Georgia Accident Attorney | Car Accident News | Law Offices of R. Shane Smith

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Auto Accident

Buckhead church van accident injures eleven
Mar 01, 2010
Nearly a dozen people were injured after a church van and several other vehicles collided at a Buckhead intersection.

The traffic accident occurred at about eight o’clock on the evening of February 29th. The van from Northside United Methodist Church was carrying children ranging in age from 11 to 16. The van struck a vehicle in the intersection of Northside Drive and West Wesley Road and then hit a utility pole. Two other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The van’s driver sustained a shoulder injury. Ten others, including some of the children on the van, complained of injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment. None of the injuries were life-threatening.

The cause of the wreck is under investigation by Atlanta police.

Even a minor accident can lead to extensive hospital and therapy bills. If your child is injured while a passenger on a school bus or a church van or while attending an after school activity, you are entitled to compensation for your child’s injuries, including medical costs and any time that you must take off work to care for your child.

If you have any questions about your rights after an Atlanta car wreck, contact Attorney Shane Smith at 770-HURT-999.

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Sandy Springs pick-up driver charged with crash death of passenger
Feb 04, 2010
A pick-up truck driver was charged with vehicular homicide after his passenger was ejected from the truck bed and killed.

The crash occurred around 2pm on Monday, January 25. Jack Mize, 69, of Chamberlee was driving his pick-up truck in the westbound lane of I-285 ant New Northside Drive in Sandy Springs. Evilio Morales, 35, also of Chamberlee, was riding in the bed of the truck.

Mize sideswiped a Mercedes and lost control of his truck. The truck rolled and Morales was thrown from the truck. He died from his injuries. Mize and a passenger in the cab of the truck received non-life threatening injuries.

Mize was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and with a lane violation.

In Georgia, it is illegal for children under 18 to ride in the back of an uncovered pick-up truck while on the interstate. The law does not cover adults. However, passengers in the beds of trucks are unprotected and at risk of serious injury in the event of an accident.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to reckless driving, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries and other losses. This is true even if you were in the vehicle of the negligent driver. Call the Law Offices of R. Shane Smith at 770-HURT-999 if you have any questions.

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Texting driver sustains serious injuries
Jan 22, 2010
A young man from Liburn was seriously injured after crashing his car into a telephone pole while text messaging with a friend.

The accident occurred on Friday, January 22 near the intersection of Arcado Road and Wayside Court in Liburn. Nineteen-year-old Soheb Roy sustained head trauma after crashing his Acura into the pole. The impact was strong enough to break the pole in two and total the Acura. The road was blocked for most of the day.

Roy was taken to Gwinett Health Center where he is in serious but stable condition.

Neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor in the crash, but police plan to charge Roy with improper use of a cell phone.

Twenty-one percent of all drivers admit to texting while driving; however, more than half of drivers between 16 and 24 years of age admit to texting while driving.

A recent study found that drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident than drivers who are not texting. An accurate count of accidents caused by drivers who are texting is not available, but the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 80% of accidents are caused by driver distraction.

Click here to learn more about the dangers of texting and distracted driving.
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Driver seriously injured in Tara Boulevard wreck
Jan 13, 2010
A car crash left one man seriously injured and closed down Tara Boulevard in Clayton County for several hours yesterday.

The traffic accident occurred around 5:45 pm on January 12th. An SUV driving on Dixon Street turned onto Tara Boulevard and into the path of an oncoming panel truck.

The panel truck hit the SUV. The truck’s cargo of oxygen and carbon dioxide canisters spilled onto the street.

The driver of the SUV was pinned in his vehicle and had to be cut out. He was flown in a Life Flight helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. Both the passenger in the SUV and the truck driver suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene of the accident.

Police say the SUV driver will likely be charged with running a stop sign. The police did find a small amount of alcohol in the vehicle. The accident remains under investigation.

If you’ve been involved in a car crash due to a negligent driver, you’ve probably been offered an insurance company settlement. You may have questions about the amount, especially if it doesn’t adequately cover your injuries and the damage to your car.

Atlanta attorney Shane Smith has written a free book to get you started. Click here to request your copy of The Georgia Car Wreck Guide. If you have any questions, or need help, contact Shane at 770-HURT-999 for a free consultation.
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Three-year-old killed in I-95 tractor-trailer crash
Jan 05, 2010
A little boy lost his life and his family members were injured when their family van was hit by a speeding semi-truck.

The deadly accident occurred on Sunday, December 27. The Thornton family of Pittsburg was traveling in a 2007 Toyota Sienna on the southbound lane of I-95 in McIntosh County. Witnesses say that the tractor-trailer was speeding before it struck the back of the van.

The collision with the 18-wheeler pushed the vehicle onto the shoulder of the interstate downing several trees. It took almost two hours and three sets of Jaws of Life to remove the victims from the wrecked vehicles.

Three-year-old Sean Thornton was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother, Susan Thornton, is in critical condition. Another child was seriously injured. Daniel Thornton and the third child sustained minor injuries.

The driver of the big-rig, Willie Hill of Jacksonville, Florida, was hospitalized with a broken pelvis and leg. Charges are pending against the driver.

Large trucks are involved in eight percent of fatal crashes. A fully-loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. It is no surprise that 98% of the fatalities in these crashes are to the occupants of passenger vehicles.

