Injuryboard Commentary - accident

Speeding Red Light Runner Kills family of four in Sonoma County Car Crash

Claude Wyle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:59:15 GMT

At this time of year, it is always a pleasure to connect with friends and family, honor old traditions and create new ones. Tragically, for the Maloney family of Sonoma, there will be no more traditions. Jonathan and Susan Maloney and their two young children, Aiden and Gracie, were traveling home from Maui to celebrate a late Thanksgiving with Jonathan’s daughter from a previous marriage when they were broadsided in an intersection by Steve Culbertson, 19, who has since died after being taken off of life support. Adding to the tragedy are allegations that Culbertson was heavily intoxicated at the time he approached that dangerous intersection. There are further allegations that Culbertson had a previous DUI conviction and a previous accident and had had his license suspended for a year. The allegations of a previous DUI conviction have not been specifically confirmed, because Culbertson was a minor at the time, but it is clear that he had at least one incident of driving while intoxicated. Please join me in sending thoughts and prayers to the Maloney family’s loved ones. As a personal injury attorney, I would also like to make sure that accidents like this never happen. California is making efforts to stop drunk driving, but let’s also look at that intersection on Highway 37 to see if there are any conditions that contributed to this deadly collision.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Claude Wyle

Road Debris Cause of Horrific Bruckner Expressway Accident that Killed Woman

Paul Napoli — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:17:55 GMT

December 5, 2009

A bouncing spool of wire on the Bruckner Expressway caused a horrific crash in the Bronx on Friday, leaving one woman dead, a postal truck driver hurt, and NBC News's Tom Brokaw and his wife, Meredith, unharmed but saddened.

Tom Brokaw was driving, and his wife a passenger, in a car traveling eastbound in the far left lane of the Bruckner Expressway near Sheridan Avenue around 1 p.m. Friday, when they witnessed a 1998 Ford Expedition swerve to avoid a spool of cable bouncing in the far right lane.

The Expedition, driven by Suejas Estrada of the Bronx, overturned and collided with a USPS postal truck traveling in the middle lane, forcing the postal truck into the far left lane where it careened into Brokaw’s vehicle.

Suejas Estrada, 30, was ejected from the Expedition as it flipped over several times, thrown over the expressway railing and fell more than 70 feet onto the train tracks below, NYPD said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency personnel transported the driver of the USPS postal truck, a 54-year-old man, to Westchester Medical Center with bumps and bruises, where he was listed in stable condition Friday night.

The crash tied up traffic for miles. Six Amtrak trains that run along the Northeast Corridor to Boston were out of service for more than an hour after Estrada landed on the tracks, an Amtrak representative said.

Brokaw, 69, and his wife were shaken but unharmed and released the following statement: "As the mail truck careened into the Brokaw lane, Tom hit the brakes hard and skidded along the median. When the mail truck catapulted the median the Brokaw vehicle slid into it. Neither Tom nor Meredith were injured but tragically the driver of the SUV was thrown from her vehicle and killed. Tom and Meredith are greatly saddened by this loss of life."

When drivers on public roadways fail to properly secure cargo such as mattresses, furniture, ladders or other construction equipment, etc., these items may fall into the roadway and create a significant safety hazard. The 2008 Statewide Statistical Summary of Motor Vehicle Accidents released by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles listed 2,060 accidents in New York resulting from obstruction/debris in the roadway. While 1,360 of those accidents only resulted in property damage, 694 accidents caused personal injury and 6 involved fatalities.

If you or loved one has been injured or a loved one killed in an auto accident, Napoli Bern Ripka LLP has the experience and knowledge needed to successfully handle your auto accident case. Contact us at 1-888-529-4669 immediately after an auto accident and we will discuss your situation and come up with a plan of action to help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries, property damage or a loved one’s wrongful death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

Two Killed In Accident When Semi-Truck Fuel Tank Explodes

Brett Emison — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:18:50 GMT

NBC affiliate KJRH has reported that the driver and passenger of a tractor trailer were killed in an accident on I-44 near Tulsa when the fuel tank of the semi ruptured and exploded.

