Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer - collisions

Police Chase on I-35 in Iowa

Steve Lombardi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:01:00 GMT

This accidental death raises the question, are high speed chases really necessary?

On Wednesday October 14^th 2009 at about 2:30 in the morning an officer noticed a car driving erratically; when the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over the driver refused and a chase ensued. Troopers are reporting that the driver tried to elude officers and that the chase hit speeds of 100 miles per hour. When the driver was near Ames he cut across the median and went head-on into oncoming traffic. Shortly thereafter the suspect hit a semi head-on and was killed as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash. The trucker only suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention.

Could this death have been avoided? Should law abiding citizens be put at risk from high-speed police chases? Remember I'm not talking about the runner here; I'm talking about the soccer vans and sedans with no dog in this fight who unsuspectingly get pulled into the fray when the idiot comes across the median and starts traveling against the traffic. Those are the innocent people. The driver would have no reason to driver the wrong way on an Interstate if law enforcement weren't chasing him. Why not just follow him quietly, call ahead and set up a road block or put down nail strips?

Is this about law enforcement or law enforcement ego? What if the vehicle the suspect had hit was one carrying a mother and child and the accident caused their death; would we all be congratulating the officer or outraged about the senseless deaths? At what point do we draw the line and say that the danger caused by a high speed chase outweighs the benefit gained from catching them immediately? One of the reasons that we have license plates is so that our cars can be identified in cases like these. Why not just follow until he runs out of gas? Is an interstate highway high-speed chase an unacceptable level of risk to other citizens?

The debate goes on.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Des Moines Woman dies on County Road due to a Failure to Stop

Steve Lombardi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:01:00 GMT

According to the Des Moines Register, Jennifer Sue Peacock from Des Moines was at the intersection of County Road S31 and Iowa Highway 5 near HartfordThe 24-year-old failed to come to a complete stop and was then broadsided. Her 1997 Chevrolet Lumina was broadsided by Jarred Camden Roy, age 33., on Sunday October 18^th around 7:30pm.Knoxville driving a truck. Peacock died when she was involved in this reported two-vehicle collision.

You can't assume that the at-fault driver always hurts others; sometimes their fault hurts them or the passengers in their car. This is one of those cases. As lawyers who represent people we have the kinds of personalities to offer solutions. But in this case there is no viable legal solution. With these kinds of accidents the only advice we give is the advice to move on. Des Moines Register

If the facts are different then the outcome may also be different, but according to this report the fault is her’s for failing to yield the right of way. California stops don’t work. We wish her family well along with the other driver. . On this week coming up to Thanksgiving we should be thankful for the little we have and for the lives we live. Enjoy your holiday with family and friends.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Iowa Accidents - Cranes, bulldozers, cars, motorcycles, teens and tots.

Steve Lombardi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:48:00 GMT

Linn County, Iowa - A crane collapsed at the construction site of the new federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids. There were 50 to 60 workers on the site. The crane was reported to be operated by workers from Dawes Rigging and Crane Rental from Wisconsin. The news report last night on Channel 5 indicated it fell because it was on uneven ground. That can’t be true nor should it matter. There are legs that if set properly allow a crane to be set up most any grade. Fact of the matter is it probably wasn’t set up right in the first place. Wish as you will for forgiveness but stupidity is a close relative of negligence. KWWL story. KCCI.

Remember the bulldozer that slipped off it’s jacks killing the operator?

