Rollover in Durham Throws Two People from Vehicle
Reported by Connie Footman, Special to the Sun Journal
Feb 22, 2010 12:00 am
DURHAM, ME — An unbuckled passenger was ejected through the side window of the car he was riding in during a single-vehicle rollover Sunday on Route 9 at the Swamp Road intersection. According to the investigating officer, Sgt. Brian Smith of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, Zachary Tenenbaum, 21, of Brunswick complained of shoulder pain and was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston by Durham Fire & Rescue. The driver, Tevis Yarmala, 20, of Bowdoin suffered only minor injuries and did not require medical attention. He was wearing a seat belt, but Tenenbaum, his passenger, was not.
Smith said that Yarmala, who was westbound on Route 9, was driving too fast and lost control of his car as he was traveling up a curved hill near the intersection of Swamp Road. The car careened out of control, crossed the oncoming lane, went off the left shoulder over a snowbank and rolled over. Tenenbaum, who was in the front passenger seat, was thrown through the side window as the car rolled. Yarmala’s 2004 Volkswagen two-door car was totaled in the midday crash. Smith said that the accident remains 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.