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16
May

Avon Tractor-Trailer Crash Kills 1, Injures 3

May 16, 2012

A tractor-trailer rolled off an overpass in Avon, Colorado, on Sunday morning and landed on a vehicle below, killing one person and injuring three others.

The Denver Post reports that the accident occurred on I-70 when a Yellow Freight Trucking Co. truck collided with a guard rail, went off the bridge, fell onto a Honda CR-V, and burst into flames. The truck driver died, but both occupants of the CR-V and a passenger in the semi-truck survived with non-critical injuries.

The semi truck driver apparently lost control of the rig, causing the crash, according to Vail Daily. Nearby residents reported feeling the ground shake from the impact of the semi truck and witnesses describe the flames as being 50 feet high post-explosion. One eye witness told reporters he saw the rear trailer come detached from the semi truck just prior to the accident.

The survivors were taken to Vail Valley Medical Center. In the meantime, the fire continued to burn for 20 to 30 minutes, and both directions of I-70 remained closed for several hours.

The Colorado Department of Transportation dispatched a bridge inspector and engineers to see if the bridge’s integrity was compromised in the crash.

The Denver Truck Accident Lawyers at McDivitt Law Firm want those injured in a truck accident to know that they don’t have to face a trucking company and its insurance company alone. We know how intimidating truck accidents can be, and you deserve to have a legal professional on your side.

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15
May

New Apps Aim to Stop Colorado Teens from Texting and Driving

May 15, 2012

Colorado law holds that drivers under age 18 aren’t permitted to talk on the phone, and no driver is allowed to text while driving. However, the practice of texting while driving is still going on. This reality has left parents and lawmakers searching for other ways to deter teens from paying attention to cell phones while behind the wheel. Enter a variety of new smartphone apps designed to lock the cell phone from use while a vehicle is in motion.

Reports KDVR, one such app called Cell Control was installed by the parents of a Lone Tree, Colorado, teenager who’d just received his driver’s license. The app locks the phone from use as soon as a car is in motion. In tandem with the app, a Cell Control transmitter is installed in the vehicle so that incoming texts don’t appear and calls go straight to voicemail.

Similar apps include txtBlocker, CellSafety, iZup and Zoomsafer.

For concerned parents, the best option may be to set a good example about texting while driving. A forthcoming survey from Consumer Reports revealed that 48 percent of teenagers say they have seen their mom or dad talking on a cell phone while driving, and 15 percent have seen a parent texting while driving.

The Denver Car Accident Lawyers at McDivitt Law Firm are passionate about keeping teens—and all drivers—from texting while driving. No text is important enough to risk having a Colorado car accident.

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11
May

Colorado Construction Accident Leaves One Worker Dead; Two Others Injured

May 11, 2012

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in 2010, hundreds of workers in the construction industry were killed in job-related accidents, making it one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Slip and fall accidents accounted for a large percentage of those accidents, accounting for 402 fatalities that year.

One such case of a fatal fall accident on a construction site occurred Tuesday afternoon in Boulder, Colorado. According to Colorado’s 9 News, the incident occurred at a construction site on Arapahoe Avenue. Witnesses told Boulder police that the man was walking along a beam in the structure he was working on when it suddenly began to give way. That is when the worker fell to the ground. The falling beam came crashing down on top of him seconds after the fall, pinning him underneath it.

Two nurses from a nearby hospital witnessed the incident and rendered aid to the injured man until paramedics could transport him to a hospital. He died a short time after arrival. Two other workers suffered minor injuries that were treated at the scene.

The Colorado Personal Injury Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm understand how difficult the dealing with the wrongful death of a loved one can be. That’s why the firm would like to send their deepest sympathies to the families of the worker who was tragically killed and a swift recovery to the injured workers.

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9
May

Colorado Cab Drivers Up In Arms Over Insurance Coverage

May 9, 2012

For those who work in the transportation industry, having insurance coverage in case you are involved in an accident is vital. If not, a driver could be left with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and damages to pay. But what happens when a driver was never offered coverage for certain stipulations?

