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21
Nov

Injured Virginia Beach Construction Worker Rescued From Trench

November 21, 2011

Firefighters in Virginia Beach, Virginia, were called to a construction site last week to rescue a worker who fell into a trench after being hit by a pipe. According to Channel 13 News, the accident happened at around 4:00 in the afternoon, at the corner of Crimson Holley Lane and Lynnhaven Parkway.

Spokesman for the Virginia Beach Fire Department, Chief Ken Pravetz, stated the worker fell 12-14 feet into the trench after being struck by a large piece of piping that was to be installed in the trench. The Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team, which trains for complex rescue situations, responded, hoisting the man out with a wire basket and haul system. The rescue took about 30 minutes according to Pravetz.

Medics transported the worker to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital for treatment for head and leg injuries. Medics said the worker was conscious and not seriously hurt.

According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction workers accounted for more fatal work injuries than any other industry in 2010. 530 workers form the construction industry died in on-the-job accidents in 2010.

The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley know the dangers construction workers face on the job every day and have years of experience fighting for their rights when they are hurt. If you have been injured in an on-the-job accident, contact us today by filling out a free initial consultation form.

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14
Nov

Three Killed In Collision Along Virginia Section Of Interstate 85

November 14, 2011

A crash along Interstate 85 near Petersburg, Virginia, involving a tractor-trailer, a pickup truck, and a passenger bus has claimed the lives of three people. According to reports from News Channel 12, the accident occurred at about 11:30 AM.

Virginia State Police investigators say the crashes happened in a chain reaction after the pickup truck plowed into the rear of the tractor-trailer. The collision caused logs the tractor-trailer was hauling to spill down on top of the pickup–crushing the four individuals inside. Moments later, a bus carrying 49 students from North Carolina A&T State University smashed into the rear of the pickup.

Three of the four passengers in the pickup truck died, while one survived and was airlifted to a local hospital. The driver of the bus also sustained injuries that were treated at the hospital. Luckily, the students and the truck driver walked away from the crash unscathed. Officials with the state police say that they will continue to investigate the cause of the crash.

The Virginia Auto Accident Lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley encourage drivers to to prevent accidents like this by simply following the two-second rule: Watch the car in front of you pass a landmark near the road, such as a sign. After they pass, it should take your vehicle two seconds or longer to reach the same landmark.

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7
Nov

Hampton Woman Killed, Two Others Injured In Virginia Car Crash

November 7, 2011

A 55-year-old Hampton, Virginia, woman is dead as the result of a three car accident that occurred Friday afternoon. According to Channel 13 News, the accident happened at 2:15 in the afternoon on West Pembroke Avenue.

Spokesman for the Hampton Police Department, Cpl. Jason Price, stated that the woman was a passenger in a teal, 2000 Dodge Caravan that was traveling east when it collided head-on with a black, westbound 1999 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. The impact caused the vehicles to spin and hit a Ford Taurus that was on the road as well. Investigators stated that two women and a man who was riding in the S-10 were all transported to local hospitals to be treated for injuries. The 55-year-old passenger of the van died upon arriving at the hospital, just after 3:30 PM. The other two were treated and for non-life threatening injuries and were released.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that in 2005, head-on crashes only  made up two percent of all crashes, yet accounted for 10.1 percent of US fatal crashes.

The Virginia Auto Accident Attorneys with Lowell “ The Hammer” Stanley and his team often handle cases for victims who were hurt in car accidents at no fault of their own. Contact Lowell Stanley today by filling out a free online consultation form to answer have any questions regarding your case answered.

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31
Oct

President Says “Slow-Rolling” Drug Shortage Problem Must be Fixed

October 31, 2011

With drug shortages being blamed for price gouging and patient deaths across the country, President Barack Obama is calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take steps toward solving the problem. According to MSNBC, those steps include broadening reporting of potential drug shortages, accelerating the review of applications for manufacturing changes on drugs shortages, and getting the Justice Department information on cases of collusion and instances of price gouging.

The President argued that the “slow-rolling” problem must be fixed now by saying, “We can’t wait for action on the Hill, we’ve got to go ahead and move forward.”

Reports show there are more than 200 medications on a list of scarcely stocked items in the United States. That is a nearly 300 percent increase from the mere 56 listed in 2006. While the FDA has managed to ward off 137 shortages in the last 21 months, lack of vital medications and supplies are being linked to hundreds of deaths across the country. For instance, the Alabama Department of Health is being blamed for nine deaths and ten others being harmed after contamination through feeding tubes where sterile premix was not available.

The deaths are made even more difficult by the fact that the drugs are available, but at ridiculously marked up prices through “gray market” distributors.

The Virginia Medical Malpractice Attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley want you to contact us if you have been caused harm because a certain medication you needed was not available.

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26
Oct

Trial Begins for Norfolk Drunk Driver in Fatal Wreck

October 26, 2011

The trial began this week for a Norfolk, Virginia, man who got drunk and crashed his friend’s car in August 2010, killing three passengers.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the 32-year-old man went to trial on Monday on three counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, for the deaths of an 18-year-old, 19-year-old, and 29-year-old. The crash, which occurred in the 1800 block of East Indian Road on August 11, 2010, also injured three people when the car ripped through a guardrail and into a group of trees.

Prosecutor Patricia O’Boyle told jurors on Monday that the driver reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour as passengers yelled for him to slow down. His blood alcohol content level was later shown to be three times the legal limit.

In connection with the crash, the man also faces charges of driving while intoxicated, driving with a revoked license, purchasing alcohol for a minor, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. These charges will be addressed in separate trials.

