Wrongful Death

North Carolina Man Charged After Crash Kills Off Duty Officer

April 17, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

Criminal charges have been filed against a North Carolina Department of Transportation Worker who crashed his vehicle into an oncoming minivan. The accident was serious and left an off-duty Tarboro, NC police officer dead.

According to news reports, the 29-year-old worker, William Harrell II, faces charges of driving left-of-center and with misdemeanor death by a motor vehicle. Harrell was released on $2,5000 unsecured bond and will reappear in court later this summer to answer the charges.

The accident occurred when Officer Charles Johnson was driving his Honda Odyssey west on NC 111 just outside Tarboro. The accident happened in the morning and occurred when a NCDOT excavator being driven by Harrell drifted out of its lane. Police say that Harrell crossed the centerline and smashed into Johnson’s minivan, with the force of the crash being absorbed by the driver side area of the car.

The force of the accident was so great that Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Harrell’s excavator ended up being pushed off the road, though reports indicate that he survived with only minor injuries. Officials say that in addition to a criminal investigation into the crash, the NCDOT has launched its own investigation into what may have gone wrong.

Head Injury Kills North Carolina Boy

April 15, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

Many people have heard of the serious damage that can occur as a result of traumatic brain injuries. These days most of the press is given to soldiers or professional athletes who sustain powerful blows to the head on a regular basis. While it’s true that these groups are disproportionately affected by traumatic brain injuries, it’s also true that ordinary people can be harmed just as easily. Just this past week, a 12-year-old boy in North Carolina died after he sustained a severe blow to the head, illustrating how dangerous and serious head injuries can be.

Police say that the 12-year-old Wilmington boy died after he was hit by a baseball during practice. The incident occurred at a local middle school and was part of after-school athletic practice. According to witnesses, the boy was hit in the head by a line drive ball at the Roland-Grise Middle School.

After the accident, the boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received treatment. Sadly, it was too late and the boy died later that night. Officials with the school district have offered their condolences while family and friends are stunned at the sudden death of an athletic and healthy young boy.

Though it may seem difficult to believe, baseball is actually the deadliest sport for children between the ages of five and 14. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that four children die every year from injuries they sustained playing or practicing baseball.

Drunk Driving Crash Leaves One Charlotte Man Dead And Another Behind Bars

April 8, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

In a tragic example of the dangers of speeding, a Charlotte man died last week after police say the driver of an SUV crashed into the man’s Jeep at a high rate of speed. The case highlights the damage that a fast moving car can do to unsuspecting motorists whose only mistake is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department say that the accident last Tuesday night left Ramez Eldin dead and Michael Perrella behind bars. The crash took place on South Tryon Street near the intersection with West Tyvola Road.

According to accident investigators, the crash happened when Perrella, who was driving a Ford Expedition, slammed into the back of Eldin’s Jeep. After the accident, both cars ended up spinning out of control. According to witnesses, after the crash the Expedition crossed northbound lanes of traffic and came to rest after hitting a telephone pole. Eldin’s car eventually ended up on the sidewalk of South Tryon.

When emergency responders arrived at the scene of the accident it was sadly too late to save Eldin. Eldin was pronounced dead at the site of the accident. Perrella suffered relatively minor injuries and was taken to Carolina’s Medical Center for treatment.

Police say they set to work investigating what may have caused the terrible accident and believe that Perrella’s speed played a decisive role in the deadliness of the crash. Additionally, Perrella is believed to have been impaired at the time of the accident, another factor that is frequently linked to fatal car accidents.

Deadly Accident Occurs After Driver Runs Red Light

April 3, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

A Charlotte woman died earlier this week after being involved in a terrible accident on Brookshire Boulevard near I-485. Police say the crash happened around 5 o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday.

According to authorities, the accident took place after the woman, 53-year-old Annie Roller, took off from a stop light on the off-ramp of I-485. Roller had been stopped at a red light and when her light changed to green she pulled out into the intersection and tried to make a left turn onto Brookshire Boulevard.

Just as Roller was pulling into traffic, she was struck by an oncoming Ford Explorer driven by 23-year-old Quantovius Forte. Forte is said to have run the red light and smashed into the left side of Roller’s vehicle. Accident investigators say the force of the collision was intense and that the driver’s side of Roller’s vehicle absorbed the vast majority of the impact of the crash.

By the time emergency responders arrived, it was too late to save Roller who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Forte himself suffered minor injuries in the crash and was taken to a Charlotte hospital for treatment. Once he was discharged, Forte was arrested and has since been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. In addition to the more serious death by vehicle charge, Forte is also facing charges for an expired registration, expired inspection and running a red light.

GM Recall Linked To Potentially Hundreds Of Deaths

March 27, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

GM is currently in the midst of a major recall and consumers have begun to grow more nervous over the safety of what some groups have said are millions of potentially affected vehicles. So far more than 1.6 million GM cars have been swept up in the recall, a number many expect to rise before it’s all said and done.

GM’s CEO Marry Barra has apologized to customers and the driving public for the mistakes that led to the recall, saying that GM owes its customers better vehicles and a more direct approach in the future. The company has been criticized by safety advocates, Senators and even the NHTSA for what some call a dangerous and potentially deadly delay in issuing the important recall notice.

The problem at the center of the recall revolves around a faulty ignition switch that can go bad without warning. GM says that the ignition switch is prone to breaking if drivers have especially heavy key rings or even when the car suffers a big jolt or bump. When the ignition switch goes bad, it can cause the car to completely lose power, meaning that critical safety features like airbags fail to work properly, if at all.

