Articles Posted in Car Accidents

In a recent high profile case, plaintiffs in Texas argued that a faulty ignition switch manufactured by General Motors (GM) was ultimately responsible for a fatal car accident that occurred in 2011.  In that accident, the driver of another vehicle was killed and a passenger suffered a severe personal injury according to a recent news feature from the Boston Herald.

Specifically, plaintiffs assert that the allegedly defective ignition switch on driver’s Saturn Sky turned off by itself while the car in motion, and this caused him to lose control of his vehicle.  The reason they argued is that in modern vehicles, once the power is shut off, nothing works, as the steering is hydraulic and computer-controlled, as are the brakes. The driver suffered a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of this fatal car accident. Continue reading

Those who were fans of Air Force football, or just college football in general may remember Dee Dowis.  Weighing less than 155 pounds, and clearly not the tallest player on the field, this young quarterback made his presence known through his athletic ability when heading up the offense as quarterback.  In the 1989 season, Dowis finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting, which is an outstanding accomplishment.

According to a recent news feature from USA Today, Dowis was headed south on Interstate 85 in the northbound travel lanes.  It is not known how he ended up driving in the wrong direction of the interstate, but at some point, likely when he saw oncoming traffic at highway speeds, he decided to pull into the center median. Continue reading

According to a recent news article from CBS Local Boston, a local war veteran who had served in the United States Army for nine years was in South Boston one Thursday night when he heard the massive crash as a result of a serious car accident.  He described what he heard as the sound to two freight trains slamming into each other.

After he heard the crash, at the Old Colony Avenue and Dorchester Street intersection, he went running toward the accident to see if anyone was hurt and if he could help.  He found two cars, a Honda Civil and Volkswagen Jetta, which had just slammed into each other and were left a crumpled mess.  He ran up to the wreckage and was repeatedly asking if everyone was okay, though the feared they weren’t. Continue reading

According to a recent news feature from ABC Boston, a defendant cried as she stood in the Boston Municipal Court (BMC) to face charges in connection with an alleged hit-and-run accident that resulted in injury to three pedestrians.  The serious car accident occurred in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood.

Prosecutors have said the 25-year-old defendant allegedly ran a red traffic signal at the Washington Street and School Street intersection and then crashed into the group of tourists walking along Boston’s historic Freedom Trail. Continue reading

There are a lot of reasons so many people come to Boston each year while on vacation.  One of the reasons is to see the many historical sights, which date back to the days when New England was a colony.  When you walk around much of downtown Boston, you will notice a line of red bricks on the sidewalk.  This is the path of what is known as the Freedom Trail.  The name refers to the efforts of the colonist during the early days of the American Revolutionary War.

Some tourists will choose to walk the Freedom Trail without a tour group and take their time to explore and see the sites.  Some will take a guided tour, so there is a tour guide who can explain the significance of the history they are seeing as they walk. Continue reading

In ACE Fire Underwriters v. Romero, a case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, driver left a local farm driving a tractor-trailer vehicle. He pulled on the highway next to the farm when the trailer separated from the tractor.

Driver immediately realized his trailer had unhooked and drove off the road and made a U-turn so he would be facing the detached trailer.  His hope was that his headlights would light up the trailer so other cars on the road would see the trailer and avoid hitting it.   However, before he could make the U-turn, another car hit the trailer, which had no lights on it as it was no longer connected to a power source, and the driver of that vehicle died as a result of his injuries suffered in the car accident. Continue reading

In State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Jakubowicz, a car accident case from the Indiana Supreme Court, plaintiff and her two young sons were involved in a serious car accident that resulted in various personal injuries to the three occupants. The plaintiff filed a car accident lawsuit against the defendant on behalf of herself and her minor children.

The plaintiff’s insurance company also filed a lawsuit against the defendant to recover money it paid out as part of the case. The following year, plaintiff’s car accident lawyer told the plaintiff’s car insurance company that it planned on filing an underinsured motorist claim (UIM) on behalf of their client. Continue reading