Warrenton, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Haymarket, Virginia personal injury attorneys serving those injured in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, on-the-job accidents, and nursing home negligence cases. Our clients have included those who have suffered brain injuries, dismemberment, spinal cord injuries, severe burns and other catastrophic injuries.

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News

Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rates may go down in Virginia

Virginia workers’ compensation premiums – the money that employers in Virginia pay to provide workers’ comp insurance for their employees – may be going down next year.  Why?  Virginia has steadily seen a decrease in the amount of money spent on workers’ comp claims across the Commonwealth.

 

What is driving this reduction?  Experts believe that the amount spent on workers’ comp claims in Virginia is down because of better “claims efficiency”.  A hearing will be held on October 26 by Virginia’s State Corporation Commission to decide the matter.

 

The only Virginia industry not seeing declines in workers’ comp payouts is mining.  Virginia has 114 coal mines which employ approximately 4,800 workers.  New federal health care regulations include benefits for workers who suffer from black-lung disease, and this will keep costs up.

 

The prospect of workers’ comp premiums going down is obviously good news for business owners, but in a way it is good for workers’ too.  When premiums are reasonable, businesses are less likely to engage in workers’ comp premium fraud by misclassifying workers or failing to provide insurance at all.

 

In Virginia, most employers are required to carry workers’ comp insurance.  Liberty Mutual Insurance is the biggest workers’ comp insurer in the Commonwealth, followed by American International Group (AIG), Hartford Insurance Group, and Travelers Group.

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Culpeper drivers: “Safety and Patience” needed now that school is back

As August winds to an end, students in Culpeper County are headed back to school.  Our police and sheriff’s deputies want all Virginia motorists to remember the laws surrounding school buses, school speed limits, and pedestrian crossings – because they’ll be enforcing them.

 

What do you need to remember as a Culpeper driver now that school is back in session?

  • The speed limit around some schools drops to 15 miles per hour when students are arriving at or leaving the school.  Look for signs and even in some cases flashing lights to alert you that the 15 mph speed limit is in effect.
  • When a bus stops to pick up or drop off school children, motorists behind the bus and those approaching from the opposite direction must stop and wait.
  • If a bus stops and flashes its red lights, motorists on all lanes of a four-lane undivided highway must stop (yes, even if you are 3 lanes away from that bus, you have to stop and wait).  However, if the highway is divided, only the vehicles traveling in the same direction of the bus must stop.
  • If you fail to stop for a bus that is loading or unloading children, you could face a reckless driving charge.
  • If a pedestrian is attempting to enter a crosswalk, you MUST stop – even if you think you can drive through the crosswalk before the pedestrian gets to your side.  It’s the law.

 

Keep our school kids safe and don’t give police a reason to write you an expensive ticket.  Remember these laws now that school is back in session.

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A new alternative to nursing homes for Virginia’s elderly?

Few people, if any, look forward to growing old and having to move out of the home they know and love into a nursing home or assisted living facility.  It can be a disturbing and emotional change, and the further away that elders are from their friends and family the greater the potential for abuse.

 

Enter a new idea that is catching on: back-yard “pod” cottages for elder family members.  This “pod” – commercial name MEDCottage – is like a small mobile home that can be rented and parked in a family’s back yard, hooked up to water and electrical service, and used for elderly parents or other relatives who want to preserve some independence but can’t stay in their own homes any more.

 

The units rent for about $2,000 a month and have proven especially popular in Virginia.  The units are made to look like attractive little bungalows, and contain all the necessities of life including a kitchen, bathroom, health monitoring equipment, a lift, and security cameras.

 

The buildings are one-story, making them easier to move and cutting down on stairway falls.  Falls – and the injuries that result from them – are one of the main reasons that elders end up in nursing homes.  The idea may not appeal to everyone, and not everyone will have room for a backyard “pod”, but the opportunity to live close to family may prove to be a great new option for Virginia elders.

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Arrest for Culpeper County man suspected of drunk driving

A man who collided with a retaining wall outside of the Culpeper Christian School is facing charges of driving while intoxicated.  The man, Simuel A. Washington Jr., 23, was driving his Kia sedan on Old Rixeyville Road when the accident happened.

 

Washington, a Culpeper County resident from Korea Road, crashed into the wall after 10pm.  No other vehicles were involved in the crash.  It is likely that Washington lost control of the vehicle before it crashed.

 

Washington was charged with driving under the influence and was also issued a summons for reckless driving and failure to maintain proper control.  He was not injured in the crash, nor was his female passenger.

 

This week students at Culpeper Christian School (CCS) returned to school, so let’s hope when they see the damaged retaining wall it serves as a lesson to all those future drivers about the importance of safe driving.

 

Single-vehicle accidents like this one usually happen when the driver loses control of the vehicle, either because they are distracted, intoxicated or they fall asleep.  Most of the time the only person to suffer injuries or property damage is the driver of the vehicle, however sometimes other vehicles or pedestrians are involved.

 

Any Virginia driver whose negligence leads to a car crash involving injuries or property damage can be held accountable for their actions by other road users or by the other passengers in their car.

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MD man leads Culpeper police on high-speed Rt. 3 chase, crashes car

Culpeper County police were able to nab a Maryland man after a pursuit that topped 100 miles per hour on Route 3 one Saturday evening.  The errant driver is now facing a variety of charges for his decision to evade police and cause a two-car collision on Rt. 3.

 

The incident started when a Culpeper County officer stopped a driver in a 1995 GMC Jimmy for speeding on Route 3 near Croftburn Farms.  As the deputy was approaching the car, the driver, Robert Lamp, 35, tried to speed away, narrowly missing the deputy.

 

According to police, Lamp fled the scene when the deputy asked to see his driver’s license.  To evade police, Lamp shot through two red lights (Rt. 3 and U.S. 522 and Rt. 3 and U.S. 29), tried to pass a car on a rise in the road, only to pull back and narrowly miss hitting an oncoming vehicle, and finally crashing into a Toyota sedan.

 

Police estimate that Lamp reached speeds of 100 miles per hour during his escapade, which ended after striking the Toyota.  As a result of that collision, Lamp’s SUV veered off the side of the road and ended up crashed into the side of an embankment.

 

Two people in the Toyota that was hit were taken to Culpeper Regional Hospital with minor injuries. Lamp was immediately taken into custody by police.  He was charged with a variety of charges including reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, driving while intoxicated, speeding, attempting to maliciously cause bodily injury with the intent to maim, reckless driving, eluding police.  More charges may follow

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Elderly Virginians are the target of financial scammers

Elderly citizens could be losing at least $2.6 billion per year to scammers who prey on the elderly, according to some conservative estimates.  Who are these scammers?  They are friends, family members, and sometimes total strangers.

 

Scamming is getting so bad that the head of adult services for Virginia’s Department of Social Services believes that scamming is going on more and more – and it happens every day.

 

In some cases, scammers are family members looking to take advantage of an elderly family member.  They may use emotional appeals to get the elder to hand over money, or they may use more subtle forms of fraud to insert themselves into the elder’s financial world.

 

Strangers typically scam elders by spending time canvassing suburban neighborhoods.  They prey on elderly residents who may have trouble doing their own home maintenance or gardening.  These scammers promise to do work for the elder, then they make off with the payment without finishing the promised tasks.

 

You can protect your elderly relatives by keeping track of what is going on with their financial accounts.  If you notice anything irregular – checks written to people you don’t know, unusual ATM or credit card activity – you can investigate further to find out if fraud is afoot.

 

Unfortunately, as scammers become more bold and elderly Virginians are too ashamed of being conned to speak up, these types of crimes will only become more common.

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Fauquier County reckless driving wreck lands four in hospital

A crash in Fauquier County that led to two adults and two children being taken to the hospital may have been caused by reckless driving.

 

The accident happened on U.S. 29 just south of Route 651 near the Culpeper County line.  According to the Virginia State police, the driver of an SUV lost control of her vehicle as she was headed south on 29.  As a result her SUV struck a guardrail, crossed the median, and headed north on 29, striking a Ford Ranger pickup truck.

 

The driver, Jennifer Pullen, 25, was taken to the hospital along with a 6 year old and a 3 year old who were traveling in her vehicle.  The children were properly restrained in age-appropriate booster seats.  Pullen, however, was not wearing a seat belt; her injuries and those of the children were described as not life threatening.

 

The pickup truck driver, Culpeper resident David Manciniak, 34, was also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  Unlike Pullen, Manciniak was wearing his seat belt.

 

A Fauquier police trooper cited Pullen for reckless driving.  After a brief lane closure on 29, the accident is under investigation; it is unknown if additional charges will be filed against Pullen.

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Uninsured motorist fails to heed traffic signal, causes Culpeper wreck

A crash at the intersection of Madison Road and Sunset Lane in the early evening on Tuesday resulted in four people being taken to the local hospital to be treated for accident-related injuries.

 

The accident happened when, according to Culpeper police, a Honda Accord being driven by Culpeper resident Michael Thompson Jr., 20, crashed into a Pontiac sedan.  At the time of the crash the Pontiac was headed north on Madison Road and the Accord was attempting to turn south onto Sunset Lane.

 

Because of the crash the Pontiac driver had to be taken to the hospital, which was fortunately very close to the scene of the accident.  Three occupants of Thompson’s Accord were also taken to the hospital.

 

An investigation of the incident revealed that Thompson had failed to heed the turn signal.  As a result police charged him with failure to obey a traffic signal and failure to maintain insurance.

 

No word on the severity of the injuries sustained by Thompson’s passengers or by the Pontiac driver.

 

Uninsured motorists are a challenge on Virginia roads, because if they cause a wreck the other driver is left without insurance – unless they have adequate uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on their own auto insurance policy.

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Student faces new charge in highway worker DUI hit-and-run

A driver originally charged with driving under the influence and hit-and-run after hitting a construction worker in Albemarle County.  The driver, Vitalija Vasciunaite, now faces a charge of maiming a person while driving while intoxicated.

 

The accident happened in the early morning near mile marker 103 on I-64.  A construction worker, Jose Porfirio Martinez, was doing bridge repair work when he was hit by a 1999 Buick sedan.  The driver of the Buick, Vasciunaite, fled the scene of the accident.

 

Martinez had to be taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center.  His injuries were life-threatening; in court the commonwealth’s attorney later stated that Martinez’ injuries included a broken leg and arm.  He is expected to be released from the hospital soon.

 

Vasciunaite, a college student and a native of Lithuania, was found to have a blood alcohol content over the legal limit in Virginia of 0.08.  She told police that she was returning home from a party in Harrisonburg when she hit the driver.  The judge in her case has ordered a $15,000 bond.

 

Work-zone safety has become a focus in Virginia, where eight workers were killed in highway work zones between 2004 and 2008.  In this case, Martinez was hit less than a mile from a VDOT workers memorial.

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Will the I-66 speed limit be raised?

If you regularly drive on I-66 between U.S. 29 in Gainesville and the Va. 234 bypass (Prince William Parkway) you might be interested to know that the speed limit could be going up in that area.

 

How is a decision like this made?  The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will study this four-mile stretch of road to determine if a speed limit increase is warranted.  To make this decision they’ll look at lane widths, crash history, traffic flow, and current speed limit enforcement in the area.

 

I-66 is not unique in getting this kind of attention from VDOT.  There are other areas in Virginia being studied for a possible speed-limit increase.   That’s because earlier this year the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation permitting state transportation officials to raise speed limits in Virginia, a new law that took effect July 8.

 

What other areas are targets for a speed limit increase?

  • I-95 between Route 234 and Dale Boulevard – future study that would raise the speed limit to 70mpt in the main lanes, and also increase the speed limit in the HOV lanes between Dumfries and the Pentagon.
  • I-285 between Petersburg and I-64 – speed limit already increased

 

Could speed limits be going up across the commonwealth?  That’s too soon to say as there isn’t enough data yet to show if the increased cost is worth it.  However, Virginia transportation officials are very interested in speed limit increases, so stay tuned for more.

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Prince William County police cruiser involved in serious wreck

An early evening wreck yesterday involved a Prince William County police officer who was headed out in response to an emergency call.  The officer, whose name has not been released, was traveling north on U.S. Route 1 when another vehicle made a left turn right in front of him.

 

The crash happened at the intersection of US 1 and Rosedale Court, where there is no traffic signal.  At the time of the crash the officer was using his lights and siren, which should have alerted the other driver that he needed to stay out of the way.  Despite trying to maneuver around the other motorist, the police officer collided with the other car.

 

As a result of the crash the police officer was taken to a local hospital, but according to a police spokesperson his injuries were not life-threatening.  The driver of the other vehicle involved in the wreck had to be flown to Washington Hospital Center, however his or her injuries were also not expected to be life-threatening.

 

The incident caused major delays on US 1 when it was closed so that emergency responders could aid the victims and accident investigators could review the scene.  So far no charges have been filed.

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Three taken to hospital after two serious vehicle wrecks in Culpeper

Two serious auto accidents led to three individuals being sent to area hospitals to be treated for their injuries.  The first serious wreck was on Friday night when a 2005 Hyundai Elantra collided with a 2006 Toyota Tacoma.

 

According to the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office, the Hyundai driver, Julia L. Frymer, was headed east on Rocky Knoll Arch in the direction of Burgandine Avenue.  The Toyota driver, a woman whose name has not been released, was headed north on Ira Hoffman Lane when the accident happened.

 

The Toyota struck the Hyundai on the passenger side, and the Hyundai driver was charged with failure to yield the right of way.  Both women were transported to local hospitals to be treated.

 

The second serious car wreck happened on Sunday evening.  A man accused of driving drunk was headed north on Auburn Road when he veered off the side of the road to the right and slammed into a tree.  Culpeper police charged the man, Jorge Arturo Gonzalez Erazo, with driving under the influence (DUI), failure to maintain control, and driving on bald tires.

 

Erazo was taken to the emergency room at Culpeper Regional Hospital and treated for his injuries, then released.  Fortunately nobody else was injured when Erazo crashed.

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Hit and run car accident injures Culpeper man

An early morning collision has left a Culpeper man with minor injuries.  The man, whose name has not been released, was stopped on Dutch Hollow Road around a quarter mile north of Hawkins lane.  He was helping with another vehicle accident.

 

Culpeper police say the accident happened around 2 o’clock in the morning.  According to the man, he was standing in the northbound lane of traffic waving at traffic in an attempt to get the other vehicles to slow down.

 

The man, 27, claims that a car headed north failed to slow down and struck him.  The vehicle then continued driving north on Dutch Hollow Road.  The man was taken to the hospital by a friend, where he was treated for his minor injuries.

 

Police were unable to get a detailed description of the driver from either the victim or witnesses.  All that is known at this time is that the car was a small model and may have been a Toyota.  Culpeper police are asking anyone with information about the hit-and-run accident to call 727-7523 with details.

 

By law, the motorist who struck the man should have stopped at the scene of the accident.  Not only did he or she fail to stop, but he or she did not stop to render aid to the accident victim.

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Virginia State Nursing Board: Elder Abuse Not Ignored

The Virginia Board of Nursing has decided to rule that a nursing home supervisor accused of ignoring and failing to report sexual abuse of elders in the facility where she worked is innocent of the charges.  Supervisor Helen Roberts is accused of ignoring evidence and reports from staff that serial molester James Wright was abusing elderly patients at National HealthCare-Bristol.