For its part, GM says that it has seen reports linking the faulty ignition switch to 12 deaths. However, others say this is a woefully inaccurate underestimate. The group, Center for Auto Safety, says that an extensive investigation has revealed that the defective device may actually be responsible for more than 300 deaths due to high-speed accidents where airbags failed to deploy properly.

Horrific Hazing Allegedly Cause Of College Student’s Death

March 20, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

The family of a young man pledging the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity at High Point University who died after they say he was subjected to vicious hazing has filed suit against the school and the fraternity. The family of Robert Tipton, Jr. filed the lawsuit after their son was found lifeless back in March of 2012 in an off-campus apartment.

According to news reports, the family claims that the day before he died, Tipton was told he had to attend what the fraternity dubbed a “counseling session” at the off-campus apartment. After arriving, they say that members of Delta Sigma Phi proceeded to viciously haze the young man at the direction of the fraternity’s pledge master.

Specifically, the suit claims that fraternity members assaulted and battered Tipton, resulting in blunt force trauma to the young man’s head. An autopsy revealed contusions to the boy’s head, face and neck, but noted that oxymorphone poisoning officially caused his death. A separate report disagreed with the official cause of death and said that Tipton died due to aspiration of gastrointestinal contents and that a concussion caused by the hazing likely precipitated the aspiration.

The lawsuit says that Delta Sig’s pledge master, Michael Qubein, is also the son of the school’s president. So far, the university has said only that it was saddened by the loss of the young man, but that it believes the lawsuit naming the school is baseless.

Man With Cerebral Palsy Killed In Charlotte Hit-And-Run

February 18, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

Police in Charlotte say that earlier this week a 50-year-old man with cerebral palsy was hit and killed by a driver who never bothered to stop. Officers say that Carrington Ware had been visiting his girlfriend on Allegheny Street when the hit-and-run driver struck him.

Officials say that Ware had cerebral palsy, but refused to let the disability define his life. Ware lived on his own, had an active social life and was an avid sports fan. Friends and family members gathered to mourn the loss of the man and honor his memory.

According to police investigators, it is believed Ware was crossing the street when an oncoming vehicle collided with the man. Police say they driver never bothered to stop and help Ware or even call 911. Instead, the person fled the scene of the accident. Friends and family are now asking the person responsible to come forward so they can begin the difficult process of healing from the trauma.

Another North Carolina Worker Dead After On-The-Job Accident

February 11, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “Can I wait a few months to pursue a personal injury claim?”

Police say a terrible industrial accident in Shelby, North Carolina left one worker dead and state investigators searching for clues about how the fatal accident could have been avoided.

Authorities have not yet released the name of the man who was killed, but say the accident took place at the KSM Castings plant located on Plato Lee Road, west of Shelby. Emergency responders say that the accident happened when an eight-inch pipe exploded during the morning shift, leading to fatal injuries for the contract worker.

A statement from officials said that the worker had been employed by United Mechanical Corporation for more than 13 years and was quite experienced with the work he was doing. The employee had been assigned to install heating and air condition units in the plant and was in the process of doing so when the explosion occurred.

North Carolina Driver Charged With Second-Degree Murder Was Texting And Impaired Prior To Accident

February 6, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What should I do if I have been injured by another party but I can’t afford a lawyer?”

A woman from North Carolina has been charged with several serious crimes after running over another woman. Police say that Belinda Hudspeth was impaired and texting last week when she ran over Lavon Ramsey who was out for a walk to visit friends.

Police in Belmont, North Carolina say that Hudspeth has been charged with second-degree murder as well as other crimes in connection with Ramsey’s death. Ramsey, who was 75 years old, was taking a short stroll to her neighbor’s house when Hudspeth hit her.

Witnesses say that Ramsey was on her way to talk to a friend when they saw an oncoming SUV swerve off the road, collide with a fence and a series of trashcans and then finally, with Ramsey. Hudspeth was behind the wheel of the 1999 GMC Jimmy and those in the area say that it’s clear she was speeding at the time of the crash. Neighbors called 911 immediately after the accident while Ramsey’s husband came to tend to her injuries.

Several Construction Site Accidents Around North Carolina Highlight Common Workplace Danger

January 30, 2014 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “If I am injured in a car accident or at work what should I do?”

Officials in Raleigh say that one worker fell to his death at a busy construction site earlier this week, the second serious workplace accident in the area so far this year. Police say that Gabriel Andrade was working on scaffolding when he fell approximately five stories.

A colleague of Andrade’s called 911 immediately after the fall, but by the time emergency responders arrived he had succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Andrade was only 30 years old and leaves behind a devastated family. Investigators say that they have no reason to suspect foul play, saying that the fall was instead a fairly common construction site accident. Officials with the North Carolina Department of Labor say they will be looking into the incident and will be checking to see if the proper safety procedures were followed at the worksite.

Sadly, the accident was the second serious construction accident in Raleigh in only a few days. Earlier this month, three workers at a construction site at North Carolina State University were seriously injured after the raised platform they were standing on collapsed. Officials say the construction workers were on the platform to assist a crane operator who was lifting a steel beam into place inside the new student center.

The platform that the workers were standing on collapsed, sending all three men crashing at least eight feet to the ground below. One of the workers hurt his back while the second injured his legs. The third worker sustained a serious head injury and was taken to WakeMed for treatment.