Bulldozer slips off jacks and kills operator

...using a crane to life the bulldozer, however it was too late and Mr. O’Shaughnessy was pronounced dead at the scene. Workplace accidents happen every day and most are avoidable; could this accident have been avoided? Hopefully, if he's married she is covered under a workers' compensation policy of insurance. That should pay her a lifetime benef...

from *InjuryBoard Des Moines* | *Des Moines* Iowa Personal Injury Attorney - Nov 2, 2009 1:50 PM

Bulldozer slips off jacks and kills operator, widow's benefits at stake

...using a crane to life the bulldozer, however it was too late and Mr. O’Shaughnessy was pronounced dead at the scene. Workplace accidents happen every day and most are avoidable; could this accident have been avoided?Hopefully, if he's married she is covered under a workers' compensation policy of insurance. That should pay her a lifetime benefit...

from The Verdict Blawg - Nov 2, 2009 9:12 AM

Benton County, Iowa - KWWL reports on a two-vehicle car accident south of Garrison in Benton County. The news report is slim on facts. It’s reported to be at the location of 63rd Street and 19th Avenue. One person died, although we don’t know who.

Jefferson County, Iowa - In a single vehicle roll-over accident the driver died while three passengers were injured on U.S. Highway 34 east of Fairfield near Osage Avenue. The woman was from Indiana; Margarita Ortiz Romero (37) and her passengers were a 7-year-old Daniela Ortiz, Edgar (2) and Lucelia Caperon (42) were all taken to either the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics or the Jefferson County Hospital. The roll-over occurred around 9:30 at night.

Council Bluffs, Iowa – A resident of CB was killed his motorcycle is reported to have struck a Honda Civic. The reports are that Eric Jacobsen (29) was struck at around 6:45 p.m. when the Civic’s driver failed to yield at a stop sign and she attempted a left turn off of Old Railroad Highway onto 205th Street. The driver said she didn’t see the motorcycle coming. Well how long did you look before pulling out? Did you come to a complete stop? How hard did you look? “I didn’t see it coming.”, isn’t a good enough reason to excuse the driver of negligence. Plain and simply you have a duty to see what is clearly there. In this instance it cost the motorcycle driver his life.

Hardin County, Iowa – A 16-year-old boy driving on a country road southeast of Union lost control while rounding a curve killing the 17-year-old passenger. (Leo Barten) Another passenger Austin Smitheman, 16, was also injured. A driver has a duty to maintain control and to drive at a speed to be able to maintain control. If you’re at the wheel it’s your duty to drive under control.

Story County, Iowa – An intersection collision at 620th Avenue and 315th Street

occurred at around 6:40 p.m. between a pickup truck being driven by Jacob Thompson of Maxwell and a Mazda being driven by Jose Martinez-Alvarez of Marshalltown. A passenger in the Alvarez vehicle, Salvator Hernandez Yepez of Marshalltown was ejected and pronounce dead at the scene. There were several other passengers and all were taken to Mary Greely Medical Center in Ames. Intersection collisions are pretty common when it’s location is either uncontrolled or out in the county.

If we are in a recession I'm not seeing it. If you need help or have questions with your insurance claim call us at the Lombardi Law Firm, we've done this for 30 years.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Head-on Crash and the Center line in Clayton County, Iowa

Steve Lombardi — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:58:00 GMT

It’s reported that a vehicle being driven by Sarah Austin, 21 or Luana crossed the center line on U.S. Highway 52 at 5:45 a.m. on November 8, 2009 killing a 41-year-old man. The man Lee Zuercher was reported to not be wearing his seatbelt. His passenger, 18-year-old Coedy Zuercher was and apparently survived. So what did cause the car driven by Ms. Austin to cross the center line? That is the question any legal claims will be required to answer. As a lawyer I’d focus on whether she had a cell phone in the car and whether she was texting or talking. She may have spoken to the police and they may know the answer to that question. Any good investigation would require a search of the accident scene before first snow falls. My suggestion to the incident injured passenger and estate is to act fast.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

10 Reasons Why People Get Injured on I-35 in Iowa

Steve Lombardi — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:05:00 GMT

I’m going to step out of line today and answer this question about why clients get injured while using I-35 (or I-80) while traveling through Iowa. I could probably answer this question equally well, well maybe, for Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma or Texas but I’ll leave that to Brooks Scheulke, Mike Bryant, Noble McIntyre or Jeremy Thurman to do since they know those states better. Iowa’s intestate is mostly flat, but some rolling hills. From the north to the south I-35 is pretty straight and all four lanes. In central Iowa it jogs around Des Moines and becomes a part of I-80. Once you get to the south end of that loop you’re almost out of West Des Moines and I-80 separates off and heads west to Omaha, Nebraska. From there it’s a straight shot through to Missouri.

