North Carolina Car Accident Attorney Blog

A Davidson County car accident has claimed the lives of Charlotte sweethearts Shavalos Jameson and Simone McDuffie, and has left Jameson's stepbrother Trevor Rutherford with life threatening injuries. According to North Carolina Highway Patrol, a car owned by Jameson was being driven by McDuffy when the vehicle abruptly turned into the guardrail on southbound US52 and careened off the bridge, falling nearly 50 feet and on to US64.

Together in life, together in death. Shavalos and Jameson had reportedly been dating for the 5 years since they met as high school students in Charlotte. Family members describe the pair as inseparable and recall how after McDuffie went off to college at Winston-Salem State University, Jameson would make the drive up to Winston Salem every weekend to pick up his fiancée and bring her home to Charlotte.

North Carolina State Troopers do not think that drugs or alcohol played a role in this tragic accident, and are continuing their investigation. Bobby McCall, next-door neighbor of Shavalos Jameson, told WSOC-TV that he had seen Jameson doing repair work on the car earlier that day and he had warned Jameson to be careful. McCall advised reporters that here had been a problem with the tie rod (part of the steering mechanism of the car).

Continue reading "Charlotte Sweethearts Killed In Davidson County Wreck" »

A Greensboro car accident has left two people hospitalized, and a toddler has died as the result of his injuries following ejection from the vehicle. On Thursday morning, North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to an accident near the Alamance-Guilford line on I40/85. The driver of the vehicle, Sherika Chandler, lost control of her vehicle, left the roadway, and flipped several times before coming to its final stop off of the roadway. Witnesses to the crash believe the front end of Chandler's vehicle was in close proximity to the rear of a tractor trailer truck, but that there was no impact.

Troopers report that three of the vehicles six occupants were ejected from the vehicle. The injured passengers were initially taken to Alamance Regional Hospital, but were ultimately airlifted to other local hospitals, including Moses Cone Hospital. One of the 2 year old passengers has died from his injuries, having been ejected from the vehicle. Chandler, who has prior charges for speeding, driving with license revoked, and multiple charges for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to distribute a schedule III substance, sale and delivery of a schedule III substance, and possession with intent to distribute a schedule IV substance, has been charged with Driving with Revoked License, Failure to Maintain Lane Control, and Failure to Restrain a Child.

Continue reading "3 Passengers Ejected, Toddler Dies, Driver Charged" »

A Raleigh drunk driving car accident has left one teenager dead and another in jail. The Raleigh Police Department has charged 16 year old Garrett Prince, a student at Millbrook High School, with Felony Death by Motor Vehicle, Driving While Impaired, Open Container of Alcohol, Possession of Marijuana, and Driving After Consuming Alcohol While Underage.

Fellow Millbrook High School student Elizabeth Molloy was killed when Prince rounded a curve at a high rate of speed and struck a tree. Police estimate that Prince was driving at approximately 75 miles per hour when he crashed. It is likely that Molloy would have survived the crash had she been wearing her seatbelt. Prince, who was also not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle.

The accident occurred around 2am Friday morning after the teens left a party in the neighborhood where Prince crashed. Police found several empty alcoholic beverage bottles in Prince's vehicle.

This accident is a tragedy that could easily have been prevented. It has been reported that Prince was driving with a provisional drivers license. Holders of a level 2 provisional license are prohibited from driving after 9 pm unless they are driving to or from work.

Continue reading "One Teen Dead, One Teen In Jail Following Raleigh Drunk Driving Accident" »

Newly licensed teens are at a much higher risk for being involved in a car accident in North Carolina. A new study shows that a newly licensed teenage driver in North Carolina is 2 times more likely to crash during their first month of solo driving than they are following 2 years driving experience. The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center was commissioned on behalf of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to study the driving behavior of newly licensed drivers.

The study looked at 50 North Carolina families with teenagers applying for a learner's permit. Cameras were installed in their vehicles and recorded activity inside the car, and also activity in front of, and behind the vehicle. Parent interviews were conducted 10 times over the course of a year. The cameras monitored the teens while they were driving with their parents while they had their permits, as well as the first 6 months of solo driving with their provisional license. The study also analyzed the cause of crashes for newly licensed drivers in North Carolina.

