Articles Posted in Driving Hazards

After an extensive investigation, a Peabody teenager whose car crashed into a house last month has recently been arraigned for driving under the influence of alcohol. As reported in Peabody Teenager Survives After Crashing into House and Catching Fire, Robert Habeeb, Jr.’s car exploded into flames after it crashed into a house . Firefighters were able to pull him from the burning sedan at approximately 2:30 a.m. on December 11. Habeeb was not seriously injured in the crash despite the crashes´ severity. He has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including operating under the influence of alcohol and reckless operation of a motor vehicle in the Peabody District Court. The 18-year-old Peabody High senior was additionally charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to yield, and failure to have an inspection sticker.

According to papers that were filed in court, a blood sample taken in the hospital after the crash revealed that Habeeb’s blood alcohol level was two-and-a-half times the legal limit. The State Police Lab sent the blood results to the Peabody Police Department last Wednesday. Before this more serious finding, Habeeb was issued a criminal motor vehicle citation after the accident for operating a motor vehicle recklessly so as to endanger. The records also revealed that Habeeb was traveling 109 miles per hour five seconds before the crash.

Peabody Police formally summonsed Habeeb with the charges filed against him this week while he was at school, including the operating under the influence of alcohol charge. Richard Chambers, Jr., Habeeb´s Lynnfield-based attorney, said that defendants are usually sent a summons in the mail at least two weeks in advance. Both Habeeb and his lawyer declined to say if he drinking or what his activities were on the night of the crash. He was not given a field sobriety test or a breathalyzer test on the night of the crash.

A spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office, Carrie Kimball Monahan, said that there is not a standard procedure to summon a defendant to court in Essex County. She said, “In this case charges were sought yesterday and the clerk issued an arraignment for today so he was served…It had to be done.”

Peabody Police spokesman Michael Crane said “An extensive investigation was conducted, the charges were filed accordingly based on the investigation.” He said that the Peabody Police led the investigation and worked together with members of the Massachusetts State Police Accident Reconstruction Team.

In a separate hearing after the arraignment, Judge Richard Mori ordered Habeeb not to consume any alcohol while the case is pending and he must take random alcohol tests. He must also adhere to an 8 p.m. curfew while the case is pending. Mori also ordered him to turn in his license to the court despite the fact that the Registry of Motor Vehicles has already suspended Habeeb’s driver’s license.

If you have been involved in a road accident, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced Massachusetts car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Source:

Peabody teen charged with OUI in crash at Herrick Road home , www.boston.com, January 11, 2012
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After a teenage driver crashed his vehicle into a Peabody home last week, the car flipped onto its side, burst into flames, and the engine detached onto the front lawn. Robert Habeeb, Jr. 18, of Peabody, was reportedly returning home from hanging out with his peers at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning when the accident occurred. The vehicle first hit a tree stump, then a stone wall which sent the car into the air, and then into a house on Herrick Road, which caused both the car and house to catch fire. The owners of the house were not home when the accident occured but the damage to the house has been estimated at approximately $50,000.
Firefighters were said to have had to climb on top of the overturned vehicle as it was still burning to look for the driver. He was released from Massachusetts General Hospital with only relatively minor injuries including a bruised pelvis, back pain, a bump on his head, and burns on his knuckles.

The teenager´s father, Robert Habeeb said, “He fell asleep driving home…He doesn’t remember anything…I just want to thank the Peabody Fire Department and Police Department for finding Robert and pulling him out of the car and saving his life…When I think of what might have happened if they’d come a minute later …”

Peabody fire Capt. Dale Kimball recalled the scene of the accident as the most horrible he’d ever seen in more than a decade as a firefighter. A witness, neighbor Charles Annino, called his mere survival a miracle. The teenager´s father agreed and said “If you saw the car, you would think that, too…The tow-truck people said it was the worst wreck they’d ever picked up.” Family members have mentioned that the teen is looking forward to thanking the firefighters who rescued him.

Police Spokesman Michael Crane said that the investigation is open but they had not filed charges against Habeeb. Crane did not confirm if chargers could be filed at a later date. Peabody police have not involved the state police accident reconstruction team.

If you have been involved in a road accident, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced Massachusetts car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Sources:

Driver saved from burning car is home from hospital, The Salem News, December 13, 2011
Peabody teen whose car hit house released from hospital
, www.boston.com, December 13, 2011
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General Motors Company has recently announced that they are developing a way to discharge the battery in Chevrolet Volts to prevent the battery from causing car fires after car crashes. This announcement comes after the Volt was crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and subsequently caught fire three weeks later, causing skepticism over safety of the electric vehicle.

Rob Peterson, a GM spokesman, said that GM is currently working with the NHTSA and will announce their safety procedures as soon as they are finished. Peterson said “We had a process internally but I don’t believe it was shared with anyone…The incident with NHTSA raised awareness that we had to develop a procedure and alert all stakeholders.” The executive director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, Clarence Ditlow, said “I can’t conceive that they didn’t have a standard operating procedure in place for handling a wrecked vehicle before the car went on sale…NHTSA and GM should have established protocols in place before it went on sale.” Although The Volt´s counterpart, the Nissan Leaf, had already developed and established a safety plan by the time both cars were released for sale in December 2010. Additionally, Nissan´s Leaf has a protective steel case around its battery to protect the battery from puncture, unlike the Volt.

