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Single Vehicle Crash Leaves Man Dead

December 10, 2014 By

The only fatal crash in Connecticut over the holiday weekend happened when a Norwalk man lost control of his car.

According to state police, the incident happened at 8.15 p.m. on Route 7, near the interchange with Interstate 95 in Norwalk. The driver, Luis M. Contreras, aged 29, lost control of his car and swerved to the right. The reason is as yet unknown. The car hit the metal guard rail off the right shoulder which is there to separate the Route 7 southbound ramp to West Avenue, and spun around.

State police went on to say that Contreras was thrown out of the car through the window on the driver’s side and landed on the roadway of the Route 7 southbound ramp to Interstate 95 northbound.

Norwalk emergency medical service personnel pronounced Contreras dead at the scene by.

No other vehicles or people were involved.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Connecticut Police Enforce Driving Program

December 3, 2014 By

Connecticut State Police are enforcing a driving program to keep residents and drivers safe over Thanksgiving weekend.

Last year, according to state police enforcement statistics, there were 562 car accidents, 92 of which resulted in injuries and there was one fatality. In addition there were 43 arrests for driving while intoxicated 1,134 speeding tickets issued.

In order to cut down on the number of crashes, state police will increase their road and highway patrols across the state, and especially focusing on drunk, aggressive and unsafe drivers.

A state police spokesman said that there is more alcohol consumed over the holiday period and this leads to an increase in road traffic accidents due to intoxication.

In Danbury, as well as the normal patrols, uniformed troopers will be driving unmarked patrol cars to check on traffic throughout the weekend looking for drunk drivers and they will also be manning a sobriety checkpoint on the Lake Avenue highway exit in Danbury.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Boy Mauled by Pit bulls Receives over Half a Million Dollars

November 18, 2014 By

In June 2010, Ajia Brown of Uncasville, Connecticut was 8 years old when he was savagely mauled by two pit bulls at the property of a friend in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Ajia and his mother had just arrived at Marjorie Nicholson’s home where her son lived in a separate house on the same property and kept two Pit Bulls, Angel and Midge, in a fenced yard.  Ajia went outside to catch fireflies at around 9 p.m. and the dogs started barking. He was assured they wouldn’t hurt him.

The dogs escaped and started jumping on him and licking him, but he became overwhelmed and he tried to run away, sending them into total attack mode. His mother, Elizabeth Brown, threw her body over her son to try and stop the attack, suffering many dog bites on her body as well.

Midge was shot dead by officers who arrived on the scene, and Angel, who had gone into the house, must now be muzzled in public.

Aija spent eight days in the hospital and, since then he has undergone 17 surgeries and 54 other medical procedures to repair the injuries from the attack by the dogs which tore off a large portion of his scalp and much of both ears. His face is permanently scarred.

A judge approved a $508,613 settlement between Ajia Brown and his mother, and the insurance company representing Marjorie Nicholson, the property owner. The policy limit was $500,000.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Truck Driver and His Dog Killed on Interstate

November 11, 2014 By

An accident between two tractor trailers early on Friday morning led to the death of a truck driver and his dog.

According to State Police, the accident happened at 4 a.m. when one truck hit another tractor trailer when it was waiting in heavy traffic on the eastbound lane of the Interstate 84 just before exit 11. The driver of the truck which was moving, Warren Jefferson, 49, of Bath, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at the scene along with his dog, which was in the cab with him.

The other driver was 65 year old John Krupskas, of Dickson City, Pennsylvania only suffered minor injuries and was taken to Danbury Hospital.

According to Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue, the cargo from both of the trucks, foam insulation and the other, paper products, spilled onto all of the eastbound lanes of the Interstate.

The eastbound lanes of I 84 were closed for around six hours for the cleanup operation and investigation to take place.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

 

 

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Metro North criticized by NTSB

November 4, 2014 By

According to the National Transportation Safety Board the number of Metro-North accidents over the last year – including the Bridgeport derailment that injured 65 people – was the result of a failure across the system to follow recommendations.

Acting chairman of the NTSB, the nation’s top safety investigator, Christopher Hart said at a press conference that all of the accidents were preventable, and the underlying cause of all of them was safety management problems.

The report from the NTSB discusses the five major Metro North accidents in less than a year which killed four people and injured more than 100.

The report not only blames Metro North but also the Federal Railroad Administration for failure to require them to follow the NTSB safety recommendations and for exempting them from inspecting tracks on foot every two weeks.

Newly appointed Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti acknowledged the NTSB’s criticism and said they would take the issues to heart and continue the safety improvements already implemented.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

 

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Man Found Unconscious Behind Wheel Dies in Hospital

October 27, 2014 By

A man was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car on Tuesday afternoon.

