Reported by WGME13.com
September 21, 2010 13:46 EDT

NEW SHARON, Maine (AP) — Police say an 87-year-old man was killed in western Maine when he was struck by a pickup truck while walking across the road in front of his house.  Maine State Police said the man was killed instantly at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday on Route 34 in New Sharon when he was hit by a truck driven by a 43-year-old man of New Sharon.  Trooper Sam Tlumac said the man had put his recycled materials out to the curb and then walked across Route 134.  He was apparently returning to his home and turned back when he saw the oncoming vehicle, but failed to make it out of the roadway. The man driving the truck was not hurt.

Police said troopers are looking at whether possible glare from the morning sun played a role when Fitch crossed.

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 family of the decedent, 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 Bangor Daily News
by  Dawn Gagnon
BDN Staff
9/16/10 03:43 pm Updated:  9/17/10 12:48 am

NEWBURGH, Maine — Two motorists were injured Thursday afternoon in a two-vehicle collision on Western Avenue.  The license of one of the drivers had just been suspended, authorities said.  Though both drivers were taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine State Police Trooper Forrest Simpson said that neither driver’s injuries appeared to be life-threatening.  Both vehicles also hit a guy wire connected to a utility pole, temporarily knocking out power in the area.

The accident happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. when a 1996 Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by a woman, 25, of Dixmont drove over a small hill and struck the rear end of a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by a woman, 63, of Dixmont, Simpson said.  The impact from the crash caused the car to travel into a ditch, where the car overturned, Simpson said. He said that the driver briefly was trapped upside down by her seat belt but managed to climb out of the car. Simpson said that she complained of abdominal pain at the accident scene. She was treated and then released, a hospital nursing supervisor said.

The truck also left the roadway, coming to a rest on its side on a lawn at 2168 Western Ave. with its roof facing the road, Simpson said. He said the driver, whose license was suspended on Wednesday for driving violations, was ejected from the pickup through its rear window.  He said it did not appear that she was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident and that she complained of back pain.  A hospital nursing supervisor said she still was being evaluated late Thursday night.  Simpson said that evidence from the investigation suggests that she was driving under the influence when the accident happened.  “She was very lucky that this was not a fatality,” the trooper said.  Speed also is believed to have been a factor in the crash, Simpson said.

Simpson said that another motorist who was not involved in the accident reported that the pickup truck driver had passed him in Dixmont shortly before the crash.  Simpson said the witness estimated that the pickup was traveling a high rate of speed when in passed his vehicle.  Both vehicles had extensive damage, he said, adding that the pickup she was driving belonged to her mother, who told him that she did not have permission to drive it.  Bangor police Sgt. Bob Bishop confirmed Thursday that she was charged with OUI by a Bangor police officer on Aug. 14, but said that the case had not yet gone to court.  With regard to Thursday’s crash, Simpson said charges against her are pending and could include operating after suspension and operating under the influence.

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.

Bangor Daily News
By BDN Staff
9/7/10 10:36 pm  Updated: 9/8/10 01:11 pm

WINDSOR, ME — Officials in Maine say five harness racing fans at the Windsor Fair were injured when a starting gate mounted on a moving pickup truck hit them as they stood alongside the track. According to the Kennebec Journal, the bystanders were struck Monday afternoon after the start of the 13th race. Three were taken to an Augusta hospital, but there was no word on their condition. The others were treated at the track.

Harness races get off to rolling starts, with the starting gate extending to the sides of a moving vehicle. The gates are supposed to retract at the starting line as the vehicle pulls to the righthand side to let the racers proceed. Monday’s mishap occurred when the gate apparently didn’t retract as intended. Bill McFarland, the race director at Windsor Fair, was in the race meet treasurer’s office during the incident and did not see it take place. He said he is unsure what caused the mishap and didn’t want to speculate. “It’s under investigation by a member of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and I would have to defer any comments like that to them as part of their investigation,” McFarland said. “It’s an unfortunate accident and hopefully the investigation will be able to determine exactly what happened, whether it’s human error or mechanical malfunction or a combination of both,” he said. “I don’t know for sure.”

For full article, see article.

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 and product defect claims arising out of dangerous and defective equipment.  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 Sunjournal.com
Oxford Hills Edition
Published Aug 30, 2010 12:00 am | Last updated Aug 30, 2010 3:26 pm

CASCO, ME — Authorities in Cumberland County continued their investigation Sunday into an early morning crash that killed a man and boy after the driver of the vehicle they were riding in tried to evade police.  A man, 29, of Hiram and a 14-year-old boy from Baldwin were both killed in the 1:14 a.m. accident on Route 11, also known as Poland Spring Road, in Casco. The two were passengers in a 1993 Infinity driven by a man, 20, of Casco. The vehicle belongs to the man’s girlfriend, who was not in the car at the time of the crash.

According to a statement issued by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy attempted to pull the man over for speeding and driving without headlights on Route 11 just minutes before the crash. The man was traveling from the area of Route 302 and initially pulled over after about a mile, but then took off at a high rate of speed. The deputy lost sight of the vehicle but came upon the car about two miles down Route 11, where it had crashed into a stand of trees just off the roadway in an area known as Rye Field Flats.  The adult passenger and the 14-year-old boy were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle was transported by LifeFlight to Central Maine Medical Center. No information was available about his condition Sunday night, according to a nursing supervisor at the hospital.

Fire and rescue crews from both Casco and Naples responded to the scene Sunday morning. The accident remains under investigation and is being reconstructed by authorities. No charges had been filed as of Sunday night.

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.