Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers Blog
by admin@gotechark.com | September 5th, 2011
September 5, 2011
A 59-year-old Charlottesville, Virginia man was sentenced to three years in prison stemming from an October 4 drunken-driving accident that killed a local winemaker.
In April the man plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and DUI after causing a wreck that killed a 31-year-old Crozet man who worked at White Hall Vineyards and Sugarleaf Vineyards.
Judge John E. Kloch doled out more than the recommended six-month jail sentence, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, because he was dubious that it was the first time that the accused had driven drunk.
“This is a tough case, because no matter what the court does, [the victim] is never coming back,” said Kloch in a courtroom on Tuesday. “He’s gone. It’s especially traumatic for this family in the way that [the victim] died because they never got to say goodbye.”
The Virginia drunk driver—whose blood alcohol content was .111 percent after the crash—was sentenced to 11 years in prison, of which eight were suspended. He was also sentenced to supervised probation and will be required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and not allowed to drive for a year after his release.
Read more.
Do you think the sentencing was fair in this Virginia auto accident?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | September 1st, 2011
September 1, 2011
A 17-year-old Chesterfield, Virginia, boy who drank as many as seven shots of tequila and then drove the wrong way down a highway, killing two people, has been convicted of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and now faces up to 41 years in prison.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the fatal collision occurred in March 2011 when the high school junior, who had a learner’s permit but not a license, got on the road around 2:30 a.m. and drove the wrong way through a Powhite Parkway Extension toll plaza at Courthouse Road. He then accelerated and began traveling north in the southbound lanes at up to 90 miles per hour.
The boy traveled the wrong way for a mile, during which time he almost collided with two cars being operated by police officers, before slamming into a BMW and killing both a 32-year-old male and 29-year-old male. One man died instantly, while the other died before paramedics arrived on the scene.
“I think the most aggravating factor was that he didn’t even realize he was involved in a (fatal) accident,” said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney B.J. McGee. “He thought it was a single-car accident … and didn’t realize that he had hit, and unfortunately killed, two other individuals.”
In addition to the manslaughter charge, the teen was charged with drunk driving and will be sentenced on December 5. He will serve a minimum of a year in jail on each manslaughter count, but could be imprisoned for as long as four decades.
Read more.
What do you think can be done to deter drunk driving in Virginia?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | August 23rd, 2011
August 23, 2011
Speed and alcohol contributed to a two-vehicle crash that badly injured six people early on the morning of Tuesday, August 23, on I-64 in Norfolk, Virginia.
WVEC reports that the crash occurred around 2:10 a.m. when a speeding 2005 Volkswagen GYTI veered into the left lane and rear-ended a VDOT contractor’s truck.
Virginia State Police Spokeswoman Michelle Anaya says the truck’s driver and two other VDOT employees had been dispatched to clean drains and do other maintenance. They had completed that work and were picking up cones from the work zone, preparing to reopen a closed lane.
The three people in the Volkswagen were hurt in the crash, along with the three VDOT employees, who were thrown from the truck.
The crash closed the westbound lanes of Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel for five hours, reopening around 7:30 a.m.
Anaya has confirmed that both speed and alcohol played a role in the crash, for which charges are pending.
Read more.
What do you think can be done to deter drunk driving in Norfolk?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | August 18th, 2011
August 18, 2011
Family members of a 54-year-old inmate who died while at the Virginia Beach jail have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the sheriff and the jail’s medical staff, alleging poor medical care.
The deceased checked into the jail on October 29, 2010, to serve a 10-day sentence for driving with a suspended driver’s license. Hampton Roads reports that the man told a nurse that he had diabetes and hypertension and thus needed to take medication. Though the man was given insulin, the lawsuit says he was not treated for his hypertension.
On November 3, 2010, the victim complained to jail staff of severe pain in an eye before collapsing and hitting his head on a table. He was taken to the jail’s infirmary and then back to his cell. The suit says staff believed the man was faking or exaggerating his symptoms.
Later that evening the man fainted in his cell, remaining unconscious for a reported 15 minutes.
“The inmates in his cell block began frantically banging on the window and the deputies only then removed him from the block,” the lawsuit says.
The man was taken to an emergency room in handcuffs and then transported to Virginia Beach General Hospital, where he died several days later of a brain hemorrhage.
The man’s sister, a Norfolk, Virginia resident, seeks $5 million.
Read more.
Do you think that the Virginia Beach Jail’s medical staff could have done more to save this inmate’s life?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia wrongful death, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | August 9th, 2011
August 9, 2011
A Newport News, Virginia, man was burned on the job on Tuesday, August 9, while working on the roof of a church.
HamptonRoads.com reports that the man suffered an electrical burn around 10 a.m. when he came into contact with an electrical line that powered a rooftop air conditioning unit. The man — an employee of Hampton, Virginia-based Tidewater Roofing Company — was helping to repair the roof of Saint Paul AME Church on 2500 Chestnut Avenue.
The Newport News Fire Department used an aerial tower ladder from one of their trucks to bring the worker safely down to the ground — blocking thru traffic on Chestnut and 26th Street for 30 minutes.
