Motor Vehicle Negligence

Car Accident with Train in Charlotte, North Carolina

April 17, 2012 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

According to a recent report by WBTV.com, Charlotte light rail train riders received a shock last week when one of the trains was involved in an accident with a car. On Wednesday, April 25, 2012, all traffic on the rail lines was halted due to the accident. There were no reported fatalities, but six people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The accident happened at the crossing at Remont Road and South Boulevard, at 8:30 p.m. There was a car sitting at the crossing, waiting for the train to completely pass by. All of the safety measures and lights were in working order that evening, or at least no one has reported that there was a malfunction with any of the warning signals. While the car was waiting for the train to pass, a Jeep approached the car and it through the protective arms onto the railroad tracks. As a result, both the lead car and the Jeep were in the train’s way as it was coming down the tracks.

The authorities are being quiet about the cause of the accident. The police are not yet saying whether alcohol was involved in the accident or whether there was some other cause of the accident. The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) personnel are talking, however, and a spokesperson, Jason Leier, revealed that three passengers and the engineer were taken to the hospital. The engineer was not injured, but company policy requires that a doctor see the engineer after an accident.

Also, the car that was hit by the train was carrying three people. They were all taken to the hospital as well and treated for minor injuries. As yet there has been no word on when the injured parties will be released from the hospital. If these minor injuries turn into major injuries, the driver of the vehicles that caused the accident may be facing significant legal liability.

Pedestrian Injured and Killed in Crosswalk Automobile Accident

April 12, 2012 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Yet again there has been a pedestrian hit by a car and inadequate crosswalks may be to blame. On Monday, April 16, 2012, 13-year-old Jessi Mendoza-Valdez had an unfortunate encounter with a car as he was crossing the street and two days later he died from his injuries. He was trying to cross a busy intersection during rush hour traffic.

Valdez and his parents lived at the Misty Woods Apartment complex. On Monday afternoon, he was trying to cross the Central Avenue from the side of the street where his apartment complex was located to the other side where a small group of stores was located. He successfully made it to the middle of the road onto the median, but when he was trying to make it across the rest of the way he was hit by a car.

The driver of the vehicle immediately stopped to help Valdez and remained on the scene while the police began their investigation. He has been cooperating with the police the investigation. An eyewitness to the accident, Anival Sandoval, had just made it into the store when the accident occurred. Wednesday, Sandoval noted that the same intersection where Valdez was hit has posed a danger in the past because of the lack of crosswalks there.

Poop Pours Onto North Carolina Highway

March 22, 2012 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Drivers on Interstate 70 in eastern North Carolina were not prepared for what they were going to endure on that early morning drive Monday morning. As drivers were on their morning commute, they were accompanied by a truck carrying an unlikely substance. None of the drivers knew what the unsuspecting truck was carrying until something malfunctioned and the contents of the truck ended up splattered on the road in front of them.

WCNC.com reported that the truck was carrying human waste from a sewage plant to be used as fertilizer. Something went wrong and the truck opened up while the driver was on the interstate. The waste came pouring out of the truck onto the highway. One lane was blocked and about 300 feet of waste spilled out on the road. While no injuries were reported, at least two cars ended up sliding around in the mess before the lane was closed off to further traffic.