In The News

Published on: September 11, 2009

Gwinnett County Police Officer Arrested after Drunk Driving Accident

Gwinnett County Police Officer Arrested after Drunk Driving Accident

You would expect a law enforcement officer, who sees the devastation caused by drunk driving accidents everyday, to have a better appreciation for the consequences of these. Not always, it appears. A police officer in Gwinnett County has been arrested for driving under the influence after he caused a minor accident.

The officer James Stoudenmire, was driving a Mustang that rear ended another car stopped at a red light. The passenger in the other vehicle suffered a leg injury. Officers, who responded at the scene, noticed the strong smell of alcohol, and administered a field sobriety test. Stoudenmire was reported "unsteady” during the test. He also confessed that he had consumed four alcoholic drinks. He was charged with DUI and following too closely. Stoudenmire has been placed on administrative leave.

Published on: September 10, 2009

Man Killed in Cobb County Motorcycle Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Man Killed in Cobb County Motorcycle Accident

A Smyrna resident has been killed in a motorcycle accident involving another biker in Cobb County.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the victim Anthony Tyrone Anderson was riding his motorbike behind another motorcyclist, Ronald Bagley. Bagley signaled that he was making a left turn, but when he began turning, Anderson’s motorcycle crashed into his bike. Anderson’s motorcycle was thrown across the road into several utility poles. He suffered fatal injuries.

Published on: August 19, 2009

Elderly Lexington Couple Mauled to Death in Dog Attack

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Elderly Lexington Couple Mauled to Death in Dog Attack

Mystery still surrounds the death of a retired professor and his wife, apparently from a vicious dog attack.

On Saturday, the mutilated bodies of retired UGA professor 77-year-old Luther Karl Schweder, and his wife 65-year-old Sherry were found near their home in Lexington. Preliminary autopsies showed that Sherry had died from dog bite injuries. Her husband’s autopsy results are not yet available. But it’s very likely that Luther Schweder also died from injuries in the dog attack.

Published on: August 17, 2009

Covington Driver Released after Fatal Pedestrian Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Covington Driver Released after Fatal Pedestrian Accident

Even as the family of 6-year-old Suk Maya Monger was holding a memorial service for the refugee girl who was struck and killed in a pedestrian accident, the motorist who struck her has been released from the DeKalb County Jail.

Suk Maya was killed last week. She and her mother had just got off a MARTA bus, and had walked round in front of the bus to cross the street. As they stepped into an open lane, motorist Gregory Armwood stuck the mother and daughter pair. According to police, he had just passed a stopped car and a MARTA bus. Suk Maya suffered serious head and internal injuries. She died on Wednesday. That day, tragically enough, was to have been her first day at a local Atlanta elementary school.

Published on: August 7, 2009

Deadly Motorcycle Accident in Atlanta Kills One Person

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A multi-vehicle accident on Interstate-285 in DeKalb County on Wednesday left a motorcyclist dead, and 5 other people injured. According to DeKalb County police, the accident was set off by an SUV driver who entered the highway without slowing for traffic.

The driver seems to have set off a chain reaction that led to an 18 wheeler, striking a group of motorcyclists. A 54-year-old motorcyclist has been killed, and one other motorcycle rider has sustained serious injuries. Three motorcyclists and the SUV driver have sustained moderate injuries. The accident involved three motorcycles, two SUVs and two 18 wheelers.

Details are still coming in, but it seems like that the motorcycles involved in the accident were participating in the National Biker Round-up. It was the second day of the bike fest, and the event which is hosted by the Georgia biker community, is expected to continue for about a week, ending on Sunday.

Published on: August 6, 2009

Two Seriously Injured in Columbia County Car Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Two people were seriously injured in a multi vehicle car accident in Evans in Columbia County on Monday.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, the accident was set off when Evans-resident Gregory Teasley, who was eastbound on Washington Road, crossed the center line and struck the side of a GMC truck. Teasley’s car was pushed into the oncoming lane where it struck a Jeep Cherokee head on. Both Teasley, and the driver of the Jeep Cherokee, a 74-year-od woman, suffered serious injuries, and had to be airlifted.

According to witnesses who had been behind Teasley’s car, he had been weaving in and out of the traffic for several miles before the crash took place. Columbia Country Sheriff officials say they will be filing charges against him Teasley. There’s no information on whether alcohol or drugs were involved here

Published on: July 24, 2009

Truck Accidents in Crisp County, Savannah Leave Trail of Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Truck Accidents in Crisp County, Savannah Leave Trail of Injuries

Two separate accidents in Savannah and Crisp County, both involving pickup trucks and 18 wheelers, have left one person dead and three critically injured.

In the first accident, a 66-year-old woman suffered critical injuries when her Chevy turned in front of a big rig. According to troopers, Ora Lee Morris was not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the truck on impact. She was trapped underneath the truck.There is no information about why Morris turned her pickup right in front of the big rig.

Published on: July 22, 2009

NHTSA Suppressed Data Proving Cell Phone Use While Driving Raises Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/technology/21distracted.html?_r=1

Previously undisclosed documents that have now been made public, courtesy the Freedom of Information Act, show that federal auto safety agencies had access to thousands of pages of research that showed a clear risk of increased number of accidents because of cell phone use by motorists.In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had that information back in 2003, but chose not to make it public.

The documents have been obtained by two consumer safety groups, Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety who filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act.The documents have been published by the New York Times.

Published on: July 17, 2009

Three Girls Injured in Douglas County ATV Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Three teenage girls were injured on Wednesday in an ATV accident in Douglas County.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the three were riding an ATV on the street, and seem to have lost control of the four-wheeler when trying to turn a curve. All three were ejected from the ATV, and suffered injuries that did not appear to life threatening. The girls were not wearing helmets. The Georgia State Patrol says that the girls may be charged because they were not allowed to ride an ATV on the road. Besides, they were not wearing helmets, and they were not licensed.

Fortunately, the injuries were not too serious, but this was an accident that could have easily resulted in serious injuries. In Georgia and across the country, thousands of injuries every year are traced to ATV accidents. Many of these accidents can be traced to design defects in the ATV. The Yamaha Rhino, for instance, has been linked to thousands of injuries across the country, because of its narrower body, and high center of gravity that places motorists at an increased risk of a rollover. Riders are likely to be thrown off the ATV, and trapped underneath, leaving them with crushing injuries.

Published on: July 14, 2009

Fiery Interstate 75 Car Accident Linked to Road Rage

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Earlier this month, we reported on an accident involving a car and a rental truck in Lowndes County on I-75. The accident, that occurred just before the Fourth of July weekend, left four people dead. Days later, several other details have emerged. Georgia State Patrol now believes that road rage could have been a possible factor in that crash.

The victims were four female passengers, including a mother, her two young daughters and her boyfriend, Jerome Roberts. Police are looking into whether road rage on the part of Roberts could have been a factor in the car accident. The tragic sequence of events unfolded when another motorist, Douglas Jones, called police to tell them that a driver in a gold 2003 Saturn Vue was driving recklessly and aggressively. A rental truck driver then struck both Jones’ car and the Saturn Vue. The passengers in the Saturn Vue were trapped, and both the rental truck and the Saturn caught fire. Witnesses at the scene pulled Roberts from his car, but he was declared dead at the scene. The three female passengers died in the car from serious burin injuries. Douglas Jones also suffered injuries. According to the police, they were still on the phone with him when the crash occurred.

The Georgia State Patrol has listed Jerome Roberts as the at-fault driver in its accident report.