Alabama Injury Attorneys Blog

A wrongful death lawsuit was filed this week after an oil and gas well exploded killing Charles Vaden almost one year ago. The 49-year-old from Huntsville was an employee of L&D Well Services of Morgan County and was working on the well when the explosion accident occurred. Vaden was struck in the head by the well equipment explosion and airlifted to a nearby medical center where he died several hours later.

Vaden is survived by his wife Susan Vaden, who filed the wrongful death suit on her husband's behalf, and their five children. The personal injury attorney representing Susan Vaden named the well operator, Knox Energy; the parent company of Knox Engery, CNX Gas Company; as well as Consol Energy as defendants in the explosion accident.

The personal injury lawsuit was filed almost a year to the date of Vaden's wrongful death. Claiming negligence along with inadequate safety and training, the personal injury lawsuit is seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and another $5 million in punitive damages.

Continue reading "Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed After Explosion Accident; Plaintiff Seeking $10 Million" »

A wrongful death lawsuit was filed Friday against a Birmingham, Alabama nursing home and Jefferson County. According to the personal injury lawsuit filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, the Alabama nursing home failed to provide proper treatment of their patient, 78-year-old May Yancey, which resulted in her death.

Yancy had been living at the nursing home since 2005 until her untimely death in October 2009. The Alabama wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Yancey's daughters, Bernice Averhart and Geraldine Reddick, on their mother's behalf. The plaintiffs alleged that the Birmingham nursing home failed to notice an abdominal infection that ruptured after Yancey fell while under their care. After complaining of severe abdominal pain for three days and signs of infection were apparent, the nursing home finally took Yancey to the hospital were she later died of septic shock.

Yancey was hospitalized for a month until her death in October 2009.

The nursing home abuse lawsuit claimed that the facility and Jefferson County failed to provide appropriate care and services, which ultimately caused Yancey's death.

The Jefferson County nursing home opened in 1965. Over the past eight years, the nursing home has reported and estimated $4 million loss each year and posted a $28 million deficit between 2003-2008- taxpayer subsidies help support the facility. The personal injury attorneys representing the wrongful death case claim the Birmingham facility sought to fill empty beds to turn a profit, even though they were not properly equipped to do so.

Continue reading "Nursing Home Wrongful Death Suit Filed in Jefferson County" »

A vice-commander of the Wintrop Yacht Club was arrested after his involvement in a drunk boating accident.

Lloyd Thompson, 39-years-old, was arrested after driving his boat into a sailboat and throwing two women overboard. Thompson, a prominent member in the boating community told police that he noticed the sailboat at the last minute and tried to avoid the boating accident.

Traveling in a no-wake zone around 17 knots or 19 miles per hour, he told police that he did not see the channel markers before the crash. He swerved his 24-ft boat, Captain Jack, at the last minute to try to avoid hitting the sailboat, Wild Thing. The initial impact sent 55-year-old Regina Moser overboard. Moser was rescued and back on the boat within ten minutes; however, she died from a traumatic brain injury at a nearby hospital as a result.

Thompson told police that he had a few drinks during the course of the evening but police later recovered empty beer bottles and empty wine bottles in the boat. Thompson plead not-guilty to the charge of negligent homicide after the fatal boating accident.

Continue reading "Drunken Boating Accident Proves Fatal" »

Tragedy struck the Hoover, Alabama community Thursday when a 14-year-old student was killed in an auto accident.

Dallas Virgina Golson was a typical Hoover High School freshman on her way to school Thursday morning when she opted out of riding the bus and accepted a ride with a friend. Dallas and her two friends were making a left turn onto Brocks Gap in their 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier Parkway when they turned in front of an oncoming dump truck. The truck hit the vehicle on the passenger side, where Dallas was sitting in the back.

Immediately taken to nearby Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, Dallas was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The two other girls suffered non-life-threatening injuries while the truck driver was not injured.

Alabama's Crash Reconstruction Team will be investigating the accident and all the circumstances leading up to the accident. Authorities report that Dallas was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the collision and there is no indication that cell phone use contributed to the accident. However, the Alabama's Graduated Drivers License law-which makes it illegal for 16-year-old drivers to drive with more than one non-family passenger in their vehicle- is being considered in this investigation.

Continue reading "Hoover, Alabama Teen Killed in Auto Accident" »

An 18-year old female was hit in a drunk driving accident during her early morning newspaper route this past Sunday. The victim was standing behind her father's truck attempting to remove newspapers from the vehicle when she was stuck by a drunk driver.

According to the accident report, the accident occurred around 5:44 a.m. Chelsea Key Keift, 18, was driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.23% when she smashed into the victim, leaving her pinned between the two vehicles.

