Vermont Personal Injury Lawyer - Automobile Accidents

One Killed and Dozens Injured in Multi-Car Pile Up

Jenny Albano — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:03:44 GMT

Thirty six cars were involved in a multi-car pile up that happened on February 10, at 12:40 P.M., that killed one and injured almost two dozen more. The accident occurred on 390 South near Scottsville Road in Vermont.

More than 20 people were taken to local hospitals. One woman who was a passenger in one of the cars was killed. She has been identified as Lee Gno, 19. Several other people incurred serious injuries. A Strong Memorial Hospital spokesman said five were in guarded condition and four were listed as satisfactory.

A number of ambulances were also sent to the scene and the injured were taken to various local hospitals as part of a mass casualty plan that first responders have in place. The injured were taken to Strong, Park Ridge and Highland Hospitals.

The accident also caused problems on 390 northbound. The accident was probably related to poor visibility because of the wind and snow. Many drivers stopped on the highway because they couldn't see where they were going.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Slow Down on Winter Roadways

Rob Curtiss — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:43:31 GMT

The snows have come early to New England this year. Where I live in Central New Hampshire, there is a possibility we will get another foot of it over the weekend. This is good news for skiers and the local economy but not for motorists. Because as we all know winter storms can make for treacherous driving.

To avoid wintertime accidents, it is important to allocate extra time to get where you are going. One simply cannot safely drive as rapidly in a winter storm as they can in good weather. And drivers who insist they can do this put us all at risk. So make sure to give yourself ample time when you are traveling in the winter. An extra half hour on the road is much more convenient then an accident or injury. For more on winter driving go to: http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafety/drivingsafetytips/snow.html

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rob Curtiss

Motor Vehicle Accidents and Driver Inattention

Ed Van Dorn — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:14:47 GMT

Drivers entering highways in wrong direction cause needless accidents and personal injury and wrongful death.

Driver inatttention can cause motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious personal injury. Entering limited access highways the wrong way happens more often than expected. In 2002, a van entered Intersate 89 at exit 16 the wrong way, going south in the northbound lanes. This resulted in accidents involving four vehicles. No one was killed but several persons sustained serious injuries. .

Two months later, another driver drove his Jeep from Roosevelt Highway onto I-89 and drove north for 13 miles -- in the southbound lanes. He caused three accidents.

In January 2005 another driver turned left off Roosevelt Highway to travel north on I-89 at Exit 16. She made it for a mile and a half -- in the southbound lanes -- before she collided with a man's oncoming car. Both drivers were critically injured. The same month another motorist drove 10 miles northbound in the southbound lanes of I-89 -- from Williston Road into Milton -- before crashing and losing a leg.

Senseless, needless tragedies. All caused by drivers not paying attention. Since these accidents the Vermont Agency of Transportation has made some changes at critical intersections, but the fact remains that as motorists we all have the responsibility to pay attention when driving. Only then can needless tragedy be avoided.

Last week the Burlington Free Press ran a complete story on this issue. As personal injury lawyers we see firsthand the tragedy caused by all kinds of careless mistakes including entering highways in the wrong direction.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ed Van Dorn

Drunk Driver Kills Teenager

Ed Van Dorn — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:40:50 GMT

After drinking in a tavern a drunk driver caused the death of a teenager in Vermont. Vermont law may hold the tavern responsible.

Shawn R. Burritt, 32 from Jericho Vermont appeared in Vermont District Court in Burlington to answer to charges that he drove the wrong way on Interstate 89 in Colchester on Saturday and collided with a vehicle, killing one of its passengers, Nicolas Fournier, 18, of West Swanton.

According to police reports, Burritt admitted to drinking "eight or nine" beers at the Spanked Puppy Pub in Colchester before driving his 1989 BMW Saturday night. Burritt made a left-hand turn from U.S. 7 and drove up the Exit 16 off-ramp onto Interstate 89, where he traveled southbound in the northbound lane.

In Vermont, not only can the drunk driver be held liable for the tragedy he caused, but if the evidence shows that the tavern he was drinking him, served him alcohol after he was visibly intoxicated the tavern may be liable as well.

This brings up a very important aspect of Vermont law. Laws that impose responsibility on those whose conduct leads to injury or death are designed to act as a deterrent to this kind of behavior. In this case taverns and other servers of alcohol should be on notice that if they continue to serve alcohol to someone already intoxicated and that person causes personal inury or death, they may be responsible. We hope that all responsible parties in this tragic case will be brought to justice. For the full story see the Burlington Free Press article.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ed Van Dorn

Thanksgiving Travel and Automobile Safety

Rob Curtiss — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:18:16 GMT

Once again the holiday season is upon us. Many of us will be traveling to spend Thanksgiving with our families and loved ones. Unfortunately, the roads are very crowded during Thanksgiving rush. In many parts of the country this holiday also coincides with the first wintry weather of the season. This morning, for instance, I drove from Boston to Orford, New Hampshire and saw at least a dozen cars off the road as the result of a sleet storm.

So be careful during the Thanksgiving rush. Avoiding automobile accidents and possible injury should be at the top of our list of holiday priorities. For more on traveling during this thanksgiving holiday, see the following site:

http://news.google.com/news?q=thanksgiving+holiday&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=1&ct=title

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rob Curtiss

Insurance Company Doctors Often Don't Give Accident Victims The Benefit Of The Doubt.

