Virginia attorney
by admin@gotechark.com | 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 admin@gotechark.com | 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 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 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 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 | August 11th, 2008
August 11, 2008
Richmond Times-Dispatch reported an 18-year-old driver was involved and killed in a Virginia auto accident early Sunday morning.
The driver was driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck when he ran off the road and caused the Virginia auto accident.
The driver of the Virginia car accident overcorrected his truck and lost control of it when it overturned. He was not wearing his seat belt and was killed when he was ejected from the truck.
Read More
by admin@gotechark.com | August 6th, 2008
August 6, 2009
The Daily Press reported a head-on Virginia auto accident in which a woman was killed.
The woman
