Automobile Accidents | InjuryBoard Des Moines

Question: If when driving on wet pavement when rounding a curve the driver loses control, the car rolls and a back seat passenger is ejected, is the driver responsible for his death?Answer: The operative word is "driver". The driver is responsible for driving; meaning how fast to drive, when to steer, how to steer, when to slow down, when to stop among all others facets of driving. If the driver...

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The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported Doug Hart, an Iowa City police officer was struck and injured as he swept up debris in an intersection. This is an example of a driver clearly being distracted while driving her minivan. The women said the impact tossed Hart back several feet, slamming him into the pavement. Drea said he got up momentarily before falling back onto the curb. Hart was easily...

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This is an example of why we all need to slow down, leave more room between us and the car in front and to avoid distractions. The Buena Vista County sheriff's report says it all. We have a car slowing down on US Highway 71 to check her mail; the van behind her slows and is struck from behind by a pickup truck. The van is then pushed into an oncoming semi-truck and three occupants of the van are...

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It was reportedthat the poor Vunk girl who collided with a school bus ended up in the hospital. Police were speculating about what may have contributed to the collision. They speculated the sun may have been a factor. I just recently handled a similar collision between a Bremer County dump truck and a Waverly School District bus full of children. That driver alleged the sun was also a factor. A...

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I had previously reported on an accident in the 3800 block of Hubbell involving Veronica Brown and Rex Hill. In that collision the police used the Jaws of Life to rescue both drivers. This is the kind of news that can keep me pretty busy thinking about various things. For one thing the Jaws of Life...The Jaws of Life is actually a brand of tools that is trademarked by the Hurst Jaws of Life...

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How long should I wait to sue? Wait too long and you have no case and no one in the Court system will offer your any sympathy. The best advice is you shouldn't wait even one week. Why? Because there are so many rules created to defeat your case that only those who are trained in the law can possibly know the rules and how to preserve your claim.How long should I wait to sue? Wait too long and...

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Criminal Law Problem - Are you concerned about driving after having a couple of drinks? Concerned about the embarrassment and hassles associated with being arrested for OWI? Just don't want to deal with the hassle of an OWI stop or worse yet an arrest? The State of Iowa estimates costs to be around $5,000.00 for a first OWI stop.Civil Law Problem - How about the costs associated with driving...

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When a bicycle rider is struck and killed by a hit-n-run driver is there a possibility for the family to recover reasonable compensation? The answer is yes. It depends on whether the bicycle rider had auto insurance and did the auto insurance provide uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. I see reports from time-to-time of such collisions and I often wonder if the families realize they...

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The Ames Tribune reported on a car crash involving three very young people. The driver was 14 years old and the passengers 12 and 15, all from rural Iowa. The Story County Sheriff's Office reported that the driver lost control of the car after falling asleep at the wheel. The collision occurred about 2:05 a.m. early on a Sunday morning.All drivers, no matter how inexperienced have the same...

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On Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Jason Pillard, just 38 years of age died when his pickup truck crossed the center line and struck a 1991 Honda Civic traveling north. The occupants of that car, Bradley Deshaw of Oxford Junction and Tammy Deshaw, a passenger were taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. This is the type of car or truck accident that will raise causation questions for years to...

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A Lehigh man died while riding as a passenger in a pickup truck sometime around 10:00 P.M. on November 15, 2007. Darwin Reverts was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver allegedly lost control before striking a tree. Charges have not been filed. Blood alcohol test results are pending. Alcohol may or may not have been a factor. Reverts was only forty-one years of age. There is no indication if...

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A young man who moved from Michigan to southeast Iowa died after being struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle to work. The young man is Douglas Kenney who was just 21 years old. He had moved in with his grandparents to work and save money so he could attend college. He was struck from behind by a pickup truck being driven by a 61 year old man.It's being alleged that the sun had...

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Here is a case from which both operators and a property owner can learn a lesson. On September 21, 2007 in Sioux County a collision took place between a semi-truck and a Honda. It occurred at the intersections of Fir Avenue and 480th Street. The drivers are reported as Marvin Cardona and Edwin Beitelspacher. The driver of the Honda was charged with a failure to yield to vehicle on the right in...

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Chris Riley of Colfax was driving along eastbound on Highway F48 probably minding his own business when a Chevrolet Caprice crossed the center line hitting him head on. So it was reported on October 30, 2007 by the Newton Daily News. It happened in mid-afternoon so one has to wonder what Deborah Sweetman was doing in her car that allowed it to drift across the center line. Sweetman then...

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... or so that is what we are being lead to believe. Yesterday I wrote about China's 2,000 unlicensed manufacturing plants and the 1,202 drug and medical instrument companies that had their licenses revoked. China is just one example of the end stages of tort deform. Russia is another example but in tort reforming the purpose is always the same, to remove consequences from the tortfeasor, the...

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