Archive for June, 2011

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30
Jun

Police Investigate King George County Crash That Killed Trooper

June 30, 2011

A 28-year-old Virginia state trooper died instantly on Friday when his cruiser struck another car at an intersection in King George County and then collided with a traffic light pole.

The trooper–a Warsaw resident–had been responding to a call for assistance around 6:45 p.m. and was traveling westbound on Route 3 with his lights and siren on when he entered the intersection of Route 3 and Madison Drive. At the same time an eastbound Hyundai Elantra on Route 3 was trying to make a left turn. The two vehicles collided, sending the patrol car into a light pole that split the vehicle in half. A portion of the car careened into a nearby parking lot where it hit three parked cars.

The Hyundai driver and passenger, aged 69 and 62, both suffered minor injuries and were taken to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg.

The Virginia State Police Accident Reconstruction team is investigating the accident—trying to determine the speed at which both vehicles were traveling and who had the green light.

Read more.

Do you think this Virginia auto accident could have been prevented?

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Virginia auto accident, the Virginia auto accident lawyers at Skolrood Law Firm can help.

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23
Jun

Virginia Bus Crash Victims Still Recuperating from Injuries

June 23, 2011

A Richmond, Virginia, bus crash last month killed four women when a Sky Express bus driver fell asleep at the wheel. Today some of the 58 victims who were on the bus are still suffering, including one Michigan man and his mother, who remains hospitalized with serious spinal cord injuries.

This week Central Michigan newspaper The Morning Sun ran a follow-up story on the son and his mother. The 23-year-old man had just graduated from Central Michigan University and he and his mom were on the bus headed from North Carolina–where they were visiting friends–to New York City.

Now, almost a month since the tragedy, his 47-year-old mom remains on a ventilator in the surgical intensive care unit at Fredericksburg’s Mary Washington Hospital. She had been visiting the U.S. from Nepal so that she could attend her son’s graduation.

The man sustained back injuries and is still wearing a back brace, reports the newspaper. His neurosurgeons have yet to determine whether his back will require surgery. A fund has been established to assist with the family’s healthcare expenses.

The highly publicized bus accident occurred on Interstate 95 on Tuesday, May 31, just before 5 a.m. When the driver fell asleep, the bus left the road, smashed into a barrier, and rolled over. Four people were killed and more than 50 were injured.

The 37-year-old driver has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and remains in Pamunkey Regional Jail in Hanover, Virginia. According to a court affidavit, passengers had overheard the driver on his cell phone saying that he was too tired and hadn’t been able to rest between trips.

Federal law mandates that drivers may only spend 10 hours behind the wheel and must have eight hours off per day. Officials have shut down the bus company, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, for multiple safety violations.

Read more.

Do you think more needs to be done to enforce commercial vehicle safety? Do you think it should be illegal for commercial drivers to be behind the wheel during those hours when scientists say the body naturally craves sleep?

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Virginia auto accident, the Virginia auto accident lawyers at Skolrood Law Firm can help.

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16
Jun

Rock Climber Dies in Fall at Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook

June 16, 2011

A 20-year-old man from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, died in Virginia’s Augusta County on Wednesday while rock-climbing at Ravens Roost Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The man fell 100 feet to his death at around 2:15 p.m.

It was reportedly the man’s first time to try outdoor rock climbing, and he and two friends—aged 21 and 30–had been climbing since 11:30 a.m., using the top-rope climbing method whereby a rope is anchored to a tree at the top of a cliff.

On their sixth climb of the day, which was to be their last, the man fell. The cause of the accident hasn’t yet been determined.

National Park Service District Ranger Kurt Speers told The News & Advance that “it looks like some kind of equipment failure.”

And though the man’s friends say they initially thought the fall was caused by a rope that broke, they told The News & Advance that they couldn’t find any breaks in the rope that the man was using.

“Something like this has never happened,” said one of the climbers, who has a reported 10 years experience. “I just can’t understand what happened.”

The National Park Service will continue to investigate the death–examining setup, equipment maintenance, and photos taken by first responders.

Read more.

What can be done to make rock climbing safer? Should rock-climbers have to be certified to climb or to earn a license like a pilot might?

If your loved one or the loved one of someone you know has become the victim of a Virginia wrongful death, the Virginia wrongful death lawyers at Skolrood Law Firm can help.

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8
Jun

Coal mining accident to blame for Virginia wrongful death

June 9, 2011

A miner has become the most recent victim of a Virginia wrongful death.

According to wric.com, a man became a Virginia wrongful death victim when his truck carrying coal rolled over at a state surface mine. The Virginia wrongful death victim was pinned in the cab of a 1975 Mack, and he worked for Presley Trucking.

The Virginia wrongful death victim had hit a safety beam while decending a steep slope, the article said. The Virginia wrongful death was ruled an accident in a preliminary report.

The Virginia wrongful death victim was 71.

Read more.

What do you think the federal government could do to regulate the safety procedures of coal mining? What do you think makes it such a dangerous industry?

If your loved one or the loved one of someone you know has become the victim of a Virginia wrongful death, the Virginia wrongful death lawyers at Skolrood Law Firm can help.

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