A 24-year-old woman from Hampton, Virginia, was killed early Sunday morning after being struck by a car. According to reports from WAVY-TV 10 News, the crash happened at approximately 4:40 AM, at the intersection of North King Street and Bayberry Court.

Reports from the Hampton Police Department show that the young woman was walking southbound along the roadway when she fell and was hit by a 2008 Chevy Cobalt heading north. The woman suffered massive trauma injuries and was declared dead at the scene.

While the driver of the vehicle has not been charged, police are continuing to investigate the incident.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles say that in the state of Virginia during 2008, there were 76 people killed and 1,696 people injured in pedestrian accidents. Injuries that are caused by pedestrian accidents can cost the victim six figures in medical bills alone.

The experienced Virginia pedestrian accident lawyers with Lowell “ The Hammer” Stanley are strong advocates of victims rights. If you have been injures, our legal team may be able to help get you the compensation needed to pay medical bills and other injury-related expenses. Call an experienced attorney today for a free initial consultation.

A suspected drunk driver was in court twice today after being involved in a pedestrian accident last Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Reports from WAVY-TV 10 News indicate that the accident happened at around 7:40 AM at the corner of Chester Street and Paladin Drive.

The Virginia Beach police department indicate that a school bus was stopped at the corner with its lights on and stop sign out as children loaded on. The adult male victim was walking his niece, son, and daughter to the bus when a truck hopped the curb, drove across the driveway, and into the front lawn to avoid hitting the stopped bus. In the process, the driver hit the man and all three children.

All four victims were taken to an area hospital where the young boy remains in critical condition. The father and other children are still listed in stable condition.

The driver, who has a history of drug and alcohol related offenses, was taken into custody after failing a sobriety test and was held without bond over the weekend. The driver remains in jail after a bond hearing earlier this morning.

The Virginia auto accident attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley believe that a victim of an accident should not be responsible for medical bills that come from an injury caused by another person’s negligence. That is why they would encourage you to contact an attorney immediately if you have been injured in a drunk driving accident.

With the war in Iraq officially coming to an end just weeks ago, many soldiers returning home are suffering undiagnosed brain injuries. In an effort to combat the growing problem, WAVY-TV 10 News reports that First Lady Michelle Obama announced a partnership last Wednesday that will promote and cultivate better prevention and care of traumatic brain injuries for soldiers.

Among the most common mental injuries in soldiers is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a severe anxiety disorder that develops after experiencing a traumatic event.

Dr. Serina Neumann, a doctor at the Eastern Virginia School of Medicine, hopes that her study into better care for PTSD sufferers may benefit from the partnership. She says that PTSD is caused by off-balance circuits in the brain.  This led her to conduct ground-breaking research and produce a device she hopes will become a standard in treatment of the disorder.

The device stimulates certain sections of the brain, thus balancing the off-balance circuits of a PTSD victim’s brain. If approved, her study will begin with 10 to 18 patients.

The Department of Veterans Affairs reports 10-18 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans may suffer from PTSD. However, claims from veterans for disability benefits due to the condition are often denied.

The Virginia Veteran’s Disability attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley understand that suffering from PTSD can be as debilitating as losing a leg or an arm. If you have been denied veterans disability benefits, contact them today for a free initial consultation.

A major mix-up at a Novartis pill manufacturing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, has prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the company to issue a recall for certain over-the-counter medications. According to an article by WAVY-TV 10 News, reports of manufacturing problems have resulted in the discovery of a packaging mix-up between dangerous–and potentially deadly–opioid painkillers and common over-the-counter painkillers.

Numerous complaints were filed against the company in response to broken and chipped pills found in medications being produced at the facility. These discoveries prompted further investigation that uncovered painkillers such as Percocet, Endocet, Opana and Zydone in bottles of Excedrin and Gas-X.

A subsequent shutdown of the plant followed, and regulators are now anticipating a shortage of medications that are produced by the plant.

The plant was cited for similar problems earlier this summer after it was discovered that the company did nothing to follow-up with consumer complaints that had built up for more than two years regarding similar problems. More than 223 complaints were never examined during that two-year time period.

The Virginia drug injury lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley urge you to examine any over-the counter medications in your home. Compare the picture on the bottle with the medication inside to ensure they are the same. If there are any discrepancies, consult your doctor and/or pharmacist immediately.

The Virginia Beach police department increased patrols over the weekend in the hopes of deterring drunk drivers from getting on area roadways. According to a report on WAVY-TV 10 News today, those efforts were successful in netting six arrests on DUI charges in about an hour and a half.

Officers added that the checkpoints also allowed them to cite other dangerous drivers for minor infractions. It was estimated that 17 tickets were written at a single checkpoint Saturday night.

Numbers suggest that the increased patrols, in conjunction with the checkpoints, may be reducing alcohol related fatalities. Virginia Beach police department statistics show that DUI fatalities are down in the city by four percent over last year. In 2010, it was estimated that 17 fatal crashes in the area were alcohol-related. That same year, Virginia Beach police say that they arrested 2,429 people on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The problem of drinking and driving is just as bad across the country. The US Department of Health and Human Services suggests that 37 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in the United States are in some way related to alcohol.

