Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers Blog
by actuate | October 20th, 2011
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.
by actuate | October 11th, 2011
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.
by actuate | October 4th, 2011
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.
by actuate | September 27th, 2011
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.
by actuate | September 22nd, 2011
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.
by actuate | September 14th, 2011
September 13, 2011
A retired Henrico County police officer was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of maiming and driving under the influence stemming from a crash on Interstate 25 14 months ago.
The drunken-driving crash on July 1, 2010, left a 42-year-old male victim with 13 broken ribs, collapsed lungs, an unrecognizable face, and multiple fractures that protruded through his skin. His injuries have required multiple surgeries, and doctors believe that the man will suffer permanent problems as a result of the crash.
The horrific accident occurred in a highway safety zone at midnight that July night. The man’s blood alcohol level may have been as high as three times the legal limit, reports The Richmond Times-Dispatch. His lawyer had contended that a temporary merge lane wasn’t up to standards and was too short, but the victim’s lawyer countered that “that had nothing to do with what happened.”
The 57-year-old convicted officer, who faced for the first time the man whose life he almost took, was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs after he read the victim a long letter expressing regret and sympathy.
The former office now faces a $20.35 million injury lawsuit.
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 actuate | 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 actuate | 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 actuate | 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 actuate | 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.
