Arthur Brown, a resident of Terrace Drive in Newport News, is challenging a charge that he failed to yield to a police vehicle at the intersection of Harpersville Road and Jefferson Avenue before a wreck. Richard Shapiro, a partner with our law firm, is representing Mr. Brown in his fight for justice.
Mr. Shapiro has evidence supporting an argument that the Newport News City Police SUV failed to have its emergency lights and sirens activated as it entered the busy intersection. As a result, Mr. Brown was not properly alerted to the police SUV as it barreled through a red light on January 7, 2014.
The collision was severe causing major damage to both the police SUV and Mr. Brown’s van. As a result of the wreck, Mr. Brown suffered a neck injury, a concussion and a “brain bleed.” He has undergone an MRI and is currently seeing a neurologist.
Newport News City Police contend that their SUV did indeed have its emergency lights and sirens on before entering the intersection.
In an effort to discover what exactly happened, Mr. Shapiro filed subpoenas on the Police Department for witness statements and evidence, including information from the SUV’s electronic data recorder beginning 60 seconds before the accident, as reported in a Daily Press article about this incident.
There is a Virginia statute, § 46.2-920, stating that a city police vehicle must have both its emergency lights and sirens on to be exempt from certain traffic regulations.
Furthermore, Newport News Police Department policy requires that police cars in emergency mode have both sirens and flashers operating, and that they stop at red lights and stop signs to ensure the intersection is clear before proceeding.
Mr. Shapiro, and the legal team at our firm, will continue to work tirelessly to help our client address the charges filed against him and to pursue restitution for the injuries he suffered as a result of this wreck.
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