 

The Board made this determination not in a formal hearing with testimony from witnesses and investigators, but in an informal hearing.  Roberts was able to speak her mind about her accusers, alleging that they were untrustworthy sources.

 

The Board did, however, find that Roberts should have documented other job performance issues that Wright was having.  In addition, they noted that Roberts did not report that he was accused of trying to force-feed a resident.

 

After announcing their findings the Board added that they expected Roberts to attend courses for nursing documentation and professional accountability.  As for Wright, he is currently in jail on a 60 year sentence for sexually assaulting residents at the Bristol facility.

 

The facility’s Director of Nursing and the Administrator also faced charges of ignoring complaints about abuse.  The Director of Nursing, Elizabeth Anne Franklin, was reprimanded and was asked to pay a $1,500 fine; Administrator Charlotte Wilson is awaiting her hearing.

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Driver of jackknifed 18 wheeler charged with misdemeanor larceny

A Culpeper man who jackknifed a tractor-trailer on the ramp from Route 3 to Route 1 north is facing charges of misdemeanor larceny.  William Collins, 42, caused this single-vehicle wreck that shut the ramp down for 45 minutes.

 

Fredericksburg police did not file charges at the time, however a subsequent investigation discovered that Collins had an outstanding warrant from November 29 in Prince William County.  No details about the Prince William charges were available from the Fredericksburg police department.

 

Bond for Collins was set at $2,000.  According to court records Collins was charged with reckless driving in Prince William County in 2006.  He was driving 65 in a 35 mile-per-hour zone.  After failing to show up in court he was found guilty and fined $248.01 – which was never paid.

 

Tractor trailer wrecks can be deadly, especially when they involve passenger vehicles.  If truck drivers cause an accident and are later found to have a history of traffic violations, this can help establish a pattern of negligent behavior.

 

If you’ve been hurt by a negligent 18 wheeler driver, don’t hesitate to get legal advice.  Trucking companies and their insurers are very good at the blame game, and they’ll do everything they can to avoid paying you a fair settlement.  Don’t let them get away with it!

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Former Virginia mental health worker turned minister defrauds elder

When a man declared bankruptcy and suddenly an elderly woman sold her house and turned all of the proceeds over to him, authorities became suspicious – for good reason.

 

A man who once worked as a mental health employee in a Virginia hospital and is now a Baptist minister is accused of committing Medicaid fraud and tampering with public records.  In 2004 he filled out and submitted a false Medicaid application for a widow in her mid-90s.

 

On the application, the minister, Kevin Clark, 53, did not disclose the sale of the woman’s home as he should have by law.  According to Clark, he was only trying to help the woman get Medicare benefits.

 

He claims that after the woman became ill she decided to sell her house because she needed long-term, permanent care.  She gave the proceeds from the sale of the home, Clark claims, as a gift because he was her minister and had been looking out for her.

 

The Deputy Attorney General disagreed, claiming that Clark committed fraud by manipulating the elderly woman into giving him the proceeds from the sale of her home.  The Deputy AG added that the woman was moved from one facility to another and had no place to go.  Clark, she stated, has declared bankruptcy twice, has a gambling habit, and drives a Mercedes.

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Virginia Workers: You CAN Be Compensated for Job Related Hearing Loss

Virginia workers can be compensated for hearing loss… if they can prove that their hearing loss is a direct result of their job duties.

 

Many jobs, especially those in construction or some telemarketing jobs, can pose a risk to a workers’ hearing.  Continual exposure to loud noises over a long period of time can lead to hearing loss.

 

The challenge for workers is to prove that their hearing loss happened as a part of their job.  In one case, a customer service representative who spent much of her day talking to angry customers lost her hearing.  She filed a workers’ comp claim for the hearing loss, but it was denied.  Why?

 

The worker claimed that she spent her entire 8 hour work day exposed to 80 to 90 decibels of noise.  However, she had nothing to back up her claim.  While she initially won her claim, it was overturned on appeal from her employer.

 

However, if she had actual proof that her hearing had been compromised because of job-related noise, she would have won.

 

Some employers are on to hearing loss claims, and will administer hearing tests at the start of employment to cut down on the number of false workers’ comp claims for hearing loss.

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Four injured in single-vehicle Culpeper car crash

A driver on U.S. 29 crashed when she claims she swerved to avoid an animal in the road, resulting in three people and one baby being taken to the hospital.  Mary E. Mavrommatis, a Culpeper resident, was headed south on 29 when she claims to have spotted an animal in her vehicle’s path.

 

Mavrommatis swerved her 1999 Mercedes Benz left to avoid the animal, crossing the median and ending up stopped in the northbound lanes of 29.  Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to the scene, just south of the Route 3 off ramp on 29.

 

Mavrommatis, her two passengers, and the baby were taken to Culpeper Regional Hospital after the wreck.  Mavrommatis was treated and released from the hospital, but no other details were available about the passengers or the baby.

 

Single vehicle wrecks are often caused when the driver veers off the road, either because they were trying to avoid something in the road or because they fell asleep or became distracted.  When a vehicle runs off the road the consequences can be serious.

 

Drivers in single vehicle crash accidents can be sued by their passengers if they were negligent in causing the wreck.

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Research indicating antilock brakes on motorcycles might save lives

Antilock brakes on motorcycles may me the next required safety feature, reducing the chances that motorcycle riders are killed or injured in a crash.  Research shows that antilock brakes significantly cut down on motorcycle accidents, which leads to fewer injuries and deaths.

 

The research on motorcycle antilock brakes was funded by the Institute for Highway Safety, a group funded by insurers.  They are now using this research to lean on the federal government, asking that they make antilock brakes a requirement for all new motorcycles.

 

One of the main findings in the report was that motorcycles with antilock brakes were 37 percent LESS LIKELY to be involved in a fatal crash per 10,000 registered vehicle years (a registered vehicle year is one vehicle insured for one year, or two for six months, or three in four months, etc).

 

Why do antilock brakes make such an difference?  Motorcycles are more challenging to stop in some cases than cars.  In a car, to stop all the driver has to do is apply the brakes using one pedal.  In a motorcycle, the front and rear wheels usually have separate brake controls, so it is up to the rider to use the correct combination of front and rear braking to come to a safe stop.

 

Antilock brakes help motorcycle riders by reducing brake pressure when they sense that a lockup is imminent.  When traction is restored and a brake lock up is no longer an issue, antilock brakes restore pressure.

 

***Hurt in a Virginia motorcycle wreck?  Let our attorneys help!***

 

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No Manslaughter Charges for Defendant in Deadly Rt. 3 Culpeper Crash

Last March four people were killed on Rt. 3 in Culpeper when a Spotsylvania man crashed head on into their vehicle.  The man, Eugene T. Greene, 30, was then charged with four counts of manslaughter, wounding in the commission of a felony, destruction of property, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, and operating an uninsured vehicle.

 

According to Greene’s attorneys, Greene did not have malicious intent in the crash and did not engage in criminal negligence.  The judge in the case also upheld the defense’s motion to exclude the charges of wounding in the commission of a felony and destruction of property from the jury’s consideration.

 

The prosecutor in the case, the assistant Commonwealth’s attorney Dale Durrer, argued that Greene knew or should have known that he was too tired to drive.  In an attempt to prove Greene’s guilt, Durrer entered almost 40 pieces of evidence and put on 23 witnesses including police, emergency workers, doctors, and family members of the victims.  The prosecution also paid $1,500 for a sleep expert to testify in the case.

 

However, the jury deliberated for two hours after the three day trial and only found Greene guilty of reckless driving.  They recommended that he spend six months in jail and pay $2,500 in fines.

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Who is most at risk of Virginia nursing home abuse?

Virginia nursing home abuse is an unpleasant topic that few people want to talk about, let alone do something about.  However, the more informed the general population is about the risks and effects of elder abuse and neglect, the more likely that it can be spotted and stopped.

 

One way to protect elders is to understand which demographics are most at risk of suffering from nursing home or assisted living abuse.  Many organizations in Virginia and across the United States collect and publish studies and statistics about elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.  This information can be extremely useful in making the specter of abuse more real to everyday men and women.

 

If you were asked who is MOST at risk for elder abuse, what would you guess?  Women are more likely than men to be victimized by elder abuse or neglect.  In fact, two out of every three elder abuse victims is a woman.  This is a statistic that should have women’s rights organizations fired up!

 

Not only are women at risk, but the older a person gets the more likely they are to become the victim of abuse.  Studies show that about two in five elder abuse victims are over the age of 80.  Can you imagine living all the way to 80 years old and then being mistreated by the very people you depend on to care for you?  It is shocking.  Something for all of us to think about – and act on.

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Wreck on Culpeper Bus. 29 involves tractor-trailer, pickup truck, SUV

A wreck on Business 29 just south of Inlet Road has left several people injured.  According to the Culpeper Division of the Virginia State Police, the multi-vehicle crash happened when a tractor-trailer driver swerved into oncoming traffic.

 

The truck driver, Harry J. Mummert Jr., 39, was surprised to find traffic after he came over a hill on 29, and made the decision to swerve into the oncoming lane of traffic.  As a result, he hit the rear corner of a 1999 GMC Suburban.  After striking the SUV he also crashed into a 1995 Ford pickup truck that was headed south.  This caused the Ford to roll over.

 

Fortunately there were no serious injuries.  The driver of the Suburban, a 53 year old woman from Warrenton, and her female passenger were not hurt in the accident.  The driver of the pickup truck, a 45 year old man from Remington, and the passenger, his 21 year old son, were both taken to Culpeper Regional Hospital where they were treated for their injuries and released.

 

Mummert and his two passengers were not hurt, however Mummert was issued a summons for driving on a suspended license and for reckless driving by a Culpeper County Trooper.

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VDOT wants Virginia drivers to make work zones NO PHONE ZONES

Work zones are all around us here in the Culpeper and Warrenton area, especially now that the weather is warming up and stimulus money is keeping Virginia road construction crews busy.  Last week was National Work Zone Awareness week, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) wants motorists to treat work zones as “no phone zones” ALL the time.

 

This means no phone use at all, and that includes any phone-like devices that distract drivers from the road.  To be safe, drivers should not dial phone numbers, talk on the phone, send or read text messages, or check their email while driving.  Drivers should never do these activities while behind the wheel, but it is especially important that they avoid them when in a work zone.

 

There are over 40,000 wrecks every year in the U.S., leading to over 700 deaths.  In Virginia alone, work zone collisions result in about 2,000 accidents and over a thousand injuries a year.  Many of these crashes are caused by drivers who are not paying attention to the road.

 

Distracted driving is a serious issue, and VDOT and other state and federal agencies are trying to educate drivers about the dangers posed by distractions like cell phones.  To underscore their point, VDOT has set up a monument to Virginia highway transportation safety workers killed on the job.  It is the VDOT Workers’ Memorial and is located at mile marker 102 on I-64 East near Afton Mountain.

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Remington high-school student dead after tragic single-vehicle wreck

A freshman high-school student is dead after a single-car crash on Clover Hill Road.  The student, Wyatt Ellison Flory, 14, was the front seat passenger in a 2006 F-150 pickup truck when the accident occurred.

 

The driver of the Ford truck, a 16 year old male, lost control while cresting a hill, ran off the road, and struck several trees.  Flory was killed as a result of the crash.  According to police, he was wearing his seat belt when he was killed.

 

There were two other passengers in the Ford, a 17 year old male and a 17 year old female.  Both were riding in the backseat of the truck.  A witness claimed that the crash was so serious that it took rescue workers 45 minutes to cut the girl out of the vehicle.

 

Speed is believed to be a factor in the accident, which was investigated by the Virginia State Police accident reconstruction team.  Unfortunately, every year teen drivers die unnecessarily in single-vehicle crashes just like this one because of excess speed, distracted driving, drunken driving, and more.

 

There have been a number of efforts in the Culpeper and Warrenton areas to educate high-school students about the dangers of driving.

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No Plea Agreement in Deadly Rt. 3 Culpeper Crash Case

A man facing charges related to the death of four people in a tragic head-on collision on Route 3 earlier this year has pulled out of an unusual plea agreement.  The man, Eugene T. Greene, 30, of Spotsylvania, was driving east on Rt. 3 when his Chevy Tahoe crashed head-on into a Toyota Corolla.  Drowsy driving is blamed for the crash.

 

The driver of the Corolla, Tyler S. Harlow, 20, of Ruckersville, and three of his passengers, Joseph L. Sahnow, 20, of Ruckersville, Tianna V. Jones, 19, of Stanardsville, and James B. Cook, 21, of Marshfield, Vt, all died at the scene of the accident.  One passenger, Howard J. Steiniger, 27, of Fredericksburg, survived the crash.

 

As a result Greene was facing four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, wounding in the commission of a felony, destruction of property, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, and operating an uninsured vehicle.  The plea agreement would have reduced the charges to five counts of reckless driving and operating an uninsured vehicle.

 

However, the unusual (as the judge put it) terms of the plea agreement led the defendant to withdraw the pleas.  One of the unusual terms was that Greene would have to return to jail each year for ten years on March 22, the date of the accident, to satisfy the families of the victims.

 

Greene has a four-day trial set for May 4, starting at 9:30am in Circuit Court.

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Drowsy driving blamed for two Culpeper car accidents

Two accidents on the same day in the Culpeper area have been blamed on drowsy driving.  Both drivers were lucky; despite falling asleep behind the wheel neither one was seriously injured nor did they harm any other motorists or pedestrians.

 

The first car crash happened when Michael Crews, of Elkwood, was driving north on U.S. 29.  Crews apparently fell asleep and his Toyota Tacoma pickup truck drifted off of the highway and crashed into a tractor trailer.  The large truck was parked on the shoulder of 29 waiting to be fixed after it had broken down.

 

The crash happened about 500 feet south of the Rt. 3 overpass.  Crews was the only occupant of the Toyota, and was not badly injured in the crash.  The Tacoma truck, however, was completely totaled.  The semi-truck driver, a logging truck, was not seriously injured either.  Crews was cited by Culpeper police for reckless driving as a result of the incident.

 

The second accident happened not long after the first, this time on U.S. 15 according to Virginia State Police.  A driver, who has not been identified, allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel.  This caused the vehicle he or she was driving to veer of the road and crash into an embankment.  The collision happened a little south of the Madison and Culpeper county line.

 

No word on whether or not charges were filed in the second case.

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Alcohol, speed factors in Culpeper wreck that leaves two injured

A single-vehicle crash has left two people injured and police wondering what happened.  The crash happened at night, around 9:20pm, when a car sped off the side of a road.  Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved in the collision.

 

According to Virginia State Police, the vehicle, a 2002 four-door BMW sedan was headed down U.S. 522 at Browning road when it suddenly veered off to onto the right side of the highway.  The BMW overturned as a result of the accident.

 

Neither the driver, Roxie Ann Perryman, 25, nor the passenger Larry Sanford Walker, 35, were wearing seatbelts when the accident occurred.  Crash victims who don’t wear their seatbelts have a far greater chance of being seriously hurt or killed in a rollover crash than victims who are properly restrained.

