Archive for January, 2012

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26
Jan

Speed Considered A Factor In Fatal Franklin County Crash

January 26, 2011

Police are saying speed was a factor in a multi-vehicle accident in Franklin County, Virginia, on Monday that killed one and left several others injured. According to WDBJ 7 News, the accident happened just before 4:00 PM along the Booker T. Washington Highway, near Beechdale Road.

Investigators believe that a 17-year-old girl was behind the wheel of a vehicle going north, when she lost control due to excessive speed. The girl then over-corrected, sending the car into oncoming traffic, where it collided with a pickup truck and another vehicle before striking a nearby building. A 17-year-old boy from Franklin County who was the passenger in the front seat of the girl’s vehicle was killed in the crash. The girl and two other passengers in the backseat were injured and taken to a local hospital.  The driver of the pickup truck that was involved in the crash, a 26-year-old man from Glade Hill, was also injured and taken to the hospital.

The National Library of Medicine considers speed to be a major contributing factor in the high number of fatal crashes seen in young drivers. They also suggest that the number of passengers in a vehicle can put a young driver at a higher risk for having an accident.

This is why the Virginia auto accident attorneys with the Skolrood Law Firm advise parents to set a limit on the number of passengers allowed to ride with your new driver.

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20
Jan

Texting And Driving Could Become A Primary Offense In Virginia

January 19, 2012

Texting while driving may be illegal in the state of Virginia, but in order to be pulled over for the offense, a driver has to be doing something else wrong. This may change soon though according to reports from WSLS 10 News that say a new bill recently passed through the Senate would make texting and driving a primary offense, allowing officers to pull over drivers if they are caught in the act on their phones.

Senate Bill 219 was examined on Wednesday by the Senate Transportation Committee and approved by a vote of eight to five with one voter abstaining. Also approved was legislation that would make using a cellphone a primary offense for teen drivers with provisional licenses.

Sen. George L. Barker spoke to the committee in favor of the laws pointing out that drivers who text are more than 23 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those who don’t. He added that making cellphone use a primary offense would “encourage greater compliance” from drivers.

The legislation will now go before the full Senate for a vote during the next session.

The Virginia Car Accident Lawyers with the Skolrood Law Firm know that statistically using a cell phone will driving is more dangerous than driving drunk. That is why they ask for drivers to put their phones down while behind the wheel.

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12
Jan

Drunk Driver Sentenced For Norfolk Crash That Killed Three

January 12, 2012

Sentencing for a 32-year-old convicted drunk driver was continued this morning in a Norfolk, Virginia, courtroom for his part in the deaths of three passengers in his vehicle at the time of a wreck. According to WSLS 10 News, the man was convicted of three counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter in connection with the August 10, 2010, accident.

Reports from the Norfolk police department show that the accident happened as the vehicle rounded a curve on East Indian River Road at over 100 MPH. The driver lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road and into a guardrail and several trees.

Three people died in the crash, while two others and the driver were injured.

Toxicology reports from tests submitted by the driver found his blood alcohol level to be more than three times the legal limit of .08. The jury, which convicted the man on the manslaughter charges, recommended a 25-year sentence to the judge presiding over the case who has final say.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) rank Virginia as the 23td safest state in our nation when it comes to drunk driving, with only 211 fatalities related to DUI in the past year which was a 13 percent decrease from the year before.

The Virginia auto accident attorneys with the Skolrood Law Firm work with victims of drunk driving accidents on a daily basis. If you or someone you know has been injured in a drunk driving accident at no fault of their own, contact an experienced attorney today.

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5
Jan

Radford University Student Convicted In Hazing Death

January 5, 2012

The most tragic part of all wrongful death lawsuits is that, in most of the cases, the death was completely preventable. Take for instance the case of a 21-year-old Radford University student was convicted last month in the accidental overdose death of his 20-year-old fraternity brother. According to The Roanoke Times, the young man died from acute alcohol poisoning in October 2011 after a fraternity initiation ritual.

Reports and court documents show that the elder young man gave his younger fraternity brother alcohol as a post-ceremony gift. He was found dead in his home the next day with a blood alcohol content six times the legal limit at .48.

The 21-year-old man was sentenced to two years in the New River Regional Jail; one year for the misdemeanor charge of hazing and another for the misdemeanor charge of purchasing alcohol for a minor.

Six other individuals are expected to go to trial as a result of the incident as well.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that binge drinking is the cause of most alcohol-related poisonings. Also, 90 percent of alcohol consumed by those under the age of 21 is in the form of binge drinking. The patterns of binge drinking are closely linked to fatal automobile accidents as well as accidental overdoses.

The Virginia wrongful death lawyers with the Skolrood Law Firm would like to urge teens and young adults to hold out on drinking for a while. If you do drink, do so responsibly.

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