A single-vehicle crash Monday in Prince William County claimed the life of one man and seriously injured several others. According to the Woodbridge Patch, the accident occurred around 4:30 a.m. at mile marker-154 along Interstate 95.

Reports from troopers with the Virginia State Police who responded to the scene indicate that the driver of a 2006 Ford E350 Econoline van, owned by a local construction company, was heading south when he suddenly began to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle veered toward oncoming lanes of traffic, but struck a guardrail and rolled several times before coming to land on its side.

A total of 10 passengers were in the van at the time of the crash, and three were ejected because they were not wearing seatbelts. One of those individuals died a short time after arriving at the hospital while the other two continue to recover at the facility. Six others suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to a local hospital to receive treatment.

Upon further investigation, troopers were able to determine that the driver was traveling at too great of a speed for the driving conditions at the time of the crash.

The Richmond Car Accident Attorneys with Geoff McDonald and Associates know how difficult an on-the-job auto accident can be, but want victims to understand that your accident could possibly be considered grounds for you to file for a Virginia Workers Compensation claim.

A 64-year-old Richmond, Virginia, woman died Saturday evening after she was struck by a car in Hopewell.

The longtime nurse had just parked her vehicle in a lot and was crossing the 1500 block of High Ave. on her way to a high school reunion at the Sunlight Elks Lodge when she was hit by a northbound car.

The male driver of that car stopped to help, and the woman was taken to John Randolph Hospital. The victim could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The deceased is survived by three children and two grandchildren. One of her children, a son, spoke to WTVR, saying, “It’s just a shock to wake up and know she’s not going to be there and then to look around for her.”

The driver has not been charged.

WRIC reports that the crash remains under investigation and that witnesses are encouraged to call Hopewell Police at 541-2275.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2010 4,280 pedestrians lost their lives and 70,000 were injured in incidents with motor vehicles. The Richmond Wrongful Death Lawyers at Geoff McDonald & Associates know that dealing with the death of a loved one is never easy, especially when it’s the result of an accident that could have been prevented. Our lawyers help clients get answers to all their questions regarding the death of a loved one.

A single-vehicle accident in Petersburg, Virginia, Friday has left one person dead and another seriously injured. According to Channel 12 News, details of the accident are still being brought into light, but police are investigating whether drugs or alcohol may have played a part in the crash.

Petersburg Police say they responded to a call around 5:40 a.m. Friday of a dark-colored jeep Cherokee SUV that was crashed along Johnson Road, near Petersburg High School. When officers arrived, they found the 42-year-old local salon owner sitting near the wreckage slumped over. Medical examiners declared the woman dead at the scene.

A male who is believed to have been an occupant in the vehicle at the time of the crash made his way through the woods near the crash site, found an unlocked car, and climbed in the back where he was later found. He was transported to a local hospital to receive treatment for injuries he sustained in the crash.

For now, police believe the Cherokee was the only vehicle involved in the crash, but are still investigating whether or not another vehicle may have caused the crash.

Thousands of Virginia car accidents are caused each year by driver negligence. That’s why the Richmond Car Accident Attorneys with Geoff McDonald and Associates ask that motorists always buckle up before their vehicle hits the road and to demand that passengers in the vehicle do the same.

Thousands of people remove unwanted body hair each year with laser hair removal. The procedure is expensive and has permanent results, but there are a growing number of reports of women who have been burned and permanently disfigured on their faces, legs, and arms, and throughout their bodies after receiving a laser treatment performed by under-trained hands.

According to NBC 12 News, one Virginia woman told reporters that she had received an online coupon for half price for the service at a local spa. She stated that the pain through the procedure was excruciating, and she was horrified when she noticed deep blisters resembling burns at the treatment site. She said it took months of treatment from a dermatologist to fix the damage that was done by the single laser treatment.

Dr. Suzanne Kitces Peck, a board certified dermatologist, says that the ease of licensing to operate the laser in Virginia is at the root of the problem. She added that the best way to avoid this danger is to only go forward with the procedure if it is being performed by a doctor or under a doctor’s direct supervision.

The Richmond Personal Injury Lawyers with Geoff McDonald and Associates say these laser devices that cause injuries could be considered Virginia Faulty Products, as the service received is not what the consumer was expecting, and they’re often not warned of the dangers of the procedure as well.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that 30 percent of long-distance truck drivers involved in fatal accidents had prior convictions for speeding.

It seems as though speed may have been a factor in a tractor-trailer crash that occurred in Henrico County, Virginia, this afternoon. CBS 6 News indicates that the accident happened around 1:45 p.m. on the ramp from southbound I-295 to I-95 northbound.

A spokesman for the Virginia State Police, Sergeant Thomas J. Molnar, told reporters that the 18-wheeler was traveling too fast as it rounded a corner on the merging ramp for the highway. The truck began to veer off to the left side of the road and then tipped onto its driver’s side.

The driver of the truck suffered injuries in the accident and was taken to VCU Medical Center to receive treatment.

A similar crash earlier this month in the area also injured another truck driver. The 70-year-old truck driver was merging onto I-195 in Richmond when he lost control of his truck, causing it to roll onto its side. He suffered minor injuries in the accident.

The Richmond Truck Accident Attorneys with Geoff McDonald and Associates suggest that the best way to prevent being involved in an accident with a large truck is to allow them plenty of space. A good rule of thumb to remember is if you can’t see their mirrors, they can’t see you.

