Blog

A Lancaster teen died Thursday night in a single-vehicle collision and another one is hospitalized this morning, authorities said.

Johntavis Lamar Campbell, 18, of 1515 Carmel Road died at the scene from head injuries, Lancaster County Coroner Mike Morris said.

Tory Blackwell, 17, of 1262 Belmont Circle, was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He was listed this morning in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Toxicology results are pending for Campbell, who was not wearing a seat belt, Morris said. “Another tragic death that could have been prevented. When are car manufactures going to make it a requirement for seatbelts to be warn before a engine starts. The technology is there!” Quoting prominent serious injury and Charlotte car accident lawyer Herb Auger.

The fatal wreck marks the second fatal collision in a week along Grace Avenue, Morris said. Last week, two people died about two miles from Thursday’s accident, he said.

Around 11:20 p.m. Thursday, Blackwell was driving north into a curve on Grace Avenue when the car went off the road, struck a tree and overturned, said Cpl. Bryan McDougald of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

The speed limit in that area is 35 mph. It is not known yet how fast Blackwell was traveling.

One person died in an early morning wreck today on Interstate 85 near Billy Graham Parkway.

It was among several wrecks in the area. The Charlotte Fire Department urged motorists to slow down on the wet roads. “Wet Roads and the oil and gas residue that has built up make for dangerous conditions” Herb Auger car accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC.

Other incidents:

Just before 8 a.m., Charlotte Fire Department crews responded to a crash, with at least one person trapped at Rea Road and Ballantyne Commons Parkway. Three people were transported to the hospital.

The Charlotte Fire Department Heavy Rescue team needed to free at least one person trapped in a wreck at South Tryon and Morehead streets.

State troopers say 5 people died after their car was run over by a tanker truck in a crash on North Carolina Highway 27.

Trooper Gregg Steffens says the three men and two women killed Friday night were all in their 20s and all from the Raleigh area. Their names are not being released until family members can be notified.

Steffens says the Honda Accord the five were riding in ran a stop sign and the truck ran over it. Both vehicles went into the oncoming lane and hit a station wagon.

The driver of the station wagon, 18-year-old Kimberly Jones, was treated for a broken ankle and a broken collarbone and released from the hospital Saturday. “Tragic deaths with kids this age generally involve unsafe driving and lack of seatbelts. We need to teach more of this in school and home. Too many young kids are dying.” Reported top Raleigh NC serious and wrongful death lawyer Herb Auger with Auger & Auger law firm.

The tanker driver, 41-year-old Ronnie Vanatta Jr., of Pikeville was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

A rural East Tennessee community was grieving Saturday for four high school cheerleaders who died in a fiery car crash hours after they had been cheering on their football team.

A sport utility vehicle carrying the cheerleaders collided with an oncoming car late Friday night on a wet, foggy highway in Scott County, northwest of Knoxville, authorities said. A passenger in the car also was killed.

Ashley Mason, 15, had been ejected from the vehicle and taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. She died Saturday night, said Myala Romines, an administrative supervisor.

“It’s more than a shock and we are just horrified,” said Cynthia Reynolds, the cheerleading coach at Scott High School. She said the girls went out after the game to celebrate another cheerleader’s birthday. “They were really, really close.”

Police identified the other three teenagers killed as Scarlette A. Hill, 17; Jaime Hill, 15; and driver Shirley N. Hughett, 16.

A passenger in the car, Jeweline Ledbetter King, 49, was killed. King’s 22-year-old daughter-in-law, Miranda King, was sitting in the back seat and lost her unborn child because of injuries from the crash.

Investigators believe the crash was caused in part by the slick and foggy conditions, and a preliminary report indicated none of the girls in the SUV was wearing a seat belt, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. “Seatbelts save lives. More kids this age are killed for not wearing seatbelts than should be. We need to get this into their heads” Charlotte, NC personal injury attorney Herb Auger. “We are publish articles to our clients and friends regarding safety. We see too much of this in our line of work.”

Scott High School Principal Bill Hall said the teens were considered leaders on the squad and were well-liked in the close-knit school of 800 students.

“We’re all devastated,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and the other victims that were involved.”

The car’s driver, Malcum King, 22, and a 10-month-old child, Aiden Wilson, also were injured and taken to a hospital. The conditions of the car’s survivors were not immediately known.

