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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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U.S. Marine Corps veteran Edwin Nelson, 65, was killed when his motorized wheelchair was hit by oncoming traffic earlier this week in Brockton. According to witnesses, Nelson was crossing in a crosswalk on Belmont Street, also known as Route 123, when a Hyundai Elantra driven by 26-year-old Frank Dernoga, of Taunton, crashed into his wheelchair. He was knocked off his wheelchair near the crosswalk and rolled into the street. He was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center and was pronounced dead.

Nelson was living at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center which is located less than a mile away from the crash site. He was a Vietnam veteran with a spinal cord injury that led to the amputation of both of his legs. His son, Geoff Nelson, wrote that his father had been a part of research to help pioneer spinal-cord medicine over the past 36 years, along with many other spinal-cord injury patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Nelson’s fatal accident has drawn attention to safety issues for pedestrians on Belmont Street, especially for disabled veterans who frequent the notoriously busy street. A spokeswoman for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Pallis Wahl, said that a treatment team including a doctor, nurse, and social worker, evaluates each patient on an individual basis to determine the necessary care and whether or not a patient needs to be escorted when outside of the facility. It was determined that Nelson was fit to be outside of the facility without supervision from an escort. Wahl said, “It’s a case-by-case basis.”

Some local residents believe that the disabled patients should always have an escort for their own safety given the circumstances of Belmont Street. One resident commented, “It is sad…I’ve seen the conditions of driving on Belmont Street. It’s atrocious.”

Police are reportedly reviewing surveillance video from a business close to the scene of the accident that captured the crash. There has not been any decision as of this week as to whether Dernoga will face charges.

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

Sources:

Disabled vet killed in Brockton accident helped pioneer spinal-cord medicine, Taunton Daily Gazette, October 26, 2011
Military veteran killed in Brockton road crash, www.Boston.com, October 24, 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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Two young men were killed early on Sunday morning in a Worcester car accident when another vehicle slammed into them. Robert J. Curran, 22, was allegedly driving between 80 to 100 mph at approximately 2 a.m. when he crashed his vehicle into a 2005 blue Acura driven by 18-year-old Andres Guzman. Both Guzman and his passenger, 19-year-old Joel Rodriguez, died at the scene of the accident. Jesus Molina, 19, another passenger in Guzman’s car, was seriously injured and remains in critical condition at UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus. The identity and condition of a male passenger in Curran’s car was not released.

According to State Registry of Motor Vehicle records, Curran has had a number of driving offenses since 2005 and his license was suspended at the time of the accident.

Curran also allegedly left the scene of the accident after briefly speaking to a paramedic about chest pain. The paramedic reportedly briefly helped another accident victim, and turned back to Curran but he was gone. The paramedic was later able to identify Curran at a police station from an array of photos. According to court records, Curran first went to Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard in Webster where he told hospital staff that he was hurt in a bar fight. He was later transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center-University Campus where he is currently being treated for his injuries.

During his arraignment this week at the hospital, Assistant District Attorney Brett F. Dillon detailed the allegations and asked that Curran be held on $100,000 cash bail. Dillon said, “Mr. Curran’s operation of that vehicle was reckless to say the least…Witnesses have him going between 80 to 100 miles per hour and colliding with these young men.”

Andrea Levy, Defense lawyer for Curran, said her client has no convictions on his record and asked that her client be released on personal recognizance.

Judge Margaret Guzman ordered that Curran be held on $20,000 cash bail and continued his case to November 8. She charged him with two counts of motor vehicle homicide by negligent driving, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident after causing death, negligent driving, leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury, speeding, leaving the scene after causing property damage and driving with a suspended license. Curran pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.

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:

Driver in double fatality is held on $20,000 bail, www.Telegram.com, October 11, 2011
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Danielle Morin, a 23-year-old woman, was given a suspended jail sentence and probation after pleading guilty to causing a March head-on collision in Attleboro. In the Attleboro District Court, Morin was given a two-year jail sentence, which was suspended for two years with probation by Judge Daniel O’Shea after she had pleaded guilty to driving to endanger.