In their analysis of the reasons why teens were crashing, they found 3 common behaviors:
-Failure to Reduce Speed
-Not Paying Attention
-Failure to Yield

Continue reading "Newly Licensed Teens At Much Higher Risk For Car Accident In North Carolina" »

A North Carolina car accident has left a child in critical condition after being ejected from a vehicle. Four year old Gilbert Garcia Torres was thrown from a vehicle Sunday morning when a Toyota Camry hit a Ford Explorer so hard that it came to a rest on its side, with the ejected child trapped beneath it. Bystanders were able to lift the SUV off the child.

Police are still investigating and trying to determine how the child was ejected. North Carolina law requires the driver and all passengers of a motor vehicle to wear seatbelts, and all children under the age of 8 to be secured in a child passenger restraint system.

Hendersonville Police Captain Doug Jones reports that Torres' condition is improving.

Continue reading "4 Year Old In Critical Condition After Ejection From Vehicle" »

If you are the victim of a North Carolina Car Accident that occurred at night, the chances that one of the drivers is under the influence of both legal and illegal drugs is increasing. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 16% of nighttime drivers were found to be under the influence of impairing drugs, both legal and illegal, and that half were high on marijuana. This is significantly higher than the daytime level.

With one-third of the states having laws legalizing marijuana (presumably for medical purposes), driving while stoned is a growing problem. There is no federal standard governing a permissible level of marijuana in the blood, and different state have either different standards for marijuana levels, or no standards at all. Further, scientists disagree on the level at which a person is impaired, and a regular medicinal marijuana user can have higher residual levels in their blood even days after their last drug use.

Continue reading "Driving While Stoned: A Growing Problem" »

North Carolina Highway Patrol has found that 16 year old Taylor Clark was texting when she caused a head-on collision, killing 17 year old passenger, Seth Beaver. Clark has been charged with misdemeanor death by a motor vehicle, failing to yield, and texting while driving.

It has been illegal for drivers in North Carolina under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while driving since 2006, and for any driver to text while driving since December 1, 2009, but drivers such as Clark continue to ignore this law. In fact, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has reported that even though North Carolina bans cell phone use by drivers under 18 years of age, cell phone use by this group actually increased since the law went into effect.

There are currently three bills pending in North Carolina, all aimed at curtailing the use of cell phones by all drivers. If passed, House Bill 31 will make it illegal to use a cell phone while driving, and House Bill 44, would allow use of hands free devices only. Senate Bill 36 is nearly identical to House Bill 31. If passed, these laws will go into effect on December 1, 2011.

Our experienced car accident attorneys encourage you to talk to your teen. Reinforce the rules. Sit down with your child and watch "Faces of Distracted Driving". Real stories, about real teens, who paid the ultimate price when someone was texting while driving.

Police have identified 18 year-old Chahid Omar Solamen as the driver in a one car accident in Greenville, North Carolina that left one person dead, and three hospitalized. An unknown fifth person walked away from the wreckage.

Solamen has been charged with Driving While Impaired, and more charges will likely follow due to the death of one of the passengers. At least three of the passengers were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle.

In 2009, over 45,000 drivers were involved in fatal car accidents and more than 10,000, or 22%, had a blood alcohol levels above .08. Of those drunk drivers, 35% were between the ages 21-24, 32% between the ages 25-34, and 19% between the ages 16-20. Those not even old enough to drink legally were responsible for 19% of drivers in drunk driving fatal accidents.

Until people get the message that it is not OK to drink and drive, these statistics will not decrease. As for the passengers in Mr. Solamen's vehicle, if they knew or should have known that Solamen was under the influence of alcohol, it can prevent them from recovering damages. For more information, contact an experienced car accident attorney.

On March 15, our North Carolina car accident lawyers reported to you about a tragic fatal accident in which the unidentified driver of a pickup truck crashed into the rear of a tractor trailer truck parked off the side of I85.

We now know that Hipolito Torres Galicia has been charged with Driving While Impaired, and 2 counts of Felony Death by Vehicle. His immigration status has not been released.

Two passengers in a pickup truck died yesterday in a fatal crash in Charlotte, North Carolina. Three others were transported to Carolinas Medical Center, likely with life-threatening injuries. North Carolina Highway Patrol has not released the identity of any of the victims.