A semi erupted into flames on I-44 and 33rd W. Avenue Sunday morning. The driver and passenger of the semi died at the scene.

Gornwiga Nation lives near I-44 and 33rd W. Avenue in west Tulsa and caught the fiery accident on tape.

She describes the scene as a giant fire ball.

"You can see from the video my hand was shaking," said Nation

***

"We were hoping to help somebody, but the fire, it was just scary," said Hudson. "It was like the most scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and communites of those killed in this tragic event. Saddly, I suspect these deaths did not need to occur.

Car and truck manufacturers have recognized for years that vehicle occupants should be be killed by a vehicle fire if they survive the initial collision. The same is true for semi trucks.

Unfortunately, manufacturers often cut corners when designing and developing fuel systems. In tractor trailers, the onboard fuel -- diesel fuel -- is not nearly as volatile as ordinary gasoline. In fact, you can put out a match, by dunking it diesel fuel. Doing the same thing with gasoline would cause a violent explosion.

Many semi truck manufacturers place the fuel tanks in unguarded locations -- outside of the frame rails and exposed where minor collisions can rupter the tanks. More troubling, many semi truck manufacturers place cans of ether or other accelerants only inches from the unprotected fuel tanks. If both the ether can and fuel tank are ruptured, there is a high probability of explosion and massive fire.

It's time to hold these manufacturers accountable for such dangerous designs. You can learn more about fuel fed accidents and causes at our web site or at this recent blog post.

Become a fan of Langdon & Emison on Facebook.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brett Emison

I-94 Head On Collision Sends Two To The Hospital

Mike Bryant — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:46:00 GMT

Saturday night, a Toyota Tundra hit a Toyota Sienna sending a mother and her son to the hospital. The Tundra was driving wrong way on a ramp from I-94 at 49th Avenue. Five other children were also injured in the van with the hospitalized pair. Investigation continues, but it is suggested that alcohol played a role.

If you are in an accident, make sure to get the names of anyone who indicates they saw what happened. If you witness an accident, check to see if everyone is OK and stay around or at least give the drivers your contact information. If you are injured, seek the advice of an attorney who does that kind of work and who can explain your coverages and rights.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Weather, Speed, And Holiday Cheer: Time To Be Extra Safe On The Roads

Mike Bryant — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:26:41 GMT

The first week in December has again seen an increase in highway deaths. Hopefully, this isn't a sign of what is coming for the rest of the month. It is important with so many people rushing around and holiday parties starting up, that we all keep a little better look out.

Saturday night, a truck went the wrong way on the 49th Ave. Ramp on I-94 and hit a mini van head on. A passenger in the van lost her eight month old unborn child. She and her 10 year-old son are in critical condition, and four other children, ages three to nine, were also hurt. The truck driver is suspected of being drunk according to the Minnesota Sate Patrol.
Friday afternoon, a 23-year-old Watkins man died when his 1996 Saturn was hit by a 1995 Jeep Cherokee in Meeker county. The jeep failed to yield at 642nd Avenue and 365th Street in Forrest Prairie Township, according to the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office.
Thursday afternoon, A pickup truck and sedan collided at the intersection of County Road 45 and County Road 9 in Farden Township , according to the Hubbard County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the pickup truck and a passenger in the car were each ejected. Both were pronounced dead on the scene. The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the accident.
Tuesday afternoon, a 78 year old Roseville woman died in a seven car chain-reaction crash on County Road C at Snelling Avenue. Six eastbound vehicles were at a red light on County Road C when a westbound minivan hit the woman's vehicle at high speed, pushing it into the next vehicle and so on, the Roseville police said.

The 2009 numbers have continued to drop. Weeks like this still cause concern. With the holidays and winter type conditions, hopefully people will be careful. More will be found out over the coming weeks as to the causes of each of these collisions, so it's to early to tell if the common causes of speed and alcohol were involved in any of the incidents. In all of these cases sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

As with any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are many issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a recent article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine. I was interviewed on the same topic.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

More Details In Deadly Diggins, Missouri Train Crash

Brett Emison — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:07:40 GMT

ABC affiliate, KSPR-33 has reported on more details in the deadly railroad crossing accident that killed Kristy Willis and injured her daughter, Kelsey.

