The Maine Supreme Judicial Court was faced with a number of interesting personal injury liability questions of first impression in the recent case of Murdock v. Thorne. For instance: Does a motorist who waves forward another driver have a duty to ensure it is completely safe for the driver to…
An auto accident in Waterville is being blamed on a mechanical failure. According to the Kennebec Journal, the problem had to do with the front end of a Volkswagon Jetta. The 31-year-old driver reported he was operating the vehicle on North Street when he suddenly described feeling in the steering…
Drunk driving accidents and the devastating injuries and deaths they cause are 100 percent preventable. Maine legislators believe this as well, which is why criminal penalties for causing an accident while drunk are severe – especially if someone is seriously hurt or killed. Maine Revised Statute 29-A, Section 2411 spells…
An apparent lack of communication between health care providers proved nearly fatal for a Maine man, to whom a jury recently awarded $1.785 million in a medical malpractice claim. The patient, 71, and his wife, 63, from Millinocket, alleged harm to his health could have been prevented had health care workers…
It was five years ago that a high school cheerleader in Maine suffered a horrifying head injury during a “basket toss” stunt, in which she fell some 20 feet after being thrown in the air by her teammates at practice. In a lawsuit she filed three years ago, the former…
A man driving a car on a rural road in Waterville was reportedly blinded by bright sun when he rear-ended a horse-drawn hayride recently, injuring seven people – one critically. According to the Bangor Daily News, the collision happened on Christmas Day when the operators, S&S Carriage Rides, were offering…
When serious or fatal injuries are caused by another person’s negligence, the victim and/or surviving family have a right to pursue compensation for their losses. However, when the injuries sustained are the result of an intentional act, collecting becomes a more complicated matter. The reason is that while victims are…
The Bangor Daily News recently reported the arrest of a 22-year-old man on a charge of elevated aggravated assault after he allegedly intentionally struck a Bath Iron Works employee who was walking to his job. It was a Wednesday morning, and the victim would later say the driver made some…
Only six states in the U.S. have laws that require seat belt installation on school buses. Maine isn’t among them. That should change, according to Mark R. Rosekind, National Highway Traffic Safety administrator. In a recent keynote speech to a group of school transportation officials in Virginia, Rosekind announced the…
A police officer wading into a rowdy college crowd in Orono to arrest unruly guests fell and broke his ankle. As this incident occurred while he was working, he’s almost certainly entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. However, that only covers part of his expenses, and he has since filed a…