I’ve been studying the cause of accidents along I-35 for the better part of thirty years and although I’m not capable of naming all the reasons there are several that stick with me as a personal injury lawyer.

1. Alcohol related – driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

2. Speed – driving too fast for the conditions, those conditions include weather and construction zones.

3. Distracted driving – driving while using a cell phone, an iPod, controlling the kids, eating, pets, arguing or any of the myriad of distractions that form a part of the epidemic of driver distractions.

4. Look out – driving without looking where you’re going and I mean paying close enough attention and focusing your attention to changing conditions.

5. Anger management issues – this one I’ve seen more and more of on the Interstate 35 and 80. Road rage is a popular term that doesn’t quite describe what this one is about. I say that because it makes pissed off drivers sound like they have an uncontrollable disease; when in fact it’s all controllable. Even women suffer from it although I suspect men allow anger management issues to creep into the driver’s seat more often.

6. Deer – OMG! It’s a deer. Yup this is Iowa and when the crop starts coming out of the field so goes their habitat and they must keep moving. Deer are more active at dawn and dusk so watch closer during those times. Especially you who are on motorcycles.

7. Being in a hurry – especially around the cities of Des Moines, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Clive, Waukee, Ankeny, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, Council Bluffs, Waterloo and Cedar Falls we have people using the interstate system for inner city travel. There’s nothing wrong with it but it does add cars, trucks, motorcycles, delivery vehicles, lawn car trucks and all those other errand types of traffic that seem to add clutter with people in a hurry. Being in a hurry is no excuse for not being courteous, thoughtful, mindful and realizing that you’re now on the Interstate highway system. So slow down and use other roads if you can.

8. Inexperienced or youthful drivers – You know everyone sees these kids and younger adults driving. We rent parking spaces to high school students and their cars are always so easily spotted. There are a million dangly things hooked onto the rear view mirror, that block the view out the windshield. The driver’s head is down many times because they are texting. Many times there are a bunch of them in the car and that youthful exuberance seems to get everyone talking at once and heads bobbing to the conversation. Since many know they aren’t following their parent’s rules they are always looking around furtively hoping you’re not their PARENT! Anyway you know it’s true and you’ve seen them violating most of these rules of the road.

9. Not thinking – drivers forget when they get to a construction zone that they need to adjust their attitudes for the changing conditions. The drop in speed limit isn’t just a suggestion. Those road crew workers aren’t crash test dummies; they are real people that actually die if you strike them. Road workers can’t always be watching you so get as far over and away from their area as you can. When you see a road crew, the sign should give that away, adjust your attitude to slow down, pay more attention, look for the crew members and get out of the hurry-up mode.

10. Fatigued semi-truck drivers – truck drivers are being used by transport companies to fill-out phony logs and we all know it. They will deny it and say I don’t know what I’m talking about. When the truckers are in an accident, and this doesn’t apply to them all, many have phony log books that cover for the company they work for. If you want to keep your job as a truck driver you have to make the delivery on time or else it’s see-ya-time.

Here in Iowa we don’t have a tourism industry like they do in Florida but people still travel through Iowa on I-35 to visit Prairie Meadows to gamble, the Iowa Barnstormers, and the Iowa Cubs, on their way to Ames to see ISU play or on their way to Iowa City to see the Hawkeye football teams. They travel to attend schools at the major colleges like the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Northern Iowa, Drake University, Des Moines University Medical School, Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport or Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids. People travel to all the major hospital systems like Iowa Health, Mercy Medical Center, McFarland Clinic or the University Hospitals and Clinics. And of course 1 million people travel into central Iowa every year to visit the Iowa State Fair. To visit family, friends or to just attend the Des Moines Metro Opera there are as many reasons to travel as there are people.