I reported yesterday about this tragic train accident. Again, our thoughts and prayers to out to the family of Kristy Willis and her community.

Tim Bowden, whose children Tiffany Bowden and Carl Bowden survived the train crash by jumping from the pickup truck at the last second, said the train never blew its whistle or sounded a warning.

"It's a tragedy," he says. "From what my daughter told me, they pulled up on the tracks and nobody had even seen the train. The train didn't even blow a whistle, didn't blow a horn or nothing."

Neighbor, Nan Caldwell, confirmed that trains do not always blow their horn or sound a warning at this crossing. "You can't always here the train. They don't always blow the whistle," Caldwell said.

Missouri is one of the 10 deadliest states for train crashes and railroad crossing deaths. Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad has been involved in many train-car collisions that have killed many drivers. In October, BNSF was hit with a $4 million penalty -- on top of a $21.6 million jury verdict -- because of its "staggering" pattern of misconduct that included destroying evidence in an attempted cover-up of its role in the deaths of four young people who were killed at one of its railroad crossings.

Railroad crossing collisions can have any number of causes. Some of these causes include:

Failure to install proper warnings, such as lights, alarms (crossing bells) or a functioning crossing gate
Defective warnings -- inoperable lights, bells or gates
Improper sight lines that prevent a vehicle's driver from seeing an oncoming train until it is too late
Failure to properly maintain the crossing -- such as allowing overgrown trees, vegetation and other foliage to obstruct or hide an oncoming train
Improperly parking a train at or near a crossing -- this not only hides an oncoming train from view, but gives motorists a false sense of safety in seeing a parked train at the crossing
Failure to sound the train's horn or whistle at or near the crossing
Other negligence that may appear on the train's data recorder or video recorder

Railroad companies should be held accountable for dangers railroad crossings that kill. Is there a different set of rules for railroad companies than for everyone else? If a railroad has a dangerous crossing where large trains speed through, shouldn't they warn approaching motorists? Why did the railroad never put up a proper warning device?

You can learn more about how to protect yourself at railroad crossings by visiting our railroad safety blog or web site.

Learn more and become a fan of Langdon & Emison on Facebook.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brett Emison

Osceola Passenger's Claims Come By Way of Driver Distractions

Steve Lombardi — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:24:36 GMT

A one-vehicle rollover accident was reported to have been caused when the driver “missed a curve, crossed the center line and rolled in the ditch along G76 Highway west of 60yh Avenue.” I’m not sure I’d agree with the description, but I get the gist of what they are trying to say. Really you can't "miss a curve" unless of course you've fallen asleep or passed out. What driver's do is fail to negotiate the curve. So is that what happened? You be the judge. Here is the report.

Both the driver and the passenger, Elizabeth Anne Hanscom, 23 from Osceola was seriously injured and taken to Iowa Methodist Medical Center. Is it enough that the driver says he missed the curve? Not likely, he’s probably still negligent or at fault for failing to drive at a reasonable and proper speed, failing to drive using due care and failing to drive while keeping a proper lookout.

That’s enough for today, but come back tomorrow to read The Verdict blog/blawg at Lombardi Law Firm where we will discuss other car-truck-semi-motorcycle accidents in Iowa. And as always if you are in an accident and need legal services we encourage you to call us sooner, rather than later. (515-222-1110 or 1-800-383-0331 or sdlombardi@aol.com)

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

FDA Watch List on Potentially Dangerous Pharmaceutical Drugs Recently Updated

Randy Appleton — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:50:00 GMT

A list of drugs which may present potential health hazards was recently published by the FDA and can be accessed at the FDA's website. The list includes some antidepressants which have been widely prescribed and may lead to suicidal ideations.