Rob Curtiss — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:55:46 GMT

When an accident victim makes a claim against a negligent driver, who is insured, it is the driver's insurance company that handles the claim. Often the company insists that the injury victim undergo an examination by a doctor working for it. The insurance companies refer to these examinations as "Independent Medical Examinations". Of course, there is nothing independent about them. The company is paying the doctor and it is in the company's interest that the doctor minimize the injuries caused by the accident.

That being said, occasionally doctors working for insurance companies do give fair, objective opinions regarding the accident victims they examine. If you are preparing to undergo such an examination, you should make every attempt to explain the injuries you suffered and how they effect you to the insurance company's doctor. At our firm we prepare our clients for their session with the insurance company's doctor. Even though this doctor may not give them the benefit of the doubt, we still counsel our clients to be truthful and to explain their injuries thoroughly.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rob Curtiss

Teenagers and Car Accidents

Ed Van Dorn — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:37:16 GMT

Statistics show that teenagers are involved in a disproportionate amount of car accidents involving personal injury. 6,000 teens are killed in car accidents every year. AAA has designated this week as National Teen Driver Safety Week. I think that any effort that brings more attention to teen driving safety issues is a good idea.

As a personal injury lawyer I have seen first hand the serious consequences of serious motor vehicle accidents involving teenagers. The problem is made worse today by the use of electronic devises while driving. Cell phones, MP3 players and the like are all distractions. This is a problem for all drivers, but it is especially serious for the inexperienced driver.

Yesterday's Brattleboro Reformer ran an interesting article on the subject. The article quoted some experts in the field concerned about teen drivers and the age of "multitasking". Anyone with teenagers has probably witnessed this phenomena. Doing homework, talking on the phone, listening to music and surfing the internet all at the same time. When teenagers try to multitask while driving the consequences can be tragic.

I applaud the efforts of AAA to bring attention to these issues and I encourage all parents to do what they can to educate their young drivers about the dangers of multitasking while driving.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ed Van Dorn

Most Accidents Causing Serious Personal Injury Can Be Avoided

Ed Van Dorn — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:37:26 GMT

You're driving down the road and suddenly get a flat in your left front tire, your car abruptly veers left. What do you do? Instinctively, most drivers sharply turn the wheel right to steer back on course, but is this the right thing to do?

According to the experts, its not.

So the driver's immediate reaction is to grab the steering wheel and jerk it in the desired direction, which can put the vehicle in an uncontrollable spin, cause it to go sideways across other traffic lanes or make a bad skid worse.

In a recent news article interviewing expert drivers, they offer the following advice.

Correct overcorrecting
1. Do not immediately steer back onto the pavement.
2. Grip the steering wheel and drive straight while you slow down.
3. Straddle the pavement edge while slowing.
4. When traffic is clear in both directions, turn the steering wheel toward the pavement and get back onto the road.
5. Carefully counter-steer to prevent veering into the opposite lane.
6. As soon as you've fully recovered, accelerate to normal traffic speed.

While our firm is in the business of representing victims of serious automobile accidents we are also committed to doing whatever we can to make our highways safer. In my 30 years of representing seriously injured car accident victims I've learned that most accidents are avoidable. We can all do our part. Thanks for reading.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ed Van Dorn

Kudos to Bennington PD for Car Accident Prevention Efforts

Ed Van Dorn — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:30:33 GMT

We would like to congratulate the Bennington Police Department for receiving recognition by the Vermont Governor's Highway Safety Program for its traffic safety record. Paul Doucette, Jr., a lieutenant in the Bennington PD responded to the award saying: "It was the highest score ever seen in the Vermont Law Enforcement Challenge. We couldn't do it without our dispatchers giving us the information. We couldn't do it without the community's support."

The full article in the Bennington Banner states:

The BPD's entry, which was a 100-plus page booklet, supplied judges with information show how the BPD's traffic safety efforts have paid off, said Doucette. Seat belt compliance has jumped from about 80 percent in 2004 to about 90 percent in 2006.

As personal injury lawyers we are constantly faced with situations where people are seriously injured due to avoidable accidents. While our business is representing those people and making sure they get just and fair compensation from the insurance companies responsible for making payment our concern is public safety. Our increased awareness of the tragedies caused by avoidable car accidents make us very sensitve to safety issues especially concerning our roadways. So, we congratulate the Bennington Police Department and commend them for the lives they are saving as a result of the good work they do. We hope they set an example for local police departments throughout the state.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ed Van Dorn

Juries Respect Victims Who Keep Working

Rob Curtiss — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:23:12 GMT

Recently, a 101 year old man named Ray Jenkins has gotten a lot of publicity for being the oldest American still working. Mr. Jenkins, who is exceptionally modest, doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. I think what people find so inspiring about him is that he's overcome the odds and continued to be productive.

I have had the privilege of representing many people who were seriously injured in car accidents yet continued to work fulltime. On more than one occasion, I've heard insurance company lawyers tell juries that the victim must be o.k. because they were able to keep working, etc. But I've also seen juries give substantial damage awards to victims who stayed on the job because the jury respected what that said about the victims as people. Of course, I've also represented accident victims who were hurt so seriously that they were unable to return to work despite their desire to do so but that is another topic.

So congratulations to Mr. Jenkins and to all people who are able to keep working against the odds. For more about Mr. Jenkins please visit the following sites:

http://www.truveo.com/VT-man-named-Americas-oldest-worker/id/1316500112

http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,1316500112.aspx

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Rob Curtiss