The Virginia auto accident attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley ask that we keep each other safe on Virginia highways by not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking. Instead, contact a friend or a cab company for a safe ride home from your location.

The New Year will bring changes to the ways drivers of commercial vehicles communicate while behind the wheel. According to WVEC 13 News, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has mandated a ban on commercial driver’s use of handheld cell phones that will begin January 3.

The new law will allow truckers to use hands free devices to talk, but even holding a phone behind a moving vehicle will now be enough for law enforcement to stop a commercial driver. Opponents of the ban say they aren’t necessarily declaring the ban a bad thing, they just believe it should be enforced against all drivers, not just truckers.

The ban comes nearly two years after a research team from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that truckers who text while driving were 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident than undistracted drivers. Their research showed that compared to other distractions that phones can produce through dialing, holding, and talking the device, texting was by far the most dangerous because of an average of around five seconds the drivers eyes are off the road to preform the task.

The Norfolk auto accident attorneys with Lowell “ The Hammer” Stanley handle cases for accident victims who have been injured because of a commercial driver’s neglect to pay attention to the road. If you have been injured at no fault of your own in an accident with a commercial vehicle, contact us today to discuss your case.

Two house fires in the area have left one person dead and several others injured. According to WVEC 13 News, the first fire broke out at around 4:30 Thursday afternoon in the kitchen of an apartment building on Garden Drive.

Newport News firefighters stated that a plume of smoke was rising from the building when they arrived. They added that they were quickly able to rescue two adults and three children who were trapped in the home at the time. One of the adults was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

The second fire took place less than 24 hours later in Chesapeake, Virginia. Reports show that the fire was called in at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday. Firefighters said that the home on West Bugle Road was fully engulfed with flames upon their arrival. After firefighters got the blaze under control, they found the body of a victim inside the home.  A police officer who arrived at the home before fire crews and attempted to break out a window to help also was injured by the fire. He suffered from smoke inhalation and was treated at a nearby hospital.

The Virginia Fire Injury Lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley know that the best way to keep you and your family safe from a similar accident is to install smoke detectors throughout your home. One device should be located within 10 feet of every bedroom door. If you can’t afford the detectors, they are often available for discount or for free through your local fire department.

For many people, homemade cookies are as much a part of the holidays as wrapping presents or hanging decorations on a tree. We have all been guilty of sneaking a bite of the dough before the cookies are baked. This year though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning to consumers to not eat raw cookie dough, as it could make you sick.

According to Channel 10 News, a report in the Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases found a strong link between illness and those who eat raw cookie dough. Researchers claim that the root of the problem may not be eggs, but instead flour. The study claims to have uncovered low levels of salmonella growth in some flour prior to the mixing process. The findings have caused the agency, in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to issue warnings to several cookie dough manufacturers to begin using heat-treated flour in their process.

The research was done to learn more following an E. Coli outbreak in Nestle Toll House cookie packages two years ago.

The Virginia Defective Product Attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley urge anyone who has become ill after eating food to first seek medical advice. If it is determined that the food you ate was contaminated, they suggest contacting an experienced attorney.

Drunk driving in the Virginia area this past week has cost one college student their life and a high ranking government official their job. According to ABC 13 News, both incidents occurred on Sunday over the past weekend.

It was reported that a freshman at Christopher Newport University was killed early Sunday morning after the car in which she was riding in crashed after colliding head-on with another vehicle. All other occupants in the car and the driver of the other vehicle suffered numerous other injuries and all were taken to local hospitals to receive treatment. Virginia State Police say alcohol was a factor in the crash and charges are pending.

ABC 13 News reported Monday that the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was taking a leave of absence from his position following being arrested for suspicion of DUI a day before. The Fairifax City Police Department reported that an officer had pulled over Randy Babbitt at about 10:30 PM after observing him driving on the wrong side of the street. He was arrested that night and had sent a letter asking for a leave of absence from his position as Administrator the following day.

The Virginia Auto Accident Attorneys with Lowell “ The Hammer” Stanley hope that these stories will serve as a message that drunk driving can affect everyone. Young to old, rich to poor, drunk to sober, the consequences of drunk driving can hurt us all.

A 24-year-old Navy sailor was fatally wounded in a Sunday morning motorcycle crash. According to WAVY-TV 10 News, the accident happened at 11:00 a.m. along Crags Causeway in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

A spokesperson for the Virginia Beach Police Department said today that a preliminary investigation of the crash has determined that speed was a factor when the biker lost control of the 2005 BMW while negotiating a curve. After losing control and dropping the bike, both the driver and the machine skid nearly 100 feet across the asphalt before coming to rest in a ditch. Police say that while the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, he sustained massive bodily injuries and was declared dead at the scene by medical professionals.

The number of motorcycle crashes resulting in injury and death has risen over the years in the state of Virginia. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (VDMV) reports that in 2008, the number of injuries in motorcycle crashes increased by 120 crashes over the previous year to a total of 2,404. The number of fatalities has also steadily increased over the past decade.

The Virginia Motorcycle Accident Attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley understand the dangers bikers face on roadways today. That is why they would encourage anyone injured in a motorcycle accident that was no fault of their own to contact an attorney today!