Reported by WCSH6.com (NEWS CENTER)
Mar 15th 2010

STANDISH, Maine — We now know the identities of the people involved in a two-car crash on Oak Hill Road in Standish that left a woman dead. It happened early Sunday morning — shortly after midnight. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department says the crash occurred when a 2007 Subaru Legacy, driven by 45-year-old D’Ann Seidell Bochese, attempted to pass a 1997 Subaru Legacy operated by Tyler Gordon, 22, of Standish. Investigators say the Bochese vehicle clipped the Gordon vehicle and both left the road. Gordon’s car flipped several time before coming to rest on its wheels at Serena Lane. Bochese’s vehicle struck a guardrail and went airborne and landed in a ravine. Deputies say Bochese was killed instantly. Her body was found in a tree 40 feet above the area where her car landed. A passenger, Justin Gordon, 24, of Standish, was also thrown from the car. He was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland with serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Tyler Gordon had two passengers in the car he was driving. Gordon, Chad Violette, 33, of South Portland and Zeke Malnchuck, 26, of Presque Isle, all got out of the 1997 Subaru on their own. They were also taken to Maine Medical Center.

The crash is being reconstructed by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the Windham Police Department. Investigators say alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.

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.

Reported by Angela DiMillo, WABI TV5
Mar 14th 2010

Hermon, Maine — According to the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office a man was traveling North on Newburgh Road in Hermon when he failed to negotiate a turn in time and lost control of his vehicle. Officials say his vehicle crossed the road and collided with several mailboxes before going over an embankment and crashing into a group of trees. Police say the man was wearing his seat belt at the time or the accident. He was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center. They say Speed may have been a factor, the accident is still under investigation.

Although this was a single car accident, recovery for the injured victim may be possible.  The product liability team at Berman & Simmons has successfully recovered against major auto manufacturers in one-car accidents where a defective or dangerous condition of the car caused or contributed to the accident.  Recovery for the passenger may also be possible through the driver’s liability insurance policy, particularly if the driver was speeding or otherwise negligent, or the passenger’s own underinsured or uninsured motorist policy.   For more information, contact Berman & Simmons at 1-800-244-3576 or read more on our website on our car accident practice page.

Reported By M. Dirk Langeveld, Staff Writer, Sun Journal
Mar 11, 2010 12:00 am

WEST PARIS, ME — Three young men were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after their vehicle was rear-ended on Route 26 at the Trap Corner intersection. Deputy Justin Brown of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office said the accident, which was reported shortly before 3:45 p.m., occurred as a Chevrolet Geo Tracker driven by 23-year-old Benjamin Gully of West Paris was turning into the parking lot of the Big Apple convenience store. The vehicle was struck from behind by a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by 50-year-old Jeffrey Campbell of Woodstock. “Witnesses stated that the Geo Tracker went airborne, tumbling from end to end,” Brown said. Both vehicles were traveling north. The Tracker came to a rest on a sidewalk along the southbound lane.

Gully was taken to Stephens Memorial Hospital for treatment, as was front seat passenger William Kangas, 25, of West Paris. William Newmeyer, 24, of West Paris was in the back seat and taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. A nursing supervisor at Stephens Memorial Hospital said Gully and Kangas were expected to be treated and released. A nursing supervisor at CMMC said Newmeyer was in stable condition Wednesday evening.

Brown said the accident remained under investigation. The top of the Tracker was cut off to assist in medical response. The pickup had heavy damage to the  front. Tri-Town Rescue and Pace Ambulance responded to the accident, along with the Maine State Police and firefighters from West Paris and Paris. A game warden from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife also came upon the accident scene and assisted. Route 26 was closed at Trap Corner and traffic detoured.

 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.

Reported By Lindsay Tice, Staff Writer, Sun Journal
Mar 09, 2010 12:01 am

LEWISTON, ME — A 1-year-old girl was injured Monday when she was struck by a pickup truck a little before 1 p.m. at the corner of Sabattus and College streets. Akeya Brimage and her mother, Melissa Glenn, 33, of Lewiston, were crossing Sabattus Street from the area of the Dave’s Place gas station to the area of the Calvary United Methodist Church. Glenn was wheeling Akeya in a collapsible umbrella stroller. At the same time, Kyle Burgess, 19, of Monmouth, was driving home after running errands for his father. He had stopped at a red light on College Street and was turning left onto Sabattus. Burgess got a green light to turn and Glenn got the pedestrian signal to cross at the same time, police said Burgess saw Glenn waiting to cross with the baby, but he said she didn’t move after his light turned green, so he made his left turn.  

Some witnesses at the scene said Glenn ran into the street and in front of the truck. Others said she didn’t. “They both kind of took off at the same time and met in the middle,” witness Jason Blouin said. Burgess struck the mother and child, knocking over the stroller and causing the baby to fall out.  “(Glenn) grabbed the baby out of the middle of the street and, like, 50 million people came running out of everywhere,” Blouin said. Blouin said the baby immediately started crying and appeared to have a bump on her head. Lewiston police and United Ambulance responded.