This seems to be the question in a case that the Colorado Court of Appeals recently ruled on. According to Denver Westward, a lawsuit claimed that Yellow and Metro Taxi Companies in Colorado didn’t offer uninsured motorist coverage to drivers, despite the fact that it was a product the insurer carried. Furthermore, the companies had misled employees about the coverage offered because they declined the coverage for drivers before ever making it available to them.

The case was brought up after a driver was injured in an accident that was caused by an uninsured motorist. Only later did he find out that not only would he not be reimbursed for his expenses because the other driver didn’t have insurance and wasn’t covered by an uninsured motorist policy, but he also had no workers’ compensation benefits.

Receiving Denver Workers’ Compensation can be difficult even if you have benefits. That’s why the Colorado Personal Injury Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm are here to help you if you’ve been injured on the job and don’t know how to get back on your feet.

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7
May

Two-Vehicle Collision On Colorado Mountain Injures Three

May 7, 2012

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that speed is the third leading cause of fatal motor vehicle accidents in the U.S., just behind alcohol and distracted driving. Driving too fast for road conditions may have been the cause of an accident that occurred last week.

According to the Verde Independent, the accident happened Tuesday afternoon on Route 89A—a steep, winding road that travels over Mingus Mountain near Jerome, Colorado. Reports indicate that a sports car may have been traveling too fast for the road conditions when the driver crossed over the centerline of the highway and collided with a pickup truck head-on. Rescue crews responded from both sides of the mountain, taking one victim to a local hospital via helicopter. The other two victims were later transported by ambulance to medical facilities in Prescott.

The location of the crash was the scene of an accident from a year before when a car racing a motorcycle down the mountain crossed over the median of the highway and collided with another biker head-on, killing him almost instantly. The two men who were racing now face charges of second-degree murder.

The combination of speed and reckless driving is almost a sure combination to cause a Denver Car Accident. That is why the Denver Personal Injury Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm ask that drivers always obey the posted speed limit of the road.

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4
May

Fort Collins Jury Awards Woman $3.9 Million For Medical Mistake

May 4, 2012

A jury recently awarded a Fort Collins, Colorado, woman $3.9 million after a doctor’s mistake left her paralyzed. According to The Wall Street Journal, the payment was one of the largest of its kind in Colorado history.

Court documents show that the woman arrived at a local Fort Collins hospital in December 2006 complaining of weakness and dizziness combined with “the worst headache of her life.” Despite her blood pressure being dangerously high, the doctor who attended to the then 34-year-old woman concluded that it was just a migraine. He gave her some pain relievers and sent the woman on her way.

The woman was actually suffering from a mild brain bleed that would have been detected by a CT scan and was treatable with medication. The doctor’s misdiagnosis led to the woman becoming paralyzed on her right side after suffering a stroke.

The physician, who was required by law to carry medical malpractice insurance, asked his insurer to settle the case for $1 million; however, the insurance company refused and took the case before a jury. The $3.9 million ruling was the largest in Larimer County history.

Simply giving a patient a medication without a full and proper examination is often how a Colorado Drug Injury occurs. The Colorado Personal Injury Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm suggest always reading the warning labels and consulting with your pharmacist before taking any new medications.

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2
May

Rollover Crash Outside Fort Collins Kills One And Injures Another

May 2, 2012

A car accident just northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, left one man dead and another seriously injured. 9 News reports that the crash occurred around 6:00 a.m. Tuesday on Highway 14, about three miles west of Ted’s Place.

A spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol, Trooper Steve Reid, told reporters that a dark-colored Subaru wagon was carrying two men at the time of the accident. The vehicle was heading west when the driver lost control as he rounded a curve and skidded off the highway. The Subaru then went over an embankment, rolling once before landing in the Poudre River.