Be careful when you travel and pay attention. The life you save may be your own. And if you’re in an accident while in Iowa, even if you’ve traveled from one of our sister states call the Lombardi Law Firm for assistance. We are happy to work with your attorney from your home state.

And for fun today, here’s the Husband Calling Contest, which I’ve never seen or heard!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOV7R_PT1Wg

Series on I-35 (I-80) Travel from Texas to Minnesota

Steve Lombardi, 4200 Corporate Drive, Suite 112, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266

Tel: 515-222-1110 Fax: 515-222-0718 Email: sdlombardi@aol.com

Noble McIntyre, 1300 S. Meridian Ave. Suite 501, Oklahoma city, OK. 73108 | ph: 405-917-5200

Jeremy Thurman, 1300 S. Meridian Ave. Suite 501, Oklahoma city, OK. 73108 | ph: 405-917-5200

Schuelke, C Brooks, 1717 W 6th St # 375, Austin, TX (512) 476-4944

Mike Bryant, 1505 Division Street | Waite Park, Minnesota 56387 | T: 320.259.5414 | F: 320.259.5438

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

What is a pi lawyer and what questions should I ask him after an I-35 collision?

Steve Lombardi — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:48:59 GMT

They will tell you I'm not supposed to be proud to be a "PI Lawyer". I am and I make no apology for being one or for that matter being proud to be one. And until people remember the meaning of do until others as you would have them do unto you, you won't understand why until you need a personal injury lawyer.

So what is a personal injury lawyer?

A personal injury lawyer is one who works for the injured person after they’ve been involved in an accident. In this instance these personal injury lawyers have gotten together to discuss the types of personal injury claims that occur on the interstate highways between Minnesota and Texas. That highway of course is I-35.

What personal injury lawyers do is a daily struggle of battling against the enormous financial power of the insurance industry. They help you navigate through the mixed signals and demands of different insurance companies. For instance after you’re in a highway wreck you end up having a tow bill, a storage bill, a car damage claim, probably medical expenses and certainly time off from work. Your claims originate in one state, not the one in which you live and you need to figure out how to get answers and in what order those questions need to be answered. Literally you find yourself sinking in demands of several insurance adjusters with no one assisting you. That is where the personal injury lawyer is helpful.

We live this day in and day out. We take over the hassles that you find overwhelming. Where you feel like you’re being pushed around by the other guy’s auto insurance company, your own insurance company and the health insurance company, we push back and direct traffic. Personal injury lawyers are here for you, your spouse and family and all those whose interests aren’t opposing to your own. The most important question you can ask is “Are you on my side?”

How many years have you been handling personal injury legal work?

Do you have other lawyers in the state where the collision occurred that you can work with to get my case handled?

Do you like doing this kind of work?

Do you have a blog where I can read what you’ve written?

How do you handle these cases?

You will hear the insurance industry malign personal injury lawyers and you will hear politicians run on platforms with tort reform planks, but when it comes to your personal injury claim none of them are helpful or there to assists you. The fact is you can’t even believe your own insurance company adjuster can be trusted. Why, because if the other guy hasn’t enough insurance coverage you’ll need to file an underinsured motorist claim. And if the other guy doesn’t have any insurance you’ll have to file an uninsured motorist claim. That means you’re insurance company is your opponent; and trust me on this one, they understand that perfectly. In 30 years of practicing law I can tell you what and how they will treat you. Your own insurance company may even hire a lawyer for the at-fault driver, that’s the guy that hit you and caused you injury, to beat your claim so that they don’t have to pay you anything under your own policy.

That’s the way this system works. So now you know why they really don’t want you hiring a “personal injury lawyer” and why they’ve spent so much money convincing you personal injury claims are a bad idea.

