Emergency crews responded to the four-vehicle car accident at Kozloski Road and Center Street in Freehold Township around 2:45 Wednesday afternoon. The 68-year-old driver from Toms River who watched the crash unfold before his eyes says that he was the only person in any of four vehicles involved to walk away from the serious crash unharmed.
]]> He knows that he could have been killed as vehicles scattered through the intersection. Others involved in the four car accident suffered personal injuries in the wreck. The Toms River man says that several people were lying on the ground after the crash. He believes that some of the accident victims were seriously injured based upon the damage he witnessed in the aftermath of the accident.Authorities believe a 17-year-old woman driving the Hummer H3 ran a red light at the intersection. As the SUV crossed through the intersection, a Honda Accord, driven by a 31-year-old Perth Amboy woman, struck the SUV. Both vehicles then crashed into a second Honda Accord that was stopped at the red light.
That second Honda was occupied by the Toms River man. The Hummer continued moving and slammed into a Saturn Vue that was stopped in line at the red light. The Hummer rolled over the Saturn, which was occupied by a man from Wayside, New Jersey.
The 17-year-old driver was ejected from the Hummer as it rolled over the Saturn. Three people suffered undisclosed personal injuries in the crash. All three were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Sources:
Hardyston Police believe the Subaru crossed over into oncoming traffic on Route 94, and then slammed head-on into a 2001 Harley Davidson with two people aboard. The driver of the Harley, the retired trooper, suffered fatal injuries in the wreck and was pronounced dead after being transported to Saint Claire's Hospital in Sussex.
]]> Authorities set up a landing site for helicopters to land at the Wallkill Valley Regional High School-- a location roughly two miles away from the crash. The passenger on the Harley, a 64-year-old woman from Butler was flown to Morristown Medical Center with serious injuries.The man who had been driving the Subaru was also flown to Morristown for treatment. Authorities say that the 55-year-old Vernon man is been listed in good condition at the hospital.
Original reports indicated that a third helicopter had been dispatched to the landing site, but that chopper was called off.
The Sunday afternoon accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. south of the Route 94 intersection with North Church Road. Authorities brought in an accident reconstruction team to investigate and photograph the accident scene. An investigator from the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office was also called to the scene.
Reconstruction teams and investigators from the prosecutor's office are typically called in for accidents that may possibly involve fatalities, but authorities have not announced the extent of injuries that any of the three accident victims may have sustained.
An investigation into the crash, which began with the reconstruction team's efforts in the immediate aftermath of the motorcycle accident, remains open. Authorities say that
Sources:
The tragic fatal accident involved allegations of cellphone use and the distractions of using a laptop leading to the fatal accident. Most New Jersey residents are all too familiar with the dangers of distracted driving, and in the wrongful death and personal injury duck boat trial, distractions for the tug boat captain made it into the opening statements of both sides of the dispute.
The wrongful death trial was expected to run for roughly one month in federal court. On the second day of trial, the presiding judge put a halt to the proceedings to give the opposing parties some time to resume settlement negotiations.
The case was being presented before a judge, and without a jury. At the time the judge halted the trial, nobody knew how much time we be allowed for the parties to negotiate, however, the judge reportedly urged the parties to settle.
]]> The 2010 accident occurred on the Delaware River. Two students who were visiting from Hungary lost their lives when a tug boat pushed a 250-foot barge into a duck boat on the river. Eighteen passengers survived the horrific accident.Both sides in the federal lawsuit gave opening statements, which began Monday, and each side spoke of the tug boat captain's distractions on the day of the fatal accident. The captain had learned that his son was deprived of oxygen during surgery. The captain reportedly panicked after learning the news about his 5-year-old son and began researching the medical issue on the Internet, according to reports of the attorney's opening statements.
The captain pulled out his cellphone and made several calls to relatives, and reportedly turned down the volume on communication devices that could have alerted him to the impending boat accident.
The parents of the Hungarian students sat in the courtroom for the first two days of the trial, listening to what happened on the water the day their children had died. Video of the accident was played.
The parties have reached settlement in the wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits. Sources say that the families of the Hungarian students will split an eight figure sum, while the 18 surviving accident victims reaching their own settlement.
