Norfolk Car Fire Leaves One Dead, Two in Hospital

Rick is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

7/4/2011
Richard N. Shapiro
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Norfolk, VA Car Fire Leaves One Dead, Two in Hospital

A late-night car fire on July 3, 2011, left a driver dead and landed two passengers in a local hospital. According to the Virginian-Pilot, a Chevrolet Traverse somehow malfunctioned while traveling eastbound on Interstate 64, near Little Creek Road. The car caught fire, but passenger Michelle Westhler was able to escape. A passerby stopped and helped free a 4-year-old from a child-restraint seat in the back of the car. Local authorities report that the male driver was unable to escape the front seat and died.

On a holiday weekend like this one, it's hard to imagine such a horrific tragedy happening. Our thoughts are with the victims and their family. The passengers were truly lucky to have a rescuer in the form of a passerby. Not all accident victims can be so lucky.

The reason for the SUV's malfunction isn't readily apparent, but car fires are more common than you might think. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, one in four fire department responses is to a vehicle fire. Fires started as a result of an accident are the most frequent cause of car crash deaths. Most car fires are caused by mechanical failure or malfunction. In a case like this one, there was little the driver or passengers could do to prevent the fire from starting. It just goes to show that you never really know what could happen on the road.

As Virginia Personal Injury lawyers, we have experience with victims of product defects and a defect or faulty maintenance could cause a car fire. To learn more about how poorly designed and unsafe consumer goods cause injuries and deaths, check out this article.

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Category: Car Accident Lawyers & Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

Labels: accident car crash child fire injury Norfolk SUV Virginia Personal injury lawyer Wreck

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia Beach, VA-based injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and we have handled thousands of car accident, truck wreck, and motorcycle crash cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself.

We've handled car accident cases throughout Virginia including Richmond, Fairfax, Alexandria, and the Hampton Roads region including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Suffolk.

Our primary office is in Virginia Beach at the intersection of Diamond Springs Road and Northampton Boulevard. We also have an office on Eaton Street in Hampton. All of our accident injury attorneys were raised in Virginia and have deep roots with the community.

Our Virginia injury law firm has been recognized as one of the best injury law firms in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report since 2010. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed on the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Rick and Jim were named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms.

We also offer free special reports on distracted driving and the Best Guide to Car Accident Injuries in Virginia.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us at 1-800-752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you shortly.

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Norfolk, VA Car Fire Leaves One Dead, Two in Hospital

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