The March 5 head-on collision occurred around 9:30 p.m., when a passenger in the rear seat of Morin’s car allegedly put her hands over Morin’s eyes, which caused her to lose control of the car and crash into an oncoming car. The passenger, Latoya Garnes, 26, who allegedly covered Morin’s eyes, is scheduled to face trial on October 5. She pleaded innocent to assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, being disorderly, possession of an open container of alcohol and malicious damage. Police found a bottle of vodka, an open bottle of whiskey and a can of beer in the back seat of the vehicle. Morin, the driver, did not have alcohol on her breath and was not charged with drunken driving, according to court records. Morin was found responsible on civil charges of failing to drive within marked lanes and driving with an open container of alcohol, which were filed by the court.

O’Shea additionally ordered Morin to attend the Brains at Risk Program, which is a program to promote awareness about traumatic brain injuries and promote responsible driving. The Brian Injury Association of Massachusetts uses video, graphics, and group discussions as learning tools to demonstrate the importance of choices made by drivers and the potential impact of irresponsible driving.

The accident injured all three people in the other car. Jessica Coburn, 32, of Attleboro, and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa suffered from serious injuries while Scott Wilkins, 38, of Attleboro, had an arm injury. Coburn spent approximately a month in the hospital and another three months in a wheelchair from hip, leg and chest injuries.

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:

Driver pleads guilty to causing head-on crash, The Sun Chronicle, September 28, 2011
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An accident is under investigation in which a 27-year-old man from Lynn died on Monday after a heavy-duty tire/wheel assembly had loosened from a flatbed truck and crashed into his windshield on Interstate 93 in Somerville. State Police spokesman David Procopio said that the flatbed truck was going south on I-93 from when one of four tires came loose from a single strap on the bed of the truck. The tire assembly, weighing approximately 400 pounds, bounced over the median into northbound traffic and subsequently crashed into the windshield of Joseph LeBlanc´s 2003 Mitsubishi Galant. After being hit by the tire, the car continued northbound before it crashed into the median wall and became jammed in between two sections of the retaining wall. Rescue crews used the “jaws of life” to remove the driver. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The vehicle was registered to Ryder Truck in Braintree and was being leased by Sullivan Tire, according to State Police. The tire/wheel assembly was one of four being hauled by Sullivan Tire and was reportedly taking the tire assemblies to a customer. The tires had a tire fill material in them, making them even heavier in an attempt to weigh them down.

The truck driver, Gregory Ross, 62, of Merrimack, N.H., reportedly noticed a strap flapping around and came to a stop as soon as he could. He said: “We had tires strapped on the back of the truck…The pallet they were sitting on broke. So naturally the strap loosened up and they started falling off…I noticed in the review mirrors, naturally, that the strap was flapping and another tire was about to come off.”

Procopio said that no charges have been filed but police are continuing their investigation in order to determine if anyone involved in the crash should receive charges.

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

Sources:

Man Killed After Loose Tire Smashes Car, TheBostonChannel.com, September 19, 2011
Lynn man, 27, dies after tire from truck strikes car on I-93, Boston Globe, September 20, 2011
Merrimack man drove truck involved in fatal I-93 crash in Mass., police say , Nashua Telegraph, September 21, 2011
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A Bridgewater woman has been charged with drunken driving in a crash last weekend that killed an Easton woman. Patricia Neville-Colp, 48, was arraigned on September 12 in the Stoughton District Court for motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, for leaving the scene of an accident, and for 7 other related charges. Her cash bail was set at $100,000, which was ten times higher than the bail sought by prosecutors. Such a high bail is an example of lawmakers´ recent attempts to crackdown on repeat dangerous drivers.

Neville-Colp’s state driving record revealed seven surchargeable accidents. Under Massachusetts law, a driver may incur a surcharge for any of the following reasons:

• pays the fine assessed • is found guilty or responsible by the court • is assigned by the court to a driver alcohol education program or a controlled substance abuse treatment or rehabilitation program • defaults on the citation by failing to pay the assessed fine or attending the hearing
Three of these surcharges occurred within the past five years and Neville-Colp received four speeding fines since 1982.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), who is responsible for last month´s bill to toughen penalties for repeat dangerous drivers, said “We have to have some system in place that recognizes the cumulative nature of these offenses – and today we don’t…With each passing day, we see more tragedy on the roadway of the commonwealth, and we need to address it.”