Sources:
Cherry Hill Courier Post, "Judge urges settlement in duck boat case," JoAnn Loviglio, Associated press, May 9, 2012
USA Today, "Victims of Philly duck boat crash settle suit for $17M," John Bacon, May 10, 2012
]]>A co-worker witnessed the workplace accident and immediately jumped into the nitric acid to pull the accident victim from the vat. Three other co-workers helped in the rescue. The Clifton Fire Chief says it took a "lot of courage" for the co-worker to jump into the acid to save the accident victim. The Fire Chief says the accident victim was incoherent when pulled from the acid.
]]> Firefighters arrived shortly after the accident, which occurred around 8:40 Monday morning. The emergency responders cut away the accident victim's clothes and doused him with water to stop the acid from continuing to burn the accident victim.A helicopter was dispatched to pick up the industrial accident victim at a park nearby the manufacturing plant. Authorities rushed the victim to Barnabas Medical Center with what police believe could be life-threatening injuries. However, several of the workers say that the acid solution is not strong enough to be lethal.
Several other workers suffered burn injuries as a result of the workplace accident. The worker who jumped into the tank was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center for treatment of burns on his legs and abdomen. Several others who assisted in pulling the accident victim from the tank received medical treatment-at least two were taken to St. Mary's Hospital for treatment of irritations on their hands or arms after the incident.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reported to the accident site and will investigate the workplace accident.
The Clifton Fire Chief says that the roof of the structure needed replacement due to the steam and mist from the acid tank. The acid mist had eaten away at the roof over the years, compromising its integrity. The chief says the contractor did not have a building permit. The accident remains under investigation.
Source: NorthJersey.com "Roofer leaps into tank of acid to rescue coworker in Clifton," Marlene Naanes and Richard Cowen, May 7, 2012
]]>The family was in New Jersey to visit a Rider University student who is graduating this year. The student has landed a job in New York that will start after graduation.
The student's father was tragically killed while en route to the airport. Two other family members traveling in the van suffered serious injuries in the motor vehicle accident. Some media reports indicate that as many as four accident survivors suffered undisclosed personal injuries in the van and truck accident.
]]> Law enforcement does not know if the Rider University student was traveling in the van with her family on the trip to the airport.Police officials believe that the van slammed into the rear of the dump truck around 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning on Route 1 near Henderson Road in South Brunswick. Authorities have the fatal accident under investigation.
Few details about what may have contributed to the crash have been publicly reported in the media. New reports do not provide any information regarding what type of van was involved in the fatal accident.
Authorities reduced traffic to one lane on northbound Route 1 for hours following the fatal crash. The investigation of the scene of the accident continued into the morning rush hour.
Sources:
The student was reportedly wearing headphones as she walked to school, around 8:13 a.m. A witness says that the student stepped into the street and was struck by the passenger side mirror on a passing Chevrolet station wagon. The student suffered head injuries and a bruised leg in the pedestrian accident. Reports indicate that the student was unconscious at the scene.
]]> Emergency personnel transported the student to Hackensack University Medical Center, where authorities say she has been listed in critical but stable condition.The driver of the Chevrolet stopped at the scene of the accident and no citations have been issued. Jersey City Police have the pedestrian accident under investigation.
Law enforcement encourages safety along our streets and urges people to use caution along busy streets. A lieutenant with the Jersey City Police says that it is dangerous to wear any type of headphones, or listening devices, when traveling along busy streets.
While pedestrian and car accidents often involve serious personal injury, the Monday morning accident highlights the degree of injury that can occur, even when the contact involves merely a safety device like a rear view mirror extending a distance from the side of a car. Pedestrian and bicyclists can be severely injured in an accident, even if the contact area involves only the side view mirror.
Source: The Jersey Journal, "Dickinson High student walking to school is critically injured by mirror of passing car, cops say," John Heinis, May 1, 2012
]]>The parties could not reach a settlement in the birth injury case and the matter was placed in the hands of a jury recently. Both sides brought in experts to explain their respective theories of what may have caused the child to suffer a loss of oxygen to her brain during birth. That loss of oxygen resulted in the child developing cerebral palsy.
