Family Blames Ford for Fatal Car Accident

Since an October crash in Massachusetts, Ford has issued a voluntary recall for thousands of Ford Windstar minivans. The axle can break apart, causing the driver to lose control.

2011-01-22

January 22, 2011 (Press-News.org) After a fatal car accident, a Whitman, Massachusetts, family claims that the faulty component on the 2001 Ford Windstar was the cause of the crash where the father of two young girls was killed after losing control and striking a light pole. The family of the deceased learned that Ford had recalled the Windstar after receiving a letter one week after the fatal October car accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also issued a warning for Windstar drivers following the Whitman accident because of rising concerns that the axle failure could cause additional car accidents.

Several models of the Ford Windstar have been recalled as a result of a defective axle part. Photos at the scene of the accident in Whitman show that the victim's axle was indeed broken. The investigation into the cause of the Whitman crash is on-going and Massachusetts officials say that Ford is cooperating in the crash investigation.

Since the October crash, Ford has issued a voluntary recall for thousands of Ford Windstar minivans. The problem that is leading to the mass recall is that the axle is easily corroded and can break apart while driving, causing the driver to lose control.

High Number of Vehicle Recalls in 2010

While Ford is actively recalling as many as 37,000 potentially dangerous minivans, many consumers are left wondering what car is safe to drive? If it's not Ford or Toyota issuing a recall, then it's Chrysler or Kia. The onslaught of recalls in the past year has caused a great deal of concern for consumers looking for a safe and reliable car that won't accelerate without warning, break apart due to corrosion or contain an otherwise dangerous defect.

To protect against defective auto parts that can cause serious, even fatal, car accidents, drivers are encouraged to perform routine maintenance checks on every vehicle. Regular vehicle inspections by auto professionals can catch issues that may cause problems while driving.

If an accident has occurred, it is critical to begin the investigation into the crash immediately. Skilled car accident investigators may be able to uncover safety or defect issues that could have ramifications for other drivers. Take, for example, the corroded axle rod that may have caused the Whitman crash. Investigating the car accident to further review the safety of the axle rod may save future lives and allow the victim's family additional information on the cause of the crash.

After an accident, it can be difficult to determine what caused the accident, which is why it's critical to contact an experienced team who can handle complicated car accident issues. The Whitman family had photos showing a broken axle, but photos are often not the only information that can help determine the cause of the crash. Contacting a Massachusetts car accident lawyer after a crash will help you investigate the cause of the accident and hold the responsible party accountable for your injuries.

Article provided by Dane Shulman Associates, LLC
Visit us at http://www.daneshulmanlaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The Widespread Problem of Mounting Student Debt

2011-01-22

Upon graduation, today's students are facing a debt crisis unlike any generation in history. In 2009, those receiving a four-year degree had racked up an average of $24,000 in student loans. Add to that figure the outliers, and the students who continue their education in pursuit of a graduate or professional degree, and debt load can reach truly staggering figures. Especially in a slow economy, paying off even modest debts can be a hardship. For recent grads with particularly large outstanding loans, the outlook may seem grim: bankruptcy usually cannot discharge student ...

New Legislation Brings No-Fault Divorce to New York

2011-01-22

In 2010, Governor David Paterson signed a bill allowing no-fault divorce in New York, bringing the state's divorce laws into alignment with the rest of the country. Couples are no longer forced to demonstrate wrongdoing or abuse in the marriage in order to obtain a divorce, and can instead dissolve marriages "when the relationship between husband and wife has broken down irretrievably for a period of at least six months." As Gov. Paterson told the New York post, the change brings the state's divorce laws into the 21st century and offers a solution to "a broken process ...

Texting While Driving: The Dangers and the Laws

2011-01-22

A truck driver in Polk County killed two women when he was texting on the road, ran a red light and hit eight cars. One was the daughter of Russell Hurd, who was riding with her fiance on the way to plan their wedding at Walt Disney World, where the couple worked. Hurd's daughter was 26 years old. Since the truck accident in January 2008, Hurd has issued a call to legislators across the country to pass laws prohibiting drivers from talking or texting. Texting While Driving Bills in Florida More than a dozen vehicle safety bills regarding talking and texting while ...

White Collar Crimes Carry a Wide Range of Sentences

2011-01-22

White collar crime can take many different forms. Whether it is insider trading, failing to report income taxes or other types of fraud, many of these crimes wind up in federal court. Many of these cases can become high-profile, especially if a significant amount of money was involved. Those who are convicted of a white collar crime could be facing time in a federal prison. Exactly how much time that one of these white collar crimes carries with a conviction has become a major issue for those awaiting sentencing. Federal judges use the Federal Sentencing Guidelines when ...

New Federal Helmet Law Proposals May Affect Oklahomans

2011-01-22

Distracted driving has made traffic safety a prominent national issue with those driving commercial trucks and buses. With new regulations focused on the largest and most dangerous vehicles on the road, the emphasis now shifts to protecting the most vulnerable drivers: motorcyclists. Last November, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) proposed a new regulation mandating that everyone riding a motorcycle in the United States wear a helmet. Historically, helmet law proposals have always been controversial. Proponents commonly refer to accident statistics showing ...

Prosecutor Misuse of RICO Laws Should End

2011-01-22

There's a festering problem in Florida's criminal justice system: some state prosecutors are misusing our state's racketeering laws to wring guilty pleas out of innocent people and petty criminals afraid of spending decades in prison for crimes they didn't commit. Abuse is rampant of Florida's version of the federal government's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act; known more commonly by its acronym, RICO. The federal version was created 40 years ago to fight the Mafia and the businesses and labor unions it controlled. Today in Jacksonville and elsewhere ...

High-Level Drunken Drivers Facing Stiffer Penalties

2011-01-22

In a new campaign, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is cracking down on drunk drivers who pose a higher risk. These drivers fall into one of two categories: - Those with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 percent or more - Those who have a prior DUI/DWI arrest in the past 10 years NTSB data estimates that up to 70 percent of all alcohol-related car accident fatalities involved these types of drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides more insight: roughly 8,000 of the nearly 11,000 road deaths last year were ...

Federal Safety Agency Proposes Back-up Camera Requirement for Passenger Vehicles

2011-01-22

Accidents that kill or injure very young children are particularly troubling. Children who are not yet school age are highly vulnerable to all sorts of dangers -- including being run over by a car that is backing up. The federal data on the prevalence of back-up car accidents is eye-opening. According to estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 228 people are killed in car accidents each year and 17,000 people are injured. The agency's data indicates that almost half of these deaths -- about 100 -- are of children under 5 years old. Children ...

South Carolina Nursing Home Abuse Update: Bed Sores Can Be Deadly

2011-01-22

Elderly and infirm residents are made more vulnerable if the facilities they inhabit are made unsafe by nursing home negligence. Medication errors, abusive employees and inadequate security can all cause immediate injuries and other harm to people who most deserve society's protection. In some cases, the harm takes longer to develop. Nursing home malnutrition may take months to detect and respond to if staff fails to heed subtle signs of inadequate food intake or physical decline. Other evidence of nursing home mistreatment includes bed sores, which can develop as a ...

Afford Your Divorce - Quick, Easy and Painless

2011-01-22

Everyone has read stories about a divorce that is spiraling out of control, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars as the couple fights over every single thing. Custody of the children, spousal support and property division can be extremely expensive and time-consuming if the parties are focused on going to court. Parties who can resolve these issues on their own can remove most of the stress from the process while saving those thousands of dollars. Many divorces involve issues which need attention. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of any divorce is the child custody ...