Reported by Ann Bryant, Staff Writer
SunJournal
6/30/10

FARMINGTON, ME – A New Sharon motorcyclist was injured in a crash with a dump truck at Maple Avenue and High Street early Tuesday afternoon. A man, 50, was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital but was to be taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston for a substantial injury to his left ankle and injuries to his right hand and elbow, Farmington Police Officer Michael Adcock said. A 1988 Ford dump truck driven by a man, 50, of New Sharon was traveling north on High Street and attempted to make a right turn onto Maple Avenue. The motorcyclist was traveling behind the dump truck on a 2001 Harley-Davidson and attempted to pass the truck on the right side while the truck was turning, Adcock said. It appears that the right front tire of the truck and motorcycle collided.

A bicyclist of Farmington, who witnessed the accident, said the vehicles weren’t moving very fast in the intersection. “I don’t know if the motorcyclist thought the driver was making a left hand turn onto Maple and then tried to pass him on the right,” she said.  A couple of pedestrians and a woman with paramedic experience pulled up behind the accident and helped keep the injured man from moving, Adcock said. The driver of the truck was obviously pretty shook up but was fine and able to drive the truck from the scene, he said. The motorcycle had minor damage and was towed to the owner’s residence, he added. Members of Farmington Fire and Rescue and NorthStar ambulance assisted Farmington police at the scene.

At Berman & Simmons, we are experts in assisting clients in accident 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 vehicles.  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 WLBZ2.com
Krister Rollins Producer
6/29/10

SABATTUS, Maine – Sabattus Police are investigating a fatal crash.  Police say a man, 56, of Greene, died after his car left Sabattus Road. Police responded to the scene just after 2:00 PM Sunday.  After reconstructing the accident, police came to the conclusion that the man had been driving westbound when his car left the road, struck some rocks and went airborne.  The car hit a tree and landed facing the opposite direction. The accident happened close to Sabattus Pond. Police say both airbags deployed.  The man was wearing his seatbelt.

Fortin Funeral Home picked up the man’s body.  The police department is still investigating.  They’re looking into what caused the car to leave the road in the first place.  They are “pretty sure” speed and alcohol are not factors in the crash.

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 Nick Sambides Jr.
BDN Staff
6/16/10

ENFIELD, Maine — A Greenbush woman remained in serious condition at a Bangor hospital Wednesday and was the sole survivor of an accident in which a car slammed into trees off U.S. Route 2, killing two other Greenbush women, police said. The sole survivor, a woman, 38, was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor after Howland and Lincoln firefighters cut open a crushed 2002 Chevy Malibu to rescue her Tuesday night, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Scott Young said. No information about her medical condition was available from Eastern Maine Medical Center Wednesday night.

Investigators identified the other victims as a woman, 24, and another woman, 18. Both were dead when Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Stone found the car against a large-trunk tree in a front yard on the northbound side of the road opposite 1268 Route 2 at about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday. Apparently the first to see the accident, Stone immediately radioed for help. The car’s air bags had deployed, Young said. He declined to comment on whether the three were wearing seat belts or who was driving. “We are still trying to determine what happened,” Young said. The car apparently was headed south and left a skid mark of some length in the northbound lane. The vehicle was demolished. A state police accident reconstruction team was at the accident site late Tuesday night assisting county sheriff’s investigators. Investigators were fairly certain Tuesday night of the victims’ identities, but withheld releasing them until workers from the state medical examiner’s office could assist them, Young said.

The accident was a horror for several people who appeared to be family or friends of the victims who started coming to the scene. Firefighters, including Lincoln and Howland Fire Chief Phil Dawson, gently restrained and comforted several, including a man and a woman, who started coming to the crash scene at about 9:45 p.m. At one point, Dawson joined a group of about a half-dozen people who gathered around a woman to comfort her as she screamed that she wanted to see one of the victims. The group of people stayed at the scene for more than an hour. Investigators were on the scene for several hours.

Although this was a single car accident, recovery for the injured victim and family of the decedents 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. Andie Hannon, Staff Writer
Sun Journal
June 14, 2010 12:00 am

WILTON, ME — Authorities continued their investigation Sunday into a fatal crash Saturday night on Route 2 in Wilton. “It’s going to be a few weeks before we get a full determination,” said Lt. E. Page Reynolds of the Wilton Police Department. “We’re still collecting evidence.” The 9:43 p.m. crash claimed the life of a 28-year-old man of New Vineyard after his Suzuki motorcycle collided with a Ford Contour driven by a woman, 21, of Livermore Falls. The Wilton Police reported Sundaymorning that the crash occurred at 9:43 p.m. near the Big Apple Store, located at 380 Route 2. Reynolds said that the woman was traveling on Route 2 toward Farmington when she turned left into the Big Apple Store. The man was traveling in the opposite direction on Route 2 headed toward East Dixfield when he ran into the passenger side of her car and was thrown from his motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. She suffered minor injuries.