Here is our series so far:

Why Hire a Lawyer After an I-35 Collision? | InjuryBoard St. Cloud ... Why Hire a Lawyer After an I-35 Collision? ... St. Paul, and Twin Cities here in Minnesota, but cuts across the country as I-35.

How you Find an lawyer after an I-35 accident. Brooks Schuelke

Injured in an I-35 Accident? Real Life Reasons You Need an Attorney, Posted by Jeremy Thurman October 22, 2009 2:26 PM

Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer for an I-35 Car Accident ... Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer for an I-35 Car Accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer for an I-35 Car Accident

Steve Lombardi — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:33:00 GMT

How can people injured in car or truck accidents on I-35 find a personal injury lawyer in Des Moines, Iowa or one of the states Interstate 35 runs through? When drivers, passengers, families of drivers, passengers, workers, troopers or maintenance workers are injured in another state on I-35 they need to know how to find an Iowa lawyer. So if you’re from Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Missouri or Kansas and you’re involved in a wreck on I-35 in Iowa what lawyer handles that kind of legal work? Call Steve Lombardi or call one of the other attorneys listed below. We are here to help you.

In general there are several ways it’s been done in the past; some traditional and some not so traditional.

Professional Referrals: Call a lawyer you know and ask for a reference.

Lay Referrals: Call a friend or relative and ask for a referral. But ask a lot of questions. Why were you satisfied with them? What kind of case? Is it the same type of case? Is the lawyer licensed in Iowa? Does the lawyer practice in the area of personal injury or dabble in it to make extra money.

Internet Search: Get on the Internet and search using the terms of your case, accident or injury. See if the lawyer writes how he writes and what he/she writes about. Is this really the lawyers area of expertise.

Previous Experience: If you’ve already had a case and were satisfied with the lawyer; and they handle this kind of work then use them again; unless you know someone better, smarter or more energetic.

Yellow Pages: NOT!! DEAD!!

If we can help you give us a call. Steve Lombardi, 4200 Corporate Drive, Suite 112, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266

Tel: 515-222-1110 Fax: 515-222-0718 Email: sdlombardi@aol.com

Our member firms for this series are:

Noble McIntyre, 1300 S. Meridian Ave. Suite 501, Oklahoma city, OK. 73108 | ph: 405-917-5200

Jeremy Thurman, 1300 S. Meridian Ave. Suite 501, Oklahoma city, OK. 73108 | ph: 405-917-5200

Schuelke, C Brooks, 1717 W 6th St # 375, Austin, TX (512) 476-4944

Mike Bryant, 1505 Division Street | Waite Park, Minnesota 56387 | T: 320.259.5414 | F: 320.259.5438

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Distractions, Drinking, Driving and Death - The Four "D's" of the Apocalypse

Steve Lombardi — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:47:00 GMT

Metrick Lawan, the driver of the car that crashed on September 21^st 2009 killing passenger Heaven Chumos, has been charged with two counts of serious injury by vehicle, OWI, and the most serious charge of homicide by vehicle. He arrived at the Polk County Jail Monday after spending the last week in the hospital recovering from his own injuries related to the crash, his bond has been set at $76,000. Investigators had previously said that they found no skid marks indicating that Mr. Jenkins did not try to brake to avoid crashing.

The report indicates the driver had just hours before the crash, lost his driver’s license.

Many people will think the passengers’ claims for personal injury damages are a foregone conclusion, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. It all depends on the amount of insurance coverage available along with their complicity in any drinking that may have taken place. You can’t buy the driver drinks, sit there with him drinking all night, then get in the car with him and expect to be compensated. The law of complicity is involved with ferreting out the comparative fault. It’s about assumption of known risks. And everyone knows a drunken driver is a high risk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_rjnx_OebY

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Interstate Highways and Wrong-way Collisions, the Carnage Continued...

Steve Lombardi — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:09:00 GMT

We’ve been covering wrong-way collisions for the month of July and have continued to update during the month of August in 2009. This is the second update since writing the wrong-way series that started on August 3, 2009. You can read the complete list of wrong-way collisions in the recap posted on August 15, 2009.

