A 49-year-old Mechanicsville, Va. woman was killed when the disabled car she was in was slammed into by another vehicle on July 19 at approximately 6 p.m. According to information released by Virginia State Police, the victim was traveling on Interstate 95 in the area of the 90-mile marker in Hanover County when it developed mechanical issues. She pulled over onto the right shoulder and called for help. As she was waiting for that help to arrive, a 70-year-old male driver – who police say was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed – attempted to illegally pass another vehicle by driving into the shoulder and crashed into the victim’s car. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say there was no reason for the man to drive onto the shoulder of the highway.
Troopers did recover the black box from the male driver’s 2015 GMC Terrain, which revealed that the man’s vehicle was going 89 m.p.h. at the moment of impact with the victim’s car, a 2007 Nissan Sentra. The speed limit in that area is 70 m.p.h. He was transported to VCU Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. He was subsequently released from the hospital and was charged with involuntary manslaughter and driving while suspended.
Speeding and Crashes
Many drivers admit that they do go over the posted speed limit occasionally. Maybe they are running late or just don’t realize that that speedometer needle has crept up. But speed limits are put in place for a reason and usually involve studies and analysis by municipal and state engineers to determine what they should be based on.
When a driver speeds, it is harder for them to control their vehicle or respond to hazards on the road. It also increases the time it takes the driver to bring that vehicle to a stop. And most critical, if a crash does occur when a driver is speeding, the risk of injury or death to those involved is even greater. For every 10 m.p.h. in speed a vehicle is going doubles the driver’s risk of dying in a crash.
Unfortunately, those risks do not seem to make a difference to a lot of drivers – it is estimated that speeding is the cause of about one-third of all traffic fatalities. This comes out to about 10,000 deaths every year. That high rate of speed increases the force and impact of the speeding vehicle on the other. This is why accidents that are caused by a speeding driver often result in catastrophic injuries for victims.
Contact a Virginia Injury Attorney
No matter how many precautions we take, there is always the risk of a speeding driver crashing into us. If you have been injured in a crash caused by a driver who was speeding, contact a Virginia car accident attorney to see what type of financial damages you may be entitled to. The legal team from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has been advocating for injured clients since 1985 and will do all we can to ensure you receive the best possible outcome under the circumstances of your case, just like we did for one client who received a $675,000 settlement for permanent injuries caused by another driver rear-ending his vehicle.
If you would like to meet with one of our skilled car accident attorneys to find out how we can help, call us today for a free case evaluation.
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