 

Both Perryman and Walker had to be airlifted to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA after the crash.  There is no word as to their status or whether or not they sustained life-threatening injuries.

 

An investigation into the cause of the accident is onging.  A Virginia State Police trooper did state that alcohol consumption and speed were factors that may have contributed to the rollover crash.  Speed is often a factor in rollover crashes, as cars are more likely to flip if they hit an obstacle while traveling at a high rate of speed.

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Bristol nursing home hid cases of elder sexual abuse

A nursing home in Bristol, Virginia (National Health Care-Bristol) allegedly ignored and discouraged reports of elder sexual abuse, and supervisors at the facility now face charges from the Virginia medical licensing board.

 

The individuals named in documents by the Virginia medical licensing board are the nursing home administrator Charlotte Wilson, nursing supervisor Helen Roberts, and former nursing supervisor Elizabeth Anne Franklin.

 

Wilson faces the worst charges of the three individuals, as she allegedly set up a report chain for abuse cases that intentionally went nowhere.  She is accused of failing to report cases of sexual abuse involving 12 residents.  The cases spanned the years 2000 to 2008.  Wilson is also accused of failing to notify the patients’ doctors or Adult Protective Services of the reports of sexual abuse, which is required by law.

 

Franklin’s lawyer has denied the charges against her, claiming that Franklin referred all elder abuse complaints that she received for investigation. Franklin and Roberts are both accused of discouraging a family member from filing a complaint, and failing to report elder sexual abuse cases.

 

A former nursing aid from the facility, James Wright, is awaiting sentencing on four charges of aggravated sexual battery.  If convicted of the charges, Wright could face up to 20 years in jail for each charge against him.

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No sleep expert for Rt 3 car crash, says Culpeper County Attorney

Last March four people were killed on State Route 3 when they were struck by a driver traveling in the wrong lane as he headed towards Culpeper.  The errant driver, Eugene T. Greene, slammed his Chevrolet Tahoe SUV into a Toyota Corolla containing five people. 

 

Four of the Corolla’s occupants – Tianna Jones, Tyler Harlow, Joseph Sahnow and James Cook – were killed at the scene of the accident; one man survived with serious injuries.  Police arrested Greene, who was charged with four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, wounding in the commission of a felony and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and operating an uninsured vehicle.

 

Greene pleaded not guilty to all the charges in December, and is currently free on bond while he waits for his May 4 trial in circuit court.  The Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney in the case asked for $20,000 and then $5,000 to hire a sleep expert to testify against Greene.

 

The expert would have spoken to the jury about the effects of sleep deprivation on a driver, as Green was allegedly awake for 20 straight hours before the crash, having only slept for six or seven hours in the previous 48 hours.  This type of sleep deprivation can lead to serious driving mistakes, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

 

However, Circuit Judge Jack Berry turned down the request for money to hire a sleep expert.  The case against Green will move forward without expert testimony on sleep deprivation.

 

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Did distracted driving cause a Brady Road car crash that injured two?

A Culpeper driver who rear-ended another vehicle caused a three-car wreck on Brady Road this month.  Was distracted driving to blame?  Or could it have been driver inexperience, or aggressive driving?

 

Distracted drivers, inexperienced drivers, and aggressive drivers are all prone to committing the driving sin of tailgating.  Following too closely behind another vehicle is not just a bad idea, it is illegal – as the driver in this accident found out when she was cited for following too closely.

 

The accident happened one mile north of Route 666 on northbound Brady Road when the driver of a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser ran into the back of a 2010 Kia Sedan.  Upon impact, the Kia veered into the southbound lane of Brady Road, where it was hit by a semi-tractor.  Brady Road had to be closed in both directions after the auto accident.

 

The driver of the Kia had to be taken to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg to be treated for injuries.  The driver of the semi-truck was taken to Culpeper Regional Hospital.  Their conditions are not known at this time.

 

Culpeper police cited the driver of the PT Cruiser, Amanda J. Yowell, for following too closely.  Neither Yowell nor her passenger was injured in the crash.

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Opiate abuse: Nursing home abuse in Virginia isn’t always obvious

It is important to know that over or under medication of nursing home patients is a form of elder abuse or neglect.  This is the story of a nursing home where residents were found to be over-medicated with strong pain control drugs that according to records they should not have been given.

 

Three residents were taken to the hospital after nursing home managers noted that they seemed to be acting unusual.  Testing later revealed that they had drugs in their system that they had not been prescribed. 

 

Of a total of 25 patients tested in the Alzheimer’s unit of the home, six were found to have opiates in their systems.  Three of those patients were subsequently hospitalized as a precaution.

 

Opiates are a controlled substance used primarily for pain management.  Side effects include sedation, drowsiness, nausea and constipation.

 

One of the hospitalized patients later died, and five others are still in the hospital.  It is unknown whether or not they will be returned to the nursing home.

 

The affected nursing home is located in Chapel Hill, NC, and is operated by a company which also operates nursing homes in Virginia.  Over or under-medication of nursing home patients is a difficult form of abuse and neglect to catch, because the signs can be so subtle.

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Injured Virginia workers: options for treating chronic pain

A doctor at the Culpeper Surgery Center has great news for injured workers suffering from chronic pain as the result of an on-the-job injury.  A multipronged approach to pain management may just give them the relief they’ve been seeking.

 

Dr. Susan Miller, a medical degree graduate from the University of Virginia, is also currently an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UVa.  She is considered an expert in the treatment and diagnosis of pain.  Not only do doctors like Miller aim to relieve pain, but they also seek to restore physical function without surgery.

 

By avoiding surgery, chronic pain suffers can stay out of the hospital and avoid costly surgical procedures that could lead to further complications.  Long recovery times from surgery can also be avoided, allowing workers to return to work sooner.

 

A multidiscipline approach to chronic pain management can involve treatments like physical therapy, injections, patient education, psychological counseling, and more.  Dr. Miller believes that taking the whole person into consideration is important to achieving meaningful results.

 

Workers in Culpeper and Warrenton are often at risk from disorders that can leave them with chronic pain.  From office workers to construction workers, anybody can suffer a workplace accident that leaves them suffering.  Knowing that there are options for treating painful injuries should come as a relief to many.

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Trucker charged with involuntary manslaughter in fatal Virginia crash

A truck driver accused of being “inattentive” has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after causing a series of crashes that took the lives of two brothers.

 

The large truck accident happened last summer on Interstate 81 near mile marker 296.  According to police, the truck driver, Pawandeep Singh, 22, of Sacramento, drove his 2006 Peterbilt tractor-trailer into the back of a 2007 Honda.  The force of the impact pushed the Honda underneath a 2005 Peterbilt truck, which then rear-ended a 1999 Volvo tractor-trailer, which in turn hit a 2005 Freighter truck.

 

At the time of the crash traffic was stopped on I-81 because of an earlier crash.  Investigators determined that driver inattention was the cause of the crash, as Singh failed to notice that the vehicles ahead of him were slowing to stop.  The investigation also revealed that Singh was traveling at such a high rate of speed that after hitting the Honda it continued to skid for a while.

 

After the crash Singh was allowed out of jail on $10,000 secured bond.  At this time the plan is for him to remain at a home in Reston until the case goes to court.  Singh is unable to leave the state of Virginia without the court’s permission.

 

The victims of the crash, Stone T. Weeks, 24 and his brother, William “Holt” Weeks, 20, died at the scene of the accident.

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DUI and involuntary manslaughter charges for Stafford County woman

A wrong-way driver whose actions led to the death of another driver has been charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and involuntary manslaughter.  Vicki Lane Beach, 57, of Stafford County, caused the fatal crash when she drove the wrong way on northbound I-95.

 

According to Virginia State Police, Beach was headed west on Courthouse Road when she turned her 2010 Mercedes sedan left onto the I-95 northbound off-ramp when she should have taken the next left.  The mistake caused her to head south on I-95 north, where she crossed two lanes of traffic to the northbound left lane.

 

After traveling less than a mile, Beach crashed into a 2005 Chrysler Sebring being driven by Rachel T. Benezra, 55, of Staten Island N.Y.  Benezra was headed north in the same lane in which Beach was headed south.  It was snowing at the time of the collision, but there was no accumulation on the road surface according to police.

 

Both drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, and airbags deployed in both vehicles.  Beach was transported to Mary Washington Hospital with injuries.  Benezra was also taken to Mary Washington Hospital where she died several hours later.

 

Police declined to release the results of Beach’s blood alcohol test.  The left lane of I-95 north had to be closed while the Virginia State Police crash reconstruction team investigated the scene of the crash.

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Toyota issues more recalls, braking systems & drive shafts affected

The number of recalled Toyota vehicles keeps rising, unnerving investors and making customers uneasy.  To date about ten million recall notices have been sent out to Toyota owners across the globe, prompting safety experts to question the auto giant’s commitment to manufacturing excellence.

 

The recent recall events began late last year, when Toyota issued a recall affecting over four million vehicles for a floor mat accelerator entrapment issue.  The vehicles were recalled after the widely discussed death of an off-duty California trooper who died with his family when their Lexus sped out of control after the accelerator pedal became stuck.

 

Safety experts questioned whether faulty floor mat design was the root of the unintended acceleration problem.  Not long after another recall was issued for a similar issue, this time for a faulty throttle.  Vehicles affected by this recall could have their accelerator pedal get stuck, leading to an increased risk of a traffic crash.

 

The braking systems of three popular vehicles, the Prius, Camry, and Lexus were the focus of a recent recall.  Computer software that controls the brakes in the Prius and Lexus must be modified to prevent vehicles from being perceived as taking too long to brake.  The Camry has a brake tube defect that could lead to the loss of braking power, which could contribute to a serious crash.

 

Lastly, Toyota recently recalled about 8,000 2010 Toyota Tacoma vehicles for a defective drive shaft that could cause drive shaft separation and potentially contribute to motor vehicle crashes.  Owners of affected vehicles are asked to visit their dealer for a fix.

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Studies show that handheld cell phone bans don’t work

Calls for bans on hand-held cell phones behind the wheel are becoming more popular these days, but some newly released studies question whether or not these bans do any good.  A review of data from three states and the District of Columbia show that so far there has been no reduction in the number of auto accidents.

 

The Highway Loss Data Institute reviewed insurance claim information from New York, Connecticut, California and Washington D.C. – where cell phone use while driving has been banned – and compared the information to other areas with no cell phone ban.

 

Researchers were surprised that there was no change in the rate of accidents, despite ample studies that show cell phone use distracts a driver’s attention from the road and can lead to accidents.  One theory is that people may not be holding their cell phones, but they are still using them while driving – just with hands-free devices.

 

Studies have shown that using a hands-free device while driving is just as distracting and dangerous as using a cell phone.  It isn’t holding a phone that is distracting, argue researchers, it is the act of talking to a person who is not in the car that causes an unsafe level of distraction.

 

It remains to be seen what will be done with this information.  Will lawmakers continue to push for handheld cell phone bans or will they go all the way and ban cell phone use completely – even with a hands-free device?

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New details emerge in deadly Stevensburg Route 3 collision

Last year four people were killed in a tragic car crash near Stevensburg on Route 3 when Eugene T. Greene, 30, drove head-on into their vehicle. 

 

Disturbing new details about the case have been made available as the result of a memorandum filed in Culpeper County Circuit Court by the Commonwealth’s Attorney.  In the memo, the attorney requested that an expert witness establish that Greene was sleep-deprived and should not have been driving.

 

The accident happened last March when Greene, who was headed east, veered into oncoming traffic on Rt. 3.  His Chevy Tahoe crashed into a Toyota Corolla headed west.  The driver of the Corolla, Tyler S. Harlow, 20, of Ruckersville, was killed.  Also killed were three of his passengers: Joseph L. Sahnw, 20, of Ruckersville, Tianna V. Jones, 19, of Standardsville, and James B. Cook, 21, of Marshfield, VT.  The only survivor in the Corolla was Howard J. Steiniger, 27, of Fredericksburg.

 

The new details in the case are from the Virginia State Police investigation, which found that neither vehicle left pre-impact or skid marks (no braking), both vehicles sustained damage to their left front sides, Greene was traveling at 55 mph on cruise control when the accident occurred and did not brake, and may have been unfit to drive because he was very drowsy at the time of the collision.

 

Greene, it turns out, had been awake for 20 hours before the crash and had only had six or seven hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours.  He had also consumed two beers an hour before the accident, and was unsure what lane he was in when the accident happened, whether he crossed the double-yellow line.

 

Greene was charged by a grand jury in October 2009 and is currently free on $20,000 bond.  He has pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, wounding in the commission of a felony, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and operating an uninsured vehicle.  His trial is set for May 4th.

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Court asked to pay for traffic accident expert in fatal car crash case

The Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney is asking for money to pay for an expert witness to testify against a drowsy driver in a fatal car crash that happened last year.

 

Attorney Gary Close has petitioned the Circuit Court for $15,000 to pay for Dr. William Christopher Winter of Charlottesville.  Dr. Winter is, according to Close, a sleep-deprivation expert and has worked with professional sports teams on sleep issues.  Close would like Dr. Winter to testify about the defendant’s physical condition the night of the fatal crash.

 

The defendant in this case, Eugene T. Greene, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, wounding in the commission of a felony, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and operating an uninsured vehicle for his role in the collision that killed four people and injured another.  He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently free on $20,000 bond.

 

An investigation by the Virginia State Police revealed that Greene had been awake for 20 hours when the crash happened, having only had six or seven hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours.  The commonwealth’s attorney believes that Greene was in no condition to be driving.

 

Court documents state that Greene did not know which lane he was driving in when the accident occurred, and he did not apply the brakes and was traveling at 55 miles per hour with the cruise control engaged when he crashed.

 

If Close’s request for $15,000 to pay the sleep expert is denied or if he does not get enough money, he intends to return to the Board of Supervisors in February.  The trial in this case is set to take place May 4th.

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Investigation reveals abuse & assault risks for nursing home residents

A recently released investigation by the Chicago Tribune has revealed shocking details about sexual abuse cases against elderly nursing home residents in the city.  Investigators found that of 86 cases of sexual violence against elderly and disabled nursing home residents, only one resulted in an arrest.

 

Sexual crimes against elderly residents ranged from molestation and groping to rape and sexual assault.  Surprisingly, most often other residents are the perpetrators, not staff or visitors.  The report stated that as long as nursing homes continue to be used as a place to house convicted felons and mentally ill patients, resident on resident crimes will continue.

 

Exacerbating the problem are low staff levels and budget cuts in many nursing homes.  Without adequate staff, predatory residents can harass and abuse other elderly or disabled residents.  These crimes often go unreported or unprosecuted, as victims are often unwilling or unable to report the crime.  Nursing homes may be aware of sexual abuse cases, but may chose to deal with the issue internally rather than reporting the matter to the police.

 

Overall the Tribune report reveals that sexual abuse crimes against elderly and disabled nursing home residents may be more common than previously thought.  A Virginia Tech professor who studies sex crimes against the elderly was quoted as saying “We believe the reports are less frequent than they should be — we think there is something hidden here.”