The victim was transported to Riverside Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His name has not yet been released.
Read more.
Who do you think should be held liable for this on-the-job Virginia accident? Do you think this will become a Virginia workers’ compensation lawsuit?
If you or someone you know thinks they can claim Virginia workers’ compensation, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | August 4th, 2011
August 4, 2011
Two people died and two more were injured late Monday, August 1, when a 1996 Buick Century went off Route 178 in Pungoteague, Virginia, and hit a tree stump before flipping over.
Both the 53-year-old male driver and the 72-year-old front-seat female passenger died at the scene north of the corner of Boston and Big Pine roads. The two were next door neighbors in Craddockville.
Two female passengers in the backseat were hospitalized. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
All four people were wearing seatbelts during the crash.
Police now say that alcohol played a role in the crash, which occurred shortly after 10 p.m.
DelmarvaNow.com reports that the passenger who died spent the night playing bingo at the Accomac Elks Lodge, where she was picked up by a friend. The additional two passengers had also been playing Bingo.
The driver’s brother-in-law said, “He would help anyone out. He was a good guy.”
Read more.
What do you think can be done to deter drunk drivers in Virginia?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | July 28th, 2011
July 28, 2011
A Norfolk, Virginia, police officer who fatally injured a bicyclist a year ago was fined and sentenced to community service on Friday, July 22.
The accident occurred around 1 a.m. on July 25, 2010, when Officer Derek Folston was speeding to reach a non-emergency call and struck a bicyclist on the 1500 block of Brambleton Avenue. The collision caused the cyclist severe injuries from which he died two months later.
Fox43TV.com reports that the bicyclist had a blood alcohol level of .20 when he was hit.
Folston and another officer in a separate cruiser had both been speeding to reach the Tidewater Gardens area over the Campostella Bridge. Court records revealed that neither had lights or sirens turned on, and Folston admitted to driving 20 miles over the speed limit. Both officers have been on administrative duty since the accident.
Convicted earlier this month of misdemeanor reckless driving, Folston was fined $1,000, sentenced to 100 hours of community service, and had his license suspended for 60 days. Judge Jerrauld C. Jones suspended a six-month jail sentence, The Virginian-Pilot reports.
Read more.
Do you think police should be required to turn on their lights and sirens if speeding toward a destination? Should punishment be less for them when they cause fatalities while on-duty?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | July 21st, 2011
July 21, 2011
A Capron, Virginia, man fell asleep at the wheel very early Thursday morning and wrecked his vehicle on Interstate 664 near Newport News, Virginia. Both he and a passenger suffered non-life threatening injuries in the crash. It is not known whether or not they were wearing seatbelts.
The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. near the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel when the sleepy driver drifted off the highway. He then awoke and over-corrected, jerking his 2001 Ford back onto the road. The Virginia State Police Department report that the man’s vehicle flipped several times.
The man and his passenger were both transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital via ambulance. Immediately following the accident, the southbound lanes of Interstate 664 were closed to enable the life-flight helicopter Nightingale to land, but the helicopter was later canceled. The northbound lanes were open again by 5 a.m. on Thursday.
The driver has been charged with reckless driving.
Alcohol is not said to be a factor in the crash.
Read more.
What do you think can be done to discourage fatigued drivers from getting behind the wheel in Virginia?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | July 14th, 2011
July 14, 2011
A worker died in an accident that occurred Wednesday, July 13, while he was on the job at Tapscott Brothers Logging near Scottsville, Virginia–about 70 miles west of Richmond.
According to The Daily Progress, the 56-year-old victim was pinned between a forklift and another piece of machinery.
Lieutenant Aaron C. Hurd of the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office said the man was declared dead at the scene of the accident at Rolling Road South in Fluvanna County.
Rescue officials from both Fluvanna County and Scottsville arrived to help, as did several deputies.
Officials said that an autopsy will be conducted on Monday, July 18, because the man died in a work-related accident.
According to TimberLine Magazine, Tapscott Brothers Logging was founded in 1983.
Read more.
Do you think all job site deaths need to be thoroughly investigated for the potential of faulty equipment or negligence?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia wrongful death, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
by admin@gotechark.com | July 7th, 2011
July 7, 2011
A two-vehicle crash in Newport News, Virginia, last month ended with three people hospitalized for injuries. Police now say that the 17-year-old driver who caused the crash had been drinking and has been charged with two counts of DUI Maiming, DUI first offense, Reckless Driving, and Underage Possession of Alcohol.
From the beginning, Police told WAVY that they believed alcohol played a role in the crash, after which one person remained in critical condition. Two others were in serious but stable condition.
The accident occurred June 8, 2011, near the intersection of Lucas Creek Road and Cabell Drive around 8:01 p.m. when a yellow Volkswagen driven by the teenager was traveling north on Lucas Creek. The Volkswagon collided head-on with a red Nissan traveling south on Lucas Creek.
The red Nissan contained a driver and a child, and the Volkswagon contained only the driver.
All three people were taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center.
The teen’s first hearing is set for July 11.
Read more.
Do you think that justice has been served in this Virginia auto accident?
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the Virginia auto accident lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
