virginia auto accident

Virginia Man Sentenced in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash

by admin@gotechark.com | 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.

Charlottesville Man Sentenced in Crash That Killed Winemaker

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.

Chesterfield Teen Convicted in Wrong-Way Crash That Killed 2

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.

2 Killed, 2 Injured in Wreck on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

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.

Newport News Teen Charged with DUI in 2-Vehicle Crash

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.

Norfolk Man Acquitted from 2009 DUI Crash That Killed 2

by admin@gotechark.com | June 30th, 2011

June 30, 2011

On Tuesday a jury acquitted a 26-year-old Norfolk, Virginia, man who’d been accused of causing the 2009 drunk-driving crash that killed two people and caused serious brain injury to another.

The driver, who is an enlisted Navy sailor, stood trial for a week, and jurors took two days to reach a verdict—finding the man not guilty on two counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and a single count of maiming. A 22-year-old nurse and a 25-year-old Navy sailor both died in the crash, while a third passenger sustained permanent brain injury. A fourth passenger escaped with minor injuries.

The crash occurred on July 25, 2009, when the man’s BMW crashed into a tree off Granby Street and caught fire. He had been giving four strangers a ride home from Red Dog Saloon in Ghent. The man testified in court that, while driving, he’d been hit sharply in the jaw by an object or a person in the backseat and passed out. He testified that he didn’t remember the crash.

Though the driver’s blood alcohol content had been above the legal limit, a defense attorney argued that there was “reasonable doubt about what happened it that car.”

Read more.

Do you think justice was served in this case?

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.

Richmond School Bus Driver Cited in Fatal Crash

by admin@gotechark.com | June 16th, 2011

June 16, 2011

A Richmond, Virginia, school bus driver was issued a summons today for failure to yield the right of way, allegedly initiating a car crash that killed a 46-year-old man last month.

The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on May 10 when the 60-year-old bus driver failed to yield as he was attempting to turn left onto Belmont northbound from West Belmont Road. He then collided with a red SUV that was traveling south on Belmont Road. One of the SUV’s passengers was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the SUV and four other passengers—ages ranging form infant to adult–suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Neither the school bus driver nor any of the six students on the school bus were hurt.

Shorty after the accident last month, Richmond news station WTOC reported that people who live near Belmont and West Belmont say it’s a perpetually dangerous intersection. Public works officials told a reporter they would re-evaluate whether or not to add a traffic light there and would repaint the faded stop bars on the road.

Council woman Reva Trammell said a traffic light needs to be added, telling WTOC,”We won’t have to creep up to get out. It will be a light to tell us to go, red or green. Right now, without a traffic light you have to creep up.”

Read more.

Who do you think is at fault in this Virginia auto accident?

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

Lawmakers look into Virginia auto accident involving bus

by admin@gotechark.com | June 8th, 2011

June 9, 2011

Sky Express was deemed as a “clearly unsafe carrier” by the Virginia Department of Transportation after a recent Virginia auto accident involving the carrier.

A Virginia auto accident involving Sky Express killed four people, and lawmakers are wanting to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

According to frederickburg.com, senators are urging stricter oversight of motorcoach carriers and enforcement of rules.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Administration sited Sky Express several times in the past, including incidents for driver fatigue, the reason behind the recent Virginia auto accident.

37 percent of accidents, which may include Virginia auto accidents, investigated by the national Transportation Safety Board find that driver fatigue is the cause.

Do you think bus drivers should be held to the same standards as semi-truck drivers? Do you think federal regulation of buses could reduce the number of Virginia auto accidents?

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

Four killed in Virginia auto accident involving bus

by admin@gotechark.com | June 1st, 2011

June 2, 2011

A fatigued bus driver was the cause of a fatal Virginia auto accident over Memorial Day weekend.

The vehicle overturned in the Virginia auto accident, and four people were killed, according to poconorecord.com.

The bus driver suffered minor Virginia auto accident injuries. He was treated at the scene of the Virginia auto accident and was held on $3,000 bond at a county jail.

Traffic was backed up for 10 miles after the Virginia auto accident. The extent of other injuries of those on the bus ranged from minor to life threatening, and passengers were taken to local hospitals following the Virginia auto accident.

Read more.

Do you think the driver or the bus company should be held responsible for the Virginia auto accident? Do you think bus drivers should be held to the same standards as semi truck drivers?

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

Three injured in Virginia auto accident

by admin@gotechark.com | May 25th, 2011

May 26, 2011

For some drivers, driving next to a tractor trailer can make one nervous, especially if a Virginia auto accident could possibly occur.

According to patch.com, three people were injured in a Virginia auto accident. The Virginia auto accident involved three vehicles on the Capital Beltway over the Potomac River.

A passenger vehicle was trapped under a tractor trailer in the Virginia auto accident.

One person suffered life-threatening injuries in the Virginia auto accident, and two others suffered less severe injuries.

The lanes of the Beltway were closed for several hours while rescue crews worked the scene of the Virginia auto accident.

Read more.

As summer travel season picks up, what are you doing to keep your family safe? Will you avoid traveling during times when traffic volume is high?

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