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Culpeper Sherriff Not Harmed in Car Crash

Even the Sherriff can get himself involved in a car accident.  Fortunately, there were no injuries and no charges were filed after two vehicles crashed in downtown Culpeper.  The Culpeper County Sherriff, Jim Branch, 55, was responding to a call to assist Culpeper police when the accident happened.

 

Branch was driving an unmarked 2009 Ford with his emergency lights on when he was hit by the driver of a 2001 Chevrolet Impala.  Both the Ford and the Chevy were both turning left onto Belle Avenue when they collided.

 

The other motorist, Garland Gene Shortridge, 55, was headed north on Business route 29 when he made his left turn.  Branch was following a town police car as he turned left.  The intersection had apparently been cleared by the police car before the vehicles crashed.

 

Shortridge was driving at approximately 5 miles per hour when the accident occurred.  His vehicle sustained approximately $1,500 worth of damage to the driver side and passenger side doors.

 

Branch was driving at about 20 miles per hour and his vehicle sustained $1,800 in damage to the right front quarter panel and grill.

 

At the time of the crash both men were wearing their seat belts and the airbags did not deploy in either vehicle.  The Sherriff’s office had no comment on the accident, and no charges were filed.

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Workers may get extra protection against repetitive stress injuries

Every year nearly half a million workers suffer from repetitive stress injuries, also known as ergonomic injuries.  Legislation being proposed by the Obama administration could make a big difference for workers and potentially reduce the number of related workers’ compensation claims.

 

Ergonomic rules were initially issued in 2000 during the Clinton administration, and were intended to save $9.1 billion in health-care costs every year.  The rules were expected to cost U.S. employers about $4.2 billion a year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business lobbying group.

 

The current proposal would require U.S. companies to maintain more extensive records of ergonomic-related injuries.  Better records, argue proponents of the legislation, would allow employers to more quickly identify problems, which could allow them to make changes to protect their employees.

 

If labor organizations like the AFL-CIO get their way, this move could make it easier for regulations to be introduced that would expand workplace injury regulations stopped by the Bush administration under pressure from companies in 2001.

 

The business community is fighting the proposal, arguing that the costs associated with implementing such a program would be prohibitive and bad for business.  They are spending millions of dollars to fight the legislation.  On the other hand, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis claims that the new rules would level the playing field and force businesses to play by the rules.

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Two hospitalized, Route 1 closed after Woodbridge car crash

Two people were sent to the hospital after a motor vehicle crash that led to U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge being closed.  The accident happened when the driver of a 2005 Ford Focus lost control on northbound Route 1 near the intersection of Powell’s Creek Boulevard.

 

According to Prince William Police, the driver, Esther E. Davis, 53, of Woodbridge, crossed over the double yellow line on Rt. 1 and crashed into a 2004 Jeep Wrangler.  The Jeep Wrangler was being driven by a 29 year old Woodbridge man who had to be taken to the hospital.  The police described the man’s injuries as non-life threatening.

 

Davis, on the other hand, had to be airlifted to the hospital for what the police describe as “precautionary reasons”.  She was charged with reckless driving and was released on a summons.  Route 1 had to be closed for about an hour in both directions while investigators did their work and the scene was cleaned up.

 

Prince William Police are using this accident as an opportunity to remind drivers to practice safe driving behaviors while out on the roads this winter.  Drivers are reminded to slow down, give snow plows plenty of room to work, and to watch for areas of the road that freeze faster than the rest.

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Bus collision in Lake Ridge sends two people to the hospital

A bus passenger and the driver of another vehicle had to be taken to the hospital after a motor vehicle crash in Lake Ridge.  A 76 year old Woodbridge woman driving a 2004 Acura pulled onto Old Bridge Road from Wood Hollow road and crashed into an OmniLink transit bus.

 

According to initial reports from the accident scene, the woman driver had to be cut out of her car by emergency responders.  Of the seven people on the bus (including the driver) only one had to be taken to the hospital with injuries.

 

There is no word from Prince William Police on the status of the woman driver or the injured bus passenger.  Police are investigating the crash and will provide more information when it becomes available.

 

The organization that operates the OmniLink bus service, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, is also investigation the crash.  According to a commission spokesperson they sent personnel to the scent to investigate the accident.

 

No word yet on whether or not the woman driver or the bus driver will be charged in relation to the accident, although from initial reports it appears that the woman driver was responsible for the crash.  Actual fault will not be known until the accident investigation is complete.

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Culpeper DUI traffic stop leads to drug charges for Maryland couple

A weekend DUI traffic stop has two Maryland residents facing a number of serious charges.  The couple, Tealeye Luciano, 34, and Demian Galen Filkins, were stopped on North Main Street by a Culpeper police officer.

 

The officer stopped Luciano under suspicion of drunk driving.  According to the officer, Luciano appeared disoriented and confused, telling the officer that she and her boyfriend were staying locally in a motel after attending a Phish concert.

 

The officer arrested Luciano, who then asked the officer to check on her boyfriend at the Willis Lane Rodeway Inn.  Filkins was found by officers in the motel room bed, with what police believed to be marijuana.

 

Upon searching the room officers found drugs, prescription pills, and nearly $5,000 in cash ($3,900 in the room and $1,000 on Luciano).  Both individuals are being held without bond in the Culpeper County jail, awaiting an appearance before the Culpeper General District Court.

 

Luciano was charged with DUI, refusing to take a breath test, driving without a license, marijuana possession, transporting drugs into Virginia for distribution, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with the intent to distribute prescription drugs.

 

Filkins was charged with possession of marijuana, transporting drugs into Virginia for distribution, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with the intent to distribute prescription drugs.

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Will budget cuts mean trouble for Virginia nursing home residents?

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has released his proposed two-year state budget which includes a $419 million reduction to Medicaid.  The reduction includes $19.8 million worth of cuts to nursing home facilities.

 

According to the Virginia Health Care Association (VHCA), 63 percent of individuals in nursing homes are on Medicaid.  This means that any changes or cuts to Medicaid affect people who are unable to do much about it.

 

Virginia is already ranks low when compared to other states when it comes to Medicaid reimbursement.  One health system provider claims that they only receive 70 cents on the dollar for hospital care.

 

Facility residents who depend on Medicaid aren’t the only ones who may be affected.  Those residents paying for care out of their own pocket may see rates rise to make up for the Medicaid shortfall, which means they might run out of savings sooner.  As soon as they exhaust their savings, they’ll be eligible for Medicaid themselves – creating a vicious cycle.

 

According to the VHCA, 70 percent of the costs in long-term care facilities are for staffing.  If cuts are made to Medicaid, it is likely that some facilities will attempt to trim staff to save money.  The problem is that residents in understaffed facilities are more likely to experience neglect and abuse.

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Toyota officially announces largest ever recall in history for “sudden acceleration” problem

In late September the Toyota Motor Corporation warned that they would be issuing a recall that would affect about 3.8 million vehicles.  The issue, according to reports at the time, was that accelerator pedals in certain Toyota models could become entrapped in the floor mats, causing sudden acceleration and potentially leading to serious or deadly accidents.

 

This month Toyota has officially announced the recall, which is slightly larger than previously expected and which has expanded to Canada.  About 4.26 million vehicles may be affected by the recall, which covers 8 Toyota models.

 

In addition to the problem with unintended acceleration, Toyota has also issued a recall for 110,000 Tundra and Tacoma pickup trucks.  The pickups are at risk for frame corrosion that could damage brake lines and dislodge spare tires.  The flaw has been investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which also investigated the sudden acceleration issue a number of times.

 

Toyota announced that it would be issuing the sudden acceleration recall after the highly-publicized death of a California highway patrol officer who was killed, along with three other members of his family, when the Lexus they were in accelerated out of control and ended up crashing.

 

Owners of recalled vehicles can take them to a Toyota dealer to be fixed.  There is a temporary fix for the sudden acceleration issue that can be permanently fixed in April when Toyota will make new accelerator pedals available.

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Northern Virginia worker electrocuted, another seriously injured on-the-job

One Arlington County worker is dead and another severely injured after an on-the-job accident.  The men had just worked through the night to repair water main break and were removing a set of temporary lights when the accident happened.

 

The only information made public after the accident was that the men came into contact with a power line.  The accident is being investigated by the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as the Arlington police.

 

The worker who was electrocuted, James Bea, 59, of Arlington, was about to go home when he was killed.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.  The other worker suffered severe electrical burns and is in critical condition.  His name has not been released.

 

Water pressure in the north part of Arlington County was low over Thanksgiving as county workers tried to fix the water main break.  After the accident about 1,000 homes lost power, which was restored several hours later.

 

James Bea is survived by a wife, a child and several grandchildren.  Bea and the other injured worker were employed by the Arlington County Water, Sewer and Streets Bureau in the Department of Environmental Services.

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Woodbridge man killed in collision with tractor trailer on I-95

A Woodbridge man is dead after an early morning collision with a tractor trailer on Interstate 95.  The crash happened in Fairfax County about three-quarters of a mile north of Route 7100 about 2:15 in the morning.

 

The man, Tomell Grady, 26, was headed north on I-95 when he drove his Hyundai into the back of a northbound tractor trailer.  According to police, Grady was traveling at a “high rate of speed”, and his Hyundai ended up underneath the 18-wheeler.

 

Grady was killed in the accident.  Two people from the tractor trailer were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and released.  As a result of the fatal traffic crash, all northbound lanes of I-95 had to be shut down.  Traffic was diverted onto the HOV lanes until all lanes of I-95 were reopened around 5:30 in the morning.

 

The accident is under investigation.  It is not known if alcohol or drug use was a factor in the crash.

 

Speed is a major contributing factor to serious car and truck accidents in Virginia, and traveling at a high rate of speed is one hallmark of an aggressive driver.  In about 10 percent of accident cases for drivers age 21 to 65 speed is a main contributing factor.  Following too closely – which the driver in this situation may have been doing – is hands-down the number one cause of crashes for U.S. adults.

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Mitsubishi Lancer airbag sensor recall affects Virginia vehicles

Prompted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mitsubishi has issued a recall for almost 30,000 2008 and 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer and Lancer Evolution vehicles.  The recall affects vehicles registered to owners in “salt belt” states, where vehicles are exposed to melted snow and ice during winter.

 

Virginia is one of the 23 states affected by the recall, which was initiated when the NHTSA became concerned that long-term exposure to the salty winter road mix could cause corrosion to the front impact sensor.  Damage to this sensor could delay airbag deployment in the event of a traffic accident, possibly injuring the driver or front passenger.

 

Owners of the affected vehicles can take their cars to their local Mitsubishi dealer for a free fix.  To resolve this potential issue, dealers will replace the airbag sensors with a redesigned sensor.  The new sensor is designed to withstand corrosion caused by winter water and salt road mixtures.

 

The recall is scheduled to begin November 27, 2009.  Owners of affected Mitsubishi Lancers and Lancer Evolution vehicles can contact Mitsubishi Customer Relations at 888-648-7820, contact NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, or visit NHTSA on the Internet at www.safercar.gov.

 

Owners of vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the following states should visit their Mitsubishi dealer as soon as possible:  Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

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Manslaughter charges for Stafford man who killed two in drunk driving crash

A man who killed two people while driving under the influence in Prince William County has been indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

 

The man, William John Mallory, 26, was driving his 2004 Ford Explorer home from a Jimmy Buffet concert at the Nissan Pavilion when he crashed into a car at the intersection of Prince William Parkway and University Boulevard.

 

According to police the force of the collision sent the other vehicle, a 2007 Saturn Ion, off the road through a fence where is careened across a field and landed on some boulders.

 

The other vehicle was being driven by a woman from Dumfries, 43, who was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.  The driver’s mother, Rebecca L. Sacra, 60, from Alexandria and the woman’s 2 year old son Jonathan Wade-Ortiz, died at the scene of the accident.

 

Another passenger from the Ion, a 12 year old nephew of the driver, was also taken to the hospital but police described his injuries as not life threatening.

 

Police stated that alcohol was a factor in the traffic crash; Mallory will stand trial before a jury on April 5, 2010.

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NHTSA announces that traffic fatalities are down so far this year

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced this month that motor vehicle accident fatalities for the first half of this year are down by about 7 percent compared to the same time period last year.

 

A statistical projection of traffic deaths shows that about 16.626 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes from January to June, compared to 17,871 in the same period last year.  The first quarter of 2009 saw a 10 percent drop in fatalities compared to 2008, and the second quarter wasn’t as good but still showed a 4 percent drop.

 

If the numbers from the statistical projection bear out, the second quarter of 2009 would be the 13th consecutive quarter showing a decline in traffic fatalities compared to the same quarter from the previous year.

 

According to the NHTSA, traffic fatalities have been steadily dropping over the years every since a recent peak in 2005.  The largest decline in traffic deaths this year was in February, which saw a 16 percent decrease. 

 

Data for the NHTSA report comes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), FastFARS (FF), and Monthly Fatality Counts (MFC). 

 

Please visit our on-line motor vehicle accident law library for articles about car, tractor trailer and motorcycle accident issues.

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FMCSA and their multi-million dollar trucking company fines

Ensuring compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) is the responsibility of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).  This gives the FMCSA oversight of all the truck, bus and motorcoach companies that are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

 

The FMCSA collects tens of millions in fines every year from motor carriers that fail to follow applicable regulations.  Here are the totals collected from closed cases for the last five years, including what has been collected so far this year:

  • 2009 – 5214 total cases resulting in $25,244,699.00 collected by FMCSA
  • 2008 – 5138 total cases resulting in $27,019,030.00 collected by FMCSA
  • 2007 – 5281 total cases resulting in $26,381,389.00 collected by FMCSA
  • 2006 – 4403 total cases resulting in $18,873,088.00 collected by FMCSA
  • 2005 – 4102 total cases resulting in $20,170,452.00 collected by FMCSA

 

In Virginia so far this year there have been 184 motor carrier violation cases closed.  So far the most expensive case has been against a truck company in Woodbridge, Virginia that violated six different regulations and had to pay $ 54,960.00 to settle their case.

 

This is the kind of information that can be very helpful when researching a tractor trailer accident case.  As you can imagine, any company with tens of thousands dollars worth of fines for violating the law will have some problems convincing a judge or jury that they care about the safety of their drivers and other road users.

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Distracted drivers are a “menace to society”

At a two-day meeting in Washington D.C. dealing with the dangers of distracted driving, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made a bold statement.  He called distracted driving a “menace to society”.

 

These words set the tone of the summit, which was held to bring together law enforcement officials, safety advocates, researchers and lawmakers on the subject of distracted driving.

 

This “menace” has been getting a great deal of attention in Virginia lately, as earlier this year the state passed a ban on texting while driving and the Virginia General Assembly again considered a ban on hand-held cell phones.

 

Secretary LaHood stated that “a combination of strong laws, tough enforcement and ongoing public education” similar to what was done with the national seat belt safety campaign would push drivers to think twice before engaging in distracting behavior behind the wheel.

 

Transportation officials estimate that distracted driving contributed to 5,870 deaths and 515,000 injuries in traffic crashes last year.  Officials also noted that passenger vehicle drivers aren’t the only ones guilty of driving while distracted; bus, train and tractor-trailer drivers have all caused accidents because their attention was focused on something other than driving.

