Automobile Accidents

• Should I Run That Red Light?

  Steve Lombardi | October 03, 2007 10:13 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Running a red light or not stopping for a stop sign is something people do that has always baffled me. It must be like shoplifting; once you start it's hard to stop wanting to feel the thrill of the moment. Some maybe accidental like if a tree limb is hiding the warning sign or light. But far too many appear to be questionable judgment on the part of the driver. Of course the consequences of not...

• Worth County Cyclist Gets Rear Ended by 80 Year Old

  Steve Lombardi | October 03, 2007 12:00 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  The Iowa State Patrol reported that a bicyclist was rear-ended by Hagen on Highway 105 near Dogwood Avenue in Worth County. Each was westbound on highway 105. Elderly drivers need to make sure their vision isn't deteriorating and that their senses are working well enough to safely operate a car. I've got such a case out of Leon, Iowa where my client was backed into as she walked across the...

• Webster County Collision With Driver Who Has No Insurance

  Steve Lombardi | October 03, 2007 12:00 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Collisions with uninsured drivers require you to protect yourself and those in your car that are injured. The Iowa State Patrol reported about a two vehicle collision in Webster County on 160th Street and Quail Avenue. This is the same kind of crash as previously reported on involving a failure of the car to the left failing to yield the right-of-way. What makes it different is that Thoden did...

• Not issued a ticket - doesn't mean not negligent.

  Steve Lombardi | October 02, 2007 2:15 PM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Driving while the sun is in your eyes making it impossible to see what is in front of you, most of the time is a civil wrong. Just because a driver isn't given a ticket (citation for violating the law) doesn't mean they aren't negligent. In other words a driver can still be sued in civil court even though the police officer didn't issue a ticket. On November 19, 2007 I'll post about falling...

• Soccer Star Involved in a Collision

  Steve Lombardi | September 25, 2007 12:00 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  I coached soccer for over ten years. When a young adult who played soccer and played it so well dies it is with a sense of great loss. I didn't know Margaret "Meggie" Malm. She played for Roosevelt High School, scored over 100 goals and helped her team to consecutive second-place finishes in 2001 and 2002 state championships. She most recently played for University of Missouri women's soccer...

• Fort Dodge Iowa Woman Dead after Hit and Run

  Steve Lombardi | September 24, 2007 9:44 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  This 19 year old woman who was hit died and the vehicle's driver fled afterwards. I can't think of anything more disturbing to the relatives than to not know who it was that struck and killed her. How does one get closure from such an incident? It raises serious questions about why they fled. Sobriety is the first that comes to mind. If you have information about this collision call the police...

• Iowa - Hwy 65 rollover with seven people ejected

  Steve Lombardi | September 20, 2007 9:41 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Motor vehicle accidents caused by equipment failure include tire separation. Claims involving tire separation need to have the vehicle and the tires preserved for later examination. I can not stress this point enough.THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING EVIDENCE - In the Highway 65 rollover accident of the seven people in the minivan all were ejected. The cause is apparently tire separation. There have...

• Iowa Fatality - Equipment Failure the Cause

  Steve Lombardi | September 19, 2007 1:00 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Yesterday the Iowa State Patrol reported on a one-vehicle accident at mile marker 96 on Highway 65 in Polk County. The cause of the accident was noted to be "equipment failure caused the driver to lose control..." That's unusual for the police to arrive at that conclusion so quickly. The fact there were two fatalities makes it more unusual that such a conclusion would be reached so quickly. The...

• Blaming Lawyers for High Medical Costs

  Steve Lombardi | September 18, 2007 10:22 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  Blaming lawyers for the high cost of health care is like blaming doctors for cancer or undertakers for death or nurses for a patient's pain. You'd need fewer lawyers if the insurance companies treated people fairly and everyone were insured.In the 2 cents worth column of the Des Moines Register (Tuesday, September 18, 2007) there is a comment blaming lawyers for the high cost of medical care....

• Iowa - Is someone in Ames in a hurry?

  Steve Lombardi | September 18, 2007 9:51 AM | 0 CommentsDes Moines, IA

  There's an a collision between a Pontiac sedan travelling southbound on Elwood and a GMC 500 traveling north and making a left turn on Elwood. There are no drugs or alcohol involved. Of course the driver making a left-hand turn is more than likely the at fault driver. I can't say that categorically but it seems likely. Was the driver in a hurry? Everyone has a duty to drive using due care and...