Car Accidents

A Portland man suffered serious injuries after his involvement in two accidents on Friday, September 4. After fleeing the scene of the first accident, the driver was then involved in a one-car rollover accident that sent him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The second accident closed the highway for approximately three hours while police investigated the scene.

A rollover accident in Portsmouth took the life of one individual and serious injured another. The single-car crash involved an SUV that rolled several times after the driver attempted to regain control of the vehicle. The deadly crash occurred on northbound I-95 in Portsmouth on September 1. Crash occurred in middle of afternoon Officers were called to the scene around 3:20 p.m.

A Brunswick woman, Heather Bowman, caused not one but two collisions in a single trip in Freeport last month. The 39-year-old was driving drunk with a child in the car. Bowman’s actions are an illustration of how one person’s poor decision can endanger the lives of countless other people, from other motorists to her own family.

Recently released statistics show that motorcycle fatalities in the state of Maine had reached record highs by early August, with a total of 17 deaths as a result of motorcycle crashes between Jan. 1 and Aug. 3, 2015. Four of those fatalities occurred in the first week of August (with two additional car crash deaths also taking place that weekend).

Last week, 71-year-old Robert Douglas of Harpswell lost his best friend and wife.  The long-time fisherman got a phone call from the sheriff’s office with the devastating news that his partner of almost 50 years – 75-year-old Rita Douglas – had been struck and killed while walking their dog that morning.

Route 202 in Windham was the site of yet another motorcycle crash earlier this month, which nearly claimed the life of the operator. Police say that witnesses on the scene helped the severely injured biker, who was quickly transported to Maine Medical Center.

At Hardy, Wolf & Downing, we are convinced that many motorists in our state and throughout the country don’t understand the responsibility they have to avoid distractions such as cell phone use when they get behind the wheel. And we have seen the consequences in lives lost or damaged due to distracted driving accidents when drivers chose to text or talk while behind the wheel.

Driving while under the influence of alcohol comes with the risk of life-changing consequences ranging from penalties and jail time to severe personal injury and even death.  In the United States, Maine is one of only five states without felony DUI laws for convictions, but a recent initiative by the South Portland police aims to discourage drunk driving with the help of social media.

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, commonly prescribed sleeping pills including Ambien, Restoril and Desyrel can actually double the car accident risk among those just starting to use the drugs as compared to drivers who do not take such medications.

On May 29, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) issued a safety advisory in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents caused by pedal error. According to the NHTSA, drivers use the brake almost one million times per year, typically without incident.