Blog Topic

Woman Killed in Orange County Car Accident
April 30, 2008

Once again a terrible car accident drives home the reality that driving is a privilege that should be exercised with caution. A seven-car pile up on Talbert Avenue in Fountain Valley, California triggered by a Honda Pilot crashing into a car at a red light has killed one woman, according to the Orange County Register.

There was nothing to warn vehicles that were parked at the traffic light on west bound Talbert Avenue that in a few seconds they would be faced with the prospect of death or injury in a car accident. For 69-year-old Ann Shirley Mailman sitting in her Lexus at the traffic lights, there was nothing to prepare her for the crash that was to come. No screech of brakes, no warning smell of burning rubber. Just a huge and deafening crashing noise as a Honda Pilot driving at 50 miles per hour crashed against her car. The impact of the car accident was enough to set off a domino effect that played out impacting other cars standing at the lights. The car accident slammed the trunk into the back of the Lexus, and the two cars then managed to hit a Dodge Ram right next to the Lexus. The Lexus then slammed into a Mercedes station wagon, and then a Toyota. The Toyota in turn hit a silver SUV.

In all, 7 cars were impacted in the crash, some were totaled, and others suffered just minor damage. Anne Shirley Mailman died at the scene of the car accident.

The driver and passenger of the Pilot were taken to the UCI Medical Center in Orange, and the woman in the Mercedes Benz station wagon was also taken to the hospital for injuries after the car accident.

It's obvious now that the driver of the Pilot was speeding at the time of the car accident. The size and extent of the damage in the crash - involving a total of 7 cars - indicates that there was speed involved. A car going at normal speed can not only be controlled before it does damage or causes a car accident, but it also doesn't cause the kind of damage and the fatality that we have seen here.

Nobody knows the exact version of why the crash occurred, and the driver of the Pilot hasn't yet given his version of events. Investigators will definitely have questions to ask, however. Why was it not possible to brake the car when it reached the red light? Did they even attempt to apply the brakes?

 If you have been injured in a car accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer.  Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation. 

Permalink

Investigators Look into Role of Pontiac in Fatal Car Crash
April 22, 2008

Questions are being asked about the accident in Inver Grove Heights in Minnesota that killed 4-year-old Tamaya Philips and Brittany Carlson. Brittany's 2- year-old son, Brandon, was also injured in the accident and remains hospitalized and in a coma.

The accident, which took place last Thursday, involved a Saturn sedan that Brittany was driving and another car, a Pontiac Grand Prix that crossed the median. Brittany was driving with her two children and the two children of her best friend Nicole. She was heading south when the Pontiac Grand Prix, driven by 18-year-old Brittany Krueger of Rosemont, crossed the median and struck the Saturn.

Brittany Carlson was trapped in her seat and died in the car before she could be extricated. Tamaya Philips was taken to hospital, where she died. Brandon was rushed to University of Minnesota's Children's Hospital, where he is still being treated for severe injuries. The other two children who were involved in the crash are reported to be unhurt.

Investigators are now trying to piece together why the Pontiac Grand Prix crossed the median. It's still too early to say what exactly happened, they say. Meanwhile, relatives of both families want answers of their own.

There must be more to the Pontiac Grand Prix connection than meets the eye. The coming days will tell us whether there were drugs or alcohol involved, or if excessive speed caused the driver of the Pontiac to lose control. This tragic accident could have also been cause by a car defect, or a dangerous segment of road.

While news stories and reports on the accident seem to focus on the fact that lack of and proper use of restraints were responsible for the deaths and serious injuries of the victims in this accident, it is important to remember that if there was no crash, there would have been no injuries or fatalities. Using seat belts effectively and consistently is always important when in a car, but when you are driving safely on your side of the road and a car crosses the median and hits you head-on, seat belts can only do so much to save your life. Maybe proper use of seat belts would have helped these two families, or maybe not. What we do know is that if the other car did not end up on the wrong side of the road, Tamaya and Brittany would still be alive. There are no maybes in that part of the equation.

Investigators need to stop blaming the victims here, and get on the case of why the driver steered her car through the median, causing this accident. The answer to this tragedy is in piecing together and determining where the fault lies.

If you have been injured in a car accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

Permalink

Man Involved in Fatal 1999 Accident Causes Yet Another Crash
April 10, 2008

Some people, it seems, just never learn. You would think a man who has caused the death of a teenager in the past by driving while drunk, would have knocked himself sober. In fact, considering that his license had been revoked after that accident, you would think he wouldn't even be behind a wheel, let alone breaking traffic rules.

Let's hope, at least this time around, Teddy Carpenter gets what he deserves.

Back in 1999, Teddy Carpenter pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, involuntary manslaughter and criminal damaging in the accident that caused the death of 18-year-old Jennifer Sellers. After the accident, Carpenter fled the scene. When he was later found, he pleaded guilty in exchange for having charges of vandalism, aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, leaving the scene of the accident and reckless operation dismissed.

He served a total of 4 years in prison. Four years for killing a young girl. His driving privileges were permanently revoked.

For the Sellers family, memories of that tragic day in 1999 came back when they heard of the man responsible for their daughter's death being involved in yet another accident. This time Carpenter, fortunately, failed to actually kill anyone. He ignored a "right turn" only sign on route 33, and managed to cross the median and strike a car that was traveling west on route 33. The occupants of the other car, a Nissan, were injured, but luckily both will recover.

After the accident, Carpenter did what he does best - he ran from the scene. Old habits apparently die hard. He hotfooted it to his girlfriend's house.

When police arrived, they took him to hospital for treatment of the injuries he sustained in the accident. Once at the hospital, and when he had recovered somewhat, he actually fled again.

It's not clear why he wasn't arrested before he was taken to the hospital. At last, police found him back at his girlfriend's house. When police turned up at the house, it turns out they had plenty of old and unfinished business pending with him. He had a string of child support payment failures, and had failed to turn up for a drug hearing.

This was a man who had no business being out in 4 years for killing another motorist. This is exactly what happens when a man gets away with a slap on the wrist after a grievously injurious accident involving drunken driving. If the degree of punishment after the 1999 accident had been severe or crippling, there is a good chance that someone like Teddy Carpenter would have had sense knocked into him, and also he wouldn't be out on the streets, where he is putting other lives in danger.

Now that Carpenter is in custody, we hope stricter action is taken against him. Or we can expect more accidents, and maybe, more fatalities and injuries linked to his name.

If you have been injured in a car accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

Permalink