State police report that Neville-Colp’s Jeep Grand Cherokee smashed into the side of a Kia Sportage just after 11 p.m. Saturday on Route 24. Kia passenger Maureen O’Brien Ellis, 57, of Easton was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Kia, Steven H. Cadoff, 64, and passenger Martha A. Cadoff, 63, were hospitalized with injuries.

State police reported that Neville-Colp was obviously intoxicated when they pulled her over on Route 25. Trooper Brian Berry reported: “Her eyes were bloodshot and glassy…Her speech was slurred and thick-tongued.” Neville-Colp first told police she was coming from work but then later admitted she had been drinking at a local bar. State troopers also reportedly found 17 marijuana cigarettes and a bottle of pills in her car.

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:

High bail set for Mass. woman in fatal car crash, Boston Globe, September 12, 2011
Crackdown urged after deadly crash, The Boston Herald, September 12, 2011
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Authorities are investigating a fatal car crash in Warren on the Massachusetts Turnpike that killed a woman from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on September 2. Police report that 62-year-old Kathleen Meats died after her left rear wheel had dislodged from her vehicle which caused her to lose control of her car. Her vehicle hit a guardrail, spun out of control, and crashed into an embankment.

Kathleen Meats was taken to the Palmer Wing Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead. Meats´ 24-year-old daughter, Kathleena Meats, was a passenger in the vehicle and was wearing her seatbelt. She was also taken to the Palmer Wing Memorial Hospital and is reported to have suffered minor injuries from the accident.

The accident remains under investigation with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section. State Troopers were assisted at the scene of the accident by the Warren and Brimfield Fire Departments and the Department of Transportation Highway Division.

Although the details of this accident are still under investigation, this accident could potentially be a defective products case as the tire was possibly defective or not properly attached to the vehicle. Investigators would need to know whether or not Meats´ vehicle had any recent tire maintenance.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that seatbelts save over 13,000 lives per year. The NHTSA provides the following tips on the importance of seatbelt safety:

• Wearing a seatbelt is the best way to protect yourself in an accident • Airbags do not replace seatbelts • To buckle-up correctly, the lap belt and shoulder belt should be secure across the pelvis and rib cage • Everyone should wear a seatbelt despite age or condition. Pregnant women, obese, and elderly, can all effectively buckle-up safely.

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

Sources:

NH woman dies in Mass. car crash, Boston Herald, September 3, 2011
Massachusetts turnpike crash in Warren claims life of Kathleen Meats, 62, of Portsmouth, NH, MassLive.com, September 2, 2011
Woman killed when tire comes off on Mass. Pike, Worcester Telegram, September 3, 2011
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At approximately 5:30 a.m. on Sunday near 335 Lee Burbank Highway in Revere, Sothany Pen, 22, was hit and killed by a vehicle that fled the scene of the accident. Jon J. Ravida, 47, who struck Pen, reportedly returned to his mother´s house after the accident, hid his damaged Ford Explorer, and then drove past the scene of the accident in his mother´s vehicle. He is also accused of bleaching the stain on his vehicle and trying to hammer out the dents in his vehicle. Megan O’Rourke, Suffolk County assistant district attorney, said during Ravida’s arraignment in Chelsea District Court that he went to great lengths to try to cover up his involvement in the accident.

A Revere police account reported that a witness saw Ravida purchasing cigarettes at a Hess gas station. Ravida and the witness ended up in the same flow of traffic on the northbound side of the freeway and the witness noticed Ravida cross from the left lane and then back to the right lane before swerving back to the left lane. The witness noticed an object fall off of Ravida´s roof which he believed at the time to be a piece of luggage. He then saw Pen lying in the street and pulled over to help her and called 911. At this point, Ravida reversed his vehicle and turned around to go south on the road despite the witness´s attempt to flag him down. Pen had severe head injuries, was not breathing, and had no pulse by the time police arrived.

Another witness, John Merullo, said that he was sitting in the employee parking lot of Capitol Waste Services, a trash hauling company in East Boston, and saw the suspect pull up next to him at 5:35 a.m., immediately following the accident. Merullo commented “I could see fear on his face…Then he very calmly backed out, like he didn’t want to arise suspicion. But the front of his Explorer had a lot of damage to the front, and it was obvious to me that something serious had just happened.” Merullo then drove a short distance before finding the scene of the accident and told police what he had just observed and that the employee parking lot has surveillance cameras. Police also retrieved video surveillance footage from the gas station.

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