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Kevin Duffan
by Kevin Duffan
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Kevin is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, etc.

Blog Category:
7/27/2011
Kevin Duffan
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SUV Passenger Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter for Causing Newport News Cyclist Death

It's rare for a passenger to be blamed for causing a fatal crash, but that's what happened on Julky 27, 2011, in Newport News, Virginia (VA). The convicted woman, who lives in Hampton, VA, had been riding in an SUV when it struck and killed bicyclist Len Joachim in Spetember 2010. According to the Daily Press, she told the court that she grabbed the steering wheel out of self-defense against the SUV's driver, and the court determined that her actions led directly to the accident near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Francisco Way.

The driver of the SUV had already pled guilty to a separate charge of involuntary manslaughter, a crime that carroes a penalty of between 2 and 10 years in prison.


View the site of the accident on Jefferson Avenue and Francisco Way on a larger map


As experienced Virginia accident injury attorneys, we are saddened that this act of carelessness cost a young man his life.

Two factors contributed to causing the fatal crash. The primary one was the distraction of the driver. His altercation with the passenger and her grabbing of the wheel made it difficult to notice and react to what was going on the road ahead. The second factor was that the man who died was riding a bicycle. My VA personal injury law firm colleagues and I know anyone who gets in an accident with a motor vehicle while riding a bicycle or a motorcycle is at great risk for suffering a serious injury or being killed.

The most recent data available highlights the vulnerability of cyclists. It  reveals that 716 cyclists were killed in traffic accidents in 2008. And a further 52,000 cyclists were injured in accidents in 2008, a 21 percent increase. Bike riders are not just vulnerable from distracted drivers - or in this case distracted drivers and passengers. They are also at risk from drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as demonstrated last year by the tragic death of a 43-year-old cyclist on Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA, who was killed by a driver who was later charged with DUI.

DM

Category: Car Accident Lawyers & Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

Labels: assault attorneys bicyclist cyclist Death distracted driving Duffan DUI hurt injury involuntary lawyers manslaughter personal prison VA Virginia vulnerable


 

Best Injury Lawyers in Virginiainjury, lawyer

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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