December 18, 2009: The crash occurred shortly before 8:00 PM Thursday along a curve on Route 26. According to police accounts, an SUV driven by 25-year-old Stephen Hulbert of Glen Aubrey turned in front of a car driver by 21-year-old Michael Pisani of Union. Both Hulbert and his 24-year-old wife, Cristin Hulbert were trapped. Ms. Hulbert died at Wilson Hospital. Stephen Hulbert is being treated for his injuries. Mr. Pisani is also being treated for injuries.
At Peter Thompson & Associates, our attorneys and crash scene investigators have investigated many similar accidents. Frequently driver inattention or distraction is the cause. For example, an accident we investigated recently turned out to be due to a driver talking on a cellphone. Although the driver initially claimed that he wasn’t talking on the phone immediately before the accident, we were able to obtain copies of his cellphone records which revealed he lied about that important information. The case was successfully resolved.
Improper speed is also another common factor. Our investigations of accidents generally result in accident reconstructions that look at skid marks, damage to the vehicles, and the distance travelled by the vehicles after the collision to determine the speed of the vehicles immediately prior to impact. We also are able in many cases to obtain data from the vehicles internal computers about speed immediately prior to impact. Witness statements are also crucial information in determining whether excessive speed was a factor in the accident. It is critical that an investigation begin immediately after the accident has occurred in order to preserve physical evidence and obtain statements from witnesses before memories of events fade.