Aug 20, 2012 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
Saturday night in Lexington, SC ( near Columbia, SC) was disruptive for two people in particular, as the The Lexington County Coroner has identified two people who were unfortunately, fatally wounded on the night in question.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol has reported that the location of the accident was near Pelion, whereas the driver was headed west on Neely Wingard Rd., and failed to stop at a stop sign at Fairview Rd., colliding with another vehicle. The time of car accident has been reported to be at or about 9:50 p.m.
Oddly enough, the driver of the truck walked away without an injury. The driver of the first vehicle, sadly can not say the same, as he was pronounced dead on scene. The passenger of the first driver’s vehicle was taken immediately to Palmetto Health, but then also perished after arriving at the Hospital.
South Carolina Attorneys Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP
If you have been involved in a serious car accident in the Lexington/Columbia area, carefully compare our attorneys’ credentials to any other firm. Then call us for a private consultation about your case. For more information about our firm, please visit www.rjrlaw.com or call us directly at 803-548-4444.
Aug 16, 2012 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A 24- year-old Marine lost his life this past weekend after being involved in a car accident in one of the most deadly stretch of Interstate that I-95 has to offer.
Statistics have shown that there is a particular section of this highway that is infamous for numerous accidents within the bounds of the roadway. The number of accidents is extraordinary since the year has begun: 132 car accidents so far in the same area of I-95 in Florence County for 2012.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety ( SCDPS) believes this number will increase as the year and holiday season begin. 2011 was a grizzly one as well, reporting 220 car accidents in the ” deadly stretch.”
Drivers who use I-95 on a regular basis have been offering suggestions on how to reduce the number of car accidents, but have not yet been fully heard. Daily driver, Natalie Bates spoke out and suggested that ” if the lanes were wider…if the road was in better condition, [or] if there were some signs showing speeds that people are going.” She additionally noted how is more State Patrol cars were available to monitor the speed, the incident number may also decrease.
Ultimately, the main issue boils down to the fact that the speed in the ” deadly stretch” is an extraordinary 75 mph! The SCDPS has reported that more than 50% of the accidents that occur on this roadway can be attributed to the speed of the drivers. And with 75 mph as the base, drivers are inclined to travel anywhere upwards to 90 mph at any given point, almost tripling the death rate if the car were to collide with another at that rate.
Common drivers of the highway also believe that vacationers on the way to the beach contribute to the accidents, as they are not as familiar with the roadways, speeds, and turns that the highway has in store.
Public Safety Officials have repeatedly encouraged drivers to follow the posted speed, and to not allow the 75 mph posting to be pushed beyond its limits. Speeding is the number one cause of accidents that happens on the roadways. Couple speeding with distraction and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
North and South Carolina Attorneys
If you, or someone you love has been injured in a car accident or any sort, please contact the Offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP to get the help that you deserve. With experienced attorneys on your side, Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower are ready and willing to help. Call us at 877-374-5999, or contact us using this form, to speak with an attorney who will help you evaluate your claim.
Aug 15, 2012 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
Last Wednesday afternoon was a slow one for fellow drivers of the Hickory area. A large portion of one of the major roadways in Hickory, Tate Boulevard, was shut down for several hours due to an overturned tractor-trailer, causing major delays in traffic.
The wreck involved only one tractor-trailer that overturned while attempting to make a sharp left turn onto Tate Blvd. from 26th Street Drive in Hickory. The accident occurred around 3:10 p.m. Speed attributed to the cause of the accident, as the driver of the tractor-trailer did not slow his rig to the speed needed to make the angle of the turn.
Making matters worse, as the officials attempted to turn the vehicle upright, the truck was quickly compromised and caught aflame. Apparently, the truck was carrying fuel, in which one of the barrels has a leak that initiated the fire.The Hickory Fire Department was subsequently called to the scene.
Thereafter, another tractor-trailer was called to the scene to unload the fuel and other supplies from the overturned vehicle in order to lighten the load and turn the vehicle upright, once and for all.
The North Carolina Tractor-Trailer Truck Accident Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower
Tractor-trailers can be very dangerous vehicles, as they are hard to see around, and also infamous for having deadly blind spots. If you or a loved one have been injured or killed by a tractor-trailer truck, you need an experienced trucking accident attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken & Hightower. Call us at 877-374-5999, or use this form, to speak with an attorney who can help you evaluate your claim and get you the best possible recovery.
