Blogs

Another fatal crash on Interstate 66 in Fairfax County

Less than 24 hours after the violent head-on collision on Interstate 66 that killed two women, a young woman was killed in another fatal crash on that highway.

This crash happened on Monday, November 17, 2008, at about 11:30 p.m., on eastbound I-66 near Nutley Street in Vienna.  This time, a mattress was on the highway.  A box truck driven by Richard Moon of Herndon swerved to miss the mattress; however, Kritika Singh, 21, who was driving behind the box truck, was not so lucky.  The Isuzu Rodeo she was driving hit the mattress, ran off the side of the road and hit the truck.  Ms. Singh was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.  Her passenger, Vjjwal Joshi of Fairfax, who was wearing a seatbelt, received minor injuries. 

Police are looking for witnesses to help them complete their investigation.

As attorneys who represent many people who are injured in car accidents, we, too, must rely on information provided by witnesses to prove what happened.  So, please.  If you or anyone you know has any information about this crash, please contact the Virginia State Police. 

If it had been your sister or cousin or friend who died in this crash, you would be grateful for help from others.    

The Virginia State Police can be reached at 703-323-4522 or Area09@vsp.virginia.gov.

Teenager Drives Wrong Way on I-66, Kills Two in Head-on Collision

Five Virginia teens died in car accidents during National Teen Driver Safety Week

National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 19 – 25, and already Virginia has lost five teenagers in fatal car accidents.  Virginia State Police attribute the deaths to not wearing seatbelt restraints, speed, inexperience and, in one case, alcohol.  http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/32420624.html

Pedestrian Dies After Being Hit by a Garbage Truck in a Parking Lot

Jury awards $5M to woman who lost her arm in drunk driving accident

 A headline like this gets attention.  The accident occurred in 2003 in Massachusetts.  If you read the article, you will see that the woman who lost her arm sued the drunk driver and the restaurant that served him 11 beers in a little over two hours.  That's called "dram shop liability."  Such a lawsuit would not exist in Virginia, because Virginia does not hold restaurants and bars that serve alcohol to intoxicated individuals responsible if the patrons leave their establishments after getting drunk and injure someone.  In this case, the drunk driver was an employee of the restaurant who started drinking at 10:30 p.m. after this shift was over and was served alcohol and drank heavily for two hours.  The woman passenger who lost her arm was not with him at the restaurant and met him at a party later.  After having three more beers and a rum and coke, the drunk driver and his passenger were on their way back to the party after going to a convenience store when they ran off the road and crashed into a parked school bus. 

Reaction to the verdict has been animated.  Some people say she was an idiot to get in the car driven by a drunk driver, that it was her fault, not the restaurant's; that the restaurant didn't force alcohol on the driver and should not have been held responsible.  Some people also called the judge and jury idiots for allowing the verdict in the first place.

What do you think?

Driver Killed in Beltway Collision with Tractor Trailer

Safety Advocates Anti-Lock Brakes for All Motorcycles