]]> Jersey City medical malpractice and birth injury lawyers know that medical issues can involve complex medical issues that may require the knowledge of medical professionals to explain things to a jury. Each side in the recent West Coast birth injury trial argued before the jury differing theories of what happened during childbirth.The family provided expert medical testimony to the jury that the proper standard of care required that when monitors showed that the fetus was in distress, the doctor should have acted to hasten the birth, or at least properly test the cord blood to protect the health of the child. The medical professional told the jury that that deviation from the standard of care was negligent and is linked to the baby's loss of oxygen to the brain.
The doctor's attorney, meanwhile, argued to the jury that mucus in the baby's airway was the cause of oxygen loss and that the doctor acted properly.
The hospital reportedly settled with the family roughly two-and-a-half weeks into the lengthy trial. The hospital settled for an undisclosed sum.
The evidence was considered by the jury, and after deliberations, the panel rendered an eight verdict in favor of the family last week.
The family filed the lawsuit to help ensure that the child would have the care she needs for her entire life, even if the parents are no longer around to care for their child. The family estimates that it will cost $35 million to $50 million to care for the child, who turned 3-years-old the day before the jury returned its verdict.
Sources:
San Luis Obispo Tribune, "Parents awarded $74 million in malpractice lawsuit against doctor," Nick Wilson, April 21, 2012
San Luis Obispo Tribune, "Family seeks millions in malpractice lawsuit," Nick Wilson, April 4, 2012
]]>School bullying can lead to emotional harm for young students. But in other situations, bullying can result in serious physical harm to a student. A recent settlement in New Jersey over a student's personal injury highlights the degree of physical harm a student can suffer due to alleged school bullying.
The Ramsey School District recently settled a lawsuit that was filed after a student was paralyzed from the waist down after being assaulted by an alleged school bully.
]]> The school district settled the lawsuit for several million dollars. The lawsuit alleged that in 2006, a 12-year-old middle school student had emailed school officials begging for help in protecting himself from a school bully. After notifying school officials that he was being victimized, the student took a punch in the stomach from the bully, according to the lawsuit. That punch caused a clot in an artery, which cut off the blood supply to the victim's spine, resulting in paralysis.The victim's lawsuit alleged that school officials knew, or should have known of the alleged bully's violent tendencies. Not only had the victim himself sent an email to officials about the bully's conduct, but the lawsuit alleged that the same bully punched a separate student on the school bus the previous school year.
The paralyzed assault victim says that the school not only failed to keep a record of the previous assault, but that the school did nothing to discipline the student, essentially allowing the prior conduct to go without consequence. The information was included in the lawsuit to show that school officials at least should have known of the alleged bully's violent tendencies.
Following the paralyzing punch that served as the basis for the lawsuit against the school district, the bully reportedly was suspended from school for a few days. The alleged bully's family previously settled out of court with the victim of the assault for an undisclosed sum.
School officials do not admit guilt or liability related to the lawsuit against the district, but the district has agreed to settle with the victim. The victim is now a college student at Syracuse University, according to Reuters.
Source: Reuters, "School Pays $4.2M For School Bully's Punch," Edward Tan, April 18, 2012
]]>The motor vehicle accident trapped the driver of the Camry in her vehicle and fire personnel had to extricate the accident victim from the wreckage before she could be transported from the scene of the accident. Officials say that the tragic collision proved to be fatal for the woman driving the Camry, who was pronounced dead upon arrival at Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood Township after the wreck.
The driver of the truck, who was wearing a seat belt, was also taken to the hospital in Lakewood Township for evaluation of undisclosed injuries.
]]> An investigation into the fatal motor vehicle accident has been launched and authorities say that neither speed nor alcohol appear to have been factors in the wreck. Authorities reportedly closed off the roadway at the scene of the crash to initiate an investigation into the fatal accident.Authorities say that the intersection is controlled by a traffic light and serves as a maintained county road. Few other details of the fatal crash investigation have been publicly revealed and the identities of the accident victims remain withheld pending notification of relatives and while the probe into the crash remains pending.
Source: Jackson Online, "Jackson Police Respond to Serious Accident on Bennetts Mills Road," April 17, 2012
]]>Police believe that the driver of the Saturn, an 18-year-old woman, attempted to make a left-hand turn from Altair Drive onto southbound Pitman-Downer Road. A 48-year-old Sewell woman was driving southbound on Pitman-Downer in a Ford F-150. The pickup slammed into the Saturn in the intersection, sending both vehicles off of the roadway.