Aug 15, 2012 | Personal Injury, Uncategorized
We all have a vague idea that the laws are different on Indian reservations like the one in North Carolina, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, but what does it really mean after an car, truck, or motorcycle accident? Basically it affects the court in which the matter will be heard: Tribal Court, State Court or Federal Court.
Basically, if the defendant is a member of the local tribe, a car accident case will generally be heard in the tribal court; if the defendant is a non-member of the tribe, a car accident case will generally be heard in state (or federal) court, even if the accident occurred on roads within the Indian reservation.
The basic reason for this is that, as long as the road was on a right-of-way given by the reservation to the state or federal government, the tribe’s claim of jurisdiction over non-members is fairly weak. The accident occurred on a road that the tribe barely regulates and generally non-members tort defendants will generally have little meaningful interaction with the tribe. The non-member came on the reservation to visit, isn’t a member of the tribe, and merely got into an accident on (usually) a state maintained road. The basis for giving the tribe jurisdiction over a non-member accident defendant is seemingly weak.
However, members obviously should be under jurisdiction of the tribe, and perhaps are owed the protection that a tribal venue might give. Thus, when members are the defendants, the tribal court will likely have jurisdiction.
These are just the basic rules though. State courts may have concurrent jurisdiction in these types of car, truck, and motorcycle accident cases, and federal courts will have jurisdiction over whether or not the tribal court has jurisdiction. Federal courts may even have diversity jurisdiction in some cases as well.
Interestingly, it may not be so bad for the non-member defendant to try their car, truck, or motorcycle accident case in Tribal Court rather than North Carolina court: The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians recognizes comparative negligence rather than North Carolina’s contributory negligence.
North Carolina Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed anywhere in the Carolinas, call our accident attorneys at 877-374-5999. You’ll speak to an attorney who will help you evaluate your case, and we’ll fight to get you your best possible recovery.
Aug 15, 2012 | Personal Injury, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
A jury in North Charleston ruled on August 10th, that the dog mauling of a 2-year-old boy in North Charleston was an accident, and there was no foul play at hand.
Ja’Marr Tiller, the 2-year-old victim was a resident of Mt. Pleasant, a subsidiary of Charleston, S.C. The special jury was asked to determine if anyone should be held liable for the death od the little boy.
There was a major discrepancy in what the animal control officers were claiming, versus what the autopsy report discovered which led to the special jury being instructed the aforementioned.
According to the animal control officer, the dogs in question were timid, and upon capture, no sign of human blood was found in their teeth or hair. The vet offered a secondary statement, agreeing with animal control that the attack did not involve the dogs in question.
However, to the contrary, the autopsy report established that the child was in fact killed by the dogs, as the 193 wounds that were on the child’s body matched the teeth marks of the 2 dogs that were found on the scene on May 27, 2012.
The child’s body was found by his mother, after the mother returned from running errands. It is assumed that the child walked outside through the unlocked door of his home, right into the peril that killed him.
South Carolina Attorneys: Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in any type of accident, you need an experienced accident attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken & Hightower. Call us at 877-374-5999, or use this form, to speak with an attorney who can help you evaluate your claim and get you the best possible recovery.
Aug 14, 2012 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
Sunday Afternoon was busy for all Interstate 77 drivers as an overturned vehicle caused numerous delays throughout the remainder of the day.The department of Transportation announced the location of the overturned vehicle was on I-77 northbound near the Sunset road exit.
The accident is still being investigated, but thus far there has been one patient with ” potentially life threatening injuries,” who was transported to Carolina’s Medical Center’s main campus.
The cause of the accident was due to rain buildup resting atop the surface of the roadways. A 2004 Chevy Blazer hydroplaned, causing the vehicle to overturn. The scene delayed traffic for hours, as the left, and left center lane were blocked as the clean-up crew scrambled to clean up the wreckage as fast as possible. It was not until 4:28 p.m. that they lanes were totally cleared.
There is no belief by the authorities that alcohol nor speed played a role in this particular accident.
Charlotte Car Accident Attorneys
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a car accident, you need the help of an experienced car accident attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken & Hightower,LLP. Call us at 877-374-5999, or contact us using this form, to speak with an attorney who will help you evaluate your claim and help you get the recovery you deserve.
