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Carolina Accident Attorney Blog

Read our latest blogs about North Carolina and South Carolina accident, medical malpractice, slip and fall, wrongful death and brain injury cases. If you have sustained a serious injury resulting from an accident, medical malpractice or nursing home abuse, a Carolina accident attorney from our office can help you.

Car & Motorcycle Accidents

8/19/2009
John Cooper
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Wrong Way Driver Causes Fatality in a Car Accident on a Highway in Hickory, North Carolina

A car accident on Highway 321 in Hickory, North Carolina (NC) led to one fatality, two serious injuries, and a highway closure.

Witnesses say an elderly couple driving a white sedan were traveling north on the southbound lanes of Highway 321. The driver of the white sedan was traveling in two lanes and hit a truck head on.

The driver of the truck who was struck, Howard Helton’s wife was also on Highway 321 and witnessed the accident. She was able to contact emergency crews to respond. Howard Helton and the driver of the white sedan were taken to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC) where they are both being treated for injuries caused in the car accident. Sadly, the passenger of the white sedan, an elderly woman, died on impact.

The North Carolina Highway patrols shut off parts of Highway 321 and have conducted an investigation of the crash scene. They were able to verify witness statements that the driver of the white sedan was driving the wrong way at the time of the car accident, but they are not sure at what point the driver entered Highway 321 or why he was traveling in the wrong direction.

Driver’s going the wrong way are more common then you might think, especially on highways. Drivers can confuse the off ramp for the on ramp when entering the highway and travel for along periods of time before they are able to correct themselves. If you see headlights coming in the wrong direction it is best to pull over to the side of the road. Trying to swerve around the oncoming car may panic you or the other driver and cause an accident.

Labels: car accident Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte died Hickory highway 321 Howard Helton John Cooper North Carolina North Carolina Highway Patrol personal injury attorney wrong way

Greenville-Outer Banks-Rocky Mount NC Personal Injury Lawyer

Heavy Rains in North Carolina Cause Serious Car Wrecks

Date: 08/16/2010

When the skies open up a dump a ton of rain on our roadways, caution is the name of the game. Unfortunately, not all drivers adhere to this principle which leads to some bad car wrecks. A major rainstorm in North Carolina (NC) led to two car wrecks that resulted in serious injuries and loss of life.

A car was driving down N.C. 43 when it hydroplaned, crossed the center line, and wound up getting hit by a dump truck. As a result, two people were killed and a young child was injured, according to enctoday.com.

On the same day, another car hydroplaned at the intersection of U.S. 17 and Weyerhaeuser Road leading to eight injuries including injuries to three toddlers and two teenagers.

Hydroplaning is a common cause of car wrecks and can cause serious damage to your vehicle and the people inside. It occurs when a layer of water builds up between the tires of your car, truck, SUV, or motorcycle and the road surface. This leads to the loss of traction and puts the vehicle into a virtually uncontrollable slide.

In order to reduce the risk of hydroplaning, go below the speed limit when it has just rained heavily or if you are on the road when it is raining. Also, be extremely cognizant of the other vehicles on the road since not everyone obeys the speed limit, even in bad weather.

Both of the car accidents that occurred in N.C. were awful and they serve as an example of just how dangerous the roads can be after a bad storm.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (NC-VA law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, Virginia Beach Injuryboard, and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers.

Originally posted

InjuryBoard

Emily Mapp Brannon

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Suffolk VA Personal Injury Lawyer

Virginia Seat Belt Law Loophole Allows Back Seat Passengers to Ride Unbuckled

Date: 08/20/2010

Most of us are aware of seat belt laws and the importance of buckling up when you get into the car. However, you may not know that numerous states have a loophole which allows adult back seat occupants to ride without their seat belt on. Virginia (VA) is one of those states.

Laws are on the books in VA requiring minors to wear their seat belts while riding in the back, but not for adults. This is extremely dangerous since an unbuckled adult in the back seat can become a “back seat bullet” in a car accident, according to USA Today.

There seems to be this false belief that if you are in the back seat, you are somehow safer than the people in the front. This is not the case. In a car crash, a back seat passenger not wearing a seat belt will continue to move at the same rate of speed as your car until they hit something like the dashboard, back of your sea, or windshield.

Six states took the step of expanding their seat belt laws in 2007 but Virginia (VA) remains one of the over 20 states across the country that still allows adult back seat passengers to ride without a seat belt. This needs to be corrected as soon as possible.

Seat belts reportedly save 11,000 lives every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 35. It makes no sense to keep the current laws on the books enabling adults to ride in the back unbuckled. Let us hope our legislators take action and correct there glaring loophole in our seat belt laws.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers.

Originally posted

InjuryBoard

Emily Mapp Brannon

Norfolk-Portsmouth-Hampton VA Personal Injury Lawyer

7 new influenza vaccines for next flu season

Date: 08/13/2010

After the big H1N1 virus that caused the 2009 pandemic, the US Food and Drug Administration approved seven influenza vaccines for this next flu season, 2010-2011.

What is the Flu?

A flu is a respiratory illness which is caused by influenza viruses. It is contagious and the best way to prevent the flu is to receive the flu vaccine each year.

These newly approved vaccines protect against three strains of influenza, including H1N1, according to Medical News Today. Last year, there were two vaccines needed in order to protect against the 2009 H1N1 flu. According to FDA, only one vaccine is required this year.

Director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Karen Midthun, M.D., said, "The best way to protect yourself and your family against influenza is to get vaccinated every year. The availability of a new seasonal influenza vaccine each year is an important tool in the prevention of influenza relate illnesses and death."

Here is a list of the new vaccines that have been approved (Brand Names & Manufacturers):

1) Afluria (CSL Limited)

2) Agriflu (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics)

3) Fluzone and Fluzone High-Dose (Sanofi Pasteur Inc.)

4) Fluvirin (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited)

5) Flarix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals)

6) FluMist (Medlmmune Vaccines Inc.)

7) FluLaval (GlaxoSmith Kline Biolgicals)

How do they figure out these vaccines that FDA recommends?

Experts from FDA, World Health Organization, CDC and possibly other institutions examine and study virus samples collected worldwide. They examine them to find strains likely to cause the most illness during the next season. Then with the strains and vaccines, the closer the match, the more protection against influenza disease.

With all this research, the FDA did approve of seven new vaccines for this season.

The Flu spreads. It can spread very easily by people coughing, sneezing or simply talking.

So who is actually at risk of getting the flu?

According to CDC, there are certain people who are at greater risk for complications if they get the flu. In this group are older people, young children, pregnant woman and people with certain health conditions.

A study completed in 1990 found that flu-related deaths estimated 17,000 during the mildest season to 52,000 during the severe season. According to the CDC, 90 percent of deaths during a regular flu season occur in people who are 65 years old or older.

The 2009 H1N1 virus caused the first flu pandemic in over 40 years. There were around 12,000 or more flu-related deaths.

The important thing here is to be preventative, especially with parents and their children. CDC says, "the single best way to prevent the flue is to get a flu vaccine each season." Now, FDA has approved several new vaccines. They should become available in September and continue throughout flue season, which in some cases can last as late as May.

Originally posted

InjuryBoard

Emily Mapp Brannon

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