Maine Injury Lawyer Blog

An accident between a car and a semi truck injured both drivers and narrowly missed causing a serious toxic spill, the Bangor Daily News reported June 29. According to the Daily News, a Montville man pulled his Lincoln Town Car into the path of the tractor-trailer. The truck was pulling a tanker full of sodium hydroxide -- a chemical most people know as lye or caustic soda. Both the driver of the Lincoln, 28-year-old William Mathieson, and the trucker, 51-year-old Raymond Pottle of Carmel, were taken to the hospital. The truck rolled over near Half Moon Stream, but a hazmat crew was able to prevent the lye from spilling into the water.

According to the article, Pottle's truck hit Mathieson's car on the driver's side door, causing head injuries and internal injuries to Mathieson. Authorities called a LifeFlight helicopter for Mathieson, but the foggy weather prevented it from taking off, so he was taken to Waldo County General Hospital and then to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Pottle, who said his ribs hurt, was also taken to Waldo County General Hospital. Meanwhile, crews were working to keep the load of 8,000 gallons of lye, originally intended for a paper mill, from spilling out of the tanker. The tanker had not been ruptured, and authorities were able to keep it that way until another tanker arrived. The accident closed Route 137 for four hours.

While the injuries in this accident could be quite serious and should not be overlooked, as a Bangor, Maine semi truck accident lawyer, I'd like to discuss the lye spill as well. Lye has household uses, most commonly as a drain cleaner, in laundry and, until recent decades, as a hair relaxer. However, if you keep lye around the house, you probably know that it's dangerous -- it burns human flesh on contact. That alone would be enough to make a lye spill into a stream an environmental hazard. But lye can also explode when dissolved and can produce volatile gases when it comes into contact with certain common metals. Without the quick action of the hazmat team, the lives of everyone nearby -- and everything that uses the stream as a water supply -- could have been in serious danger.

Judging solely by the information in this article, it doesn't look like the truck driver is to blame for this accident. However, if investigators conclude that the trucker's bad driving, defects in the tank or careless loading of the tanker was responsible for the accident, the truck driver, his trucking company or both could be legally liable for all of the injuries and costs that resulted. Just like ordinary drivers, truckers are legally responsible for making good decisions on the road, and responsible for the results when they fail to take reasonable care. Victims of those bad decisions can enforce their rights and collect financial compensation with a Maine tractor-trailer accident lawsuit.

Continue reading "Knox, Maine Tanker Truck Accident Seriously Injures Driver and Spills Dangerous Substance Across Road" »

A biathlete in training was struck and killed by a car in Fort Fairfield, the Bangor Daily News reported June 22. It was about 8:30 p.m. on June 21 when William "Willie" Neal, 19, was struck from behind by a car driven by 18-year-old Erik Lundquist. Neal was out with a training partner, training in Nordic skiing using roller skis. Neither the partner nor Lundquist was hurt.

Neal had come to Maine from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to train at the Maine Winter Sports Center for a biathlon, a winter sport combining Nordic skiing with rifle shooting. He and his partner were heading west on North Caribou Road when he was struck by Lundquist, who was also going west. The police chief for Fort Fairfield said it was dim outside when the accident happened, but not yet completely dark. The incident is under investigation, but the chief told the Daily News that authorities don't believe alcohol was involved.

Pedestrian accidents are some of the deadliest accidents on Maine roads. People out walking don't have any more protection than the clothes they're wearing -- no seatbelts, helmets, airbags or steel-reinforced crash cages. As a result, pedestrians hit by cars and trucks can suffer death or very serious injuries. That's always a tragedy -- but when the accident was caused by bad decisions, carelessness or hostility from a driver, it's also legally actionable. People who have lost a loved one or been seriously injured by a driver's carelessness have the right to hold that driver responsible for his or her actions with a Maine auto accident lawsuit.

Continue reading "Fort Fairfield Car-Pedestrian Accident Takes Life of Young Man Training With Maine Winter Sports Center" »

Trial began in Bangor for a Danforth man accused of aggravated operating under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving, the Bangor Daily News reported June 15. Jayson Caron is accused of intoxicated driving in a 2007 accident that left his former girlfriend, Bobbie Jo Norris, a quadriplegic who will need a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Prosecutors contend that Caron was driving with a blood-alcohol concentration at twice the legal limit or more. The defense argued that in fact, Norris was driving. Caron faces up to five years in prison for the aggravated OUI charge.

