On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Friday, May 18, 2012
A man who lost his wife and unborn child in a drunk driving accident in 1993 has become an advocate in the fight to prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel. He is biking over 200 miles and is set to travel from Salisbury to Wilmington. The man survived the drunk driving accident but was left with a traumatic brain injury that has impaired both his speech and memory. He also sustained nerve damage in his hands and his legs.
The man struggles daily from the effect of the injuries received in the accident. He has difficulty balancing without wearing special shoes and struggles with his left hand grip. He says that he still wakes up in the morning unable to feel his legs. By making the bike trek, he hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving and encourage lawmakers to increase penalties for drunk driving offenders.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Thursday, May 10, 2012
When operating any type of vehicle, drivers assume a reasonable duty of care for the safety of others on the road. While diligence and being watchful can prevent many accidents, sometimes a small careless error can result in tragic consequences. In recent news, a motorcycle accident took the life of 68-year-old North Carolina man. The accident occurred on the night of Friday, April 20, in Wilmington. The motorcycle accident occurred after the man turned left in front of a Port City Taxi.
The taxi was being driven by a 57-year-old man from Riegelwood. When the motorcyclist turned in front of him, the taxi hit the bike, causing the driver to be thrown to the roadway. The motorcycle driver was transported to the hospital but died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center the next day. There was no word on whether the taxi driver sustained any injuries in the crash.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, May 4, 2012
A strange car accident took the life of a 31-year-old woman from Pender County on April 18. The accident occurred on Highway 421 close to the Isabel Holmes Bridge. For reasons unknown, the woman had pulled her car to the side of the road and activated her emergency flashers. She got out of her vehicle and started walking down the road. Shortly after, she was hit by a truck. The woman's car had not broken down, so authorities are not sure why she had left her vehicle.
The man who hit her has not been cited in the accident. Troopers do not believe any type of impairment was involved in this accident but have requested a toxicology report anyway. The investigation into this accident and the causes behind it is still in progress.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Car Accidents on Friday, April 27, 2012
When operating a motor vehicle, a reasonable duty of care must be assumed for others in or near the roadway. Although a car accident cannot always be avoided, paying attention to pertinent traffic laws and being vigilant on the road can help drivers avoid collisions. Recent news in Wilmington highlighted a car accident where one of the drivers apparently failed to stop for a red light and struck another vehicle.
On a recent afternoon, a pickup truck driver was driving southbound on Wooster Street and approached a traffic signal that had turned yellow. The driver apparently tried not to run the red light, but failed, striking another car in the process. The Wilmington Fire Department responded to the collision. When the fire truck arrived at the scene, it was struck by another vehicle that was attempting to maneuver around it.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, April 20, 2012
A 22-year-old North Carolina man was struck and killed by an SUV on April 7 while walking on Potter Road in Wesley Chapel. Witnesses traveling immediately behind the SUV saw it hit what they believed to be a deer, and then continue on its way. The same witnesses also said the vehicle stopped down the road, and the driver got out of the SUV to examine the extent of damage from the Saturday night car accident.
The car accident victim was said to have been wearing bright colors and neon shoes as he walked along Potter Road. His body was found more than seven hours after the hit-and-run collision. The road where the accident occurred had no street lights, though police have not yet indicated if the victim was walking on the roadway or along its side.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, April 13, 2012
A freak truck accident resulted in the death of a North Carolina teenager on March 30 in Wilmington. The 17-year-old was sitting in the back of a pickup truck attempting to hold down a mattress that was leaning against the roof of the truck cab when the accident occurred. Suddenly a gust of wind blew him and the mattress out of the back of the pickup truck on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. The teen suffered head trauma from the fall, resulting in his death.
A 62-year-old man from Willard was driving the truck. Witnesses informed police that they believed the driver was traveling at about 35 or 40 miles per hour. North Carolina law permits people ages 16 and older to ride in the bed of a pickup truck. Prior to 2010, the permissible age was 12 years and older, but groups lobbied to change the law.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, April 6, 2012
A North Carolina man is on trial in Wilmington and facing several charges after causing a fatal car accident. A father and son had been training outdoors one spring morning when they were struck by the man's car. The driver was charged with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle, two counts of second-degree murder and other related charges. The tragic case highlights the potential car accident dangers of driving while under any type of impairment.
Prior to entering his vehicle on the day of the accident, the man admits to snorting mephedrone, also known as bath salts. Although acknowledging that he felt foggy by using the synthetic stimulant, he testified at his trial that he did not believe the stimulant impaired his ability to operate a vehicle. He has also admitted to drinking Bacardi 151, but again, he maintains that he did not feel impaired.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, April 5, 2012
Buses travel cross country, carrying dozens of passengers at a time. When traveling at high speeds and for long hours, these trips can be dangerous, even without considering maintenance issues. Before buying a bus ticket, or letting your college student take a commercial bus home for the weekend, be aware that some of these buses are not getting appropriate inspections, despite the record number of deadly crashes throughout the nation.
The lack of oversight for the buses and other commercial vehicles means that more passengers are at risk of serious and deadly accidents. A state-certified vehicle inspection station was cited after it failed to notice defects that caused a fatal accident. It then opened another station and continued operations with markedly low standards of service inspection. More than half the states have no inspection requirements for commercial vehicles, like passenger buses.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
When the weather is foul and roads are slick, motorists in North Carolina have a heightened duty to drive carefully. A slick surface can easily cause a car to lose control, which appears to be what happened in a six-vehicle accident along Interstate 40 recently. At least one person suffered injuries in the incident.
The accident happened during a rainstorm, and it appears to have begun when a car began to spin out on the wet surface. The car collided with a white pickup truck while an oncoming car tried to avoid the collision, but it got caught in cable guard-wire. In an attempt to avoid the collision, the driver of a semi truck traveling on the road stopped quickly, but a short time thereafter, a yellow pickup truck collided with the 18-wheeler. A sixth vehicle reportedly hit the guardrail.
On behalf of White & Hearne, L.L.P. posted in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on Friday, March 23, 2012
A 64-year-old Castle Hayne woman was tragically killed in a car accident on the afternoon of March 15 at about 2:30 p.m. The woman was driving a sedan and was turning off of an Interstate 140 ramp onto Castle Hayne Road when she was struck by a pickup, which was said to have run a red light. The truck slammed into the sedan's driver side door, and the victim died as a result of her injuries in the car accident. Castle Hayne is located not far north of Wilmington
The 20-year old pickup truck driver was on his way to file a job application after leaving his grandmother's funeral. He was traveling north on Castle Hayne Road when he apparently became distracted while searching for the turn and ran a red light. Police have charged the man with running a red light and misdemeanor death by vehicle.
