Auto Accidents

December 10, 2009

Scarborough man killed in head on crash in Edgecomb

Deputies identified the victim as 62-year-old Eugene Estes. Estes was a courier for NorDx. At the time of the crash, Estes was traveling Route 27 in Edgecomb in a NorDx vehicle to pick up lab specimens from St. Andrews Hospital in Boothbay Harbor.

At this time, there is limited information on the cause of the crash. At Peter Thompson & Associates, we have investigated thousands of car crashes utilizing the very best experts in the field. It will be critical to conduct a timely investigation to preserve evidence at the accident scene and to record witness recollections of the events. Often skid marks and debris left from the vehicles will indicate not only the speed of the vehicles prior to impact, but the direction the vehicles were headed relative to each other.

December 9, 2009

Livermore accident causes fatality

by Peter Thompson & Associates

An East Dixfield man died Sunday from injuries he received when the van he was a passenger in slid in the snow on Route 4 and collided with another vehicle Saturday night, State Police Lt. Walter Grzyb said. Richard Stickney, 69, of East Dixfield, died early Sunday several hours after the accident occurred at about 9:30 p.m., he said.

Three others were also taken by ambulance to the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after the crash.

Sabrina Stickney, 39, of Mexico was driving a 1998 Dodge Caravan northbound when she lost control in the snow on a corner, just north of the Boothby Road/Route 108 intersection, Grzyb said Monday.

December 9, 2009

Four car accident in Des Plaines results in fatality of one driver

by Peter Thompson & Associates

December 2, 2009: Rajeshbhaiv Patel, 47, of 9238 Aspen Dr., died from injuries he sustained in the crash which occurred just after 6 a.m. Dec. 2 on Golf Road east of Oakton Community College.

According to police, Rajeshbhaiv Patel’s passenger and co-worker, Ashwin Patel, 51, of 9581 Dee Rd., unincorporated Maine Township, was also seriously injured in the crash.

Des Plaines Police Commander Dan Niemann said the driver’s side of Rajeshbhaiv Patel’s 1999 Toyota Corolla was broadsided in the crash.

December 1, 2009

Pedestrian killed when crossing Forest Avenue in Portland

by Peter Thompson & Associates

November 29, 2009: 57-year-old Angelo Vacca, Jr. was in the area of 887 Forest Avenue and was crossing the road when 74-year-old Chan Ng, also of Portland, hit him with a red 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier. Police say Vacca was transported to Maine Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

This matter is under investigation. Based on our firm’s experience in handling similar cases, the investigation will undoubtedly look into what the lighting conditions were, whether Mr. Ng was paying proper attention to the road, and whether Mr. Ng was under the influence of any alcohol or substances that would have impaired his ability to see Mr. Vacca in the road and/or delayed his reaction time. In past cases we have successfully settled on behalf of clients, we have uncovered information about drivers being on cellphones immediately prior to the collision by obtaining copies of their cellphone records.

Because this case involved a fatality, police officials will undoubtedly conduct tests to determine whether Mr. Ng was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the collision. Although not part of standard police investigations, it is suggested that information about Mr. Ng’s vision be obtained. We found in one case where a driver claimed to be unable to see a pedestrian at night that the driver had not had his eyes examined for years and, following a court-ordered examination, was found to have poor nighttime vision. This information resulted in a favorable settlement of the case for our client.

November 24, 2009

Pedestrian seriously injured while crossing Boonsboro Road

by Peter Thompson & Associates

A pedestrian was hit by a vehicle while crossing Boonsboro Road near the James River Day School on Monday night. No other information has been released about this incident.

Our firm, Peter Thompson & Associates, successfully tried a case similar to this involving a driver who claimed he was unable to avoid the collision. The critical issue in that case was whether the driver was paying sufficient attention immediately before the collision. Our expert constructed a time and distance model showing that a driver paying attention to the road would have seen our client if he was paying proper attention.

November 24, 2009

Route 26 crash leaves one person dead

by Peter Thompson & Associates

A trailer-truck hauling wood chips and a pickup truck crashed and burst into flames on Route 26 early Monday evening. The crash occurred shortly after 5 p.m. near 122 Bethel Road near the Chowder House Restaurant. Police reports indicate that both trucks appeared to be headed north on a straightaway when the accident occurred near J & K Sporting Goods. A third vehicle was also involved. Maine State Police Sgt. Don Shead was heading up the investigation.

At this time, there is limited information on the cause of the crash. At Peter Thompson & Associates, we have investigated thousands of car crashes utilizing the very best experts in the field. It will be critical to conduct a timely investigation to preserve evidence at the accident scene and to record witness recollections of the events. Often skid marks and debris left from the vehicles will indicate not only the speed of the vehicles prior to impact, but the direction the vehicles were headed relative to each other.