Investigators believe the SUV hydroplaned on a curve on the two-lane highway, flipped on its side and crossed the center lane, slamming into the oncoming Ford Taurus. The SUV erupted into flames.

McPherson said investigators believe passengers were still trapped inside the second vehicle when the SUV caught fire a few feet away. A passing motorist used an all-terrain vehicle to pull the Taurus away from the burning SUV, she said.

Patsy Allen, grandmother of the Hill sisters, said Jaime started cheerleading two years ago. Scarlette, who goes by her middle name Alisha, started cheerleading in 7th grade.

“They were good girls,” Allen said. “Jaime was outgoing. Everyone liked them both. They made average grades. Alisha was looking forward to starting college.”

Reynolds said the 16-member cheerleading team met for dinner at a McDonald’s after the home game ended in a loss to Anderson County 48-19. Reynolds said she heard about the crash after midnight and spent most of that night with the team at the hospital.

School officials discussed offering grief counseling, and a memorial for students and families also was planned. Funeral arrangements were pending.

The crash occurred on U.S. Highway 27 in Scott County, which sits on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. It shut down the highway for about eight hours.

Those in the other vehicle were from neighboring Fentress County, McPherson said.

The attorneys at Auger & Auger Law Firm have experience and have helped clients with various injuries over the years including clients with back injuries, soft tissue injuries, neck and spine injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, head trauma, head pain, broken bones, fractures, facial scarring, disfiguring scars, permanent scarring, loss of life or limb, hand and finger injuries, arm injuries, foot and toe injuries, leg injuries, hip injuries, crush injuries, burn victims, memory loss claims, fractured spleen and rib injuries, punctured lung injuries, headaches, bite injuries, cervical, lumbar and thoracic spine injuries. We have been proudly serving accident victims since1994 in Charlotte, Matthews, Pineville, Ballantyne, University, Monroe, Indian Trail, Gastonia,, Concord, Harrisburg, Albemarle, Belmont, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Stanley, Lincolnton, Mooresville, Cleveland, Waxhaw, Statesville, Hickory, Huntersville, Cornelius, Gaston County, Mecklenburg County, Union County, Cabarrus County, Rowan County, NC.

Conditions are back to normal, but motorists in east and south Mecklenburg County had to deal with problems this morning along Interstate 485. Mint Hill injury lawyer Herb Auger limits his practice to helping clients deal with the insurance carriers for the property damage, rental car, injury compensation. “We know how the insurance companies work” Commented Herb Auger a top Mint Hill and Matthews personal injury attorney.

The first wreck happened on N.C. 218, also known as Fairview Road, in Mint Hill.

At least two vehicles were involved in the crash, which caused injuries and tied up traffic for about from about 6:15 a.m. until after 7 a.m. The wreckage was cleared from the overpass at I-485 after 7 a.m., and traffic resumed a normal flow.

Another wreck happened a short time later on the inner loop of I-485 near Johnston Road, not far from the Ballantyne area.

This wreck involved three vehicles and slowed traffic for about 4 to 5 miles, from 7:30 a.m. until after 8 a.m. Call a law firm that knows how to win and fight the insurance industry, call Auger & Auger.

An injury wreck earlier this morning is causing big problems for motorists headed toward Charlotte this morning from South Carolina on Interstate 77.

The wreck happened about 6:30 a.m. on northbound I-77 near Woodlawn Road. It has been cleared to the side of the road, but the backups will continue to be a problem for much of the morning commute. Workers on route from Pineville and Fort Mill were subject to the greatest delays.

At 7:30 a.m., backups stretch almost 6 miles, to near the state line. Another wreck on the southbound side of I-77 near Woodlawn Road also is causing delays. “We need to widen these roads and make the early morning driving safer”. Reported car wreck lawyer Herb Auger, a serious injury attorney in Charlotte, NC.

Motorists should consider using alternate routes this morning — perhaps South Tryon Street or even South Boulevard. “Once they more cars start using the alternate routes, the risk of more car wrecks rises” Herb Auger, top NC lawyer.

Motorists headed north of Charlotte also can consider taking I-485 around west Charlotte to I-85, and then take I-85 back to I-77.