]]> Authorities say a front seat passenger in the Saturn was ejected in the crash. The woman riding in the rear of the Saturn became entrapped in the crumpled metal and emergency crews had to cut into the vehicle to extract the accident victim from the wreckage. All three teens from the Saturn were taken to Cooper University Hospital for treatment-the woman who was extracted from the back seat of the car was pronounced dead at the hospital.The woman driving the Ford pickup truck reportedly suffered a head injury in the wreck and was taken to Kennedy University Hospital for treatment. A male passenger in the Ford, a 47-year-old Sewell man, was not injured in the crash, according to authorities.
An investigation into the crash is underway. Due to the damage to the vehicles on Saturday night, and the necessity to extricate accident victims, authorities were not able to immediately assess all of the potential evidence in the immediate aftermath of the crash, and will continue to inspect the vehicles for information.
Source: Cherry Hill Courier-Post, "Washington Township student dies in car crash," Lucas K. Murray, April 16, 2012
]]>Howell Police say a 32-year-old woman from Wall entered the intersection in her sedan as the dump truck was traveling north on Colts Neck Road. Authorities believe the woman blew through a stop sign before the truck and car accident.
]]> The sedan, a Nissan Altima, was carrying three people, including two young girls-ages 6 and 10-years-old. Authorities say that the two girls, the driver of the Nissan and the truck driver were all taken to the hospital after the afternoon crash.Reports indicate that the 10-year-old girl was listed in critical condition by Thursday afternoon at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The extent of the injuries to the three other people taken to the hospital after the crash remain unclear, although the truck driver may have escaped injury in the crash, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Howell Police say that the traffic accident brought down at least one utility pole in the area, sending wires into the roadway. Authorities closed of access to the area, closing the road from the intersection all the way to Route 33 to allow crews to take care of the downed wires and make repairs.
An investigation into the motor vehicle accident continues.
Sources:
Asbury Park Press, "Four sent to hospital following Howell accident involving car, dump truck," Dustin Racioppi and Charles Webster, April 13, 2012
Howell Patch, "Several Groups Respond to Thursday Crash," Adam Hochron, April 13, 2012
]]>The Cliffview Pilot reports that a group of men made a frantic attempt to rescue three men from the Honda as flames engulfed the vehicle. The group of men, which reportedly included the driver of the pickup truck, worked feverishly to free the driver first, but they could not get the driver's side door to open.
]]> A witness says that the men then rushed to the passenger side of the vehicle and successfully freed a man sitting in the front passenger seat as flames engulfed the car.The 28-year-old Passaic man who was pulled from the burning Honda was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition as of Wednesday morning. The driver and a passenger in the back seat of the Honda
Authorities say that the driver of the pickup truck suffered minor burns on his arm. Law enforcement arrested the 29-year-old Bogota resident after the fatal accident on a criminal charge of being in a fatal crash while driving with a suspended license. The man was taken to the Bergen County Jail and is reportedly being held on $20,000 bail.
Source: Cliffview Pilot, "Fiery Route 80 crash in Lodi kills two," Jerry DeMarco, April 11, 2012
]]>The woman says she had asked the surgical crew what was going on-why was she smelling something burning. The woman's mother was present during the surgery, sitting bedside in support of her daughter. The mother reportedly saw smoke. The woman claims that the obstetrician said not to worry about anything and at some point, used his hand to put out a flame on the woman's left side.
]]> The woman had caught on fire during the surgery. The hospital does not deny that, and reportedly admits responsibility for the woman's injuries. But the hospital denies negligence.Thankfully, the baby was healthy upon delivery. But the woman suffered burn injuries during that 2010 cesarean section. A plastic surgeon reportedly compared the he third-degree burns on the woman's abdomen to injuries the doctor had seen on napalm victims.
It all comes down to training and procedures, according to the medical malpractice lawsuit. The surgical team used a product called DuraPrep in the procedure. The product is an antiseptic skin preparation that is commonly used. However, four of the nurses and the anesthesiologist testified in depositions that they had not been trained in how to prevent surgical fires when using the antiseptic.