 

Time will tell what solutions Congress and Secretary LaHood find to stem the tide of distracted driving on roads and highways across the United States.

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Manslaughter charges for man accused of killing four in Culpeper County head-on collision

This past March a man is accused of killing four motorists when he crashed head-on into their vehicle on a Culpeper County road.  The accident happened on March 22, 2009 when Eugene Tyrone Greene, 29, of Spotsylvania County, crashed his 2002 Chevy Tahoe head-on into a 2004 Toyota Corolla carrying five people.

 

The accident happened east of Stevensburg near Clay Hill Road on the two-lane portion of State Route 3.  Greene, a former Culpeper resident, was driving on the wrong side of the road when the accident happened.  Four of the occupants of the Corolla were pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Victims include Tyler Scott Harlow, 20, the Corolla’s driver, Joseph Lee Sahnow, 20, Tianna V. Jones, 19, and James B. Cook, 21.  One person from the Corolla survived the accident: Howard John Steiniger, 27, who was sitting in the right rear seat when the crash occurred.

 

Greene was treated at Mary Washington Hospital for his injuries and released.  That night he turned himself in to police and his bond was set for $20,000.

 

This month a grand jury indicted Greene on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one felony count of maiming, one felony count of destruction of property during the commission of a felony, reckless driving and operating a vehicle with no insurance.

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Zero Motorcycles issues recall for faulty throttles

About 200 Zero X and Zero MX electric off-road motorcycles have been recalled by Zero Motorcycles because of a faulty throttle that might become stuck or disconnected, potentially posing a danger to riders.

 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received three reports of riders who experienced unexpected acceleration while riding a Zero Motorcycle.  One rider suffered minor injuries as a result.

 

According to the CPSC, the throttle on the Zero X and the Zero MX motorcycles can become stuck in the open position or it can become disconnected.  Either of these incidents could cause the motorcycle to go into full power when turned on.

 

The issue was actually discovered by the manufacturer during recent design review and testing procedures.  Zero Motorcycles voluntarily made the decision to issue a product recall without pressure from any outside organization.

 

Owners of the Zero X and Zero MX motorcycles have been notified by mail of the recall.  The company will provide replacement parts for free.  The replacement part consists of a dashboard that takes 10 to 15 minutes to swap out.

 

Consumers are advised to stop using the defective motorcycles until the troublesome part has been replaced.

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Massive Toyota recall planned after 5 deaths and 17 injuries

Five deaths and 17 injuries in car accidents have prompted The Toyota Motor Corporation to announce its largest planned safety recall ever.  The accidents happened when accelerator pedals in Toyota vehicles became trapped under floor mats, causing the vehicles to speed up even as drivers removed their foot from the pedal.

 

The recall was triggered by a fatal crash in San Diego, CA earlier this month when an off-duty policeman and his family were killed when their vehicle’s accelerator pedal became stuck under the floor mat and the car sped out of control.

 

According to the Transportation Department, the accelerator pedal problem is caused by factors including “the use of a variety of unsecured mats, the particular configuration of the accelerator pedals in these vehicles, and the unique steps needed to shut off the engines in some of these vehicles with keyless ignitions.”

 

Warnings have been issued for the following Toyota vehicles: 2007-2010 Camry; 2005-2010 Avalon; 2004-2009 Prius; 2005-2010 Tacoma; 2007-2010 Tundra; 2007-2010 ES 350; and 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350.

 

Owners of these vehicles are advised to remove the floor mats from the driver’s side until more information is available.  Toyota is currently investigating the problem, and will issue an official recall when they know more.  The recall could affect up to 3.8 million vehicles.

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Lynchburg Woman Sentenced in Assisted Living ID Theft Scam

48 year old nurse Karen Jones of Lynchburg was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for participating in a scheme to steal the identities of nine elderly patients she cared for.  Jones worked at two locations:  The Oaks Assisted Living Facility and Avante Assisted Living Facility in Lynchburg.  She then used the stolen identities to open credit accounts at department stores and to purchase cell phones and cable TV.


The United States Secret Service investigated the case against Jones’ for the actions that occurred from April 2007 to November 2008.  Jones pleaded not guilty earlier this year to the charges against her, but recently changed her plea to guilty, confirmed U.S. Attorney Julia Dudley in a statement released following the sentencing hearing. 

 
Assistant United States Attorney Charlene Day prosecuted the case where Jones was charged with three counts of identity theft, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of forging endorsement on a United States Treasury check. One of her victims was a 99 year old whose stimulus check thumb print matched Jones’ print.

 

Another victim is the mother of Norman Moon, a U.S. District Court Judge who regularly hears Lynchburg cases.  Following her incarceration, Jones will face two years supervised release along with being ordered to pay restitution of $9,132 and $800 in special assessment fees. 

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Prince William County Carjacking Ends in Five Vehicle Crash

A carjacking that started in Prince William County ended in a five vehicle crash in Prince George’s County.  The suspect fled on foot after losing control and crashing into a median.  The victim of the carjacking was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

 

The incident began just before 9pm in the 13300 block of Gateway Center Drive, where a woman was approached in a store parking lot by a man with a handgun.  The man forced the victim into her car before speeding off and getting onto Interstate 495.

 

The victim’s car, a 2009 Dodge Journey, was spotted by a State Trooper A.L. McInnes as it crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge heading into Prince George’s County.  Trooper McInnes stated that the car was traveling at unsafe speeds.

 

The car then exited the interstate and pulled into a fast food parking lot, ending the chase around 9:15pm when it struck five vehicles.  The unidentified carjacker fled the scene on foot, and police were not able to find him.  All those involved in the crash were treated for minor injuries; some were treated at the scene by medical personnel and released.  One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a Virginia State Police vehicle.

 

Police released a composite photograph of the perpetrator, describing him as a light-skinned black man, 25-30 years old, slim build, and six feet tall.

 

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Driving Under the Influence Kills Mother and Son

A 26-year-old Stafford man, William John Mallory, is being charged for driving under the influence after he rear ended a family car stopped at a red light.  Mallory was returning from a Jimmy Buffet concert at Nissan Pavilion at approximately 12:45am when his 2004 Ford Explorer struck a 2007 Saturn Ion, forcing the Ion off the road and into a field where it collided with a boulder killing two of the passengers. 

 

The driver of the Ion, Gloria Delgado, 43, was returning home from a family vacation in Tennessee with her two year old son, 60 year old mother, and 12 year old nephew.  Delgado’s mother was properly restrained in the passenger seat, while her son was in a child seat in the back next to her nephew who was also wearing a seat belt. 

 

Delgado was heading Eastbound on 234, at a red light on University Boulevard when the vehicle was rear ended.  The collision killed her mother, Rebecca L. Sacra of Alexandria, and her son, Jonathan Wade-Ortiz.  Her nephew was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.  Delgado was hospitalized with life threatening injuries. 

 

Mallory is being held without bond until his November 6th court date.  The investigation continues and more charges could be filed.  Of the three passengers in his Explorer, one experienced minor injuries which were treated at the scene.

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Fatal Traffic Crash in Eastern Orange County

After failing to yield the right of way, Julie Loving, a 44 year old Montpelier woman, was struck by another car at the intersection of Route 20 and Zoar Road in Eastern Orange County.  Loving was turning from Zoar Road onto Route 20 southbound, driving a 1996 two door Mitsubishi and was struck in the drivers’ side by a 2005 Honda Accord traveling south on Route 20.

 

Both cars spun out of control and careened into an Orange County school bus heading north on Route 20.  The school bus was carrying two students, a five year old boy and a nine year old boy.

 

The 38 year old bus driver and the five year old passenger were treated at Culpeper Regional Hospital with minor injuries, while the nine year old passenger was released to his parents at the scene of the accident.  The 42 year old driver of the Accord and her three teenage passengers were taken to Culpeper Regional Hospital with minor injuries.

 

Loving was not wearing a seat belt, and died while on route to Mary Washington Hospital.  Her 15 year old and five year old daughters were both wearing restraints, and were treated for serious injuries at Mary Washington Hospital.  Virginia State Police reported that Route 20 was closed for two hours while fire and rescue worked the scene. 

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Police officer rescues baby in Prince William car crash

A man who tried to speed away when police clocked him speeding at 40 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone crashed, involving his infant daughter in a crash.  The man, Gustavo Diaz-Bautista, crashed into the 8500 block of West Rugby Road while trying to evade police.

 

A police officer was able to pull Diaz-Bautista from the car.  The man was injured in the crash and had to be taken the hospital.  The officer noted that there was a baby in the back of the car, and had to pry the passenger door open to rescue her.

 

The baby, 7-month old Brianna Diaz, was being taken by her father to daycare when the accident happened.  According to police, the baby slept through the accident and was not injured.  She was riding in a car seat at the time of the crash.

 

Diaz-Bautista had to have surgery after the accident and is expected to recover.  He has been charged with felony eluding and child abuse, and is being held without bond.

 

His wife, Brianna’s mother, speculated that the man fled from police because he was nervous.  According to police he was driving with a revoked operator’s license.

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Bristol Virginia man accused of sexually abusing nursing home residents

A Bristol man is being held without bond at the Bristol Virginia Jail on after being indicted by a grand jury on four counts of aggravated sexual battery.  The indictment followed an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia.

 

According to the Virginia Board of Nursing, the nursing home abuse incidents took place between July 2003 and May 2008.  The man who was arrested, James W. Wright, allegedly groped, fondled and sexually assaulted the victims at two different nursing homes.

 

Documents from the nursing board reveal that seven patients at the National HealthCare nursing home (NHC) complained of being sexually assaulted by Wright.  However, Wright was able to leave his job at NHC and take a new job at the Brookdale Senior Living-Grand Court Bristol nursing home – after passing a background investigation.

 

Additional document show that a patient at the Grand Court nursing home was then assaulted by Wright.  In addition, former employees of NHC claim that the home ignored complaints from residents and staff members about Wright’s abuse of residents.

 

A spokesperson for the Grand Court claims they fired Wright after suspecting that he abused patients at NHC.

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Virginia construction worker killed in front end loader accident

Work at a new housing development in Newport News, Virginia was interrupted this week when a construction worker was killed.  The worker, Kirk Giezey, 34, was crushed by a front end loader at the Eastwood Drive development site north of the city.

 

According to local police, Giezey was riding in the scoop of the front end loader when the accident happened.  The loader was being driven by another worker.

 

Giezey apparently fell out of the scoop and was run over by the vehicle.  He was pronounced dead shortly after the accident.

 

The death of this Virginia construction worker will be investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  It is not known if Giezey’s family will receive any workers’ compensation death benefits as a result of his tragic death.

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Virginia DMV reports traffic fatalities dropped, injuries rose in 2008

According to the most recently published Virginia Crash Facts – a document published every year since 1985 by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles – the number of traffic fatalities in Virginia has dropped.

 

In 2008, the most recent year for which data was available, there were 821 traffic accident deaths.  This is a decrease of about 20 percent from the previous year.  The fatality rate in 2008 was also the lowest it has been since 1966.

 

While road deaths may have dropped, the number of injuries rose over the previous year’s numbers.  In 2008 a total of 69,130 people were injured in traffic crashes, up 45 percent from 2007.

 

The data compiled by the Virginia DMV also revealed that the most dangerous time of the day is the afternoon commute.  The majority of crashes in 2008 occurred between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m.  Speed is also still an issue for drivers involved in accidents, with over a thousand drivers traveling over 70 miles per hour just before a crash.

 

One change that might be expected for coming years is the rise in the number of distracted driving accidents.  With more focus on the various forms of distracted driving – cell phone use, text messaging behind the wheel, and more – authorities may begin tracking these kinds of accidents more closely.

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Rise in number of women caught driving under the influence of alcohol

The number of women facing DUI charges across the country was up nearly 30 percent from 1997 to 2007.  A total of 162,493 women were arrested on DUI charges in 2007 according to FBI statistics.  During the same time period, the number of men facing similar charges dropped 7.5 percent.

 

The president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has pointed out that about 2,000 intoxicated women a year are involved in fatal auto accidents.  U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the increase in female drunk drivers “a disturbing trend”.

 

The reason for the increase in intoxicated female drivers is unknown, and the federal government offered no theories as to why more women were drunk driving.

 

These statistics come as the nation prepares for the annual Labor Day weekend DUI crackdown, when law enforcement officers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. will be out in force.  The annual crackdown, dubbed “Checkpoint Strikeforce”, will place sobriety checkpoints throughout the area from August 21 to Labor Day.

 

Despite the increase, drunk driving arrests are still dominated by men.  In Virginia last year, about 80 percent of those convicted of a DUI were men and the remaining 20 percent were women.

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Teens at a greater risk of dying behind the wheel during the summer

AAA Mid-Atlantic reports that the most dangerous time of the year for teen drivers is the summer.  This is when teenagers have more free time on their hands and a care-free attitude about driving.  They are also in their cars more; AAA estimates that teens driver 44 percent more during the summer than during other times of the year.

 

Teenage attitudes towards driving safety also factor into increased summer accident rates.  Many teens are easily distracted while behind the wheel, and combined with their inexperience a few seconds of distraction can have deadly consequences.  In addition, teens don’t always realize that bad things like serious car accidents can happen to them, an attitude that is reflected in their sometimes reckless behavior.

 

In Virginia last summer, 35 teenagers died from May through August and 50 died during the same period the year before.  One big risk factor for teen drivers is alcohol involvement; teens are more likely than other age groups to be involved in an alcohol-related crash.

 

Parents of teen drivers should take the time to discuss driving risks and behaviors with their children.  Parents should also remind teens of Virginia’s novice driver laws.  These include curfew restrictions for drivers under the age of 18, restrictions on the number of passengers that a teen driver can have in their car, and cell phone and texting restrictions for teen drivers.

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Spotsylvania teen charged with DUI in Culpeper crash

A late night two-vehicle crash has led to a teenager being charged with DUI.  The teen, Timothy Anderson, 19, was heading east in the westbound lane on Route 3 near Lignum when he struck another vehicle.

 

The crash happened near the Revercomb Road intersection where Route 3 splits into four lanes.  According to the Culpeper County Sherriff’s Office Anderson crashed his Volvo into an oncoming vehicle, then hit a guard rail and ended up in the median.  No injuries resulted from the crash.

 

Police arrested Anderson and charged the teen with driving under the influence of alcohol.  He was driving with a 16 year old passenger who was released to his parents.  Anderson was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and driving on the wrong side of the road.

 

Drunk driving is a serious issue in Virginia, especially for underage drivers.  Last year 354 people lost their lives in alcohol related crashes and another 7,000 were injured.  Drunk drivers are overwhelmingly male: nearly 80 percent of those convicted of a DUI last year were men.

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Culpeper resident charged with DUI

A wreck on Homeland Road in Culpeper led to a crash and then a DUI conviction for one local resident.  According to Virginia State Police, Culpeper resident Timothy O’Roark sideswiped a Dodge Neon in the early evening his past Friday.

 

The impact of being hit by O’Roark’s vehicle, a Ford Ranger, caused the driver of the Neon, Miranda Settle, to go over an embankment and land in a cattle watering hole.  After the collision O’Roark continued to driver for another quarter-mile without a front tire before stopping at Creek Crossing Road.