Many drivers speed or drive while tired because of company pressure to deliver their load on time. Because trucks are so dangerous and drivers are under pressure, there are strict federal regulations that govern the trucking industry. When an accident occurs, an investigation is made to be sure these rules are not broken.
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Fayette County teen faces charges after fatal crash
Dec 15, 2009
A popular Fayette County teenager was killed in a single car accident while on her way to school.

The accident occurred on the morning of Monday, December 14. Three teenagers were on their way to school when the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a stone mail box and a tree on Old Ford Road.

Sixteen-year-old Angel Anthony was sitting in the back seat. She was not wearing a seat belt. She was severely injured and was transported to the local hospital where she died from her internal injuries. Ms. Anthony was a popular student at Sandy Creek High School.

The driver, 16-year-old Delsia Radlien, and an unidentified front seat passenger were wearing seat belts and were not seriously injured.

Ms. Radlein had just received her driver’s license in September. She now faces several misdemeanor charges, including second degree homicide by vehicle, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane, and a driver’s license class D restrictions violation for having two other passengers in her vehicle. She is not being charged as an adult. Teenage drivers are particularly vulnerable to car crashes because of their inexperience.

The Atlanta Law Offices of R. Shane Smith offer our sympathy to the families involved.
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Gwinnett County hit-and-run driver injures six
Dec 06, 2009

A taxi-driver and his five passengers were injured in an automobile crash when an unidentified car sideswiped the taxi as it was traveling south on I-85 near the Indian Trail Road exit in Norcross.

The white 2004 Chevrolet Astro van taxi was sideswiped by an unidentified dark-colored car traveling in the same direction shortly after 6pm on Sunday, November 29. The dark-colored car struck the taxi and then sped away. The impact caused the taxi to rollover.

By the time the police arrived on the scene, the driver and the five passengers had climbed out of the overturned van. Three children, ages 9, 7 and 6, were taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite where they are in stable condition.

The driver, 38-year-old Regis Francy, and his two adult passengers, Mary Jean, 41 and Raphael Agache, 29, were taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville. All injuries were minor to moderate and were not life threatening.

Police are looking for the driver that caused the accident. The suspect’s vehicle is described as dark-colored and may have damage on the front or driver’s side. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 770-513-5000.

Taxi accidents are not uncommon in the Atlanta area.
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Two-year-old girl killed in I-85 car crash
Dec 01, 2009
A two-year-old girl died on Sunday in a car accident after a vehicle struck the rear of her family car on Interstate 85 just north of the Lafayette Parkway exit. Her parents were injured. The family was on its way home after visiting friends.

Brian Gray, 31, of Winder, Georgia was driving the Honda Odyssey minivan when he was rear-ended by a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Luke Waters, 24, of Fairhope, Alabama. Slowed traffic in the area had almost come to a halt at the time of the accident. When the Odyssey was hit, it crashed into the Ford Taurus in front of it, which in turn ran into a Ford pickup truck.


The driver of the Chevy Tahoe said he saw the slowed traffic, but was unable to stop in time. He did not know what caused traffic to slow down. Police say the accident is under investigation and charges are pending.


Two-year-old Helen Gray was riding in her car seat. She suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother, Pamela Gary, 29, was flown by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. She was treated for chest injuries and numbness in her hands and lower legs. She is in critical, but stable condition. The father was treated at West Georgia Medical Center and released.


Four others suffered minor injuries.


The Law Offices of R. Shane Smith would like to offer our condolences to the Gray family.
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Man killed in multi-vehicle crash, mother and 4 children injured
Nov 20, 2009
A multi-vehicle traffic accident on Holcomb Bridge Road in North Fulton County left a mother and her four children injured and one man dead.

The wreck occurred just after 8am on Thursday, November 19. The collision was caused when the driver of the pick-up truck crossed the center line of the road and drove into on-coming traffic. The man hit a minivan and then a car. Local police reported that a second car became involved when it was hit by the debris from the previous collisions.

The mother was driving the minivan with four children. The mother is in serious condition at North Fulton Regional Hospital. The children, who range in age from ten months to seven year old, were not seriously injured. We wish them a speedy recovery.

The drivers of the cars were not injured. The driver of the truck was killed.

The accident is currently under investigation. The investigators are waiting for blood test results before determining why the driver drove his truck into on-coming traffic.

Car accidents are the most common type of accident involving children. Of the 250,000 children injured in car wrecks each year, 2,000 die from their injuries. You can read more about children and traffic accidents here.
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Fatal Atlanta Car Accident For Morehouse Bus Driver
Nov 11, 2009
Ralph Marshall was driving a chartered bus for the Morehouse College Marching Band when he was involved in a fatal collision. It is believed that another driver cut the bus off. This car accident occurred at the intersection of Sylvan Road and Arden Avenue, located in South Fulton. He was pronounced dead after being taken to Grady Hospital in Atlanta.
Mr. Marshall was employed by Superior Transportation, a charter bus company located in Atlanta. The car accident occurred when Mr. Marshall was driving the marching band to Albany for a football game between Morehouse and Albany State. The incident occurred on October st in Henry County on I-75. It has been difficult to corroborate if another vehicle did in fact cut the bus off causing the car wreck. - 10 - 10