According to police, the wrecked black 2013 Nissan Altima was discovered at just after 2.15 p.m., off the shoulder of the roadway near the intersection of Eagle Road and Executive Drive in Danbury. The vehicle had gone into an embankment in a Danbury corporate park area and was found facing eastbound on Eagle Road and the driver was unconscious.

The police went on to say that Thomas Proulx, aged 66, of 34 Saint Mary’s Lane was taken to Danbury hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival there.

The Danbury Traffic division is currently investigating the fatal accident and as yet no reasons have been forthcoming as to what occurred.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Tips for Teens for Safe Driving

October 13, 2014 By

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s statistical data for teen drivers is sobering to say the least and with the proliferation of social media and increasingly capable cell phones, young drivers have in many ways become their own worst enemy on the road. Nearly 2,000 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 were killed in car crashes in the United States in 2011 and more than 180,000 additional drivers in the same age group suffered serious injuries. In order to reduce these sobering numbers, there are things that teens can do to make themselves, their passengers, and others on the road safer.

  • Do NOT Text – Texting while driving and the horrific consequences that result have become an epidemic in the United States over the last several years. Adults are culpable for texting behind the wheel as well but the majority of accidents that occur from it are at the hands of teenage drivers.
  • Do not drink and drive – Drunk driving accidents and fatalities have fortunately dropped substantially over the past 35 years but it is still a significant problem in America. For teens and individuals under the age of 21, drinking is still illegal in the US but for young drivers over 21 who may have plans to drink, a plan should also be made for getting home before drinking begins.
  • Always wear seat belts – Teen drivers should not only develop a habit of putting on their seat belt every time they get behind the wheel, but of also insisting that all of their passengers wear theirs as well when riding with them.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Filed Under: Stamford accident, Stamford safety

How Important Are Seat Belts?

October 2, 2014 By

In the United States, more people between the ages of 5 and 34 are killed in car accidents than from any other cause. In 2009 there were more than 2.3 million adult drivers and car passengers who were admitted to and treated in emergency rooms in America for injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. The statistics should be surprising because seat belts have been determined to be the most effective way to prevent serious injuries and fatalities resulting from car crashes.

Experts estimate that deaths and injuries from car crashes could be reduced by as much as 50 percent if people wore their seat belts every time they got into a motor vehicle.

Statistics also show that adults between the age of 18 and 34 are the least likely age group to wear seat belts. This is not surprising considering the fact that the same age group has the highest rate of injuries and deaths resulting from car crashes among all age groups. Women are also 10 percent more likely to wear a seatbelt than men and seat belt use is higher in states that have a primary seat belt enforcement law than those that do not. And while air bags are an effective supplemental restraint in an car crash, they are not a sufficient substitute.

Filed Under: Stamford safety

Woman Killed in an Auto Accident in Bolton

September 21, 2014 By

On Friday morning an accident near Interstate 384 left one dead and one seriously injured

According to police, Emily Mills, aged 23, of the Wauregan section of Plainfield, and Thomas Hendel, 21, of Coventry, were driving eastbound in a Chevy Tahoe on Notch Road in Bolton at 2 a.m. It is not known who was driving although Mills was the owner of the vehicle. Whoever was driving misjudged a curve and lost control of the vehicle, which then hit a guardrail.

State police said that Mills and Hendel were both thrown from the vehicle and Hendel suffered fatal head injuries. Mills suffered injuries to her pelvis and ribs.

The intersection of Routes 6 and 44 was closed and all traffic on I-384 East was taken off at exit 5, until the road was reopened.

Police continue to investigate the accident.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Filed Under: Stamford accident

Check Out Your Vehicle

September 14, 2014 By

Every year, millions of vehicles are recalled in the United States due to safety defects or noncompliance with federal safety standards. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has unveiled a new, free, online search tool consumers can use to find out if a vehicle is directly impacted by a recall.

The new tool is available on www.safercar.gov/vinlookup and provides consumers with a quick and easy way to identify uncompleted recalls by entering their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said that car owners can find out if a specific vehicle has a safety defect that needs to be fixed using the free online tool.

Drivers can find their vehicle identification number by looking at the dashboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle, or on the driver’s side door on the door post where the door latches when it is closed.

Determining whether there is a recall that consumers need to take action on is easy. After entering the VIN number into the field, results will appear if there is an open recall on their vehicle, and if there are none, it will say “No Open Recalls.”

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

 

Filed Under: Stamford safety
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