The fire reportedly broke out while the doctor was using an electrical cautery device. Cautery tools are generally used to stop bleeding of small vessels through burning tissue. A medical expert says that a spark from the device could have ignited fumes from the antiseptic, according to the Post-Standard.
The manufacturer of the product, 3M, warned hospitals one month before the surgery about the flammability of the antiseptic and gave hospitals nationwide instructions on how to safely prevent surgical fires. The lawsuit says that the hospital was negligent in failing to train its workers, especially in light of 3M's notice. 3M is not being sued.
Surgical fires just do not happen very often in this country. DuraPrep has been linked to a small percentage of the extremely rare events. Medical professionals estimate that only 400 to 600 surgical fires occur each year-that is out of roughly 50 million surgeries.
The hospital has made changes in its procedures to avoid any future similar incidents, but denies negligence in the 2010 fire. The doctor claims that the antiseptic was allowed to dry before the procedure and apparently denies any responsibility for the fire and the woman's burn injuries.
Source: The Post-Standard, "Woman's abdomen catches fire during C-section, as surgical tool ignites antiseptic," John O'Brien, April 1, 2012
]]>Authorities say that the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in the truck accident with the dump truck suffered injuries and was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick with undisclosed injuries. The two vehicles had become engulfed in flames after the impact.
New Jersey State Police say that two other trucks were also involved in the crash; however, the drivers in the secondary truck reportedly escaped harm in the multi-vehicle accident.
]]> Overall details of what may have led to the fiery turnpike crash remain sketchy as authorities continue to investigate the truck accident.The fatal crash occurred just after 1:30 p.m. Monday between the Tices and Ryders lanes overpasses on the Turnpike. The multi-vehicle truck accident happened in the out northbound lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Authorities diverted traffic into the car lanes through the remainder of the afternoon as crews and investigators worked the fatal truck accident scene and worked to control the fire. The truck lanes were not reopened until roughly 8:00 Monday Evening.
Few details have been released concerning the facts surrounding what may have happened to cause the tragic fatal truck accident.
The fiery East Brunswick crash was not the only truck accident was not the only incident Monday on the Turnpike. Authorities say that shortly before the fatal accident, a separate incident involving two tractor-trailers and three other vehicles occurred in Deptford. Few details have been reported in the Monday afternoon multi-vehicle accident in Deptford, although authorities say several people sustained injuries in that crash.
Sources:
MyCentralJersey.com, "Dump truck driver from Old Bridge killed on Turnpike in East Brunswick," Apr. 2, 2012
Cherry Hill Post Courier, "Dump truck driver killed in crash," Apr. 3, 2012
]]>Authorities say that 18 school kids complained of injuries and were taken to two separate hospitals for evaluation and treatment. All of the kids were reportedly released from the hospitals.
School officials report that students experienced a range of injuries, including a broken collar bone, at least one concussion, and two students suffered cuts. One of the students suffering a laceration in the bus accident required stitches, while medical personnel used a medical glue to treat the second student.
]]> The 50-year-old Galloway Township man driving the SUV may have been more seriously injured in the crash. Emergency crews had to extricate the man from his SUV after the accident, before transferring the accident victim in a helicopter to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Authorities say that the driver from the SUV was listed in stable condition by Friday afternoon at the hospital.A series of accidents involving New Jersey school buses seems to be hitting the press in recent months. The Galloway School District posted information on its website Friday, as Thursday's school bus crash was the second in that district in one week.
Four people were Monday in an SUV and school bus accident. A Linwood woman driving the motor vehicle was injured. Her 16-monthold baby was transported with the mother to the hospital. Reports indicate the baby was taken to the hospital for the purpose of evaluation. Two students and a teacher aboard the bus also suffered injuries in Monday's accident. In Monday's crash, authorities cited the school bus driver for failure to stop at an intersection. Thursday's crash remains under investigation.
School officials say that bus crashes are relatively rare. However, the school superintendant is changing the bus routes effective immediately to provide safer routes.
Source: Galloway Patch, "SUV Driver in Thursday's Crash With Galloway School Bus in Stable Condition," Anthony Bellano, Mar. 30, 2012
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