Archive for October, 2011

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26
Oct

Bicyclist Fights for Life After Being Hit by Truck in Roanoke

October 26, 2011

A 45-year-old German man who’d plotted a 10-week bicycle tour of the United States was critically injured on October 8, when his bicycle was hit by a commercial truck near Roanoke, Virginia.

The Roanoke Times reports that the victim, from Bad Laer, Germany, now lies in a coma and remains on life support at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. His bicycle was hit by a 1998 Freightliner truck driven by a 46-year-old Marion man.

Around 3 p.m. on the Saturday of the accident, the truck driver was traveling about 55 miles per hour on Virginia 100 in Pulaski County when he swerved to the right and hit the cyclist, throwing him several feet onto an embankment. The victim was then airlifted to Roanoke.

The driver was charged with reckless driving and driving on a suspended license and will appear before a judge in December.

No defects have been found in either the bike or truck, and drugs and alcohol have been eliminated as a possible factor.

The bicyclist had been on a 10-week, self-guided tour of the United States, with designs on riding from New York to Miami. He had kept a blog along the way about the people he met, also posting the photos he’d taken.

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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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20
Oct

How Roanoke Police Sort Out Crash Details

October 19, 2011

A new piece in The Roanoke Times takes an extensive look at how Roanoke officers are trained to make heads or tails of an automobile accident’s aftermath.

In a staged wreck on Tuesday, 25 police officers from central and Southwest Virginia witnessed a crash test in which a car speeds down a hill into a crash test dummy that’s on foot. The “accident” propelled the dummy 64 feet and left 66 feed of skid marks, though the dummy’s hat fell in nearly the same place he’d been standing at time of impact.

“In situations like this one, you’ve got at least one person who died or was severely injured, so you can’t interview everyone who was involved,” said Blacksburg police Detective Michael Czernicki. “You’re trying to figure out as much as you can about what happened based on the evidence.”

The region is unique in its extensive training of officers by the Blue Ridge Regional Crash Team.

“You don’t need a person in a department who knows it all,” said Sgt. Tim Wyatt, who heads the Roanoke County police patrol division. “When you have a team like this, you can have 10 people who know a lot.”

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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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14
Oct

Augusta County Tree Trimmer Electrocuted by Power Line

October 14, 2011

A man from Augusta Springs, Virginia, was electrocuted on Thursday morning while working with a crew to prune trees away from power lines between New Hope and Grottoes.

According to The News Virginian, the 43-year-old victim was at work on Middle Lane Road around 11 a.m. when the accident occurred. Witnesses say the man was standing in the bucket of a bucket truck. The boom on the bucket felled a 36-foot tree, which knocked power lines over and onto the victim.

“He got tangled up in the power line,” Sheriff Randy Fisher told The Daily News Leader.

The man died instantly. Several crew members attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful.

The victim was employed by Asplundh Tree Expert Co., which trims trees for Dominion Virginia Power.

An official investigation into the man’s death will be conducted by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.

The man’s death will also be investigated by the sheriff’s office, Dominion Virginia Power, and Asplundh.

The victim’s identity has not yet been released.

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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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5
Oct

Roanoke Woman Charged in Connection with 4-Car Crash

October 5, 2011

A 29-year-old woman from Roanoke, Virginia, has been charged with reckless driving after she caused a four-car collision on Interstate 581 in Roanoke late on the afternoon of Monday, October 3.

Troopers told WSLS that the woman took her eyes off the road briefly just before approaching traffic that had come to a standstill about a half mile south of the Hershberger Road exit.

The woman then slammed into the rear of a Subaru Outback being driven by a Roanoke College student from Richmond. The man was taken by EMTs to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, but he was not seriously hurt. However, his Outback was totaled.

A Roanoke man driving a Chevy Silverado pick-up truck and a Salem man driving a Mercedes SUV were also involved in the accident on Monday.

Following the crash, WSLS reports that troopers charged the driver who initiated the crash with reckless driving.

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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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