The following are just a few of the drugs that have landed on the FDA’s list:

Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, Able, Maprotiline, Atomexitine, Bupropion, Ablify

Drugs which are under investigation have been identified as having potential side effects. Physicians who prescribe any medication engage in a balancing approach in which they try to insure the patient receives the intended benefit from the medication without an adverse reaction. If a patient begins to experience an adverse reaction while taking a medication it is important to work with the physician to address the side effects and, if possible, avoid any potential harm.

Many times simple changes in dose or the frequency of taking a medication may relieve side effects while still providing the benefit of the medication. The best source of information describing symptoms which a patient suspects are side effects of any medication is the patient. If a patient suspects they are experiencing an unusual reaction while taking any medication, a full description of the symptoms should be reported to the treating doctor. It may be helpful to make notes describing the symptoms including when they began, how long they lasted and whether any other medication had been taken when the symptoms began. In cases of visible symptoms such as hives or rashes, a photo to show the doctor is a good idea. It is also important that a patient being treated by multiple physicians be sure each physician is aware of all the medication being prescribed by other doctors.

Prescription medications are intended to produce beneficial effects for the patient and should generally be taken specifically as instructed by a doctor. The FDA investigation should warn the public of some risks associated with the medications under investigation. If you, or someone you know, are concerned about the use of any medication, consult with the prescribing physician and discuss your concerns thoroughly. Physicians are concerned about the well being of their patients and such discussions provide an opportunity to address issues which directly deal with a patient's care.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Randy Appleton

Mother Killed; Child Injured In Diggins, Missouri Railroad Crossing Accident

Brett Emison — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:03:06 GMT

Several news sources, including The Kansas City Star, NBC KY3, and OzarksFirst.com have reported that Kristy Willis was killed and her daughter, Kelsey, was injured when their pickup truck was struck by a train in Diggins, Missouri in Webster County.

Diggins, Mo. -- A tragic accident between a pickup and a train at a Webster County railroad crossing late Friday afternoon. 33 year old Kristy Willis, who was driving the pick-up, died at the scene, and her eight year old daughter, Kelsey Turner was seriously hurt. Turner was airlifted to St. John's in Springfield. The accident happened around 4:00 Friday afternoon just after Turner and two other kids got off the school bus.

***

Willis was headed to her home on Greenbriar drive. There are only four homes past the private railroad crossing, and Nan Caldwell's is one of them. "Sometimes they come by a couple times an hour," says Caldwell.

She knows the crossing, which only has a stop sign and a railroad crossing sign, no crossing bars or lights, is dangerous. "You can't always hear the train. They don't always blow the whistle, because it almost happened to me, and thank God I stopped and saw it because it was right on me," says Caldwell.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to this young family and their community. Any loss of life from preventable tragedies is unacceptable.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) engineer claims that he blew the whistle and tried to stop, but that part of his story is disputed one of the pickup truck passengers.

"It's a tragedy," he says. "From what my daughter told me, they pulled up on the tracks and nobody had even seen the train. The train didn't even blow a whistle, didn't blow a horn or nothing."

According to emergency responders at the scene, the BNSF engineer agreed that Kristy Willis never saw the locomotive before it struck her vehicle.

"He just didn't think they seen them, and they just didn't have time to stop," says Captain James Merritt with the Southern Webster County Fire Protection District. The train was moving at about 50 miles an hour. It struck the front driver's side of the pickup, killing Willis.

Again, our prayers go out to the Willis family, their neighbors and their community. Tragedies like this don't have to happen if the railroad company takes proper precautions. There have been far too many train-vehicle crashes in recent weeks. There were at least two railroad crossing crashes in Missouri -- one in Campbell, Missouri and one in Marshall, Missouri -- just in November.

In fact, Missouri was one of the top 10 deadliest states or railroad crossing accidents in 2008.

In addition, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) has been under heated scrutiny in recent months. In October, BNSF was hit with a $4 million penalty -- on top of a $21.6 million jury verdict -- because of its "staggering" pattern of misconduct that included destroying evidence in an attempted cover-up of its role in the deaths of four young people who were killed at one of its railroad crossings.

The Court found that BNSF destroyed some evidence, fabricated other evidence, interfered with the investigation and purposefully lied and advanced misleading facts in order to conceal the truth.