November 17, 2009

Steven Bowers, 24, of Bangor seriously injured in Bangor crash

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Stephen Bowers, 24, of Bangor, suffered life-threatening injuries during an afternoon crash on High Street between Hammond Street and Union Street in downtown Bangor. Bowers was a passenger in a Cadillac driven by James Blakeman, 23, who died at the scene.

In this type of serious case, it is critical to conduct an accident reconstruction as soon as possible to preserve necessary evidence. For example, one of the best ways to determine whether speed was a factor in the accident is to examine and measure skid marks. Skid marks become markedly less visible as time passes, particularly if snow falls and the road is plowed. In addition, the damage to the vehicle is an excellent indicator of the speed of the vehicle immediately prior to impact, so it will be important to preserve the vehicle. At Peter Thompson & Associates, we have investigated hundreds of serious collisions and had the very best accident reconstructionists in the field determine how and why an accident occurred.

November 17, 2009

Serious injuries resulting from 4 car crash in York

by Peter Thompson & Associates

November 12, 2009: A four-car accident on Route 1 Thursday afternoon resulted in multiple injuries and heavy damage to the vehicles involved. A 2008 Volvo station wagon driven by James W. Stott II, 55, of Cape Neddick, was traveling northbound on Route 1 when he struck a southbound 2008 Dodge Durango driven by 38-year-old Erin Latulippe of Ogunquit, who had two young children. Police said the force of the impact sent the Durango careening into a 2007 Kia Sedona van driven by Kelly M. Moulton, 42, of Cape Neddick, who had a 6-year-old child in her vehicle. Following that collision, the Volvo collided with a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Bryan J. Learned, 24, of Wells, which also rolled over.

The cause of this accident is under investigation. As personal injury specialists, Peter Thompson & Associates has investigated hundreds of multi-car accidents. In almost all cases, the primary and secondary causes of collisions are disputed, resulting in the need for a comprehensive accident reconstruction. While police will often conduct an accident reconstruction, we find it frequently necessary to conduct more detailed investigations of accident scenes to determine who, among the various vehicles involved, was at fault. Because important evidence that will be necessary to provide the most accurate investigation is often lost as time passes, it is critical that a comprehensive accident reconstruction occur as soon as possible and that all witnesses to the accident are interviewed to preserve their recollections.

November 8, 2009

Shane Everett, 14, hit by drunk driver on Hunter Road

by Peter Thompson & Associates

November 4, 2009: Shane Everett was walking on Hunter Road when he was hit by John Fortier of Lewiston. Mr. Fortier has been charged with OUI. The boy was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he remained in critical condition late Thursday night, a nursing supervisor said.

At Peter Thompson & Associates, our personal injury law specialists and private investigators have handled similar cases. In this case, it is likely that the driver will claim that, despite his level of intoxication, he could not have avoided the collision with the boy because of the lighting conditions and the color of the boy’s clothes. It will be necessary, as in past cases we have handled, to establish that the delayed reaction time by the driver due to his intoxication was the cause of the accident. Our legal team has employed experts in the effects of intoxication on reaction time and have successfully established that accidents could have easily been avoided but for the driver’s impaired reaction time. We have also conducted simulations under near-idential conditions to show how even small fractions of time can mean the difference between whether it was possible to avoid hitting a pedestrian walking along the side of the road. These simulations have involved, among other things, placing a video camera in a vehicle operating in the same direction as the drunk driver at the lawful speed and having someone walk along the same side of the road in the same type of clothes that our client was wearing at the time of the collision. This type of visual information is extremely persuasive in establishing that the collision could have been avoided.

We also look at whether the driver of vehicle was operating his vehicle above the speed limit. It is possible by looking at scuff marks in the road in relation to where the pedestrian ultimately landed and other physical evidence at the accident scene, including any damage to the vehicle, to determine the speed of the vehicle immediately prior to the collision. Witness statements, if any, are also critical to determining the cause of the accident. It is critical in a case such as this that the matter be investigated as soon as possible to prevent physical evidence from being lost and to preserve witness recollections.

November 8, 2009

Mother and daughter fatally injured in Auburn crash

by Peter Thompson & Associates

November 7, 2009: Authorities are conducting an investigation in the cause of a crash that killed a mother and daughter in Auburn on Saturday. Police reported that a truck hauling an trailer was traveling eastbound on Minot Avenue when it crossed the center line and stuck a 2003 Oldsmobile that was traveling westbound. The operator of the Oldsmobile, a 36-year-old woman from Auburn was killed instantly. Her 4-year-old daughter later died at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewsiton. The operator of the truck, a 43-year-old man from Norway and a passenger from each vehicle were in critical condition at CMMC Saturday night.

Police did not immediately release any names. The cause of the crash was still under investigation late Saturday.

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.