The accident happened Sept. 1, 2007, after Norris and Caron had visited the Springfield Fair. Caron had planned to participate in a tractor pull at the fair, but was disqualified because he was too drunk to drive. They gave Norris, who was pregnant at the time, the keys to Caron's truck. Prosecutors contend that Caron got the keys back and insisted on driving when Norris stopped at a store on the way home. Five or six miles down the road, the truck was driven into a ditch by the side of the road and overturned, throwing both Caron and Norris out of the truck. The baby Norris was carrying was not harmed, but she suffered severe spinal cord injuries that left her permanently paralyzed. The defense disputes that Caron was driving, pointing out that state accident reconstruction specialists were not called.

As a Bangor drunk driving accident lawyer, I agree that accident reconstruction specialists could have provided important evidence in this case. It's ultimately up to the jury to decide whether that's enough to cast doubt on the work of the state police and prosecutors. However, regardless of whether Caron is convicted in this criminal prosecution, he could be legally liable in any Maine car crash lawsuit that Norris and her family choose to file. Not everyone chooses to pursue these claims, but with a lifelong disability thrust upon her at the same time as she became a mother, Norris could be facing substantial personal and financial challenges. A Bangor auto accident lawsuit could help someone like her pay medical bills, support her child until she finds an accommodating job and compensate her for this devastating loss.

The Maine law firm of Peter Thompson & Associates represents people like Norris, who have suffered serious injuries in accidents caused by someone else's carelessness. In addition to all types of traffic accidents, our Portland personal injury lawyers represent victims of accidents at work; severe mistakes by doctors; and injuries caused by defective products. Under Maine state law, these victims can claim financial compensation for all of their medical costs, any income they lose because of their injuries and compensation for the injuries themselves, including a wrongful death or a permanent disability. Our goal is to get our clients the money they need so they can focus on making the fullest recovery possible -- physically, emotionally and financially.

If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt in a Maine car accident that was someone else's fault, Peter Thompson & Associates can tell you more about your rights at a free consultation. To reach our Portland and Bangor offices, you can contact us online or call toll-free at 1-800490-5218.

Consumer groups are appealing a May 31 decision allowing bankrupt automaker Chrysler to avoid legal responsibility for thousands of serious injuries caused by its products, ABC affiliate WCVB reported June 4. Under the language of the bankruptcy filing, people harmed by defective Chrysler products are considered unsecured creditors, which means a bankruptcy judge can eliminate any debt Chrysler might have to them with the stroke of a pen -- no matter how strong their claims might be. People with warranty claims on Chrysler cars would still be able to get repairs made, the station said. A coalition of consumer groups is calling for Chrysler and GM, which is also bankrupt, to either alter their filings or buy an insurance policy to cover the claims.

The piece starts with the story of Donia Kerrigan of Scarborough, Maine, who lost her left arm in an accident she says was caused by a defective seatbelt and airbag in her Jeep (a Chrysler brand). Kerrigan told the news station that her airbag malfunctioned and didn't deploy all the way, in essence blowing her arm off. Another accident victim, Jeremy Warner of Indiana, lost both legs in a fire he believes was caused by a defective brake fluid container in his own Jeep. He had already sued, but told reporters that his case was eliminated by the language of the bankruptcy filing. Thanks to Chrysler's responsibility-dodging bankruptcy plan, people like Kerrigan and Warner could be stuck with no way to recover those costs -- in essence, victimized a second time by the manufacturer's bad decisions.

As a Portland, Maine car crash lawyer, I know firsthand that this issue goes beyond equitable treatment of warranty holders and injured people. In addition to their physical injuries, which can disable them for life, people hurt in auto accidents frequently run into financial problems caused by their injuries. Medical bills alone can reach five or six figures, especially in cases of permanent disability. Victims who can't work after their accidents lose weeks of income, and sometimes their jobs or careers. A Maine auto accident lawsuit allows them to recover that money, along with compensation for their injuries, pain and any permanent disability or wrongful death.

All manufacturers are strictly liable for the safety of their products in Maine, which means they are legally responsible for injuries and deaths their defective products cause. If you or a loved one was seriously hurt in a crash you believe was caused by a faulty vehicle or auto part, you may be able to sue the manufacturer. The Bangor, Maine auto accident attorneys at Peter Thompson & Associates can help. From main offices in Portland and Bangor, we represent people throughout the state who have suffered serious injuries because of someone else's carelessness, including carelessness on the road as well as manufacturing defects. Our track record of success includes multiple settlements of $1 million or more.

To learn more about how we can help, please contact Peter Thompson & Associates today at 1-800-490-5218 or contact us via email.