Part 1 of 20 - Wrong-way Interstate Collisions, Don't blink a car is ready to hit you head-on, August 3, 2009

Wrong-Way Accidents - Complete Recap of All July 2009 Collisions, August 15, 2009

Twenty-Six More Wrong-Way Interstate Highway Drivers, August 18, 2009

Analyzing July 2009 Wrong-way High Speed Collisions in America, August 3, 2009

Wrong-Way Accidents: Call for articles, posts, studies and related information on wrong-way drivers – ghost drivers!, June 23, 2009

Wrong-way drivers on I-80 Interstate are a problem, June 3, 2009

Here is the update for wrong-way collisions for this series with Devon Glass and Dave Mittleman from Michigan and Wayne Parsons from Hawaii Injuryboard. Wayne, I’m wondering aloud if you see many wrong-way driver collisions on any of your three highways? And Devon, what are you seeing in the Michigan area on the Interstate highway system? I’d like to hear what if anything Mike Bryant is seeing in that maze of Interstate highways around the Twin Cities of Minnesota. And maybe we can get an Al Franken report. In fact before we get too serious, these wrong-ways tend to be extremely deadly, let’s start out with that YouTube video of the talking fish from the Franken-Coleman Senate race. I love that talking fish ad. It’s gotta be a classic. Sorry Norm (we attended college together at the University of Iowa) but this is way too funny to leave alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4RfT7J0_5Y&feature=related

Now back to the serious stuff about wrong-way drivers. We’ve had a wrong-way collision not more than ½ a mile from my house on I-35 southbound. It’s at the end.

Detroit, Michigan – August 28, 2009 wrong-way collision on Lodge Freeway. A 31-year-old man died after he drove the wrong-way. Accident occurred at around 12:45 a.m., driving southbound. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor.

Haltom City, Texas – August 28, 2009 – State Highway 121 wrong-way driver collided head-on with a semi-truck and was killed. This man was heading north in the southbound lanes around 2 a.m. This driver safety stopped in the emergency lane, but when police approached he took off, again the wrong-way colliding with the semi-truck. Additional details were provided by the Star-Telegram. The wrong-way driver was 53-years of age. A map and video are available with WFAA Latest News.

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania – August 27, 2009 - No deaths in this southbound wrong-way driver in the northbound lanes of traffic in the HOV lane of Parkway North near the McKnight Road ramp. There was personal injury and OWI charges were pending against the wrong-way driver.

Allentown, Pennsylvania – August 27, 2009 – This wrong-way collision occurred around 3:30 A.M. at 8th and Linden Streets when the driver turned and drove the wrong way on Linden Street. One man was killed and another seriously injured.

St. Louis, Missouri – August 26, 2009 – In this wrong-way collision three died and one was injured on Illinois 255, about 11/2 miles north of I-270. The wrong-way driver is reported to be a 46-year-old man driving with a revoked license with multiple arrests and six convictions on alcohol related offenses. He lived, but the driver and a passenger in the other car were killed. Emergency calls shortly before this collision reported a wrong-way driver heading south in the northbound lanes of I-255 and then another call came in reporting a car heading north in the southbound lanes. Confused or drunk driver, you be the judge.

Detroit, Michigan – August 28, 2009 – A 28-year-old man was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of M-10 near Larned. The driver died and a passenger in the wrong-way vehicle was taken to the hospital and listed in fair condition. Alcohol was reported to be a factor, according to reports of what the police said.

Maderia, Ohio - August 28, 2009 – This wrong-way collision occurred on I-71 involved a 27-year-old driver and two passengers, one 18 and the other 24. Drugs and alcohol are believed to have been a factor.

