WMTW Television Channel 8 Reported:

AUBURN, Maine — Auburn police and rescue crews were at the scene of a fatal crash on Broad Street Saturday night.

Police said Joanne Polvinen, 59, was killed instantly when her car crossed the center line and collided with another vehicle.

The driver of the second car — identified by police as Xiaoying Zhang, 28, of Auburn — is listed in satisfactory condition at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Police said the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.

At Berman & Simmons, we are experts in assisting clients in car accidents cases like this one.  We gather all of the evidence and use the best accident reconstruction experts to recreate the conditions of the accident.  We explore all angles of recovery for the victims and their families, including liability claims, underinsured or uninsured motorist claims and product defect claims arising out of dangerous and defective cars.  We have recovered millions of dollars in cases where other lawyers were unable to find a legal remedy.  If you or someone you know have suffered an accident-related injury or death, please give us a call or send an email.  We do not charge anything for a consultation.  For more information, visit our website at www.bermansimmons.com.

WBZ 38 Reported:

TOWNSHIP 28, MAINE (AP) ― Maine police say icy road conditions and speed are the likely factors in a two-car crash east of Aurora that killed a woman and critically injured her husband.

Maine State Police Trooper Cliff Peterson said police believe the car that 74-year-old Lorraine Rice of Pembroke was riding in was traveling at a speed unsafe for the slippery conditions.

The Bangor Daily News reports the accident happened Friday morning in Township 28 on Route 9, between Aurora and Beddington.

Police say Rice’s husband, 75-year-old Wayne Rice, was driving when the car slid into the path of another. The driver and a passenger in that car were treated and released form a hospital.

Even in cases where accidents are caused by slippery road conditions, it is sometimes possible to recover under negligence or product defect theories.  In terms of negligence, the driver may have been going too fast or not driving attentively enough for the conditions.  Sometimes there are issues in terms of vehicle maintenance–brakes, tire tread, tire pressure, etc.  Finally, there have been technologies available for more than 10 years which assist a driver in maintaining control on slippery surfaces.  The most common technologies are anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control.  ABS brakes allow a driver to maintain control under braking conditions.  ESC automatically senses the slipping wheels and selectively applies braking and throttle to prevent a loss of control.  Beyond that, there are sometimes “crashworthiness” claims where injuries or deaths could have been prevented with a safer vehicle design.  Examples of crashworthiness claims include unlatching or seatbelt failure, failure of the airbags to deploy or deploying under conditions when they should not have deployed, roof crush, fuel fed fire, etc.  Unlike most personal injury firms which only consider negligent driving claims, at Berman & Simmons, we have the resources and expertise to evaluate all possible types of claims arising out of a severe and catastrophic vehicle-related injury.  Give us a call at 1-800-244-3576 or visit our website at www.bermansimmons.com to learn more about us and how we might help you.