The attorneys at Auger & Auger Law Firm have experience and have helped clients with various injuries over the years including clients with back injuries, soft tissue injuries, neck and spine injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, head trauma, head pain, broken bones, fractures, facial scarring, disfiguring scars, permanent scarring, loss of life or limb, hand and finger injuries, arm injuries, foot and toe injuries, leg injuries, hip injuries, crush injuries, burn victims, memory loss claims, fractured spleen and rib injuries, punctured lung injuries, headaches, bite injuries, cervical, lumbar and thoracic spine injuries. We have been proudly serving accident victims since1994 in Charlotte, Matthews, Pineville, Ballantyne, University, Monroe, Indian Trail, Gastonia,, Concord, Harrisburg, Albemarle, Belmont, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Stanley, Lincolnton, Mooresville, Cleveland, Waxhaw, Statesville, Hickory, Huntersville, Cornelius, Gaston County, Mecklenburg County, Union County, Cabarrus County, Rowan County, NC.

A 41-year-old Charlotte man was killed Thursday morning in a motorcycle crash in northwest Mecklenburg County.

Police say Calvin Collins Jr. died when his 2000 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle went off Swearngan Road and down an embankment. The crash scene was near June Furr Road near Charlotte’s Oakdale community.

Collins was not wearing a helmet, police say, and died at the scene. There is no word what caused his motorcycle to go off the road. “Helmets save lives. With the gas crisis citizens are turning to less costlier modes of transportation, but sacrificing safety in the process.” according to Herb Auger, a prominent Charlotte injury lawyer who represents victims of motorcycle accidents and wrecks in Charlotte, Matthews, Monroe, Huntersville, Harrisburg, Concord and Gastonia.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police launched a week long campaign against drunk driving with an overnight checkpoint in south Charlotte. “This is a great way for the police to make the roads safe and should be done daily, not once a year” said Herb Auger, a prominent personal injury lawyer with Auger & Auger law firm in Charlotte, NC. “There are way to many drunk drivers on the roads of Charlotte and its surrounding Counties, a lot of lives would be saved”. Attorney Auger has handled many lawsuits and claims against drunk drivers for injuries to his clients.

Police say they took three drunk drivers off the road and issued 51 citations during the four-hour effort.

The checkpoint, part of CMPD’s Halloween Booze It and Lose It campaign, took place from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. in the 5200 block of Sharon Road, a short distance south of SouthPark Mall.

Police Sgt. David Sloan said the checkpoints will continue on a nightly basis, scattered around the city, through the weekend.

The total number of arrests from Wednesday night’s checkpoint:

DWI — 3

Open container law — 3

Driving with a revoked license — 6

No operator’s license — 6

Drug charges — 9

Other traffic violations — 24

In addition, police served one arrest warrant against a motorist.

Parts of Sugar Creek Road and Craighead Road in north Charlotte are closed this morning, because of a train fatality involving a pedestrian. Authorities report the pedestrian was struck by a northbound Norfolk Southern train about 5:15 a.m. on the crossing at East Sugar Creek Road.

The trains were stopped on the track while CMPD investigates the train wreck.

“We do not see many train related deaths in Charlotte” Herb Auger, personal injury lawyer. “They were more common in the 1980’s”

This means motorists trying to get from North Tryon Street to The Plaza must use either Matheson Avenue or Eastway Drive. Traffic congestion is building in the area. At 7 a.m., police did not have an estimate on when the roads might be reopened.

If you or a loved one has been injured and you need a North Carolina car train wereck lawyer, call Auger & Auger at 704-364-3361 for a free consultation or visit our website at www.augerlaw.com. In addition to auto wreck, accident and collision claims, the attorneys at Auger & Auger Law Firm also help clients that have been injured in motorcycle, truck, tractor trailer, pedestrian, hit and run, drunk driver, daycare, animal and dog attack, wrongful death, workers’ compensation, on the job injury, construction site, nursing home, and medical malpractice accidents and claims.

Top charlotte truck accident lawyers at Auger & Auger, “What do you do when hit by a truck?” Hire a lawyer with the experience, knowledge and skill to fight back.

As the gas situation in the Charlotte area improves, tankers continue to deliver fuel to stations around the Queen City, working overtime to ease shortages.

Find a truck accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, as a tanker has overturned twice in the past week. The latest occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Truck crashes are becoming more common. With truck accidents come serious injuries, back, neck and head.

Crews spent several hours on the scene at Rozzlles Ferry Road and Valleydale Road trying to clean up the 9,000 gallons of fuel. Officials say the truck had just left the tank yard before the incident took place. If you need a top truck accident, call Auger & Auger.