The Associated Press: Va. student mistaken for deer, shot to death.
Jessica Goode was a 23-year-old student at Ferrum College out collecting frogs for biology class when she was accidentally shot and killed by a deer hunter. Another student, 20-year-old Regis Boudinot, was shot in the hand.
The students were on a trail about a mile west of campus.
The shooter was 31-year-old Jason David Coultier, of Ferrum, VA. Coultier was charged with manslaughter, reckless handling of a firearm and trespassing.
Jessica was apparently an outdoor lover and could often be found doing outside activities. She was a senior at Ferrum and an environmental science major. She is described as bubbly and upbeat.
This death was a real tragedy and should not have happened. The first rule of hunting is to always make sure that you are shooting at an animal and not a person. Also I am surprised that Coultier was hunting so close to a college campus.
I am truly saddened that this amazing-sounding girl was taken away from those who loved her before her life could be fully lived.
My condolences to the family.
Richmond, VA Attorney Wayne O’Bryan
1-800-372-4099
Forklift accident victim to be buried today.
Matt Megginson, 27, was killed on the job last Friday while operating a forklift. As he worked at Burris Logistics in Lynchburg, VA, his machine turned over, pinned and killed him.
He got married just last May to his wife Lindsey.
It is especially sad when somebody as young and well-liked as Matt gets killed. The accident is under investigation by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.
A study from the National Association on Occupational Safety and Health says that 22% of the over 1000 forklift-related deaths that have happened in the last 14 years have been because of overturned machinery. I would imagine that a forklift is one of the more dangerous machines that workers use on a regular basis.
I am also wondering if Matt’s death is a result of product liability.
Call Wayne O’Bryan at 804-643-4343 if you have any questions regarding wrongful death or product liability. We offer a free confidential consultation.
Family of teen killed in crash gets $5.25M | Waynesboro News Virginian.
A jury in Albemarle County awarded $5.25 million to the family of a 16-year-old who was killed in a car wreck in 2008.
On May 9, 2008, Kenneth Barbour was driving a tractor-trailer when he ran a red light and hit Sydney Aichs driving a 1999 Chevy Cavalier. Barbour pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving and was sentenced to a 2 year prison sentence.
Aichs’ family sued Don B. Swisher Trucking Corporation, McCann Delivery Service and Kenneth Barbour, saying Barbour’s employers didn’t give him enough training and supervision and that his truck was defective. The suit also accused Barbour of not slowing down when he approached the intersection of US 29 and Ashwood Boulevard.
I know the verdict seems like a lot of money, but I know that they would all give it back without thinking if it meant they could bring back their daughter and sister. There is little worse than a parent losing a child and it is something they will probably never get over for the rest of their life.
If you are fighting an insurance company because your loved one was killed you should get a FREE copy of my book Accident Injury Book: Hidden Inside Secrets Big Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Know About Your Injury Claim. Call 804-355-0691 for our free copy today. Wayne O’Bryan is a good Richmond, VA based wrongful death lawyer and author.
Colonial Heights woman guilty in fatal crash with mo-ped.
A tragic story of a wrongful death accident case in Colonial Heights, VA that ended with one man killed, one man in a wheelchair and unable to speak, and one woman probably going to jail for years.
Megan Lean Brown was convicted on Monday of driving drunk on June 13 of this year. She was driving the wrong way down Jefferson Davis Highway when she had a head-on collision with a moped driven by Frederick Wall. Mr. Wall was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr. Wall’s passenger was Ricky Hill, who suffered a fractured pelvis, head trauma, partial paralysis, and nerve and muscle damage.
Ms. Brown pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter while driving intoxicated, maiming while driving intoxicated and DUI . She faces up to 16 years in prison.
If you or your loved one has been hurt or killed in an accident please get a FREE copy of my book Accident Injury Book: Hidden Inside Secrets Big Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Know About Your Injury Claim
Or call Richmond, Virginia lawyer D. Wayne O’Bryan at 804-643-4343 or 1-800-372-4099.