Two truck drivers were seriously injured following a near head-on collision on I-85 Wednesday near Petersburg, Virginia. According to CBS 6 News, the accident happened around 3:15 a.m. near the Sycamore Street Bridge overpass.

The incident occurred when a 2006 Peterbilt 18-wheeler was traveling south on the highway and veered off the left shoulder of the road. The truck took out a guardrail and struck the bridge overpass before crossing into oncoming lanes of traffic. The trailer was then hit by a box truck that overturned.

The 40-year-old driver of the box truck, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time, was taken to VCU Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 33-year-old man from Yadkinville, North Carolina, was taken to Southside Regional Medical Center to be treated for serious, but not-life threatening, injuries. Upon his release, he was charged with reckless driving and failure to wear his seat belt.

Police also called in a bridge engineer to inspect the overpass, which was struck by the large truck, for any damage. It was deemed safe and reopened to traffic a short time later.

The Richmond Truck Accident Attorneys with Geoff McDonald and Associates would like to take this opportunity to remind citizens of the importance of buckling up every time you get into a motor vehicle. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of survival in the event of an accident.

The paints used in nail polish may contain toxins that are hazardous to a person’s health. According to CBS 6 News, a recent study found that 10 of the 12 nail polishes tested claiming to be “toxin free” actually contained harmful chemicals.

The study was conducted at the Department of Toxic Substances Control and tested polishes that were sold in salons throughout California. Researchers discovered that more than 30 percent of the polishes tested contained dangerously high levels of certain chemicals. Some of the toxins that were discovered in the polishes included:

• Formaldehyde,
• dibutyl phthalate,
• and toluene

In light of the discovery, the state has vowed to work more closely with the product’s manufacturers to ensure that products are safe and that labels are accurate. The attorney general has even considered the idea of placing warning labels on bottles containing the chemicals.

Julia Liou, co-founder of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and a public health administrator for Asian Health Services, stated that the products are not only harmful to consumers but to nail salon workers who spend hours a day exposed to the chemicals.

The Richmond Product Liability Lawyers with Geoff McDonald and Associates know that these types of chemicals are associated with numerous birth defects and cancers. That’s why it’s vital that you examine the labels of all products you use that come into contact with your skin, hair, or nails.

Speed limits are set to keep motorists safe from the dangers of excessive speed, but the tickets that officers give when they catch an offender can also be a lucrative way for the local government to make money. So what happens when the speed limits and their associated tickets become less about safety and more about income?

This is the case of one stretch of road in Hopewell, Virginia, that is currently being investigated by a state senator and the AAA Mid-Atlantic. According to an article from NBC 12 News, they are accusing local law enforcement of issuing a “disproportionate” number of speeding citations along the two-mile stretch of highway along Interstate 295. Hopewell deputies brought in $1 million worth of revenue in 2010 on tickets on the particular stretch of highway and wrote approximately 14,000 tickets on the same stretch of road in 2011, which generated $2 million in revenue.

Hopewell Sheriff Greg Anderson adamantly denies the allegations, saying, “We write no ticket until it’s 81 mph, which by the code of VA is a class 1 misdemeanor.”

A recent audit of Hopewell showed that they received more than $100 million in funding from speeding tickets in 2010.

The Richmond Car Accident Attorneys with Geoff McDonald and Associates believe that speed limits keep motorists safe and ask that you obey posted speed limits to avoid the dangers of a crash or a costly ticket.

Young people in Virginia may be beginning to understand the dangers of distracted driving. Reports from NBC 12 News indicate that approximately 2,000 students at James River High School signed a pledge to put their phones down while behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The pledge was part of a presentation at the school by the Drive Smart Virginia campaign. During the presentation, students heard the emotional stories of young people who have suffered the consequences of accidents due to texting and driving.

One young woman told the story of a time when she was speeding on a rural road and texted her father to let him know she would be home shortly. The next thing she knew, an animal darted into the road as she rounded a corner. In an effort to dodge the animal, she swerved but instead hit a tree head-on, totaling her vehicle.

Students who signed the pledge said that the stories had a huge impact on them.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute says that the average texter takes his or her eyes off the road while messaging for roughly five seconds, the same amount of time it would take a driver to go the length of a football field at 55 MPH.

The Richmond Car Accident Attorneys with Geoff McDonald and Associates ask that others join these teens in their pledge by not using cell phones or other electronic devices while driving.

The traumatic brain injuries that soldiers are suffering on tours of duty overseas are just recently receiving attention from the medical profession. According to MedPage Today, the high level of scientific interest in the causes and effects of these injuries comes just days after a U.S. soldier massacred dozens of Afghani civilians after suffering a mental breakdown that was partially linked to a traumatic brain injury he had suffered months earlier.

Advances in medical care in the field and better body armor have led to more soldiers surviving bomb blasts at close proximity. It’s because of this higher survival rate that the United States is seeing more cases of soldiers suffering traumatic brain injuries than ever before.

Doctors are still divided on whether it’s energy waves coming from the blast going through the ears and eyes or deforming the skull that cause the brain injury. All seem to agree that the injury is normally complicated by blunt force trauma to the head after the initial blast when they are thrown into a solid object.

Researchers have also linked these traumatic brain injuries to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can often be recognized by depression and aggressive behavior.

The Virginia Veterans’ Disability Lawyers with Geoff McDonald and Associates are here to help you if your claim for disability benefits based on a traumatic brain injury or PTSD has been denied. Contact us today for a free consultation of your case.