Category: Wrongful Death

The Arizona Republic is reporting that a car crash in Phoenix has led to the death of the teenager who was riding as a front seat passenger. The accident happened when a teenager driving on a permit hit a tree at 4100 W. Bethany Home Rd. around 4 AM on Sunday. The driver’s injuries were reportedly minor.

The vehicle was moving eastbound when it crossed the center line and then crashed. Police do not yet know what caused the vehicle to lose control, however there was no indication of alcohol impairment.

It is also being reported that the front seat passenger was not wearing a seatbelt, but the driver was belted. There was another passenger in the backseat of the car that was also not wearing a seatbelt. That passenger, age 17, sustained critical injuries, according to Fox news.

The passenger that died in the accident was 18 years old and was a student at Phoenix Union High School District.

Click here to read the story as reported by CBS news.

According to ADOT, in the year 2008 alone a total of 258 passengers were killed, and 16,055 passengers were injured in Arizona motor vehicle accidents.

A deadly Arizona auto accident has left two people dead and injured two others by a driver headed the wrong way on Interstate 10, according to the Arizona Republic. The accident happened early Saturday morning when the driver of a black Chevy Avalanche crashed head-on into a white Nissan Ultima around 4:45 AM. The collision occurred in an eastbound HOV lane between 24th and 32nd streets.

Azfamily.com is reporting that the department of public safety started receiving phone calls immediately prior to the accident regarding the wrong way driver. The callers stated the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed.

A DPS spokesman is stating they believe the driver of the Chevy was intoxicated at the time of the accident, but no specific facts as to evidence of impairment was disclosed. The at fault driver was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital.

The 22-year-old driver of the Nissan died at the scene of the accident. Her passenger, age 24, passed away while in an ambulance on the way to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.

The accident closed parts of Interstate 10 and Interstate 17 for period of time.

It has not been reported yet if there are Phoenix injury lawyers involved in the case. In an accident like this, the families of the victims will have insurance policy limits claims against the at fault driver. Further, if there is evidence of intoxication, I would expect that significant criminal charges will be filed against the wrong way driver.

In other accident news, ABC 15 is reporting that a Phoenix pedestrian accident has left a 17-year-old in critical condition. The accident happened on Monday night around 8 PM near Camelback Road and 28th St. The pedestrian, who is a Camelback high school student, was crossing a street to catch a bus when he was hit.

Police are saying that speed and impairment most likely did not play a role in the accident.

An Arizona car crash that occurred on Sunday afternoon has injured five people and has resulted in the death of one person. Azfamily.com is reporting it was a chain reaction accident that took place on Highland Avenue in the area of the exit ramp of route 51 around 1:30 PM. The cause of the accident is still being investigated, however speed is reportedly a factor in the collision.

The Phoenix car accident may have started when an SUV flipped onto its roof. The female driving the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. There was also a three-year-old boy that was riding as a passenger. He was found in the backseat in critical condition by rescue workers. Paramedics had to cut him out of his car seat, and he was then rushed to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The boy is believed to be the son of the SUV driver.

Another person involved in the accident had to be cut out of a gray Mercedes. Phoenix firefighters literally had to cut off the roof of the vehicle in the rescue. He was also in critical condition and was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Three others were injured in the collision. They were treated and released at the scene, and did not have to be hospitalized.

The intersection was close for a period of time after the accident. The Phoenix Police Department is handling the crash investigation.

Click here to read the story as reported by KTAR.com and ABC news.

A Grand Canyon car accident killed one man and seriously injured two others when their truck smashed into a tree on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, the Tucson Citizen reported.

The fatality victim was taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. The two survivors were transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.Responding officers arrived at the accident scene near the intersection of Shuttle and Center roads, to find the pickup truck had smashed into a tree. The road was closed for more than three hours while the accident was investigated and the scene was cleared. The investigation is being handled by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the National Park Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Grand Canyon accidents occur under many different circumstances. White water rafting expeditions down the Colorado River have proven among the deadliest activities, according to a 2001 book “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon.” At least 79 people have drown in the river. Sightseeing crashes are also a danger. Whether by airplane or helicopter, more than 240 people have been killed. More than 50 have died from falls and 65 from environmental factors, including heat stroke and heart attack.

Tourist companies have an obligation to provide safe passage to customers. When they don’t and someone is injured or killed through negligence, a Phoenix injury lawyer should be consulted to ensure the victim has the experienced legal representation necessary to protect his or her rights.

Of course not all victims die as the result of a company’s negligence. Each year, hikers who overestimate their fitness level wander off and become disoriented and dehydrated. Sometimes they are rescued, and sometimes they are not. Signs featuring buff hikers have been installed that read “Each year we rescue hundreds of people from the Canyon. Most of them look like him.”

Several dozen others have been killed in freak accidents, including lightning strikes and rock falls. At least 48 people have committed suicide in the canyon over the years and two dozen have been the victims of homicide.

Comedian Robert Schimmel has died from injuries sustained in a Phoenix car crash on Friday night, according to the New York Daily News. He was 60 years old. The comedian was best known for his hilarious appearances on the Howard Stern show.

At the time of the car accident, Schimmel was riding as a passenger with his 19-year-old daughter, who was driving. It is being reported that his daughter lost control after she tried to avoid a head-on collision and the car flipped over onto the side of the freeway. His daughter was injured, but she’s expected to make a full recovery. His 11-year-old son was also in the car and he was miraculously not injured.

After the accident, Schimmel was rushed to an area hospital where he later died on Friday evening. Schimmel lived in Scottsdale Arizona.

In addition to appearing on Howard Stern, he was also named one of Comedy Central’s 100 greatest comics, he had stand-up specials on Showtime and HBO, and he also published a memoir in 2008 called “Cancer on $5 a day” that told of his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Click here to read the story as reported by E! Online and by the Associated Press.