Maine auto accident

September 19, 2018

Maine Distracted Driving Leaves Pregnant Mother, Child in Critical Condition

Authorities say charges are likely in a Maine distracted driving crash that inflicted life-threatening injuries on a pregnant woman and her young child. Two other young children in the vehicle were treated at a hospital and released. The 29-year-old woman and her 8-year-old son were listed in critical condition initially, and later in stable/fair condition. It is not clear whether the woman’s unborn child survived.

The Portland Press Herald reports that police in Fryeburg are continuing their investigation of the collision on Route 302, which the police chief told media was likely caused by distracted driving. It’s unclear what type of distraction was allegedly at issue.

Portland distracted driving accident attorneys recognize that these types of crashes devastate individuals and families, not just physically and emotionally, but financially. Although this may be easier to quantify in the form of lost wages if a person is a working parent, even stay-at-home parents provide invaluable contributions to their families, who may suddenly not only be forced to find alternative means of child care and new living arrangements but also often more work to cover the significant costs involved with hospitalization, serious injury or death.

November 1, 2017

Arguing for Auto Insurance Coverage in Maine After Crash Despite Cancellation

by Peter Thompson & Associates

Motorcyclists in Maine are at higher risk of injuries and death than occupants of other types of motor vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports an estimated 88,000 motorcyclists are injured and nearly 5,000 killed each year in the U.S. Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclist fatalities occurred nearly 29 times more frequently than passenger car occupant deaths in crashes. This is part of the reason why Maine requires motorcyclists to carry insurance coverage.

The state requires riders to carry a minimum of $50,000 for injury/death to any one person, $100,000 in bodily injury liability for a single Maine motorcycle accident resulting in the death or injury of more than one person, and $25,000 in property damage coverage. State law also mandates uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

If an auto insurance policy is cancelled and not reinstated prior to a crash, obtaining coverage can prove difficult, if not impossible. One aspect our Maine injury lawyers would explore in that case is whether the insurer satisfied the statutory notice requirements as set forth in 24-A M.R.S. Section 2914(1).

June 10, 2016

Police: Teen Driver in Fatal Maine Crash Was Speeding

by Peter Thompson & Associates

A driver behind the wheel in a car crash that left one person dead and three seriously injured was reportedly traveling at nearly twice the speed limit, police say.

Speeding, of course, is one of the most prevalent contributing factors in auto accidents, with the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reporting the average annual cost of speed-related crashes nationally is more than $40 billion.

Bangor Daily News staffers recently combed through law enforcement analysis of the May 14th crash in Belfast involving a 19-year-old driver and her four young passengers. Continue reading

August 26, 2015

Parents Sue Driver, Ferry Owner in Fatal Auto Accident on Wharf That Killed Boy, 9

by Peter Thompson & Associates

A 9-year-old boy was killed, while his mother and 6-year-old brother were seriously injured, after a 63-year-old woman drove her sedan into a line of people waiting on a wharf in Rockland, Maine for a ferry ride to Monhegan. Also seriously injured in the crash was a 70-year-old man who suffered a shattered hip.

Now, parents of the boy who lost his life have filed a Maine wrongful death lawsuit against the New York City driver, as well as the owners of the ferry and the boat line business.

Plaintiffs allege the crash could have been prevented if the driver had not been operating her vehicle negligently or, alternatively, had the ferry line acted to erect gates and barriers or worked to safely channel bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the wharf where the crash happened. Continue reading