Posted on August 08, 2014 in Car Accidents

Commuters in Northern Virginia are used to traffic jams, speeding vehicles and the occasional political motorcade. Most of the time, the traffic situations that bring cars to a halt on the interstate are simply due too many vehicles trying to get to work during the same morning and evening hours. Recently in Fairfax, though, a nasty jam was created when a police chase became a multi-vehicle auto accident.

On Aug. 2 around 3:00 in the afternoon, police officers pulled over a Dodge Charger in the area of Interstate 66 in Fairfax County. The vehicle's driver was wanted on a warrant, and while an officer was taking the driver into police custody, the Charger's passenger grabbed the wheel and sped off. Police chased after the fleeing vehicle. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the Charger eventually veered into traffic and struck two cars on I-66 near Arlington.

Officials were able to redirect traffic off the interstate and caught up to the driver of the Charger. However, six people, including the Charger's driver, suffered injuries from the multi-vehicle accident. A few suffered severe injuries and had to be taken to Arlington's Virginia Hospital Center. Both lanes of I-66 were stalled for more than one hour as traffic stretched-out for miles. Ultimately, police were able to identify the two individuals in the fleeing Charger as a 33-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman from Washington, D.C.

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 Posted on July 31, 2014 in Car Accidents

Fortunately for its many residents, Northern Virginia is home to a robust mix of transportation options. With the price of gas certainly not going down in recent years, some residents are becoming more open to alternatives to driving a car. Some may choose to get around on a moped; if they're not going far, a moped can be ideal for in-town driving, if weather permits. Still, due to its small size and unfamiliarity for many drivers, a moped can easily become involved in a car accident if vehicle drivers aren't attentive.

Last year, according to officials, there were 600 crashes in Virginia that involved mopeds, motorscooters or mini-bikes. Of these incidents, 12 of them proved deadly. Earlier this year, a teenager from Reston was killed while riding a mini bike. Over the past five years, notes the DMV, there have been over 2,000 moped accidents spurring injuries for 1,967 individuals.

On July 1 of this year, a new law affecting mopeds required drivers to meet several new requirements. One is that they must wear an approved helmet, be age 16 or older, register their moped with the DMV and carry a photo ID when riding on state roads. In addition, if a moped does not feature a front windshield, the driver must sport certain types of face protection.

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 Posted on July 23, 2014 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Virginia is often known as one of the toughest states on drunk drivers. If one causes a drunk driving accident in the state, he or she may face more than a night in jail, even for a first offense. However, it's interesting to learn that Virginia's well-known toughness on DUI offenders was not always the case. Roughly a decade ago, a bipartisan set of lawmakers drafted over 70 pieces of legislation aimed at cracking down on drunk drivers.

Fortunately, the approach of getting tough with drunk drivers seems to have had a positive effect. Since 2005, deaths caused by DUI accidents have gone down by an impressive 21 percent. In addition, according to statistics from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, DUI-related wrecks have gone down by about 30 percent. Even better, this apparent drop in DUI-related fatalities and accidents is reflected on the national level. From 2005 to 2012, DUI fatalities went down by about 23 percent nationwide.

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 Posted on July 17, 2014 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

No driver is perfect all the time, but most of the time drivers are able to balance minor distractions with their responsibilities toward others on the road. Still, even something as simple as reaching down for a drink can take a driver's attention off the road; when this occurs, the chaos that can result can far outweigh the insignificance of a simple distraction.

A recent commercial vehicle accident in Virginia resulted in four people being sent to the hospital, as well as an overturned truck. The trucking accident happened on Interstate 64 in the mid-morning hours, when a 41-year-old truck driver briefly looked down to take a drink of water. When his eyes returned to the road, he could see that traffic had come to a halt, but it was too late: his box truck struck a minivan, which in turn hit a pickup truck. According to the police, a chain-reaction set of accidents occurred which ultimately ensnared six vehicles.

Police charged the truck driver with reckless driving. Some may assume this type of charge is only leveled at those who engage in egregiously unsafe acts, such as street racing or driving while under the influence of drugs. Still, reckless driving can take many different forms, as this case demonstrates. In addition to sending accident victims to the hospital, the I-64 crash also caused traffic to be backed-up for hours.

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 Posted on July 10, 2014 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

One of the worst types of car accidents any Virginian can become involved in is one in which a vehicle is pushed into an intersection. While all crossings are different, the typical intersection has many vehicles traveling through at once, some in different directions and some speeding through a yellow light just in time. Most people travel through intersections several times a day without giving them a second thought, but these aspects of one's everyday life can instantly become scenes of chaos if negligence or recklessness are involved.

Earlier this month at an intersection in Culpeper, a horrific fatal commercial trucking accident caused one fatality, sent others to the hospital, started a fire and inflicted damage upon surrounding property. During the morning hours a car and commercial truck were stopped at the intersection of Alanthus Road and U.S. 29, with the larger wood-hauling truck behind the smaller passenger vehicle. Another truck, this one carrying produce, was heading north on 29 when it struck the back of stopped truck a little before 7:30 a.m. The impact pushed the passenger car into the intersection and caused the two trucks to catch fire.