 

According to a witness O’Roark crossed the yellow lane divider line to strike Settle’s Neon, and nearly hit another car as well.

 

Settle was taken to Fauquier Hospital to be treated for her injuries and was later released.  O’Roark was arrested and found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.10; the legal BAC limit in Virginia is 0.08.

 

Every year over 350 people are killed in Virginia drunk driving accidents and about 7,000 are injured.  The average BAC of drunk drivers in Virginia is 0.14 and the majority of convicted offenders are male.

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Safety improvements coming to several roads in Culpeper

Culpeper drivers will see several improvements to Business 29, Route 229 and Route 3 completed over the next year or so, improvements that should reduce traffic jams and keep drivers safer.

 

Bus. 29 is the target of a $3.26 million project that will add details like a new median and will widen Bus. 29 from two lanes to four from Ira Hoffman Lane to a redesigned intersection with Route 666.

 

The Bus. 29 project is ahead of schedule and is anticipated to be done by next month instead of the original completion date of November 30.  Construction was approved because the affected area has grown considerably over the years, and is now home to a number of large retail stores that has drawn traffic from all over the area.

 

Changes to Route 229 are part of a $3.38 million dollar contract, and consist of three parts: widening of Route 229 north of downtown, widening from Bus. 29 to Fairview Road, and lastly improvements from Fairview Road to the town limits.  There are some funding concerns with this project, which is targeted for completion by next June.

 

One final road improvement project is expected to be done by December.  A curved stretch of road on Route 3 near Stevensburg is the target of a number of safety-related changes.  This section of Route 3 has seen several fatal accidents over the years, most recently in March when four people died in a crash.

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Fatal beltway accident caused by drunk driver with numerous traffic violations

In addition to a BAC twice the legal limit, the driver who caused a fatal Beltway accident on July 7 apparently has a history of driving violations in at least 3 states including Maryland and Virginia.

 

Two men are dead after being hit by the drunk driver, Kelli R. Loos, 33.  Loos slammed into the back of a Nissan pickup truck while headed south on the Beltway towards Virginia.  The force of the impact sent the pickup truck over a guardrail and down a steep embankment, where the pickup eventually landed on its roof.

 

The men, Gradys Mendoza, 39, and Franklin Manzanares, 37, both of Springfield, Virginia were killed.  Mendoza, the pickup truck driver, was transported to a local hospital by rescue workers but died before arriving there.  Manzanares was a passenger in the pickup and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

 

After colliding with the pickup truck Loos continued to drive, and was followed by another motorist who reported the crash to police and observed Loos crashing into a highway sign several miles later.  A breathalyzer test put her BAC at 0.20, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

 

Loos is currenly being held in Fairfax jail pending extradition to Maryland.  Investigation of her driving record revealed numerous charges of driving on a suspended license, at least six speeding and traffic violations in more than one state, and driving without a license.

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NHTSA reminds drivers of dangers posed to children in hot cars

It is a horrific tragedy: every year young children die when left alone in hot vehicles during searing summer months.  Hyperthermia, also known as heat-stroke, is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths.

 

Many drivers do not realize how quickly a child can overheat when left in a hot car.  Even with the windows rolled down a few inches, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach deadly levels that can kill.

 

Parents and caregivers are advised to never, ever leave a child alone in a vehicle, even with windows open or the air-conditioner running.  Vehicles should also be off-limits to children for games, since kids are also killed when they accidentally lock themselves in a car or the trunk of a car and aren’t found in time.

 

If you spot a child alone in a hot vehicle, NHTSA has the following tips: first, call the police.  If the child appears to be in distress, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.  Cool the child rapidly and call 911 or the local emergency number immediately.

 

Warning signs that a child may be seriously incapacitated by a hot car and need immediate medical help include red, hot, and moist or dry skin, no sweating, a strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse, nausea or acting strangely.

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Injured man’s widow wants to reform Virginia workers comp laws

The widow of a man who died after suffering from an injury sustained at the Owen Trucking parking lot outside Fredericksburg wants to see changes in Virginia’s workers’ compensation laws that denied her benefits.

 

The man, Arthur Pierce, was found one morning in Septmber 2006 unconscious in a pool of blood next to his truck.  Pierce never regained consciousness and was therefore unable to explain what caused his accident.  Without witnesses, investigators could only speculate on how he was hurt.

 

Pierce died after 16 months in a coma, leaving behind his wife Claire.  Mrs. Pierce applied for workers’ compensation on behalf of her husband, believing that his injuries and death would be covered.  Not so.

 

Mrs. Pierce was denied compensation by both the trucking company and by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.  The fact that her husband was not able to testify as to the cause of his accident was cited as a reason for the denial in both cases, despite the fact that accident happened at work and while he was clocked in.

 

What Mrs. Pierce then learned is something fueling her drive to reform the rules: if her husband had died at work when the accident happened, very likely he would have been eligible for insurance benefits.  However, because he lived – even though he never came out of a coma and later died – benefits were denied.

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Ban on texting while driving in Virginia begins

If you like to send text messages or email while you’re behind the wheel, pay attention: as of Wednesday July 1st that activity will be illegal in Virginia.

 

Virginia is about to join thirteen other states and the District of Columbia in banning TWD (“texting while driving”).  The new law, along with hundreds of others passed by the Virginia General Assembly months ago, takes effect in a few days.

 

However, you will have to be pulled over for another reason before you can be cited for texting behind the wheel.  That’s because lawmakers have classified TWD as a secondary offense, making it impossible for police officers to pull you over just for sending a text or email.

 

If caught, offenders can receive a $20 fine or $50 for a second offense.  Texting while driving has been a big issue for lawmakers, as various studies have classified this form of distracted driving as being as dangerous as drunk driving.

 

It has taken several years for the ban to be enacted by the General Assembly, although it was already illegal for teen drivers to text behind the wheel.  Officials hope the number of car accidents caused by distracted drivers will be reduced when word spreads about the new law.

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Uninsured motorists on the rise due to economic conditions

In an effort to save money some Virginia drivers are dropping their car insurance completely, leaving themselves uninsured and vulnerable.  According to AAA, as road travel picks up over the summer holidays many drivers who thought they were saving money will find themselves paying dearly for a bad budget decision.

 

While drivers will find that jettisoning their auto insurance will save them in the short-term, what they don’t fully realize is that if they get into an accident they face potentially large expenses.  In addition to what they might be liable for in an accident, they have to pay a $500 Virginia uninsured motorist fine.  In addition, having a new accident on their driving record will make it more difficult to get affordable insurance.

 

Worst case, an uninsured driver who causes a serious auto accident – one with major injuries and massive property damage – can be sued in a court of law.  These uninsured drivers face losing everything – their home, their savings – ending up far worse off than if they’d just kept their car insurance current.

 

Experts suggest that individuals struggling to make ends meet talk to their insurance company about raising their deductible, good driver discounts, or adjusting insurance on an older vehicle that requires less coverage.  In addition drivers can shop around, but they should keep in mind that a cheap policy may not be a good one.

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Theft of prescription drugs from nursing home residents on the rise

In recent months several states have seen cases where nursing home employees steal prescription drugs from the elderly residents they care for.  Typically drugs with a high street value like narcotic painkillers are stolen and then sold later for cash.

 

The thefts often go unnoticed by elderly residents, some because they don’t have the ability to notice or communicate that their painkillers are gone and others because they were slipped a placebo. 

 

Drugs that are popular with sticky-fingered nursing home or long term care facility employees include Lortab, Lorcet, Vicodin, Norco, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and OxyContin.

 

If residents don’t notice that their medication is missing, it can be very difficult to catch the thief.  In one case in Georgia, a nursing home nurse who had been stealing hydrocodone was only caught after selling the stolen pills to an undercover police employee.

 

Family members concerned about their loved ones’ powerful pain medications going missing should remain vigilant and become as involved as possible in the daily care and medication routines at the nursing home.  A caring, involved family is a big deterrent to neglect, abuse, and theft in a home or long term care facility.

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Importance of safe driving stressed to Fairfax County teens

A crash occurs in Fairfax County every 16 minutes, and the majority of these crashes are caused by distracted drivers.  In addition, there are around 1,000 fatal car accidents across Virginia each year.  Fairfax county teens are taking notice of theses statistics and are trying to do something to help reduce the numbers.

 

The members of a group called Youth Against Dangerous Activities and Peer Pressure (YADAPP) held a “Crash Course” highlighting the dangers and distractions faced by teen drivers in the Fairfax County area.

 

The talk was given in Reston and included guest speaker Officer Katy Fernbacher, a Reston crime prevention officer from the Fairfax County Police office.  Officer Fernbacher stressed the dangers facing teens like alcohol, loud music, and cell phone use.  She encouraged teen drivers to slow down and pay attention when they are behind the wheel.

 

The event attracted many teens, some of whom were not old enough to drive.  Event organizers hoped that accidents can be prevented by educating teens before they get their license.  The event also stressed the importance of seat-belt use.  About 58 percent of teens killed in car accidents were not wearing their seatbelts; many of their lives could have been saved if they had chosen to buckle up.

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Bus driver charged in major I-66 holiday weekend crash

A charter bus driver has been charged for his role in a chain-reaction crash that shut down westbound Interstate 66 during the Friday holiday weekend late afternoon travel time.  Thirty seven people were injured as a result of the crash and I-66 remained closed for about three and a half hours creating a 12 mile backup.

 

The charter bus was one of three returning to Harrisonburg VA with elementary school students and staff after a trip to the Smithsonian.  The accident happened when the driver of the last of the buses failed to use his brakes in time and crashed into the back of one of the other buses.

 

The initial impact caused a chain reaction.  The second bus then hit an SUV, and the SUV hit the lead bus.  The SUV driver and passenger were not injured in the accident, but 37 students and staff members had to be treated at Inova Fairfax and Inova Fair Oaks hospitals for minor injuries.

 

Virginia State Police charged the driver who initiated the chain-reaction crash, Clinton E. Shilling of Staunton, with following too closely.  The driver claims he was momentarily distracted by a roadside incident.

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Workers’ comp case muddied by injured worker’s drug use

A Virginia coal company employee injured on the job tried to file for workers’ compensation after a workplace accident but was blocked by his employer.  Why?  Because the employee had been taking methadone at the time he was injured.

 

The employee claimed he was only taking methadone under a doctor’s supervision and use of the drug had nothing to do with his accident.  His employer claimed that they did not have to pay for workers’ compensation because the man was taking a “nonprescribed controlled substance”. 

 

During a hearing about the matter the man confessed that he was taking the methadone illegally.  It turns out he had lied to his doctor by telling him that he was addicted to several drugs to get the doctor to prescribe methadone.  The man planned to use the methadone for pain relief.

 

The deputy commissioner in the case determined that even though the man was taking methadone illegally, it had nothing to do with what caused his workplace accident.  This means that the man’s claim could not be invalidated, and the full commission upheld the award of benefits.

 

The employer appealed the decision but did not win.  Essentially the commission ruled that an employer must prove that an employee’s drug use contributed to his accident.  Simply being under the influence of a controlled substance is alone not grounds to deny workers’ comp benefits in Virginia.

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VDOT’s safety study of Route 3 is done

The results of a recently completed safety assessment of Route 3 will be announced next week.  The study, conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation, was conducted so VDOT could determine what safety improvements could be made to Rt. 3 west of Stevensburg.

 

Three motor vehicle crashes in the last two years have claimed a total of 6 lives on Route 3.  The most recent was this past March, when four people were killed when struck head-on by an SUV.  The driver of the SUV was believed to be intoxicated and was driving on the wrong side of the road when he hit a sedan and killed the four individuals.

 

VDOT has already listed a few safety measures that may be implemented in an attempt to make Route 3 safer.  These include flashing lights, a center-line rumble strip, and better warning signage.

 

However, officials have indicated that while they can make road improvements the greatest danger on Route 3 is from distracted or unsafe drivers.

 

The results will be shared in a public meeting at VDOT’s Culpeper District Headquarters on Tuesday May 19th at 7pm.  The Headquarters are located at 1601 Orange Road.

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Virginia gubernatorial candidate in weekend car accident

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh “Cree” Deeds rear-ended another car this past weekend on his way back from a rally.  The Democratic Virginia senator was driving home from a campaign event in Fredericksburg when the auto accident happened.

 

Deeds was driving his 2002 Ford Explorer when he hit the other car on State Route 22 between Louisa and Mineral.  Both Deeds and the two occupants of the other car were taken to a Charlottesville hospital to be treated.  All were released without issue.  Deeds’ vehicle was left in Louisa to repair the minor damage.

 

As a result of the vehicle accident, Louisa County Sheriff’s Department cited Deeds for following too closely.  He received a $30 ticket.

 

Deeds normally uses a driver to travel to and from campaign events, but he did not have a driver last weekend as he was driving home himself to celebrate Mother’s Day with his family.  He called the occupants of the vehicle he hit the next day to make sure they were okay.

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Lack of nursing home contract oversight can cause confusion

Sometimes a nursing home is a must for some families who are unable to provide the level of care required by their aging loved one.  However, finding the right home and making sense of all the paperwork that has to be signed can be very confusing.

 

Compounding the confusion is the fact that there are no state or federal regulations to govern billing practices in some private nursing home facilities.  This means that there are no limitations on what a private nursing home can charge for care.

 

In some cases family members have been shocked to be billed for weeks or days of care after their loved one died, all justified by the nursing home as per the contract.

 

When searching for the right nursing home experts advise families to have an attorney review the nursing home contract before you sign it.  While the fee for such a review may seem pricey, it could save you a great deal of money and heartache in the end.

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Northern Virginia test drive ends in serious accident

Two men had to be airlifted to Fairfax Inova Hospital after a serious car accident in Front Royal.  The men, Ronald Foreman, 23 and his unidentified companion, were test driving a 2003 Mazda 6 from Front Royal Auto Center when the accident happened.

 

It is not known if Foreman, a Stephens City resident, or the other occupant was driving the car at the time of the crash.  The accident happened in the early afternoon on Tuesday at the point where Andrews Road merges with Bucks Mill Road.

 

Whoever was driving the car went straight through the turn, hit an embankment, and then crashed head-on into a tree.  One man was on the ground outside of the vehicle when fire and rescue arrived.  It is not known if the man was thrown from the car or if he crawled out.

 

According to Virginia State Police both men hit the windshield in the crash, and neither was wearing a seatbelt.  As a result of the accident, one man suffered leg injuries and the other suffered head injuries.  No further information about their condition is known.

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Virginia lawmakers target distracted drivers

In an effort to combat the dangerous effects of distracted driving, Virginia officials have named April 29 Virginia Distracted Driver Awareness Day.  Distracted driving is a major issue for Virginia law enforcement officials and indeed across the country.  Studies estimate that distracted drivers account for up to 80 percent of all motor vehicle accidents.

 

It does not take long for accidents to happen – a quick glance away from the road to fiddle with radio buttons can be enough to lead to a tragic accident.  And if you think that hands free devices are making you a safer driver – think again.  Researchers have discovered that it isn’t the way that a conversation takes place, it is the conversation itself that is the problem.  So those bumper stickers are right – when you get behind the wheel, it is time to hang up and drive.