A passerby on the highway noticed skid marks on the road, and upon further inspection, saw the car in the river and called for help. The witness also helped a 36-year old man who was a victim of the crash back up to the highway where he was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment.

A 40-year-old Virginia man was ejected from the vehicle during the accident. Rescue crews later pulled his body from the river and he was declared dead.

Car Accident Lawyers know that wearing seat belts can greatly increase your chances of survival if you’re involved in a car accident. That’s why the Denver Car Accident Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm encourage motorists to make buckling up the first thing you and your passengers do when you get in a car.

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30
Apr

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo the Right Way—Get a Safe Ride Home

Because Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated in southern Colorado, we’ll be hosting our ongoing Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Pueblo West.

We’ve helped a lot of people whose lives have been impacted by drunk driving, which is why we believe so strongly in our Safe and Sober program and want to keep the roads safe for everyone. In fact, we’ve covered the cost for more than 7,000 rides home since 2007. YouTube Preview Image

One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Cab.
Our Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program is for adults who have been drinking or who don’t have a safe way home. Rides will be available in Colorado Springs from 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, through 3 a.m., on Sunday, May 6.

For a free ride home, call one of the following cab companies and tell them your ride home is on McDivitt Law Firm:

  • Colorado Springs
    Call Yellow Cab Company of Colorado Springs at (719) 777-7777.
  • Pueblo & Pueblo West
    Call City Cab of Pueblo at (719) 543-2525.

Remember, rides are provided to your home—not to other drinking locations. Due to the high number of ride requests on Cinco de Mayo, we can’t guarantee rides for everyone who calls; however, every attempt will be made to accommodate all requests.

Did You Know…?
Widely misperceived as Mexico’s Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo is actually the anniversary of when 4,000 Mexican soldiers forced the French out of Puebla, Mexico, in 1862.

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30
Apr

Many Colorado Motorists Ignore Construction Zone Road Signs

April 30, 2012

When asked if road signs placed in construction zones were still in effect if equipment and workers were not present, many Colorado residents said “no.” But according to 9 News, their beliefs are mistaken.

A spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Stacey Stegman, stated that all rules and fines posted by the signs still apply regardless of whether or not work is occurring at the time. She added, “The rules apply as long as the sign is up. If work is not going on, then typically we will turn the signs down.”

Misconceptions by motorists that construction zone signs do not apply if work is not underway lead to thousands of serious accidents per year in the state. In fact, CDOT claims that last year, there were 830 work zone crashes resulting in 96 injuries and 10 fatalities—many of which could have been prevented had drivers followed posted signs.

In an effort to battle the problem, CDOT plans to partner with the Colorado State Patrol beginning in June on a new campaign called “Slow for the Cone Zone”, which will aim to educate motorists on the importance of slowing down in construction zones and following all posted signage.

The Denver Car Accident Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm ask that Colorado drivers be extra vigilant when passing through construction zones, as the number of projects will begin to increase during the summer months.

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27
Apr

Colorado Lawmakers Working To Compensate Wildfire Victims

April 27, 2012

Victims of the recent Lower North Fork Wildfire may receive little to no compensation for their damages. According to 9 News Now, this is due to a state law that caps the amount the state will pay at $600,000 per incident.

The cap was raised to that amount following an accident in the late 1980s in which a boulder crashed into a bus traveling on a highway that should have been closed. At the time, the raise was significant. With inflation of the dollar and medical costs though, the total amount may not cover the damages suffered by the families of the three people who died and the 27 families with damaged homes.

In response to the funding shortage, Republican lawmakers have pushed for a bill to be passed that would allow a panel to ignore the cap and set the amount of damages as they see fit. The funding would then be pulled from several million dollars of the state budget set aside each year for the purpose of settlements.

Other lawmakers disagree with the bill though, and say that changing the cap for a high profile case is unfair to the numerous other injury victims who have suffered because of an accident the state caused and settled.

The Colorado Personal Injury Lawyers with the McDivitt Law Firm hope that the victims of the recent wildfire get what they need to get back on their feet.

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