Continue reading "Young Adult Hit in Drunk Driving Accident" »

The National Highway Safety Agency and the Alabama Trucking Association are attempting to ban texting and the use of hand held cell phone devices while driving. The horrific 18 wheeler accident that killed 11 people back in March of this year has been linked to cell phone use. Kenneth Laymon, an Alabama truck driver, made a call that lasted approximately one second before he crossed a Kentucky median, crashed into a van, and killed 11 people. The van carried a Mennonite family on their way to a wedding. All 11 passengers were killed instantly.

A hearing earlier this week revealed that Laymon's cell phone caused him to loose control of his big rig. This investigation has prompted the National Highway Safety Agency to ban cell phone use by all commercial drivers.

The National Transportation Safety board will be recommending to the Federal Carrier Safety Administration a national ban on texting and cell phone use. This ban would affect all commercial truck drivers in all 50 states.

Continue reading "18-Wheeler Crash Linked to Cell Phone Use, Federal Ban Pending" »

A fatal two car accident occurred early this morning Alabama I-22 mile marker 78. The deadly car wreck killed three men and critically injured two others around 5:30 a.m. The Walker County car accident occurred about 5 miles south of Sumiton.

The three victims have been identified at Miguel Perez Ralios, 27; Guillermo Ortiz, 21; and Tomas Perez Ralios, 22. All three males were traveling in a 1995 Ford Taurus. Ralios was driving the Tauras and the forth passenger was taken to nearby UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama for treatment.

The driver of the second vehicle, 32-year-old Jonathon Daniel Thompson, was injured in the Sumiton accident and also taken to UAB Hospital. Thompson was driving a Toyota Tacoma.

Continue reading "Fatal Sumiton, Alabama Accident Victims Identified" »

Alabama State Troopers reported five deaths over the holiday weekend. According to Alabama law enforcement, the Labor Day weekend travel period is considered 6pm Friday through midnight Monday. Five fatal auto accidents were reported across Alabama. The auto accidents occurred in the following counties: Clarke, Cullman, Elmore, Madison and Talladega with alcohol a factor in at least one of the cases.

Last year, State Troopers reported four fatalities in Alabama in three auto accidents over the Labor Day weekend.

The Anniston Star reported a one-car accident where Hueytown man was killed on Sunday. Michal Carson Waters, 48-years-old, was traveling at a high speed when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree near mile marker 182.

Continue reading "Alabama Car Crashes Kill Five Over Labor Day Weekend " »

Derek Sheely, a 22-year old senior football player for Frostburg State University, died this past Sunday from a severe head trauma that he sustained on the football field.

According to a Frostburg State spokeswoman, Sheely had been participating in "routine drills" when he started feeling dizzy. He was helped off the field and then collapsed onsite. Sheely's father stated in a telephone interview that Sheely had no heart conditions or health problems, and that he sustained a severe head trauma, which caused his death.

Sheely was initially taken to a nearby emergency room, but later transferred to a trauma center after the severity of his brain injury was recognized. Listed in critical condition but stable, hospital officials preformed multiple operations and were hopeful that the swelling in his brain would decrease. However, the swelling did not alleviate and Sheely was pronounced dead nearly a week after passing out at practice.

Every year, two to five high school football players die due to on-the-field brain injuries. However, this is extremely rare for college players. A study conducted by the University of North Carolina National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research found that high school football players are more susceptible to brain bleeds and swelling because the brain tissue has not fully developed. Due to multiple hits to the head, this is known as second impact syndrome.

According to the research group's medical director, the "majority of the world's classic second-impact-syndrome cases are people 18 and younger."

Greater emphasis is being placed on youth, particularly high school athletes, to prevent brain injuries. Alabama recently passed a concussion law that went into effect in July. The Alabama Concussion Law prevents young athletes from returning to the field until they see a doctor and are declared fit to play. According to the Alabama task force- those responsible for enacting the law-the law is not meant to punish players, rather is intended to be proactive and prevent against traumatic brain injuries in Alabama.

Continue reading "Football Player Dies from Traumatic Brain Injury" »

A 16-year old teenager is dead after a deadly drunk driving accident killed one and injured three others.

Jose Trinidad was a passenger in a vehicle along with three other teenagers when a drunk driver traveling at a high speed drifted into their lane. The drunk driver was identified at 32-year-old Sancho Kibufu, who was charged with felony DUI and Vehicular Manslaughter after the fatal auto accident.

After the collision, Kibufu's vehicle rolled several times before coming to a complete stop. He was taken to a nearby hospital and from there booked in the county jail.

Trinidad was the only teen killed in the accident. Family members and friends reported to the local news that Trinidad was a good kid, athlete and overall nice guy and that there is an immediate feeling of loss.

Continue reading "Deadly DUI Crash Kills 16-Year Old Teen" »