Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Coast Guard Hits Boat, Boy Dies in Parade

An eight-year-old boy died while five others were injured after a 33-foot Coast Guard vessel hit the boy’s family pleasure boat while they were watching fireworks for a holiday event near Harbor Island.

Anthony Cole DeWeese died an hour after the horrific boat accident at the UCSD Medical Center.

Reports indicate that no one went overboard but three adults suffered serious injuries while two kids, aged 3 and 4, sustained minor injuries.

The boy’s father, and also the boat captain, said that he saw the speeding vessel approaching at 30-40 knots but they had insufficient time to react and get out of the way. Witnesses say that the boy’s father kept on asking rescue personnel about his son as he docked the boat.

The coast guard vessel was said to be responding to an emergency call by a grounded boat when they hit the 26-foot family boat where around 13 people were on board to witness the boat parade.

Accidents involving motor boats are likely to be fatal because with the power that the two vessels have, major collisions can almost always be expected.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Driver Faces Trial for Car Collision

The next thing to do when a case is filed against a driver is to prove his negligence in court. Testimonial evidence is one way of indicting a negligent driver. Witnesses account may be used to prove whether the driver has been negligent or not.

In a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against Donald Lee Bell, the daughter of Lettie Anderson who died in the crash testified that Bell attempted to turn left when it hit head-on an SUV in which Anderson was a passenger.

On the other hand, other witnesses including a truck driver hit by the SUV after the impact corroborated Bell’s allegations that he was driving “straight through the intersection at the time of the collision and never activated his turn signal.” A witness further added that he saw the SUV veered into Bell’s lane.

If convicted, Bell could face up to one year in jail. Bell’s attorney, Denny Forland wanted to call a reconstruction expert to rebut a CHP finding that Bell was at fault for violating the right of way.

In car accidents, witness play a vital role in determining whether the driver is at fault or not. To resist claims against the defendant, an experience personal injury attorney must be hired. Otherwise, the convicted driver may face jail sentence in addition to compensation claims.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Truck Driver, Companion, Victims of Latest Hit-and-Run

A truck driver in Ontario was killed while another was injured while they were chaining up their truck in preparation for an icy road ahead.

The other driver, identified as Francisco Lecaro of Perris of California hit the men while they were on a freeway in Eastern Oregon. Lecaro tried to escape as he fled from the scene but authorities later found him on a truck stop.

Hit-and-run accidents have serious legal implications on motorists who try to leave their injured victims behind. Under the law, they have legal responsibility to these individuals whether they caused the accident or not and so they must call for help immediately.