Car Accident Round-Up: Policeman Dies in PA Car Chase

Suspect of previous hit-and-run arrested for suspected vehicular homicide in car accident

Pennsylvania Car Chase Leads to Policeman’s Death
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, police stopped a 35-year-old man suspected of an earlier hit-and-run accident in Granville, WV early Saturday morning.  The man refused to get out of his car, and drove off leading police on a car chase into Pennsylvania.  A WV police sergeant had pulled his SUV off the road on I-79 near the one-mile marker in PA and was ready to assist in stopping the vehicle when the suspect crashed into the SUV. The policeman was taken to the nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of homicide by vehicle while police await toxicology test results.  Police believe the man was driving drunk and taking prescription anti-anxiety drugs.

Three U.S. Marines Die in CA Car Accident, […]

Alcohol-Related Crash in PA Kills WV Policeman

Police officer killed by drunk driver in crash during car chase

A man fleeing police led them on a chase from West Virginia into Pennsylvania where the suspect slammed into a police cruiser, killing 41-year-old Monongalia County, WV Sgt. Michael Todd May.  According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the suspect was arrested on suspicion of homicide by vehicle, and police are awaiting BAC test results.  Police believe the man was driving drunk and taking prescription anti-anxiety drugs.

The Saturday morning accident occurred after police stopped a 35-year-old man suspected of an earlier hit-and-run accident.  Instead of getting out of the car, the man drove off.  May had pulled his SUV off the road on I-79 near the one-mile marker and was ready to assist in stopping the vehicle when the suspect crashed into him.

May leaves behind his parents and a younger brother. […]

Pennsylvania Teen Drivers Urged to Stay Alert

The start of 2012 has seen far too many teens lose their lives in car accidents.  Just last week a local Pennsylvania teen died when his car skidded on ice and he crashed into a building, dying at the scene. Earlier this month, three teenagers traveling together went the wrong way on a MD road resulting in a crash that killed all three.  And in Virginia at the end of January, one teen died and three others were seriously injured when the teen driver crossed the center line striking another vehicle.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car accidents are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States, claiming nearly 5,600 teenage lives each year. While the above accidents are all unique, the cause of each of the accidents may not have been that different.  The NHTSA has identified four primary causes for serious teen injury accidents:  inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Wrong-Way Crash in Louisiana

Jeep drives in the oncoming lane and crashes head-on into car, killing five in tragic car accident

Head-On Accident in New Orleans Kills Five
CBS News reports a driver heading the wrong way on I-10 near New Orleans, Louisiana crashed head-on into another car around 3 a.m. Friday leaving five people dead.  The driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-10 when he crashed into the other vehicle.  The Jeep burst into flames upon impact, killing the driver, and lone occupant, as well as all four occupants in the other vehicle.  Two other vehicles were involved in the accident, but no injuries were reported. The westbound lanes were closed for nearly five hours as crews cleared the accident scene.  Police are continuing to investigate.

Pennsylvania Teen Dies in Car Crash
A 19-year-old teen was on his way home from the mall sometime after 8 p.m. […]

PA Car Accident Serves as Child Safety Reminder

A PA car accident earlier this month in Nicholson Township, about 25 miles outside of Scranton, PA, left a man and his 3-year-old daughter dead.  According to an article in the Times-Tribune, the man, who was driving a pickup truck, crossed the center line on West Nicholson Road and struck another pickup head-on.  The police report that while the father was wearing a seat belt, the toddler was not in either a child-safety seat or in a seat belt.  The girl and her father were both pronounced dead at the scene from “massive traumatic” injuries.

Our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys have seen the devastation that car crashes can cause, and we know that sometimes restraints cannot protect the lives of those in accidents. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that when properly restrained infants have a 71% greater chance of surviving a car crash and toddlers have a 54 percent decrease in the risk of death. […]