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 Posted on July 03, 2014 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Multi-vehicle crashes can cause a lot of damage on Virginia's roadways. At best, they may result in a fender-bender and perhaps a bruised ego for a negligent driver. Many times, though, they cause far more devastation, especially if they are or become fatal motor vehicle accidents.

Recently in Norfolk, a crash involving several vehicles led to the shocking death of a man and the serious injury of another. Two females, as well as an infant, also suffered injuries in the crash, which took place around 9:30pm near the city line between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

According to police, a southbound vehicle stopped and its driver exited the vehicle to put something in the car's trunk. Another car, traveling in the same lane, hit the stopped car. The impact pinned the first car's driver between the two vehicles, a Dodge Stratus and a Mazda CX-7. Unfortunately, the driver of the Stratus, a man from Chesapeake, died shortly after the accident at a nearby hospital.

In an incident like this, there is likely to be an official investigation into the causes of the crash. In this case, authorities have noted they are continuing to investigate. Following the investigation's conclusion, the Commonwealth's Attorney will then proceed with filing charges, if there are any.

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 Posted on June 25, 2014 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Summer is concert season, and countless residents of Northern Virginia spend their summer nights taking in the sights and sounds of music fests, outdoor concerts and other events. Some people may get a little carried away at these events and have a little too much to drink, however. Usually this behavior is harmless and requires a designated driver for safety's sake. Few people who attend concerts, though, expect to be hit by a drunk driver.

Recently, at 96XFest in Portsmouth, a woman was seriously injured after being hit by an apparent drunk driver. The 27-year-old reportedly drunk driver was driving the wrong way when she struck another 27-year-old, who was walking away from the concert. After striking the pedestrian, the vehicle then struck some fencing and came to a stop near the seawall railing. Fortunately, no other pedestrians or bystanders were hurt in the incident. The driver was unhurt as well, although the accident victim suffered serious injuries. The drunk driving accident resulted in charges of DUI and maiming for the driver.

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 Posted on June 18, 2014 in Truck Accidents

A large semi truck striking anything is dangerous, but a tractor-trailer colliding with another tractor-trailer can be especially calamitous. Recently, in Augusta County, Virginia, a fatal rear-end collision occurred and claimed the life of a 55-year-old man. The tractor trailer accident played out on Interstate 81 on June 11.

Virginia state police say that the two tractor-trailers were both traveling south on I-81. The one in front slowed down for traffic, but the one behind, apparently, failed to decrease its speed as well. The resulting crash caused the second semi truck to jackknife, and its driver died on the scene. Fortunately, no other drivers were injured in this incident.

As this case makes clear, even truck drivers are not immune to the mistakes of other truck drivers, or their own. One error in judgment, or a few moments of distracted driving, can claim a truck driver's own life or someone else's. Recently, in the nearby District of Columbia, where countless Northern Virginians spend their work weeks, a dump truck struck a female pedestrian and dragged her until a bystander intervened.

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 Posted on June 11, 2014 in Car Accidents

There is often a dizzying array of costs associated with car accidents. For the individuals involved, there are likely to be medical expenses and lost wages due to missed work from the auto accident. For surviving family members of victims in fatal accidents, both medical expenses and funeral expenses can add financial trauma on top of tragedy.

Still, what about the nationwide cost of car accidents? According to a recently-released study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle accidents cost over $870 billion a year in terms of economic harm and its societal equivalent.

The study accounted for car and truck crashes in 2010, when just under 33,000 people lost their lives due to such collisions. That same year another 3.9 million individuals suffered injuries as a result of truck and car accidents. Finally, a whopping 24 million vehicles sustained damage from the wrecks. While no price can be placed on the human toll of these accidents, the economic impact of the 2010 accidents was $277 billion. The remaining $594 billion was associated with damage stemming from loss of human life, decreased quality of life and pain.

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 Posted on June 06, 2014 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

When an 86-year-old passes away, usually it is due to health issues which, while devastating, are also generally expected for older age groups. Senior citizens, though, can also be victims of fatal car accidents. Due to their unexpected nature, these types of tragedies can be even more traumatic than the effects of a long-term illness.

Recently, a beloved 86-year-old volunteer with the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad lost her life in a shocking crash. At Midway and Parham roads in Henrico, the woman's car collided head-on with another vehicle. The older woman died at the scene of the accident, while the other driver of the car suffered life-threatening injury and had to be taken to the hospital. While it is unclear what, or who, exactly caused the crash, police have ruled out speed and alcohol as possible contributors.

The loss of life of a senior citizen is no less heartbreaking than the loss of someone in another age group. In this case, the octogenarian had been spending her golden years as a particularly beloved volunteer whose loss was mentioned in a press release from the rescue squad. In the past, the woman had mentioned that her life had been given purpose through her volunteer work. In the release, the rescue squad noted how volunteers are like family, and the woman will be missed.

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