BNSF's conduct in the Minnesota case was despicable. There conduct in Missouri may not be much better. Reports indicate that BNSF did not properly maintain or guard the crossing and that their engineers did not always sound the train's horn at the crossing as federal regulations require.

Railroad crossing collisions can have any number of causes. Some of these causes include:

Failure to install proper warnings, such as lights, alarms (crossing bells) or a functioning crossing gate
Defective warnings -- inoperable lights, bells or gates
Improper sight lines that prevent a vehicle's driver from seeing an oncoming train until it is too late
Failure to properly maintain the crossing -- such as allowing overgrown trees, vegetation and other foliage to obstruct or hide an oncoming train
Improperly parking a train at or near a crossing -- this not only hides an oncoming train from view, but gives motorists a false sense of safety in seeing a parked train at the crossing
Failure to sound the train's horn or whistle at or near the crossing
Other negligence that may appear on the train's data recorder or video recorder

You can learn more about how to protect yourself at railroad crossings by visiting our railroad safety blog or web site.

Learn more and become a fan of Langdon & Emison on Facebook.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brett Emison

Parents Who Discipline Teens, Would Probably Make Good Lawyers

Steve Lombardi — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:01:00 GMT

How do lawyers know when you’re following too close?

Parents with teenagers often times have to ask a lot of questions to get to the bottom of "what went on"? Most parents learn the ropes by experience and common sense. The same goes for trial lawyers, judges and juries.

So how do lawyers know when the witness who was a driver in a crash was following too close? In this case someone was, or else, did someone cut the rear driver off? You be the judge.

Probably 90% of rear end collisions occur because of speed, inattention by the driver and following too close to the forward car or truck. Take a look at this accident resulting in a three-vehicle crash on I-380 in Iowa. This one took place on November 13, 2009.

In this accident we have Randy Thomas following Trudi Pillard who was following Josef Flanter. Poor Mr. Flanter, it seems his only role is he was paying attention and in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are all driving on Interstate 380 near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They were all heading towards Cedar Rapids, as the officer has them heading northbound. The police report by Trooper J. Meggers from Post 11 notes the collision location is mile marker 30 in Linn County. Read what Trooper Meggers says about the sequence of the collisions between these three cars and ask yourself what you think happened that lead up to the collisions. While the officers description is brief there are nuggets from which you can draw several conclusion.

“REVISED REPORT - ALL 3 VEHS WERE NB ON 380 WHEN VEH 3 SLOWED FOR TRAFFIC AND WAS REAR ENDED BY VEH 2, THEN VEH 1 REAR ENDED VEH 2 INVEST PENDING.”

Here is who was involved in the collision and the corresponding numbers the officer assigned to each. You may need to re-read the trooper's description to get a handle on the sequence corresponding to the drivers named in the report.

Car 1: Randy Thomas driving a 1993 Chevrolet Blazer – he’s 47 and driving the car behind the other two.

Car 2: Trudi Pillard is driving a 2007 Chevy ADS – she’s 46 and driving the middle car.

Car 3: And Josef Flanter is driving is driving a Chevy Tahoe – he’s 65 and he’s driving the lead car.

For those of you who don’t know I-380 is a four-lane divided highway with an interstate speed limit. Like your state's divided highways cars are flying faster than the posted speed limit, driving too close to the car in front for comfort and all in a hurry to get someplace sooner rather than later. Some drivers are on cell phones, others eating a soon-to-be not so happy meal, drinking and some are even texting. They change lanes without using a turn signal; they cut drivers off and cut in front of drivers who do leave enough room between the car in front of their car-truck-semi or motorcycle, causing two cars that did have enough room between them to now be following too close. All of these distracted drivers are in some way responsible for precipitating road rage.

Back to the facts. I’m also interested in the sequence of the two or three collisions. The officer describes car 2 crashing first into the rear of 3, followed by car 1 crashing into car 2. Car 3 slowed for a car ahead of him; so you know that the driver of car 2 was in all likelihood driving too fast, following too close and perhaps not paying enough attention to what was going on in front of his car.