Maderia, Ohio – August 2009 – In this second wrong-way crash in a two-day period a 64-year old man died after driving head-on into the wrong-way driver. The driver of the wrong-way car was a 33-year-old man. The crash involved a third car driven by an 18-year-old who was not injured. This one occurred on I-275 just before 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

Milford, Oakland County, Michigan – August 26, 2009 – Police report this collision was caused by intentionally driving the wrong-way by a young girl (16-year-old) who was depressed over her father’s death in November. She took her mother’s SUV and drove the wrong-way in the westbound lanes of I-96 near Lansing. She drove head-on into a semi-truck at around 9:25 p.m. She left a note saying she was tired of being depressed and wanted to see her father.

Birch Run, Michigan – August 26, 2009 – I-75 was the scene of this wrong-way driver that involved a man intentionally driving the wrong-way while police chased him in a stolen vehicle. The driver was 22-years of age.

Allentown, Pennsylvania – August 26, 2009 – This wrong-way collision happened in downtown Allentown at 3 a.m. Not much detail was given in this report although it appears to be a one-car crash with the driver dying and the passenger critically injured. They crashed into several fixed objects including a parking garage and a restaurant.

Boston, Massachusetts – August 23, 2009 – The 42-year-old wrong-way driver was being chased by police when he intentionally drove the wrong-way on state highway 24 and I-495. No one was hurt although the chase went on for nearly a half-hour.

Landrum, South Carolina – August 22, 2009 – The 33-year-old wrong-way female driver collided head-on with another vehicle. The collision caused one death, one person was seriously injured and the wrong-way driver was charged with “two counts of felony driving under the influence of alcohol -- one count involving great bodily injury and one county involving death.” The driver was heading westbound on I-26 near mile marker 2 near Landrum around 5:20 a.m. A front seat passenger was reported to have died.

Edmonton, Canada – August 22, 2009 – A wrong-way driver heading south in the northbound lanes of Wayne Gretzky Drive was operated by a 49-year-old woman reported to be impaired by alcohol.

Hickory, North Carolina – August 18, 2009 – The report is of an elderly couple (driver was 75) driving the wrong-way (northbound in the southbound lanes) on U.S. 321 just before 2:00 p.m. They drove head0n into a pickup truck killing the elderly driver and severely injuring his wife, a passenger.

Ontario, California – August 20, 2009 – This wrong-way driver died after striking a tow truck on Highway 60. The female driver was heading west in the eastbound lanes when the head-on crash occurred.

New Orleans, Louisiana – August 19, 2009 – It seems no state is immune to wrong-way driving, well maybe North and South Dakota. In this wrong-way collision in the eastbound lanes of I-12 a young female driver drove head-on into an 18-wheeler killing her. She drove the wrong-way for at least 6 miles. Police suspect alcohol was involved. The driver was not wearing her seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle.

West Des Moines, Iowa – I-35 northbound in the southbound lanes of traffic. The wrong-way driver was not killed but the driver of the car struck head-on was killed. The explanation for this collision is that the wrong-way driver was suffering from a diabetic condition and became confused, entered the wrong-way on Highway 5 and continued all the way off 5 and onto I-35 heading north in the southbound lanes.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.556509,-93.760414&spn=0.050483,0.139389&t=h&z=13

I'll have more on this later this week.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Another Semi-Truck Crash Rear Ending Traffic on I-80 West Des Moines

Steve Lombardi — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:19:00 GMT

On August 26^th 2009 a crash between a semi and a car occurred in the southbound lanes of I-35 between the University and Westown Parkway ramps. The police said that a passenger vehicle was stalled on the travel portion of I-35 when it was rear ended by the semi. The passenger vehicle driver was injured and taken to the hospital. The real question is why did the wreck happen? Was the semi driver paying attention? Did the passenger vehicle have his/her emergency blinkers on? Cars break down on the interstate all the time will you be watching for them?

Or will you be on a cell phone talking or texting?

In the past two days I've encounted no fewer than 10 drivers weaving, pulling out when they should yield, stopping when they should drive ahead, slowing for no apparent reason and in each case they were on cell phones either talking or texting.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi