Connecticut Personal Injury Blog - Automobile Accidents

Two Car Accident Injures Five in Portland

Margaret Embry — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:17:16 GMT

A two-car accident near Portland, CT injured five people and closed down parts of Route 66 for nearly two hours on Saturday, August 29th, according to the Hartford Courant. Police are still investigating the accident, but it has been confirmed that

a 2003 Subaru Outback traveling eastbound on Route 66 crossed the center line and crashed head on into a 2008 Nissan Altima going westbound at 2:52 p.m. Saturday.

The crash seriously injured all drivers and passengers involved: two in the Subaru and three in the Altima. One passenger injured was a fourteen-year-old girl. The cause of the crash is still being investigated, but at the time of the accident it was raining lightly and the road was wet.

According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, accidents involving injuries decreased from 2000 to 2006. In 2000, there were 34,447 accidents involving injuries and 27,366 in 2006. Some interesting facts presented by the Connecticut DOT from data gathered from 1997 to 2006 show that the highest number of traffic accidents occur in the month of May, on Fridays, and from 5pm to 5:59pm.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Margaret Embry

18 Year-Old Driver Involved in Fatal One-Car Accident Charged with Negligent Homicide

Margaret Embry — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:25:11 GMT

On April 30^th in Wallingford, an eighteen-year-old male was involved in a one-car accident that killed one seventeen-year-old high school student who was riding in the front seat and injured another eighteen-year-old passenger who was riding in the back seat.  The 1999 Volkswagen GTI hatchback went out of control near Mac Kenzie Reservoir and struck a tree on the north side of the road. The front-seat passenger died May 4 from his injuries.

The driver recently turned himself in to police after learning there was a warrant for his arrest, according to Record-Journal.  He has been charged with a negligent homicide, traveling unreasonably fast, and failure to drive in the proper lane, as well as possession of steroids, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

After his arrest, the driver was release after posting $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on August 18^th.   Negligent homicide is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of either six months in prison or a $1,000 fine.

Although steroids and marijuana were found in the car, police said toxicology reports showed the teen driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident.  The driver was, however, traveling at least 17 miles per hour above the posted limit of 30 miles per hour.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Margaret Embry

Mistrial Declared in Bus Driver's Wrongful Death Civil Trial

Margaret Embry — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:43:59 GMT

In October, 2006, a school bus driver driving in West Hartford struck and killed a 65 year-old male drug counselor while he was in the crosswalk, as reported by School Transportation News in December of 2006. The bus driver was charged with negligent homicide and failure to exercise care to avoid a pedestrian and served five days in jail. The bus driver

later tested positive for cocaine, and it was discovered he had a previous conviction that the DMV failed to flag during a background check.

Last month the wrongful death civil trail against the former bus driver began, but a mistrial has been declared by the judge. A juror read information on the Internet against the defendant that had been excluded from the civil trial (there was no mention during the trial of the driver’s previous conviction or testing positive for cocaine around the time of the accident). A new trial has been ordered and jury selection will begin on December 1^st, according to The Hartford Courant.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Margaret Embry

Connecticut DMV Setting Safe Driving Program For Teens

James Sabatini — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:00:25 GMT

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is setting up a safe driving program for teenagers in response to several fatal car accidents in Connecticut over the past year.
The center will promote tougher driving laws, coordinate enforcement campaigns for those laws, collect data on teen driver violations and recommend policy changes. The state House of Representatives has approved a bill that would increase restrictions on passengers teen drivers may have in their cars and move up the teen driver curfew to 11 p.m. from midnight. The proposal would also increase the number of hours of on-the-road training for teens from 20 hours to 40 hours and impose a reckless driving charge if a teen drives 20 mph or more over the speed limit. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Connecticut Proposing Tougher Laws On Teen Drivers

James Sabatini — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:34:56 GMT

The Connecticut legislature is considering tougher penalties on teen drivers that violate the law. The proposed bill aims to place tougher penalties on teen drivers who break the law. Under the bill, if a teen driver is convicted of driving while under the influence of liquor, they would lose their license until they are 21 years old. In addition, if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, there would be an automatic license suspension. The first ticket would result in losing his or her license for 45 days. The bill also calls for more training hours and parental supervision of teenage drivers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Triple A Releases 2006 Auto Crash Data

James Sabatini — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:09:13 GMT

According to the Triple A, 42,642 people died in car crashes in 2006. This equates to about 117 deaths per day and almost 5 per hour. This is the equivalent of two jumbo jets crashing every week. The AAA attributes many of the fatalities to excessive speed, drunk driving and the failure to wear a seat belt. Triple A also reports that the costs arising from car accidents have gone up with the largest cost increase being hospital costs.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Truck Driver Arrested In School Bus Accident

James Sabatini — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:48:53 GMT

The driver of a Poland Spring delivery truck that collided with a school bus Monday afternoon was criminally charged this morning with speeding and running a red light. Accoprding to police, Christopher Speedling, 24, was going 42 mph in a 30mph zone. Witnesses also told police that he ran a red light before the crash. He is charged with failure to obey a traffic signal and traveling at an unreasonable speed. It is unclear from press reports if the driver was also charged with reckless driviing. Five students at Plainville High School who were on the bus suffered a variety of non life-threatening injuries and were taken to area hospitals.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Waterbury Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

James Sabatini — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:21:29 GMT

If you have been injured by a drunk driver, it is vital that you contact a Connecticut drunk driving accident lawyer as soon as possible. Why? - because not only is the drunk driver liable for your injuries and losses, but the establishment that served the alcohol to the drunk driver. You have 120 days to put the dram shop on written notice of your intention of filing a claim against it. If written notice is not given within the 120 days, you will be prohibited from bringing a dram shop claim against the establishment. The dram shop is strictly liable for up to $250,000.00 for injuries and losses caused by the intoxicated individual.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Avoiding Car Accidents In Bad Winter Weather

James Sabatini — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:12:00 GMT

Bad winter weather is all too common for drivers in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast. Obviously, the best safety tip in avoiding a car accident in bad winter weather is to stay off the roads. But, this is not always a viable option. Many of us need to get to work or reach an important destination such as a pharmacy or hospital, so if you are out driving in winter weather keep these practical safety tips in mind.

1. Watch out for shaded areas on the road. Due to the lack of sun exposure, these shaded areas typically will have snow and ice where the rest of the sunlight roadway is clear of snow and ice.
2. For older cars, check your battery, cable connections, alternator and drive belts. Check your cooling system to make sure that you have the right mix of fresh antifreeze and water. Check hoses for cracks or leaky connections. These checks can prevent an engine from dying on the roadway leaving you stranded in bad weather.
3. Make sure the tires on the car are winter tires or all-season tires. Furthermore, make sure the tires still have good tread. Worn tires will not grip the roadway causing the car to slip and slide.
4. Keep a half a tank of gas in the tank. If you get caught in traffic or in a snowbank, you want sufficient gas to keep the car running and heated.
5. Keep a safety kit in your car that includes a bottle of water, candy bar, flashlight, gloves, jumper cables, and flares.
6. Keep a bag of sand and shovel in the trunk. If you get stuck in snow, you can use the shovel for the snow and then lay down the sand to give your tires traction when getting out of the snow.
Following these safety tips will hopefully prevent a car accident or car breakdown during bad winter weather, but if a car accident does happen, these tips will make the accident a lot more manageable.

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

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini

Avoiding Car Accidents In Bad Winter Weather

James Sabatini — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:09:32 GMT

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James Sabatini