By Jim Lewis, North Carolina (NC) Wrongful Death Attorney

Police in Charlotte, North Carolina have said that a truck driver was going more than 70 miles per hour in heavy rain when his vehicle crashed over a median and hit another oncoming car head-on, killing the driver.

The accident report filed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department revealed that Hiep Tan Truong was driving a six-wheel truck owned by the North Carolina Food Distributor company when the accident happened last Monday at 4 p.m. The wreck took place on a rain-soaked stretch of U.S. 52 South near the Clemmonsville Road exit.

Police say that Truong was driving his commercial vehicle at more than 15 miles per hour above the speed limit in the midst of a downpour. After hitting the oncoming car head-on, the truck continued and crashed into two more vehicles before finally overturning.

One man from Kernersville, Kenneth Leroy Baum, was left dead in the crash while two others suffered minor injuries. The driver of the speeding truck, Truong, was not injured in the accident. Police say charges will likely be field against Truong given his speeding and failure to operate his vehicle in a safe manner.

We extend our sympathy to the family of the man who died and the other injured passengers. Losing a loved one is always hard, but especially so when the accident comes out of the blue. The family of the victim in this tragic case should contact an experienced North Carolina (NC) wrongful death attorney to ensure that the driver is held accountable. Even though criminal charges are being pursued against the driver, it’s important to understand that a civil claim for compensation can still proceed regardless of what prosecutors decide to do. 

If you’re considering reaching out to an attorney, make sure it’s someone who has experience handling such difficult and emotionally trying cases. My firm handled one case where our client was killed by the driver of a tractor-trailer, leaving his wife and four children behind. In that case, we were able to secure a $2.4 million settlement for the family. Though the money does not help to heal the deep wounds left after the man’s death, it helps provide some much needed money to a family in need.

If you recently lost a loved one in a tragic North Carolina accident and are not sure how to move forward, it might be helpful to check out my firm’s answers to some frequently asked questions regarding wrongful death claims. For instance, you may be wondering what a wrongful death claim is, how a court calculates damages or even what the difference is between a wrongful death claim and a normal personal injury action. For these answers and more, read my firm’s North Carolina wrongful death FAQs.

Here’s a Google Map showing the location of the deadly accident:

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By Jim Lewis, VA/NC Wrongful Death Attorney

A Charlotte, NC family was awarded more than $4 million in a wrongful death suit after their son died in a commercial bus crash in France while on a youth soccer trip. To learn more, read the full story here…

“Charlotte, NC Family Awarded Millions After Son’s Death During Soccer Trip”

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About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Richard N. Shapiro, North Carolina (NC) Wrongful Death Attorney

A 79 year-old Maxton man was killed when his motorcycle was slammed into by another driver who sped through a stop sign and slammed his pick-up truck into the bike. The driver has been charged with misdemeanor death. To learn more, read here. . .

Driver Charged with Misdemeanor Death in Accident that Claims Life of Maxton, N.C. Man

About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Jim Lewis, VA/NC Wrongful Death Attorney

What Happened:

Deadly pedestrian accidents are occurring with great frequency across North Carolina and specifically in the Triad area, a region encompassing Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. Just last month a van hit and killed a man in High Point and two days later a pedestrian on his way to work was hit in Kernersville, NC.

Data shows that the number of wrecks involving pedestrians has increased enormously from 2011 to 2012. In fact, High Point police say that the three pedestrians who have been hit and killed in the first three months of this year are as many as died in any of the previous five years.

In 2011, the unincorporated sections of North Carolina reported 504 accidents between vehicles and pedestrians. In 2012, that number jumped 11 percent, to 561. The number of fatalities also ballooned upward, from 84 to 98, a whopping 17 percent increase. The average for the past five years is 497 accidents and 88 fatalities.

No one knows what accounts for the sudden increase in deadly accidents. The problem, according to police, is that pedestrian accidents are difficult to combat because they can happen anywhere and at anytime. Police say they are not able to stake out certain types of roadways given that accidents can occur almost anywhere there are people and vehicles mixing.

The North Carolina Injury Attorney’s Perspective: 

Though safety experts recommend that all pedestrians stay on sidewalks, use crosswalks and obey traffic signals when out walking along North Carolina’s roads, people in rural areas cannot always easily follow such advice. Pedestrians in rural areas often find themselves forced to share roadways with cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and tractor-trailers in places that lack any conveniences for those on foot. When that is the case, drivers have additional obligations to watch for pedestrians, especially early in the morning or late at night when it’s dark and difficult to see.

Potentially Helpful Info:

When choosing an attorney the family members should consider a lawyer that has an excellent track record of defending pedestrians and a great knowledge of pedestrian and crosswalk laws. The faster the family contacts a lawyer the quicker a lawyer can investigate the scene of the accident and begin gathering evidence.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, take a moment to read our car accident injury guide so you’re fully informed about what to do if you are hurt in a Virginia (VA) or North Carolina (NC) car accident.