On Monday a trial starts against Coleman that alleges the corporation made and sold a defective product that severely burned an 11-year-old boy.
In 2005 Trevor Dennis was camping with his family when a Coleman heater malfunctioned and set the camper on fire. The family alleges that their heater was not safe for indoor use, a claim that Coleman disputes. The lawsuit says that Coleman knew that the heater was faulty due to previous warranty claims and complaints, and that Coleman knew of other fires caused by the unit.
“In spite of this knowledge, Coleman still manufactured and sold the propane heater, putting profits ahead of people,”
said plaintiff’s lawyer John Bisnar.
A jury will make the final decision on Monday as to the truth of the allegations.
This brings up another point that I would like to address and that is corporate personhood. According to US law, a corporation has human rights just like you and me. It is a rather odd concept that gives corporations much more power than they deserve to have. It has also led to numerous incidences of corporations putting profits before people and sometimes putting out a product that the corporation knows will kill some people. A prime example is Ford Motor Company and the Pinto.
House calls as cost-saver in health care reform?.
Victoria Advocate has an interesting article about a doctor in Richmond, Va who has returned to the practice of making house calls.
Dr. Peter Boling and his crew of three doctors, five nurses and a social worker care for about 275 patients in the Richmond, Virginia area.
Boling says that house calls help him see some of the oldest and sickest patients and give them the care they need that may help keep them out of the hospital emergency room.
Boling is trying to convince Congress to include a provision in the health-care reform bill that would test whether house calls could lower preventable hospitalizations and ER visits for the high-cost and chronically ill patients on Medicare.
I think this is a great idea and I hope it becomes as common as it was a hundred years ago. Hospitals are dangerous places in some ways, and many people are not able to get to the hospital when they need care. Often people wait until a catastrophic, and often preventable, event occurs before the get rushed to the ER.
Austell woman killed in Virginia wreck.
Virginia Bolton, a 69-year-old woman from Austell, VA was killed in a three-car-accident last Tuesday. Bolton was wearing her seatbelt. Virginia State Police say the accident happened in Henry County which is a rural area near Martinsville, VA.
Bolton was a passenger in a 1994 Ford Taurus driven by Stuart, VA resident Virginia Loggins. Loggins’ auto collided with a Chevy pickup truck around 3pm. Police gave Loggins a ticket for failure to yield. There was also a 2003 Mitsubishi involved in the accident.
If you have been in a car accident in Virginia you need to read my book “Accident Injury Book”. It is the ultimate guide to dealing with insurance adjusters in Virginia. My book is FREE to Virginia residents and available 24/7 at 1-800-368-6495 ext 4120.
Wayne O’Bryan is a Richmond based lawyer who specializes in personal injury car accident cases. For over thirty years Wayne has dealt with insurance company adjusters and knows their sneaky tricks.
Teen Driver Tips from Virginia DMV.
Tomorrow is the end of National Teen Driver Safety Week in America. If you have a teenager, one of the scariest moments in your life is when your teen starts to drive. Car accidents kill many teenagers.
In Virginia there are some laws to help keep teen drivers a little bit safer.
Teen drivers are under curfew and are not supposed to be on the road between midnight and 4am.
Also teenagers are not allowed to use their cell phone when driving unless the driver has an emergency.
There is also a limit to how many passengers under 18 a teen driver can have in the car. Statistics show that teens are much more likely to crash when the number of passengers in the car go up.
I wrote a great book that every parent should have in their library in case an accident happens. It is called Accident Injury Book: Hidden Inside Secrets Big Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Know About Your Injury Claim and is FREE for Virginia residents. Usually I only offer this book to injured people in America, but for the next week I will offer this special book for any parent with a teen driver in the house.
You can get the book at AccidentInjuryBook.com or call 1-800-372-4099.