Reynolds said that investigators found some of the man’s items as far as 30 to 35 feet away from the impact. He said that officers returned to the scene Sunday morning to continue their search during daylight hours. It was not clear as of Sunday evening whether or not he was wearing a helmet. Reynolds said that the Maine State Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department are assisting Wilton police with the crash reconstruction. The Jay Police Department assisted at the scene Saturday night. Reynolds said that Route 2 was closed to traffic for more than three hours.

At Berman & Simmons, we are experts in assisting clients in car accident 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 M. Dirk Langeveld, Staff Writer
Sun Journal
June 10, 2010 12:00 am

NORWAY, ME — A local motorcyclist was injured Wednesday afternoon when his Harley-Davidson crashed into the back of a sport utility vehicle stopped on Route 118. Officer Ron Cole of the Norway Police Department said the man was not wearing a helmet and suffered a head injury when he was thrown from the motorcycle. He was conscious and speaking at the scene, and his injuries were not considered life-threatening, but Cole said he would be flown to Central Maine Medical Center as a precaution. He was listed in good condition at the hospital Wednesday night, a nursing supervisor said. The man, 57, resides in Norway, police Sgt. James Ventresca said Wednesday night. He said Cole’s report identified the driver of the SUV as a female and her passenger as a male, both 17, and both of Norway.

Cole said the SUV was heading into Norway on Route 118 and stopped to let a westbound vehicle turn left onto Walker Avenue, which is nearly across from White’s Marina. He said the driver of the motorcycle was unable to stop his bike and it struck the back of the SUV. The accident occurred at about 3:45 p.m. PACE Ambulance and the Norway Fire Department also responded to the scene. Cole said no charges were filed and the accident remains under investigation.

At Berman & Simmons, we are experts in assisting clients in car accident 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 Dawn Gagnon
BDN Staff
6/30/10

NEWBURGH, Maine — Two people were injured Thursday when the car they were riding in rolled over in the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 95. The driver, a 24-year-old man of Milford, and his passenger, a woman, whose age and hometown weren’t immediately available, were both taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for treatment of injuries they suffered in the accident, state police Trooper David Yankowsky said Thursday night. An EMMC nursing supervisor said both were listed in fair condition late Thursday night. Yankowsky said that when he arrived, the driver of the vehicle was walking around outside of the car and his head was bleeding. The passenger was still in the vehicle, Yankowsky said. Passers-by who stopped to help urged her to stay put until emergency medical personnel arrived to safely remove her with the help of air bags used to lift the vehicle, he said. Her injuries included torso pain, he said.

The accident happened shortly before 7 p.m. when the driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel of his 2005 Chevrolet Aveo while traveling north near the Newburgh Road overpass. The car struck a guardrail and then rolled over into the center median, where it came to a rest, Yankowsky said. The car was demolished in the accident, Yankowsky said. He said it appeared that both were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Yankowsky said he was assisted at the scene by Sgt. Scott Young of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department and public safety personnel from Hampden.

Although this was a single car accident, recovery for the injured victims 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 Meg Haskell
BDN Staff
6/3/10

Orrrington, ME – An Orland man suffered serious injuries Thursday morning when the pickup truck he was driving left Route 15 in Orrington and smashed full speed into a maple tree in front of the historic Wiswell Farm. The man, 41, of Orland apparently fell asleep at the wheel of his 2003 Toyota truck, according to Deputy William Gardner of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department. Gardner was driving in his cruiser directly in front of the man’s vehicle when the accident occurred. “I believe it went airborne,” Gardner said. “The operator never hit the brakes at all.” Gardner, who was southbound at the posted speed of 35 mph along the heavily traveled road, said he had noticed the pickup gaining on him in the rearview mirror. “At first I thought he was going to try to pass me on the right,” he said. “But then he just left the road and hit the tree really hard.”

A local business owner was in his office when the accident happened. “I heard this awful crash and I went out to see what happened,” he said. The local business owner on Thursday pointed out the spot where the man’s truck apparently drove off the right shoulder, passed narrowly between a utility pole and a fence, hit a depression and traveled several feet through the air before hitting the 20-year-old maple. The tree was knocked sideways by the impact and lost much of the bark off the lower trunk. “I’m pretty sure that maple’s going to have to come down,” the local business owner said, surveying the damage.

Gardner said the man suffered “extensive injuries” to his legs and was passing in and out of consciousness at the scene. The man was wearing a seat belt and the truck’s air bag had deployed. The truck was demolished. There was no sign of alcohol or other intoxicants at the scene, Gardner said, and no charges have been filed. While serious, the man’s injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Gardner said. Emergency crews from Brewer and Orrington went to the scene. The man was taken by ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. An EMMC supervisor said Thursday afternoon that he was in fair condition.

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.  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.