Have Questions? Check Out Our Firm’s FAQs.

If you have been involved in a North Carolina car, motorcycle or truck accident and are not sure how to move forward, it might be helpful to check out my firm’s answers to some frequently asked questions regarding car accident claims. For instance, you may be wondering what types of damages an injured person can recover or how you can go about calculating and recovering money for lost wages. For these answers and more, read my firm’s North Carolina car accident FAQs.

Here’s a Google Map showing the location of one of the recent fatal pedestrian accidents:

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About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Jim Lewis,  VA/NC Wrongful Death Attorney

A deadly accident on I-40 in Greensboro, NC left one person dead and another hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Police say the driver of the tractor-trailer responsible for the collision has now been charged with DWI. To learn more, read the full story here…

“Truck Driver Charged With DWI Following Deadly Greensboro, NC Crash”

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About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Mark Favaloro, Virginia (VA) Wrongful Death Attorney

What Happened:

Virginia State Police have announced that they are investigating a charter bus crash in Capron, VA that left a North Carolina man dead and the bus driver facing criminal charges. The accident happened just after 7 a.m. on Route 58 near Route 652. The charter bus was heading to Hampton, VA from Chapel Hill, NC with a group of students and chaperones. Police say the bus driver lost control and ran off the right side of the road, eventually overturning the bus in a ditch.

At the time of the accident the bus was carrying eight passengers along with the hired driver. Two of the passengers were thrown from the bus as it overturned, one of whom later died. The man who died, Emmanuel Watson, was from Chapel Hill and was serving as a chaperone on the trip.

The bus had been hired to carry a group of students to visit Hampton University during an Open House presentation. Six of the passengers were taken to nearby Southampton Memorial Hospital for treatment of their relatively minor injuries. Another passenger who was thrown from the bus had to be airlifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital given the severity of that person’s injuries.

Police have announced that they are charging the 62-year-old driver, Larry Brocks, with reckless driving. The bus was owned and operated by a Washington-based company, Horizon Coach Lines. Police say the investigation into the exact cause of the deadly crash is ongoing.

The Virginia Injury Attorney’s Perspective:

Accidents involving commercial buses are sadly not rare events. In fact, as the popularity of bus services such as Megabus and others have exploded, so have the numbers of serious commercial bus accidents. These accidents frequently turn deadly given the large number of passengers onboard and the general lack of safety features on the buses. Charter buses and other commercial transportation operations rarely if ever have things like airbags or seatbelts, features that are standard on even the most basic passenger cars. Passengers are thus left unprotected and vulnerable in the event of a crash, leading to severe injuries and even death.

Potentially Helpful Information:

Mass transit or bus accidents are very different than a common fender bender.  The investigations can be much more time intensive and fighting with a commercial bus operator over damages is often a lengthier process than handling an accident between two individuals. Many of these bus companies, such as the one in the accident above, cross state lines all of which make recovering restitution much harder without the help of an experienced Virginia (VA) bus accident injury lawyer.

Have Questions? Check Out Our Firm’s FAQs:

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Virginia accident you likely don’t know where to turn for advice. The following answers to common frequently asked questions can help provide some basic information about why it’s important to obtain legal counsel after suffering an unexpected accident.

Here’s a Google Map showing the location of the accident:

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About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Kevin Duffan, North Carolina (NC) Wrongful Death Attorney

The driver who pled guilty of felony death by motor vehicle settled a lawsuit with the victim’s family. A second lawsuit the family has filed against the pub where the driver had been drinking prior to the accident is schedule to move forward. To learn more, read here. . .

Family settles Lawsuit with Man Convicted of Daughter’s Death, Second Lawsuit Against Pub Moving Forward

About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

A Chesterfield County man died in a head-on crash on Interstate 64 (I-64) near New Kent County, Virginia (VA). The at-fault driver was driving on the wrong side of the interstate when he crashed in to the victim’s vehicle. Preliminary news reports do not state what exactly caused the at-fault driver to wind up on the wrong side of a major highway. To learn more, read the story here:

Man Loses His Life in a Mid-Morning Crash on I-64

About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Jim Lewis, North Carolina (NC) Wrongful Death Attorney

What Happened:

A fatal hit-and-run accident in North Carolina left a young child dead after getting off the school bus. Officials with the North Carolina Highway Patrol say that troopers are investigating the deadly accident and have now filed charges against the driver of the tractor-trailer who is believed to have hit and killed the young girl.

A spokesperson with the state troopers has revealed that the accident happened on Tuesday as the Sampson County school bus was heading south on U.S. 421. Officers say the bus came to a full stop with it’s emergency equipment properly activated. That’s when the first-grade girl was getting off the bus at the same moment that a tractor-trailer hauling a full load of lumber passed the stopped bus and hit the child.