GM believes that a coolant leak carried an electrical charge to a flammable material inside the battery. When a lithium battery is punctured by steel, a chemical reaction will raise the temperature and could potentially cause a fire. GM’s chief engineer for electric cars, Jim Federico, said that GM´s new technology reduces power in the battery so it won’t catch on fire after a collision. He said “The fire occurred because the battery wasn’t completely discharged after the test…GM developed its battery depowering process for the Volt after NHTSA’s test.”
GM previously had a process to discharge the Volt batteries but the automaker did not distribute the training to tow truck drivers, body shops, salvage yards and others who may handle or be in contact with the car after emergency personnel had finished working at the scene of an accident. The company was individually sending out engineers to check any Volt that got in an accident. If it was necessary, they would discharge the battery.

Although the NHTSA confirmed that it did not believe the Volt or any other electric vehicles are at higher risk for fires than gasoline engines, the NHTSA is currently examining the safety of lithium-ion batteries that power all electric vehicles. NHTSA is asking all automakers that sell lithium-ion powered vehicles or will sell in the future, about the batteries´ safety and potential fire risk.

If you have been involved in a Massachusetts car accident, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced a Massachusetts car accident lawyer.

Sources:

U.S. probes EV batteries after Chevy Volt fire, Reuters, November 11, 2011
GM Seeks Ways to Discharge Volt Batteries Following Car Crashes, Bloomberg News, November 17, 2011
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Massachusetts and Connecticut police report that three teens have been hospitalized and remain in serious condition after they stole a car from Connecticut and crashed in Massachusetts. Early Friday morning, the three teenagers stole a gray Dodge Sebring from Grosvenor Dale, Connecticut. Connecticut State Police notified Massachusetts State Police that they were chasing the stolen vehicle on Route 395 North near the Massachusetts state line in Webster. A Massachusetts police officer, Ronald Tetreau Jr., was parked on the side of the road, and soon saw the car speeding over 100 miles per hour in Douglas. The officer attempted to follow the vehicle but temporary lost sight of the speeding vehicle. Officer Tetreau then came upon the vehicle´s debris on Webster Street, also known as Route 16. The vehicle had hit a fence, a utility pole, and rolled over several times.

The two occupants who were seated in the front of the car had been thrown from the vehicle. A 15-year-old from Putnam, Connecticut, was driving, police said. A 16-year-boy from Dudley, Massachusetts was in the front passenger and was also seriously injured. A 16-year-old female passenger was sitting in the back seat and had to be extricated from the vehicle. Police have identified the female passenger as Skyelynn Mathieu of Ware, Massachusetts, but have not released the identities of the two males in the vehicle. All three victims were taken to University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, University Campus in Worcester, where they remain in critical condition.

Authorities found stolen property in the vehicle and charges could potentially be filed when the investigation is complete.

Police Chief Patrick T. Foley said that the crash is under investigation. Douglas Police are working with Connecticut State Police, and the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Crash Reconstruction Unit and the District Attorney’s Office are also investigating.

If you have been involved in a car accident, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced Massachusetts car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Sources:

Teens remain hospitalized from stolen car crash, Worcester Telegram, November 14, 2011
3 Teens Hurt in 100 MPH Crash, NBC Connecticut, November 11, 2011
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New wireless technology enables communication between vehicles that has the potential to improve safety and to help drivers avoid car accidents. At a recent research clinic hosted by the Department of Transportation at Walt Disney World® SPEEDWAY in Orlando last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, “Thanks to the efforts of automakers and the safety community traffic fatalities have reached historic lows. Despite these great strides though, more than 32,000 people are still killed on our nation’s roads every year. That’s why we must remain vigilant in our effort to improve safety…This research should bring us a step closer to what could be the next major safety breakthrough.”

Research by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that connected vehicle technology could potentially decrease approximately 80 percent of vehicle crashes involving non-impaired drivers. The research shows that such technology could help to prevent many types of crashes that typically occur in the real world such as crashes at intersections or during lanes changes.
The “Driver Acceptance Clinic” is one of many that will eventually be held across the nation in order to evaluate cars equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems in a controlled environment where researchers can observe drivers’ responses to audible warnings. The in-car collision warnings for the drivers include messages such as “do not pass”, alerts that a vehicle has suddenly stopped ahead, and other similar safety warnings.

NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said, “With its potential to save lives and prevent injuries, connected vehicle technology could be a real game-changer for vehicle safety…These clinics are vital to understanding how drivers will respond to the technology and how connected vehicles communicate in real world scenarios.”

These driver clinics are the first of a two-phased research program jointly developed by the Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Research, the Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Driver response clinics have already been held in Michigan and Minnesota. Future clinics are planned for Virginia, California, and Texas before January 2012. Following the driver clinic programs, the Department of Transportation will launch 3,000 vehicles with communication technology to continue testing from the summer of 2012 through the summer of 2013. These vehicles will operate on roads in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and will test a limited number of vehicle-to-infrastructure applications in addition to continuing the research on vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems.

The information collected from both phases of the research will be used by NHTSA to determine by 2013 whether to continue with additional vehicle-to-vehicle communications and to determine possible future laws.

Although this is an important step for the future, car accidents still happen today. If you have been involved in a Massachusetts car accident, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced a Massachusetts car accident lawyer.

Source:

U.S. Department of Transportation Hosts Research Clinic to Test ‘Connected Vehicle Technology’ , NHTSA Press Release, October 19, 2011
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