A tractor-trailer truck was parked on the side of I85 early Monday afternoon. Photographs of the accident scene clearly show the truck on the gravel shoulder, not in a travel lane. An eyewitness advised Troopers that he observed the pickup trup swerve suddenly to the right, crashing into, and under the parked tractor trailer.

The question on everyone's mind is why did the driver of the pickup truck suddenly veer into the parked tractor trailer. Troopers intend to test the driver of the pickup for alcohol, and to interview him to determine the reason for his departure from the roadway.

NC Highway Patrol believes speed may have been a factor in an accident that took the lives of the Williams family from Ash, NC.

Joshua Williams was driving with his wife and 2 children, when he crossed the center line of a curved road and hit a school bus head-on. The school bus driver and one student suffered minor injuries.

Accident reconstruction experts were at the scene of the accident, trying to determine whether Williams was speeding when he rounded the curve in the road. The posted speed limit in that area is 55mph.

According to a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speed was a factor in almost 30% of all fatal car crashes. Further, it has been reported that when the speed limit on an interstate is raised, speed related fatalities will rise, but when the speed limit remains unchanged, so does the fatality rate.

Howard Pasour, the habitual drunk driver who killed local teen, Laura Fortenberry in July, will spend the next 21 years in prison.

Pasour, who had 3 prior convictions for DWI, and multiple prior charges for drug possession, plead guilty today to second degree murder, habitual DWI, and 2 counts of serious injury by vehicle.

In response to this tragic event, the North Carolina House Judiciary Committee has approved House Bill 49, known as "Laura's Law." It provides for longer prison sentences for repeat DWI offenders, and allows judges to require the convicted drunk driver to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet.

But Laura's Law is still too lenient on drunk drivers. Our car accident attorneys have reported several times, that other states, such as New York, have taken a far more aggressive approach towards drunk drivers. As we have reported, New York State requires an ignition interlock device be put in place for all DWI offenders, including first offenses.

North Carolina should also require that repeat offenders have their vehicle impounded. According to the Department of Corrections, 83% of the 1,200 people in prison for DWI, are repeat offenders.Police are doing their job. DWI checkpoints routinely result in numerous arrests. It is up to our representatives to strengthen our laws.

A jury in Wake County found former surgeon Raymond Cook, guilty of involuntary manslaughter, felony death by motor vehicle, and driving while impaired. Cook, who gave up his medical license one week after this deadly accident, was sentenced to at least 3 years in prison.

Cook's blood-alcohol content was 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit, when he crashed, killing aspiring 20 year old ballerina, Elena Shapiro. Cook was reportedly traveling over 80 mph through an intersection when he struck Shapiro's car.

Following the verdict, jurors advised reporters that they were just 2 votes short of convicting Cook of second degree murder.

An informal study conducted by State Farm Insurance found that nearly 1 out of 5 drivers use the internet while driving. Due to these alarming results, State Farm has expressed plans to conduct a more thorough study later this year.

The director of Auto Technology Research at State Farm, Cindy Garretson, believes these figures to be underestimated. According to Ms. Garretson, the survey respondents were in the mid 30's age group, but the majority of smart phone users fall into a younger demographic.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that from 2005 to 2009, traffic fatalities attributed to driver distraction increased from 10% to 16%, and that drivers under the age of 20 years old made up 16% of distracted driver fatalities. This was followed by the 20-29 year old population which made up 13% of all distracted driver fatalities. Although the 30-39 year old age group did not represent the highest number of distracted driver fatalities, it was the group that had the highest number of drivers that were distracted due to cell phone use.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, call the experience car accident lawyers at Auger & Auger for a free consultation.

It is hard enough dealing with the loss of a 12 year old child, but for the Sierra family of Asheboro, it came at the hands of a family friend. Reyna Patricia Valencia, a friend of the Sierra family that was visiting Asheboro from Phoenix, Arizona, was driving 12 year old Roland Sierra and his 14 year old brother, Jose Sierra, without their parents knowledge or permission. Valencia was driving at a high rate of speed and under the influence of alcohol when her car left the roadway, overturned, hit an embankment, and came to a final rest against a road sign. Roland, who police believe was not properly restrained, was killed in the accident.

Valencia is charged with 4 felonies, including Driving While Impaired, Death by Motorvehicle, and Involuntary Manslaughter. She is being held on $250,000 bond.

Continue reading "12 Year Old Dead in Wreck Caused by Drunk Driver" »