Unbelievably, the driver of the semi continued on, southbound on U.S. 421. Police were able to track down the trucking company and eventually the driver, 37-year-old Johnny Spell. Spell was arrested and charged with felony passing a stopped school bus, felony hit and run and involuntary manslaughter. Police say that a continued investigation revealed that Spell was intoxicated at the time of the accident and he has now been given an additional criminal charge, this time a DWI while operating a commercial motor vehicle. Police say the investigation into the deadly accident is ongoing.

The North Carolina Wrongful Death Attorney’s Perspective:

We extend our sympathy to the family of the young girl who died. Losing a loved one is always hard, but especially so when the accident comes out of the blue. The family of the victim in this tragic case should contact an experienced North Carolina (NC) wrongful death attorney to ensure that the driver is held accountable. Even though criminal charges are being pursued against the driver, it’s important to understand that a civil claim for compensation can still proceed regardless of what prosecutors decide to do.

Potentially Helpful Information: 

If you’re considering reaching out to an attorney, make sure it’s someone who has experience handling such difficult and emotionally trying cases. My firm handled one case where our client was killed by the driver of a tractor-trailer, leaving his wife and four children behind. In that case, we were able to secure a $2.4 million settlement for the family. Though the money does not help to heal the deep wounds left after the man’s death, it helps provide some much needed money to a family in need.

If someone you love died due to the reckless or negligent behavior of another person, you’re likely confused about how to begin the process of holding the at-fault party accountable for his or her actions. Wrongful death actions can be confusing and are often unfamiliar to most people who, thankfully, have little experience with such lawsuits. For more information on the process, read through my firm’s guide on the wrongful death claims process in North Carolina. 

Have Questions? Check out our FAQs 

If you recently lost a loved one in a tragic North Carolina accident and are not sure how to move forward, it might be helpful to check out my firm’s answers to some frequently asked questions regarding wrongful death claims. For instance, you may be wondering what a wrongful death claim is, how a court calculates damages or even what the difference is between a wrongful death claim and a normal personal injury action. For these answers and more, read my firm’s North Carolina wrongful death FAQs.

Here’s a map of the area where the deadly accident occurred:

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About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.

By Jim Lewis, VA/NC Wrongful Death Attorney

What Happened:

A deadly accident in Asheville, NC was likely caused by a driver trying to juggle using three different cellphones during morning rush hour. The accident, which occurred earlier this month on I-40, involved three vehicles and left two people with injuries and the distracted driver dead.

Officials with the Asheville Police Department say that investigators discovered three cellphones in the car of the vehicle that caused the accident. Two of the phones were open and found on the floor in front of the driver, Donna Evans May, and a third was found in the woman’s purse.

Police say that May was headed east on I-40 in thick traffic in her Ford Thunderbird when she rear-ended a Land Rover and pushed it into a third vehicle, a Ford minivan. May was going too fast for the traffic conditions and did not see that the Land Rover had come to a stop given that she was paying attention to her multiple phones. Two passengers in the Land Rover were injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment. May was critically injured and was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.

The North Carolina Injury Attorney’s Perspective:

According to AAA, using a cellphone while driving more than quadruples your risk of being involved in a car accident. Every day distracted driving contributes to more than 8,000 car accidents, far too many given how easily prevented the accidents are.

The recent accident should serve as an important moment to remind North Carolina drivers about remaining focused when behind the wheel. Given the endless distractions available to us all, it’s easy to forget just how dangerous driving is, especially for young and inexperienced drivers. Being alert, avoiding unnecessary distractions and remembering the rules of the road will help keep everyone safer on North Carolina highways.

Helpful Info:

If you lost a family member in a terrible North Carolina car, motorcycle or truck wreck caused by a distracted driver, it’s critical that you reach out to an experienced attorney who has successfully handled similar cases. The attorneys at my firm recently recovered nearly $70,000 for one of our clients, a student at a university in Norfolk, VA, who suffered serious injuries after being hit by a distracted driver.

If you’ve been injured in a North Carolina (NC) car crash, consider reading this article which covers many of the basic questions and concerns raised by those involved in auto accidents.

Have Questions?

If you or someone you love has been injured in a North Carolina car accident you likely don’t know where to turn for advice. The following answers to common frequently asked questions can help provide some basic information about why it’s important to obtain legal counsel after suffering an unexpected car accident.

Here’s a map showing the location of the I-40 accident:

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About the Editors: The lawyers at Shapiro, Lewis, Appleton & Favaloro have decades of experience handling wrongful death claims in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Check out our case results to see our track record of success. Our wrongful death law firm has offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, and in Elizabeth City, NC. Attorneys with our firm have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Attorneys with our personal injury law firm have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of practicing attorneys receive. To learn more about wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by one of the firm’s experienced wrongful death attorneys.