The driver’s defense attorney told jurors that a front-seat passenger jerked his wheel, causing the accident. O’Boyle said the car was so badly wrecked that rescue crews “could hardly tell it was a car.”

Read more.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

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20
Oct

Navy Sailor Dies in Virginia Motorcycle Crash

October 19, 2011

A 24-year-old Navy sailor from Danville, Virginia, was killed on Tuesday in a motorcycle accident on Norfolk’s Terminal Boulevard, which roughly defines the southern edge of the Naval Station Norfolk complex.

According to The Navy Times, the man was traveling eastbound on Terminal Boulevard on his 2007 Suzuki GSXR 600 motorcycle when he lost control, hit a curb and was thrown into a guardrail around 1:50 p.m.

Officer Chris Amos told The Navy Times that the victim was “weaving in and out of traffic at a high speed.”

The motorcycle continued to slide eastbound along the road.

Amos also told The Virginian-Pilot that no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The victim was transported to Norfolk General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The details of this crash remain under investigation.

The victim was serving in the Navy and was assigned to the carrier Harry S. Truman, to which he’d reported in September 2007, according to Navy Personnel Command.

The Navy reports that this was the third off-duty motorcycle mishap fatality in fiscal year 2012, which began on October 1. In fiscal year 2011, 12 sailors died in similar accidents involving lightweight, high-speed sport bikes.

Read more.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

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11
Oct

City of Norfolk Blamed in Sanitation Worker’s Death

October 11, 2011

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has cited the city of Norfolk for 19 serious safety violations following the death of a garbage truck worker in February.

The 51-year-old man was crushed to death by the hydraulic system inside his garbage truck on February 3. According to HamptonRoads.com, city officials initially said the worker violated policy by climbing into the back of the truck to clear debris away from a blade.

However, the state agency found that the man was only doing what he’d been trained to do. They also concluded that the safety mechanism that may have saved his life was not functional.

“Employees are instructed to enter the compactor area of the Heil Formula 7000 trucks to clear debris when the blade stops due to the limit switch tripping,” the report states.

The victim’s daughter said that her family hasn’t been notified about the state’s investigation into her father’s death, but she said she’d checked with other sanitation workers to confirm that her father had followed policy by getting into the back of his truck.

“[My father] would not have done that unless he was told to do it,” said the daughter. “He was very conscious of safety issues.”

Read more.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia wrongful death, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

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4
Oct

Virginia Beach Drunk Driver Free While Awaiting Retrial

October 4, 2011

A 23-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia, driver who’s awaiting trial for the 2008 drunken driving death of his friend will remain free on bond despite acquiring a more recent charge of obstructing justice and using profane language over a public airway.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the determination was made by Circuit Court judge Frederick B. Lowe despite prosecutors’ request that the offender’s bond be revoked in light of his new charges.

The man is accused of leaving a threatening phone message for a witness who’s subpoenaed to testify in his retrial. A prosecutor has said that the witness feels the man intended harm, but the man’s attorney argued that he made a mistake by leaving the message but never meant to hurt anyone. The judge ruled that he didn’t have sufficient evidence to revoke bond but said he’ll rehear the matter if prosecutors can cough up more evidence.

The man is currently charged with involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving in connection with the December 28, 2008, death of his 20-year-old male friend, a former high school volleyball star. He has since been out on bond for 33 months.

A May 2011 trial regarding the matter went awry after Lowe declared it a mistrial when jurors couldn’t agree on a sentence. The man’s new trial is scheduled for November 1.

Read more.

Do you think that this Virginia drunk driver should have had his bond revoked?

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

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27
Sep

Norfolk Police Search for Drive-by Shooting Suspect

September 27, 2011

A man was injured in a drive-by shooting very early this morning in Norfolk, Virginia, and police say they are still looking for the person(s) who did it, reports The Virginian-Pilot.

The victim was reportedly walking with two other males at Orange Avenue and 1st View Street around 1:10 a.m. Tuesday morning when a shot was fired into the group from a passing vehicle that’s been described as light-colored, perhaps white or silver. Witnesses have also indicated that the car might have been a Honda Civic.

The victim was transported to DePaul Hospital with what police spokesman Chris Amos calls non life-threatening injuries. No other information about the victim has been released.

As of yet, the suspect has not been found. Detectives are investigating the circumstances, vehicle description, and suspects.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).

Read more.

Why do you think drive-by shootings have become so prevalent in the U.S.? What can be done to thwart the trend?

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.

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22
Sep

Virginia Man Sentenced in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash

September 22, 2011

A Virginia man who was legally drunk when he blew through a stop sign and caused a fatal Easter Sunday collision was sentenced this week to seven to 21 years in prison.

The sentencing, in an Oneida County courtroom, was an emotional one, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch.

“[My father] survived a horrible war in Bosnia, was wounded, spent days in a concentration camp,” said the victim’s daughter.  “Finally, when he could enjoy his life again and enjoy his grandkids, his life was cut short by a total stranger who made the worst possible choice: to get in a car and drive after he had been drinking.”

The woman spoke to the 46-year-old man who caused the fatal crash in Utica, New York, on April 24 at the intersection of South Street and Webster Avenue. The crash also seriously injured the victim’s 47-year-old wife, whose condition prevented her from coming to court.

“I can’t imagine her suffering,” said a district attorney. “How she goes on every day, I don’t know … [She] will never have her [husband] back.”

The man earlier plead guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, and aggravated driving while intoxicated. Injured himself in the crash, the driver has taken issue with having had his blood drawn by authorities while unconscious.

Read more.

What do you think can be done to deter Virginia drunk drivers?

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.