 

Various organizations like AAA Mid-Atlantic, DRIVE SMART Virginia, DMV, The Virginia Highway Safety Office, and the Virginia State Police have come together in an effort to spread the word that driving while distracted can be deadly.

 

Governor Tim Kaine declared April 29 Virginia Distracted Driver Awareness Day, and highlighted his commitment to cracking down on distracting activities by signing a bill into law that will ban text messaging while driving.  The bill will take effect on July 1.

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Woman killed in Fairfax County crash on Interstate 495

A woman was killed on Interstate 495 Sunday in an unusual highway accident.  The 22 year old woman, Ann Unmongkol-Thavong of Lorton, overturned her can near the Telegraph Road exit around 4:30am.

 

Witnesses said that she escaped the overturned Honda Accord by crawling out of the vehicle.  She then sat in a traffic lane.  She was struck by a 55 year old man driving a Nissan Versa a minute later.

 

The driver, from Charlotte North Carolina, was taken to Fairfax INOVA Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  Unmongkol-Thavong died at the scene of the accident.

 

Police are investigating both crashes and no charges have yet been filed.

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One killed, five injured in fatal Beltway car accident

An early Monday morning accident resulted in the death of one person and injury to five others.  The driver of a sport-utility vehicle crashed into the center divider on the Capital Beltway around 3am.  The collision killed a 19 year old Alexandria woman, and the driver and four other vehicle occupants were seriously injured.

 

The crash happened while the SUV driver was traveling on the inner loop near Rt. 1 in Prince George’s county.  The driver lost control of the SUV and collided with the center median, flipping the SUV.  When the SUV landed on its roof, two of the six people inside were ejected.  The 19 year old woman died at the scene, and the remaining vehicle occupants were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

 

As a result of the crash authorities shut down all lanes of the Beltway inner loop.  It remained closed for four hours.  That, plus the closure of I-95 South where it merges with the beltway caused major early morning traffic jams.

 

Alcohol is suspected to have been a factor in the crash, and it is unknown if the individuals thrown from the SUV were wearing seatbelts.  The victims have not yet been identified by police as their families had yet to be notified, but according to police all had Virginia addresses.

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Culpeper man sentenced after alcohol-related crash injures police officer

A Culpeper man who pleaded guilty in December of maiming a police officer as a result of driving while intoxicated and felony hit and run was sentenced this week.  The accident, which happened on March 15, 2008, seriously injured an off-duty police officer.

 

The driver, Santos Obidio Arita Najera, 31, injured the officer when he crossed solid double yellow lines and crashed into him.  Arita Najera was driving a 2004 Toyota Tacoma truck when he hit the officer, Prince William Police Lt. Phillip E. Harrover Jr., who was riding a 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle.  The collision caused Harrover to be thrown from his motorcycle into a 2003 Jeep Wrangler.

 

Arita Najera tried to flee the scene of the accident but was stopped by other drivers on the road.  The man, a Honduran national, was in the U.S. illegally.  A judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison with five and half years suspended.  The sentence was more than Virginia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines called for.

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Culpeper car crash claims four lives

Route 3 near Stevensburg in Culpeper County, Virginia was the site of a deadly accident early Sunday morning.  According to a Virginia State Police spokesman, an SUV driver headed the wrong way on Rt. 3 when it collided head on with a sedan.  As a result of the crash the highway had to be closed for six hours while police investigated and cleaned up the scene.

 

The SUV driver, Eugene T. Green, 29, of Culpeper, was taken to Mary Washington Hospital to be treated.  He was not wearing a seat belt when the accident occurred, and his condition is unknown.

 

The victims of the collision were identified as Tyler Scott Harlow, 20, of Ruckersville; Joseph Lee Shanow, 20, of Ruckersville; Tianna V. Jones, 19, of Stanardsville; and James B. Cook, 21, of Marshall, Vt.  All four victims died at the scene of the accident, about a tenth of a mile east of Rt. 739.

 

Two of the victims were wearing seat belts when the accident happened, and two were not.  There was a fifth person in the sedan, Howard John Steiniger, 27, of Fredericksburg.  He was taken to Mary Washington Hospital and later transferred to a Richmond area hospital.  His condition is unknown.

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Culpeper police warn of drunk driving dangers

St. Patrick’s Day is a good time for Culpeper police to remind residents about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.  This year, police had extra officers patrolling for drunk drivers while they also stressed the importance of having a designated driver.

 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), statistics show that 851 people have died in crashes the last five years during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. About 327 were killed by drivers with an alcohol level .08 or higher.

 

Police remind residents that it is always risky to drive while intoxicated or to accept a ride from somebody who is intoxicated.  Nationwide, more than 41,000 people died in accidents each year and nearly 13,000 of them died due to someone who was legally drunk.

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Serious car accident on Dulles Greenway

An early morning accident on the Dulles Greenway last week caused serious traffic backups near the Waxpool Road overpass.  A Leesburg man, Daniel F. Wiener, 63, caused the accident when the vehicle he was driving crashed and overturned into the eastbound lanes of the roadway.  Wiener suffered a medical emergency which led to the accident.

 

The victim was transported to INOVA Fairfax Hospital via a Medevac helicopter.  At the time, Wiener’s injuries did not seem life-threatening although he did have to be hospitalized.  There were no other passengers in the car, a 2005 Honda Pilot, at the time of the crash.

 

Traffic was tied up when the eastbound lanes of the Greenway were closed for nearly two hours.  No charges were filed as a result of the accident. 

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Proposed Senate Bill Aims to Protect Elderly from Abuse

As the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Herb Kohl (D., Wis.) has introduced legislation aimed at protecting nursing home and long-term care facility residents from abuse by known offenders.

 

The legislation would require the creation of a national database to share information about the criminal records of potential employees across states.  Right now, there is no centralized system for nursing homes or other facilities to use to confirm that potential employees have a clean criminal record.

 

Sen. Kohl is hoping to avoid the fate of nursing home residents who have been raped or harmed by  caregivers with a criminal record.  A seven-state trial program revealed 7,000 applicants for elder care positions who had a violent criminal record or a substantiated history of abuse.

 

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cost of the plan will be $100 million over three years.

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Driving while texting soon to be illegal in Virginia

The Virginia House and Senate have both passed House Bill 1876 which would make it illegal for drivers to send or read text messages while driving.  All that remains for the bill to become law is for Governor Tim Kaine to sign it.

 

Lawmakers responded to popular pressure to pass a law against the use of handheld devices by Virginia drivers.  A bill that would have banned cell phone use did not pass, but the text message bill survived.

 

The bill is supported by research shows that drivers using a cell phone are just as impaired as intoxicated drivers.  With the number of accidents caused by distracted drivers on the rise across the country, many states are taking action and trying to make the use of handheld devices illegal.

 

While the bill bans texting while driving, it does provide an exception for the use of global positioning systems (GPS), reading caller identification information, and using a wireless telecommunications device to report an emergency.

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Culpeper resident succumbs to injuries sustained in car accident

A man who stepped out in front of a vehicle succumbed to his injuries at the University of Virginia Medical Center after 7 weeks in a coma.  Culpeper resident Roger “Lee” Hitt, 75, stepped in front of a 1992 Ford Explorer on the afternoon of January 5, 2009.

 

The driver of the Ford Explorer was traveling at about 25 miles per hour and did not have time to stop.  No charges were filed against the driver because the fault of the accident was the pedestrian’s actions.

 

Sadly, Hitt suffered serious head injuries when he was hit by the vehicle on North Main Street, north of Mountain Run Bridge.  A long time Culpeper resident, he will be missed by town residents.

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Virginia DOT to cut rest area parking to save transportation dollars

Virginia’s transportation budget shortfall has claimed another victim: rest area parking spaces.  In order to save an estimated $12 million per year in maintenance costs, the state plans to close 54% of the available parking spots in rest areas across the state.  This would reduce the number of available parking spaces from a current 770 down to 358.

 

The move is controversial for truck drivers and safety advocates who fear that reducing the number of places for truck drivers to stop and rest while traveling Virginia’s highways will result in more tractor trailer accidents.  Especially problematic is the claim that most of the major truck stops in Virginia are already overflowing after dark, leaving truck drivers with few places to stop and rest.

 

Public meetings are planned in March, when residents will have a chance to speak up about the proposed cut.  The Commonwealth Transportation Board will vote on the proposal in June.

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Virginia teen accused of drunk driving appeared before judge

A seventeen-year-old boy accused of driving drunk three months ago in an incident that resulted in the death of two women has faced a judge.  A passenger in the teen’s car, a 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the driver of the other vehicle both survived the crash.

 

Kyle Woisard, a student at Chantilly High School, was charged with aggravated DWI manslaughter after driving the wrong way down I-66 near the Washington Boulevard overpass in Arlington and crashing headfirst into a 2003 Toyota Corolla.  Woisard appeared at the courthouse on crutches, suffering from injuries as a result of the deadly accident. 

 

His blood was tested for alcohol and drugs and he will be back in court soon as prosecutors argue that he should be tried as an adult.  Additional details about his case are still confidential. 

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Virginia Seeks Shovel Ready Road Projects in Anticipation of Stimulus Approval

In 2007, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority compiled a list of ready-to-go projects in 2007.  While the list has been more or less gathering dust since it was put together, it may actually come in handy if the stimulus package circulating in Washington DC gets approved.

 

If the stimulus package is approved, Virginia stands to receive as much as $800 million in transportation funding.  The money would be used to fill part of the void left in this year’s transportation budget.  The budget shortfall is a major issue for Virginia, where many roads need improvement to reduce the number of auto accidents and crashes.

 

A provision of the bill requires that the funds be allocated towards transportation projects quickly or else the money will be lost.  Because of this, state lawmakers are working hard to compile a list of “shovel-ready” road projects.  Shovel ready projects are those that can be started as soon as funding is received.

 

Although $800 million sounds like a lot of money to most people, it won’t go far in Virginia.  Tiny Arlington County has about $500 million in needed road projects, $100 million of which are ready to go now.  And considering the enormous burden of commuter traffic in Northern Virginia alone, it is going to be a challenge for lawmakers to find a way to fairly distribute funds throughout the state.

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Will change to Virginia red light camera law put you at risk?

A bill introduced in the Virginia General Assembly seeks to make it easier for cities to install red light cameras at troublesome intersections.  Critics contend that red light cameras are installed more as a revenue generator than a safety measure.  Some cities have also been accused of short-timing yellow lights to increase the number of red light tickets, thereby increasing their profit.

 

The bill before the General Assembly would remove the three words “for final approval” from the Virginia Code Section 15.2-968.1(J) which currently reads, “A locality shall submit a list of intersections to the Virginia Department of Transportation for final approval.”  Without those three words, cities will not have to seek approval for their new red light cameras, which at this time involves a detailed engineering justification.

 

Several cities have had their proposals for red light cameras refused by VDOT, but if this bill passes then VDOT will no longer have the power to prevent unsafe red light projects from going forward.

 

Red light cameras are controversial, as they have been shown in several studies to increase the number of accidents at intersections.  In addition, some cities reduced the length of the yellow light at intersections, ostensibly to increase the number of red light runners and thereby produce a greater profit from camera tickets.

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Culpeper automobile vandal nabbed with DNA evidence

The mysterious case of an outbreak of vandalism cases in Culpeper was solved with the examination of DNA evidence found on the damaged vehicles.  Last summer, several cars were damaged when a vandal slashed the tires, broke windows, and damaged the ignition in at least one car.

 

Culpeper detectives were not optimistic about bringing charges against the perpetrator, until it was discovered that the vandals had left behind their genetic footprint in the form of blood and other DNA evidence.  A 17 year old boy was suspected of the crimes, but it was not until his identity was confirmed through the DNA evidence that they were able to bring six juvenile petitions against him and charge him with misdemeanor destruction of property.

 

According to authorities the damage totaled thousands of dollars, and now that there is evidence against the 17 year old the case will proceed to court.  Detectives credited sound evidence collection and scientific evaluation with helping solve the case.

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Will the VDOT bailout make Culpeper and Warrenton roads safer?

Officials at Virginia’s Department of Transportation are hoping that a massive $800 billion economic recovery spending plan will help them with their budget shortfall.  VDOT is hoping for $700 to $800 million.  According to officials, the money would not be used for new projects but would instead be used to replace or repair bridges or perform highway maintenance.

 

The economic package has not been approved in Washington DC yet, and VDOT’s spokesperson is reluctant to say what projects will be affected and how the money will impact Culpeper or Warrenton area roads and infrastructure.

 

Virginia is facing a $3.2 billion budget shortfall this year, which means that the highway transportation budget isn’t the only thing affected – but it is of great concern to residents worried about the state of local roads.  However, officials have tried to reassure residents that the roads and bridges are safe, even if they have been targeted for repair or maintenance work. VDOT inspects the 20,879 bridges in the Commonwealth at least once every 2 years.

 

According to the version of the bailout bill in the House, at least 50 percent of a state’s funding must be under contract within 120 days, with the remainder obligated by August 1, 2010.  Despite the tight deadline, there is no word on how the money would be spent across Virginia.

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Local Hospitals and Roads Prepare for Inauguration Week Overload

It might be a good idea for local motorists to stay off the roads next week, if at all possible.  Inauguration week is expected to be extremely busy, and adding an influx of out-of-state drivers to our area’s already busy roads could translate to more car accidents and injuries and busier hospitals.

 

With over a million people expected to stream into Northern Virginia and surrounding areas next week for the inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama, local officials are getting “ready for anything”.  This includes preparing local hospitals for an influx of patients and being ready with road services for all the extra motorists.

 

Greater Washington Area Emergency Services has been planning for inauguration week with Northern Virginia Hospital Alliance leaders.  Local hospitals want to be ready in case of an emergency during the inauguration.

 

In addition to preparing hospitals for the busy week, local officials have also been working together on road plans.  Record levels of traffic are expected next week, and even though access to the District won’t be possible from Virginia there will still be plenty of motorists traveling the roads.

 

Authorities are making sure that stranded motorists will have access to special emergency roadside services.  As for Faquier County deputies and Warrenton police, they plan to provide additional support to the Virginia State Police.

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Culpeper woman charged with DUI while driving with toddler

A Culpeper, VA woman driving with her toddler in the car has been charged with driving under the influence.  If convicted, the woman could be charged with a minimum fine of $500 and a mandatory sentence of 5 days in jail for driving under the influence with a child under the age of 17.

 

The woman, Teri Marie Taylor (age 22), was stopped by police in Culpeper when an officer noticed her Lexus moving erratically.  The officer also noted that two of the vehicle’s lights were not working.

 

According to police, the woman failed several field sobriety tests after being pulled over.  In addition to the DUI she was given two traffic citations for defective equipment.

 

While Taylor was taken to a magistrate her nearly 2 year old daughter was placed in custody of a family friend.  Taylor was jailed on $1,000 bond.

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Water Main Bursts After Crash in Windsor

A vehicle slid off the highway in Windsor and crashed into a water main just east of the town limits along U.S. Route 460.  Utility workers were called to repair the broken pipe, which had ruptured.