Minutes later, the baby’s father arrived and tried to attack the driver. Witnesses said Burgess — who was already shaking and crying over the accident — retreated to his truck to get away from the man. Mother and baby were taken to Central Maine Medical Center. Police said the baby had a scrape on her head and the mother had a cut on her leg. Neither injury was considered life-threatening.  

For the full article, see article 

At Berman & Simmons, we are experts in assisting clients in pedestrian 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.

3/8/10
Reported By Nok-Noi Ricker
Bangor Daily News Staff
UPDATE  BDN writer Meg Haskell contributed to this report.

ALTON, Maine — Cody Hamm, 16, was heading home when his car went off the side of Bennoch Road late Sunday and he crashed into a pine tree. The teenager, a junior and an honor student at Old Town High School, was pronounced dead at the scene, Sgt. William Birch of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department said Monday morning. “It appears the vehicle left the side of the roadway, went airborne and struck the tree on its roof,” he said. “It was almost upside down.” A motorist reported the crash to police at 10:25 p.m., Birch said, adding Hamm was alone in his white 2000 Saturn. “He was a short distance from his home,” he said. “He was heading home.” 

The crash happened near Happy Acres about 4½ miles north of Interstate 95. Bennoch Road, also known as Route 16, was closed to traffic between 10:30 p.m. Sunday and around 3 a.m. Monday, while investigators collected evidence and reconstructed the scene. “It appears at this initial stage [of the investigation] that speed may be a contributing factor,” Birch said. “We’re still trying to figure out contributing factors — what led to this accident.” Investigators think Hamm was not wearing a seat belt, Birch said, and alcohol and drugs were not involved in the crash. Several rumors are circulating that need to be dispelled, he said. 

For the full article, go to article.

Although this was a single car accident, recovery for the family of the decedent may be possible.  The product liability team at Berman & Simmons has successfully recovered against major auto manufacturers in one-car accidents where a defective or dangerous condition of the car caused or contributed to the accident.  In this case, there may be a question of medical advice or malpractice if the accident was caused by a treatable medical condition or reaction to a prescription medication.  For more information, contact Berman & Simmons at 1-800-244-3576 or read more on our website on our car accident practice page.

Reported by Diana Bowley
Bangor Daily News Staff

Reported By Sun Journal staff
Mar 05, 2010 12:00 am

TURNER, ME — A local man is in serious condition following an accident on Route 4 on Thursday morning. Brandon Alexander, 20, was taken to Central Maine Medical Center with broken bones and bruises in the 7 a.m. crash, according to the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department. Alexander was northbound on Route 4 in a 1996 Ford Taurus station wagon; Bernard Gray, 52, of Monmouth was southbound in a 2006 Mack tractor-trailer driving for Hannaford Trucking Company of South Portland. According to witnesses, Alexander lost control of the car he was driving, which fishtailed then made a sudden turn into Gray’s lane directly in front of the truck. The truck pushed the car into the ditch of the northbound lane. Gray was not injured in the crash.

The accident was investigated by Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department, assisted by the Maine State Police Accident Reconstruction Division and Commercial Vehicle Division. The Turner Fire Department and Turner Rescue also assisted at the scene. Route 4 was closed at about 7 a.m. and reopened roughly at noon.

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 clients, 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.

Reported By Jen Lynds
Bangor Daily News Staff

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – A Presque Isle man died on Tuesday in a single-car crash after apparently suffering from a medical condition.  Sgt. Joey Seeley of the Presque Isle Police Department said late on Tuesday evening that the accident happened at around 8 a.m.  James Boyle, 62, was traveling south on the Caribou Road at the time of the crash.  At 8:05 a.m., a passing motorist called 911 to report that a vehicle was off of the Caribou Road and the driver was unresponsive, Seeley said.

Emergency responders arrived to find Boyle inside the damaged 2000 Ford Ranger.  Police said they thought that he experienced a medical problem while he was driving, and crossed the centerline of the Caribou Raod and left the roadway on the opposite side of the road.  He was taken by Crown Ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead.  An official cause of death has not been released and the incident is still under investigation.  The Presque Isle Fire Department assisted at the scene.  Seeley is the primary investigator of the accident, and was assisted by Officers Kevin Reed and Rob Thibeault.

Although this was a single car accident, recovery for the family of the decedent may be possible.  The product liability team at Berman & Simmons has successfully recovered against major auto manufacturers in one-car accidents where a defective or dangerous condition of the car caused or contributed to the accident.  In this case, there may be a question of medical advice or malpractice if the accident was caused by a treatable medical condition or reaction to a prescription medication.  For more information, contact Berman & Simmons at 1-800-244-3576 or read more on our website on our car accident practice page.