As you can see this is an interesting case for us to discuss because there may be two at-fault drivers and that fact alone should raise questions in your mind about what they were doing just prior to the collision. Generally speaking the driver of vehicle 2 struck vehicle 3 and then by the officer’s description vehicle 1 ran into the back of vehicle 2. We don't know if vehicle 3 suffered two collisions; meaning when 1 ran into 2 did 1 then strike 3 again? Remember the officer didn’t see the accident he pieces together his report from what people at the accident scene tell him and from what the physical evidence (mostly the car damage) looks like to him.

So we can’t just take his description as the Gospel truth; we need to make sure that the trooper’s description matches the physical evidence and what the drivers and witnesses say happened. Which brings up a good point; I wasn’t there either so I make no conclusions about exactly what did actually occurr. Lawyers are never there and if they are they aren't going to be a lawyer in the case; they instead will be a witness. But as a lawyer who for 30 years has dealt with car accidents, I’ve become accustomed to reading accident reports and getting hunches about what probably caused the collision. From there I frame my questions.

Also, don't forget I'm a parent. And as a parent who has listened to four kids tell me their teenage version of what happened, I’ve gotten better at asking questions to ferret out the truth. My kids will tell you I'd often say, "That's an interesting answer but how about if now you answer my question."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMGdMRAc_Yo

So what do you think happened? Think first, read second and third begin to verbalize what you believe is the sequence of events. Being able to verbalize your thoughts is an important part of trial work.

Assuming the officer’s description to be accurate, why do you think Trudi Pillard ran into the rear of Josef Flanter? And then ask yourself why Randy Thomas crashed into Trudi’s car. What keeps cars from colliding on the highway? And what causes cars to crash at highway speeds?

Here’s what I think and the reasons are as plain as the nose on your face; you and I see this every day. Either car 2 cut in between cars 1 and 3 or else both 1 and 2 were following too closely for the highway speeds. That means they were driving too fast for the distances they left between the front of their car and the rear of the car in front of theirs.

LEGALLY SPEAKING

As lawyers, jurors and judges the main issue to determine is fault. Who is at fault is what you the jury need to determine. Most people want to answer a different question that has nothing to do with making driver’s responsible drivers. “What is at fault?” This is a misleading question allowing the issues of responsibility to be skirted and does nothing to promote safe driving habits. Let me explain. It's not about what is at fault, it's about who is at fault.

As a client you need to think like the lawyer’s do or at least understand how we think to anticipate where the legal theories will lead your case.

So as a lawyer, my first series of questions center on whether car 2 cut into the space between 1 and 3.

Series 2 of questions work on a better understanding of how fast each car was driving.

Series 3 questions wants to know more about how long cars 1 and 2 had been traveling behind the involved cars.

Series 4 goes to what distractions, if any, were occurring in each car, with the exception of poor Mr. Flanter.

Remember the case is going to focus on did number 2 change lanes inappropriately, what were their speeds, were they following too close and distracted drivers. Distracted drivers cause accidents. Inconsiderate and aggressive drivers cause serious and deadly accidents. Inexperienced drivers do as well.

To be a good witness, client, trial lawyer, judge or juror you need to think like a parent quizzing your teenager about a car accident they were involved in. Most every teenager wants to blame it on something other than what they did or didn’t do. The weather, an unidentified car or driver, the road conditions, the sun or some inanimate object that wasn't driving their car. As parents we know this and our parental mindset has to be aware of this point of view when talking to them about fault. So with a jaundiced eye about the explanation they give, as a parent, you’re required to probe further than their first explanation. To know where to go with questions we rely on common sense and life experiences of what probably happened. In other words we have to draw a probably conclusion to know what questions to ask.

So when they say it was the car in front, common sense makes us question their speed, proper distances for speeds travelled and driver distractions.

Besides the drivers in this collision we also have several passengers who were injured and each has potential claims against all three drivers. There are four people noted on the report as having been injured, they include: Jennifer Willis, Maison Willis, Ruby Willis and the driver Trudi Pillard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEOseanUuT4

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi