly work hours and mandating two days off following five workdays.

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 Posted on March 05, 2012 in Car Accidents

When inexperienced drivers get behind the wheel, they often make the fatal mistake of overcorrecting when they run off the road. Teenagers in particular are prone to this habit, resulting in often preventable auto accidents.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles reports that in 2010, there were 235 car accidents that involved teen drivers overcorrecting, or steering their wheel too far in the opposite direction after going off the road. Last year, the number of similar accidents rose to 244.

When a car slides or slips off to the right, the driver's natural reaction is to quickly yank the steering wheel to the left. Experienced drivers realize this can cause the car to spin rapidly, roll, or veer into oncoming traffic. Even at relatively slower speeds, overcorrecting can be a fatal instinct.

Unseasoned and/or distracted motorists are most prone to this habit. Add rain, ice, or snow to the mix, and running off the road is even more likely. However, while driving experts agree that going off the road is sometimes unavoidable, drivers can prevent overcorrection through awareness and practice.

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 Posted on February 28, 2012 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Readers in Virginia may be interested to learn of an off-duty police officer who was convicted of killing a bicyclist while driving drunk.

The drunk driving accident happened late one night in May 2009. A member of the Chicago police force, not on duty at the time, drove while intoxicated and struck a teenager riding a bicycle. Sadly, the victim died as a result of the accident.

Another officer later pulled over the off-duty policeman for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. When the driver exited the vehicle the officer on the scene noted an open container of alcohol in the car.

However, several hours passed before the driver took either a field sobriety test or a breathalyzer test, calling into question the evidence collected and later used at trial. The arresting officer called his commanding officer to the site of the accident before administering the proper tests. At the time the tests were performed, the officer's blood alcohol content was.079, which is just below the legal limit in Illinois of.08.

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 Posted on February 21, 2012 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Virginia drivers may be interested to learn more about the recent deadly pileup on I-75 that has shaken up drivers in the southeast, who must often face haze, fog and other uncertain weather conditions during their commutes.

When multiple causes of a fatal crash are involved, as well as multiple vehicles, deciphering responsibility can be as confusing as the collisions themselves. Last month, 11 people lost their lives on a stretch of Florida interstate. Cars and trucks collided in what would become a deadly pileup on January 30, ultimately sending 18 other drivers and passengers to area hospitals.

Reduced visibility, mainly due to a combination of fog and smoke, impaired drivers as they cruised down a road known for high speeds. At least 12 cars and six semi trucks ran into one another in the early morning hours, causing crashes in both the northbound and southbound lanes.

The deadly accidents occurred shortly after local authorities had decided to reopen both lanes. Earlier that morning, that section of I-75 had been closed due to the thick mixture of fog and smoke from a nearby brush fire.

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 Posted on February 13, 2012 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Even for those who have never been an accident victim in a situation involving drunk driving, the effects of such incidents can extend far beyond the expected injuries and medical expenses.

A survivor's permanent disability is just one lasting reminder of a notable 2010 Virginia drunk driving accident that left one woman dead. With an intoxicated driver crossing lanes on a narrow road, the subsequent crash severely injured two others.

Convicted of felony murder, the driver received a 20-year prison sentence, while one survivor received a virtual life sentence of medical maladies.

Yet another accident victim lost her life that fateful morning. Even more surprising, though, is how both the victims and the driver have changed since the accident.

"I think I might even be a nicer person," noted one victim, a 71-year-old whose attitude is nothing short of inspiring. While the victim certainly wouldn't want to experience the crash again, "I think I'm all the better for it." The victim puts nearly a full-time effort into helping hospital patients in Richmond, Virginia, her own recovery experience a guiding light for others.

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 Posted on February 07, 2012 in Firm News

Whether good drivers or bad, skilled or distracted, teenage motorists have always worried those with whom they share the roads. In Virginia, though, local residents have every reason to be concerned: In the very first month of this year, more than 10 teenage drivers have lost their lives on area roads.

The new year has been a rough one for young drivers. Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 24, a total of 11 teens were killed in car accidents. Last year, the same time period saw only three teenage auto crash traffic fatalities.

One concerned figure is Sgt. Tim Wyatt, a Roanoke County Police officer and part of the Blue Ridge Regional Crash Investigation Teams. According to Wyatt, most teen driving accidents are preventable, and the local community must stress education and responsibility. He says that parents and grandparents need to talk to their young family members directly and remind them of the importance of safe driving.

Fastening their seat belts, driving at reasonable speeds, and deliberately avoiding distractions are among the most important steps teen drivers can take to steer clear of car accidents. Additional safety measures teens can take include using cell phones only in emergencies and obeying all posted guidelines. Parents and community members can also contribute by setting firm rules and committing to ongoing driver education.

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 Posted on February 02, 2012 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

For any large-scale commercial vehicle, the passengers on board-whether they think about it or not-put their trust in the person responsible for helming that craft. Airline pilots, ship captains and bus drivers are all expected to do their jobs with others' lives on the line, even if they work long hours or are not necessarily paid very well. Unfortunately, failure at their job has the potential to lead to catastrophic injuries and deaths. People's lives are irrevocably changed in the blink of an eye because of the negligence of one person.

Of course the recent sinking of a cruise ship in Italy is on people's minds, but last year Virginia witnessed its own tragic event. A Sky Express bus overturned last May on Interstate 95, killing four women and sending dozens of others to the hospital. The driver told the Virginia State Police that he was tired and fell asleep at the wheel.

The driver is was to be put on trial this week in Virginia for four counts of involuntary manslaughter. However, the case was continued and a new trial date will be scheduled next month.

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 Posted on January 25, 2012 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

A tractor-trailer driver from Virginia was killed last week when he was thrown from his truck in a crash on a North Carolina highway. The driver, a 25-year UPS veteran, was on his way from Richmond, Virginia, on a routine trip when the accident occurred. The man's truck went off the left side of the highway and struck a bridge. The cause of the accident is still not known.

Unfortunately, the 58-year-old driver was not wearing a seatbelt. Witnesses told investigators that the trucking accident happened when the driver was attempting to pass a vehicle in the left lane of southbound Interstate 85 and the truck, which was pulling two trailers, suddenly hit the guard rail.

A spokesman for UPS said that he didn't know if the crash was due to a mechanical failure or to driver error. He also said that he had heard reports that one of the cab's tires had a blowout, forcing the tractor-trailer into the bridge, but he was unable to verify that information. No one else was injured in the wreck, but the highway was closed for several hours while crews attended to the scene. The trailers appeared to be loaded mostly with cigarettes, the spokesman said.

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