Articles Posted in Catastrophic Injuries

Stephen Bowers, 24, of Bangor, suffered life-threatening injuries during an afternoon crash on High Street between Hammond Street and Union Street in downtown Bangor. Bowers was a passenger in a Cadillac driven by James Blakeman, 23, who died at the scene.

In this type of serious case, it is critical to conduct an accident reconstruction as soon as possible to preserve necessary evidence. For example, one of the best ways to determine whether speed was a factor in the accident is to examine and measure skid marks. Skid marks become markedly less visible as time passes, particularly if snow falls and the road is plowed. In addition, the damage to the vehicle is an excellent indicator of the speed of the vehicle immediately prior to impact, so it will be important to preserve the vehicle. At Peter Thompson & Associates, we have investigated hundreds of serious collisions and had the very best accident reconstructionists in the field determine how and why an accident occurred.

November 4, 2009: Shane Everett was walking on Hunter Road when he was hit by John Fortier of Lewiston. Mr. Fortier has been charged with OUI. The boy was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he remained in critical condition late Thursday night, a nursing supervisor said.

At Peter Thompson & Associates, our personal injury law specialists and private investigators have handled similar cases. In this case, it is likely that the driver will claim that, despite his level of intoxication, he could not have avoided the collision with the boy because of the lighting conditions and the color of the boy’s clothes. It will be necessary, as in past cases we have handled, to establish that the delayed reaction time by the driver due to his intoxication was the cause of the accident. Our legal team has employed experts in the effects of intoxication on reaction time and have successfully established that accidents could have easily been avoided but for the driver’s impaired reaction time. We have also conducted simulations under near-idential conditions to show how even small fractions of time can mean the difference between whether it was possible to avoid hitting a pedestrian walking along the side of the road. These simulations have involved, among other things, placing a video camera in a vehicle operating in the same direction as the drunk driver at the lawful speed and having someone walk along the same side of the road in the same type of clothes that our client was wearing at the time of the collision. This type of visual information is extremely persuasive in establishing that the collision could have been avoided.

We also look at whether the driver of vehicle was operating his vehicle above the speed limit. It is possible by looking at scuff marks in the road in relation to where the pedestrian ultimately landed and other physical evidence at the accident scene, including any damage to the vehicle, to determine the speed of the vehicle immediately prior to the collision. Witness statements, if any, are also critical to determining the cause of the accident. It is critical in a case such as this that the matter be investigated as soon as possible to prevent physical evidence from being lost and to preserve witness recollections.

Coburn Roberts, 26, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants and operating after suspension. He is expected to make his initial court appearance on Oct. 26 in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft.

Roberts was at the wheel of a Chevrolet pickup truck that left the road in Drew Valley in Elliotsville at about 8:14 p.m. Saturday, according to Investigator Jamie Kane of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department. Elliotsville is between Monson and Willimantic. He said the driver lost control of the vehicle and it went down an embankment.

Kane said Roberts left the vehicle despite the fact his three passengers were injured. He said the three passengers — Steven Roberts, 37, of Guilford; Kirk Thornley, 24, of Monson; and Konrad Thornley, 27, of Bradley — were taken by ambulance to Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft and Kirk Thornley was later taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

James Westerdahl, 75, of Littleton, was in serious condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center today after a three vehicle crash on North Street early on Wednesday evening. According to the Bangor Daily News, Westerdahl was driving southbound in his GMC truck, lost control of the truck and swerved into the northbound lane, directly into the path of an oncoming tractor trailer.

The tractor trailer was driven by James Sprague, 57, of Nobleboro. Sprague attempted to swerve when he saw Westerdahl coming toward him, but he couldn’t get out of the way in time and the two vehicles collided.

Meanwhile, Melissa Radatv, 25, who was following Sprague’s truck, saw what was happening and attempted to avoid the crash. But pieces of debris struck her truck and she careened off the road.