Last month, an appellate court in Georgia issued a written opinion in a car accident case, highlighting the importance of a thorough pre-trial investigation. The case required the court to determine whether the plaintiff should have been permitted to amend her complaint to add the name of the owner of…
Articles Posted in Car Accidents
Appellate Court Discusses “Rescue Doctrine” as It Applies to Police and Firefighters
Last month, an appellate court issued a written opinion in a car accident case that was brought by a police officer who was injured while responding to an emergency call. Ultimately, the court concluded that since the officer was acting within the scope of his employment at the time of the…
Increase in Motor Vehicle Accident Deaths Due in Large Part to Distracted Driving
In 2016, the National Safety Council estimated that roughly 40,000 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents across the country. According to an insurance industry news source, this represents a 6% increase in fatalities over the previous year and reflects the highest number of deaths since 2007. The National Highway Traffic…
City Not Immune from Liability in Case Involving Stop Sign Obscured by Overgrown Foliage
Late last year, an appellate court in Ohio issued a written opinion affirming an intermediate appellate court’s decision that a city that allowed a stop sign to become overgrown with foliage was not entitled to governmental immunity. In the case, Bibler v. Stevenson, the court concluded that the city was…
Recent Case Illustrates Why Maryland and Washington, D.C.’s “Joint and Several Liability” System Favors Plaintiffs
Earlier this month, an Arizona appellate court issued a written decision in an auto accident case, holding that the lower court erred in not allowing the sole defendant to name an additional defendant whom she believed to be in part liable for the plaintiff’s injuries. The court in Cramer v.…
Plaintiff’s Failure to Strictly Comply with Notice Requirement Results in Dismissal of Case
Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an opinion dismissing a plaintiff’s case against a state employee, based on the plaintiff’s failure to strictly comply with the notice requirements outlined in the state’s statute governing cases against governments and government employees. In the case, Sorenson v. Batchelder, the issue…
Jury’s Verdict for Plaintiff in the Amount of Zero Dollars Upheld on Appeal
Earlier this month, a Nebraska appellate court issued a written opinion regarding an appeal filed by a personal injury plaintiff who was awarded a zero-dollar award after a jury trial. In the case, Lowman v. State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Company, the court determined that, while a zero-dollar award normally…
Accident in D.C. Suburb Kills Four and Injures 14 Others
Earlier this month in Hyattsville, Maryland, not far from Washington, D.C., an accident between a church van and a pick-up truck resulted in four people losing their lives and another 14 being seriously injured. According to one local news source, the accident took place on a Sunday afternoon on Hyattsville…
Allegedly Drunk Motorist Involved in Five-Fatality Accident Indicted on Vehicular Manslaughter Charges
Earlier this month, a man who crashed into a stopped car, killing all four people inside as well as his own passenger, was indicted on 28 counts, including manslaughter, reckless driving, and driving without a valid license. According to one local news source, the accident, which took place back in…
Local Maryland Businessman, Dubbed “Route 29 Batman,” Dies in Hagerstown Car Accident
Earlier this month in Hagerstown, Maryland, local businessman Leonard B. Robinson died in a fatal car accident. According to a local news report, Robinson was known to many as the “Route 29 Batman” because he drove a tricked-out Lamborghini that was made to look like the Batmobile. Prior to passing,…