According to police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Cotten, Virginia State Police were called to the crash scene that occurred at 12484 Windsor Blvd., at approximately 9:28 AM.  Cotten said that the 2003 Ford Expedition involved in the crash had extensive damage after it veered off the highway, smashed into a mailbox, went down an embankment, hit a guide wire for a telephone pole and eventually crashed into the pole.

The evidence of the crash seems to indicate that the Ford Expedition was traveling eastbound on U.S. Route 460.

At some point during the crash, the Ford Expedition also hit a blowoff valve, which is a 4-inch pipe that sticks out of the ground and permits periodic flushing of the underground water main.  The driver of the vehicle, Alan Willis from Wakefield, was given a citation for reckless driving and he suffered only minor injures from the accident, according to Cotten.

An alert regarding the accident was issued by Isle of Wight County officials at approximately 11:00 AM that warned the public that the right eastbound lane of U.S. Route 460 had been closed.

Suffolk-based Art-Ray Corp. workers made repairs to the water main.  During the repairs, workers from the county and the Virginia Department of Transportation were also present.

According to an employee from the county’s engineering department, who did not want to be identified in the article, the water main was a 16-inch pipe, located 3 feet underground and constructed in 2002.  He described that accident as a “freak occurrence.”

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Virginia Resident Thanks Dr. Oz for Help After Accident

Stanley Tatum, a Hampton Roads resident, was injured in a crash in Virginia Beach last week.  According to Tatum, he was bleeding and looked up to see a doctor who had come to his aid.  However, it wasn’t just any doctor.

Dr. Mehmet Oz told “Good Morning America” that Tatum “looked over and said, ‘You’re Dr. Oz.’  He said, wait a minute, I’ve got to call my mom.”  Oz appeared on the morning show and talked with Roberts about the incident.  Tatum was on the phone.

Oz is a surgeon and author who is a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.  According to Oprah.com, “Dr. Oz is vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine and healthcare policy. He has authored over 400 original publications, book chapters and medical books and has received several patents.”  He has been referred to as America’s Doctor.

The accident occurred on Interstate 64 on Friday, according to WVEC-TV.  At the time of the crash, Tatum was the passenger in a truck that collided with another vehicle.  The other man in the truck was also injured, but both men’s injuries were not life threatening.

Oz witnessed the accident in his rear-view mirror and stopped to offer assistance.  He was able to stop the bleeding from Tatum’s leg and on the other man’s face, WVEC-TV reported. 

WVEC-TV also reported that Oz was on his way to the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach.

“I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You don’t just talk the talk, but you walk the walk also,” Tatum told Oz by phone.  Oz thanked Tatum for his comments on the show.

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Virginia Crash Kills a Hooksett Woman

Last week, Kamala St. Germain, a woman from Hooksett, New Hampshire, was fatally injured in a crash on Interstate 95.  The accident occurred on Monday, December, 1, 2008, according to Virginia State Police.

St. Germain, 75, was in her Honda traveling north on Interstate 95 when she was rear-ended by a 2001 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Warren Lucas Tomlinson Jr., 64, from Emporia.  The accident took place near Mile Marker 44, the Progess-Index of Petersburg, Virginia, according to a report.

The Honda became wedged underneath the tractor-trailer when it caught fire.  The accident closed northbound lanes of I-95 for approximately seven hours.

St. Germain was an ordained minister and had earned a doctorate in divinity from the Universal Life Church.  She was the founder of DoveStar School of Holistic Technology and had completed a three-month yoga teaching program at the Shivananda Yoga Center in Val Morin, Quebec.  St. Germain taught yoga and massage internationally for 44 years.  “She was just the most serene, spiritual person you could ever meet.  She was always calm; she just had a motherly presence about her,” said massage therapist Deanna Raymond of Brentwood.

St. Germain was also a certified clinical hypnotherapist, an astrologer, a licensed massage therapist, a Reiki master teacher and a practitioner of colon hydrotherapy.  In addition, she taught and lectured on holistic health at the collegiate level, on radio and television, locally and internationally since 1965 and authored many published articles.  She had five children, ten grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Employees at the DoveStar School would not comment on the crash or their reaction to hearing the news of St. Germain’s death.  According to Raymond, “she was everyone’s mentor.”  Raymond attended DoveStar School from 2003 to 2006 and took numerous massage therapy classes offered by St. Germain.

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Verbal Abuse Alleged at Assisted Living Facility

A state investigation discovered that an employee at the Caring and Sharing Home for Adults assisted living facility at 6008 Jefferson Avenue had been verbally abusing residents.  The employee was fired following the investigation that she abused residents by cursing at them, calling some of them “crack head,” borrowing money from them and selling food to them from her neighboring apartment.

Numerous residents at this assisted living facility are poor, have mental disabilities and depend on state money to live in the facility.

Caring and Sharing Home for Adults has had several violations since 2004, according to Virginia state records.  These violations make this facility one of the 20 percent of Virginia’s 583 assisted living facilities that had major compliance issues or verified complaints, according to a 2007 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which is an investigative branch of the General Assembly.

At least once a year, two inspectors from the local state licensing division inspect Newport News’ approximately 50 assisted living facilities and adult homes.  Some facilities have inspections at least three times a year.

Caring and Sharing Home for Adults has had its share of inspections.  The facility has been inspected nine different times this year and five of those inspections were initiated because of complaints.    These inspections are higher than any other year since 2003.  Among the inspections in 2008 was one that took three days in July.

Complaints against Caring and Sharing Home were mainly anonymous and included such allegations as neglect to children living in the facility, spoiled food and verbal abuse.  It had been hard for inspectors to verify the complaints, until the verbal abuse incident by the employee.

After interviewing four residents, the state inspector discovered that the employee cursed at residents, told one resident, “You can eat second shift.  Get away from the table, it’s not your turn to eat,” and called a resident “crack head,” according to state records.  Residents also said that she was loud and rude and often borrowed money from them.

Scarlette Peeples, the administrator of the facility, would not comment on the violations.

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Holiday Brought Fewer Traffic Deaths in Virginia

According to State Police and Highway Patrol statistics, traffic deaths decreased dramatically over the Thanksgiving holiday in Virginia and North Carolina.

Last week, there were nine deaths in Virginia resulting from crashes that occurred between Wednesday and Sunday, which is significantly lower than last year.  In 2007, there were 19 fatalities during that same time period.  This year’s statistics are the lowest since 2002, when nine people were killed, said State Police.

In North Carolina, seven people were killed in crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday, which is also lower than the previous year when there were 21 fatalities.

The fatal accidents in Virginia occurred in Southampton, Rockingham, Fairfax, Carroll, Louisa, Powhatan, Prince William and Rockbridge counties, according to State Police.  Alcohol is believed to be a factor in two of the fatal crashes.

Authorities said that the crash in Carroll County involved a driver who was wanted in connection with a murder in Staunton.  The driver was charged with DUI, resisting arrest and possession of a firearm.  A state trooper was the one who discovered that the driver was wanted.

During the holiday, Virginia State Police issued 9,921 summonses for speeding, 2,810 for reckless driving, 188 for driving under the influence and 916 for not wearing seat belts.  North Carolina state troopers issued 18,477 speeding citations.

Traffic safety specialists have predicted that fewer miles traveled this year would result in fewer deaths and it appears that the numbers for Virginia and three other states appear to be in line with this prediction.

Commenting on trends observed earlier this year, AAA Mid-Atlantic stated last week that "as Americans began driving less, fewer people were being killed and injured in traffic crashes."

AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend said that initially, high gasoline prices caused a decline in the miles traveled, but later the number of miles declined due to motorists' worries about the economy.

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District Supervisor Injured in Auto Accident

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerald Hyland was injured in a car accident last weekend while he traveled to his farm in Accomack County, Virginia.  According to a news release issued by his office, Hyland sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Hyland received injuries to his left leg and hip, which required surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland on Monday, November 17.  It is anticipated that Hyland will stay at the hospital for several days while he recovers.  He is then expected to be transferred to another facility where he will participate in physical therapy for several weeks.  The news release said that Hyland was recuperating well.

The car accident occurred when Hyland was driving alone in his minivan and another vehicle struck him on the driver’s side, just behind the driver’s door.  There were no details of the crash, other than Hyland’s injuries, listed in the report from his office.

Inquires were made to Hyland’s office to find out more information about the accident, including the exact date, time and location of the crash, but these inquires were refused.  The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police were not able to verify any details of the collision.

As of last Tuesday, Hyland was not accepting any telephone calls to his hospital room.  However, the person who answered his phone said that he was out of the room and doing well.  Details of the surgery were not provided.

Despite Hyland’s injuries, the Mount Vernon District office is open and running.  According to the release, “he is in constant communications with his staff about Fairfax County business.”  Get well cards can be mailed to Hyland’s office at the Mount Vernon Government Center, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306-3273.

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Teens Mourn High School Students Killed in Car Accident

Last week, three teenagers from Green Run High School were killed in a tragic car crash.  The fatal accident occurred when their car hit a minivan on Salem Road in Virginia Beach.  Monday, November 17, 2008, was the first day back to school after the three teenagers were killed.  Green Run High School administrators took steps to help the high school students cope with their grief over the deaths of their fellow classmates.

Matthew Kirkbride, 18, Adam Sherman, 17 and Joseph Jenkins, 17, were fatally injured in the crash after the car they were traveling in crossed the center lane and collided into a minivan on Salem Road.  The three young men had just left the Virginia Beach technical and career education center where they took classes.

Virginia State Police have stated that Kirkbride was driving the car at the time of the accident, Jenkins was riding in the front seat with Kirkbride and Sherman was sitting in the back.  All three teens were wearing their seat belts, but the force of the collision was so severe, they were killed by the impact.

News quickly spread about the three deaths and students began bringing flowers and signs in remembrance of their friends and fellow classmates to the high school.  Many Green Run High School students said that everyone knew the three young men and the sudden loss of their lives will be felt not only by the senior class, but throughout the high school.

“I think tomorrow is just going to be a really quiet day, just…I think everybody’s just going to be sad and try to remember them,” said Caroline Hutto, a Green Run High School student.

Teen drivers are frequently involved in fatal car accidents.  Since the beginning of this year, there have been 77 teen fatalities caused by car accidents, compared with 92 deaths in 2007. 

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Car Crash Kills One and Injuries Four Other Victims

Last Saturday, November 15, 2008, a three-car crash in Albemarle County killed one person, while injuring four others.  The tragic accident took place at approximately 4:10 PM at 2420 Richmond Road, about one mile east of Interstate 64.

According to Albemarle County police, 63-year-old John Jarvis English of Charlottesville, was heading westbound on Route 250 when he veered into eastbound traffic.  He then side-swiped a vehicle and hit another vehicle head-on.

The five victims of the crash, including English, were transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center, were English was later pronounced dead.  The four other victims sustained serious injuries, none of which were life-threatening, according to Albemarle County police.

Police closed the 2400 block of Richmond Road for approximately two and a half hours to investigate the scene of the crash and to clear the debris.

Albemarle County police say the car crash may have been the result of a medical issue suffered by English.  A crash reconstruction team from Albemarle County is investigating the accident.

In 2007, 1,026 people were killed in 940 fatal car crashes in Virginia.  That same year, there were 49,138 personal injury crashes, which resulted in 68,822 injuries.  The 2007 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts report also gives various reasons for these car accidents, such as driver impairment, driving too close to the vehicle ahead, driver distraction, running a traffic control and speeding.  The age group, 21-25, made up the largest percentage of drivers involved in Virginia car accidents.  It was also reported that in 2007, there were 11,215 alcohol-related crashes, which accounted for approximately 7.7 percent of all crashes in Virginia.  There were 346 alcohol-related fatal crashes or 36.8 percent of all fatal crashes and 5,125 alcohol-related personal injury crashes or 10.4 percent of all personal injury crashes.

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Study Finds that 13% of Seniors are Mistreated

A recent study has reported that 13 percent of American seniors suffer mistreatment as a result of various forms of abuse.

The study was conducted by University of Chicago researchers who said that the main forms of abuse were verbal (9 percent), financial (3.5 percent) and physical (0.2 percent).  Researchers also discovered that seniors who had some type of physical impairment were most vulnerable to verbal abuse.

"Older people with any physical vulnerability are about 13 percent more likely than those without one to report verbal mistreatment, but are not more likely to report financial mistreatment," said study co-author Linda Waite, a professor of sociology, in a university news release.

The data studied was taken from 3,005 community-dwelling adults, ages 57 to 85.  Researchers found that adults in their late 50s and 60s are more likely to report verbal or financial abuse than those who are older.  This discrepancy is believed to be explained by the possibility that these seniors were including fairly routine arguments with their spouse, sibling or child in their reports or that older adults are more reticent to report negative behavior, according to lead author Edward Laumann, a professor of sociology.

Based on the study, women were twice as likely as men to report verbal abuse.  Hispanics were almost half as likely as whites to report verbal abuse and 78 percent less likely to report financial abuse.  African Americans were 77 percent more likely than whites to report financial abuse.

Among the study participants who reported verbal abuse, 26 percent said that their spouse or romantic partner was responsible, 15 percent said it was their children and the remainder said it was their friends, neighbors, co-workers or bosses.  For those that reported financial abuse, 57 percent said that a relative other than a spouse, parent or child was responsible.

This study was published in the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

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Five Teens Died in Car Accidents during National Teen Driver Safety Week

Last week, five teenagers were killed in auto accidents across the state despite the fact that it was National Teen Driver Safety Week, which was observed by insurance officials, police and educators.

Three teens died on October 19, 2008, which was the first day of the National Teen Driver Safety Week.  The five deaths occurred in the counties of Amherst, Augusta, Gloucester, Lee and Loudoun.  A 15-year-old passenger, 16-year-old driver, two 17-year-old drivers and an 18-year-old passenger were among the victims, according to Virginia State Police.

Col. W. Steven Flaherty, state police superintendent, was quoted in an article as saying, “It is disheartening and frustrating to see such loss of life involving our young people.”

In this year alone, there have been 77 teen fatalities caused by car accidents, compared with 92 deaths in 2007.  The recent deaths are in contrast with insurance studies that show a decade-long decline in teen deaths that is attributed to graduated licensing laws and educational efforts.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety produced a study that showed that teen traffic deaths had declined from 9,940 in 1978 to a 30-year low of 5,156 in 2006.

The same study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also revealed that the traffic-related death rate for individuals ages 13 to 19 had dropped by 41 percent, from 29 to 17 per 100,000.  Russ Rader, an institute spokesman, commented that teen deaths and crashes have dramatically dropped over the last decade because many states, including Virginia, have passed graduated driver’s licensing laws.

In 2001, Virginia established a graduated license for teenagers after numerous deaths in auto accidents in Northern Virginia.  The law mandates that teenagers complete an approved driver education course and hold a learner’s permit for at least nine months, before applying for a Virginia driver’s license.  As an additional measure to protect teenagers, licensed teens under 18 are not allowed to drive between midnight and 4:00 AM.

More driver education programs are now focusing on students and parents.

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Settlement in Wrongful Death Case Reached

Earlier this month, details of the settlement in a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit involving the 2005 death of a Lynchburg man in the custody of the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office were revealed in court.

Melva Taylor Davis, the mother of Sanchez Taylor, and his two brothers will equally share the $325,000 settlement, according to c