Inquirer

A 51-year-old woman was struck and killed by a Delaware Department of Transportation snow plow on January 27 in Wilmington. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the woman was walking early in the morning when she was hit by the dump truck, which was equipped with a plow. Because of their size and weight, it can be difficult for snow plows to maneuver or stop quickly, particularly when roads are slippery or sn [...]

The Pennsylvania State police reported that the number of driving fatalities this year during the New Year’s holiday weekend nearly doubled since last year. An article in The Philadelphia Inquirer said that eleven people were killed and 220 others were injured in the 693 car crashes during the four-day period. Seventy-six of the car accidents were alcohol-related. According to The National Highway and Traffic S [...]

A hit-and-run accident victim who was rear-ended on December 22 was able to help police in Chester County, PA catch the hit-and-run driver who was also allegedly speeding as well as driving while intoxicated. According to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the victim led police to the driver who was also driving without a license. In this case, the driver broke many laws. He drove under the influence of alco [...]

Sheila McCrea was recently sentenced to 6 years in prison after she crashed her car on the Atlantic City Expressway on July 19, 2009. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, her blood-alcohol level was 0.201 % when she swerved into a guardrail, killing her daughter’s friend and injuring her daughter and two nieces. On average, every day 1.5 persons are killed and 26 people are injured in alcohol-related traffic [...]

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that an autopsy of Owen Thomas, a University of Pennsylvania football player who committed suicide in April, showed he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This disease could have been caused by head trauma and may have led to his suicide. His mother believes Thomas never had a concussion. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. Accor [...]

A sixth-grader from Delaware was killed on September 15 in a tragic all-terrain vehicle accident. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that she was driving a 2003 Honda Recon ATV at her grandfather’s house. She became pinned under the ATV after it flipped backward and she hit her head on the driveway. This wrongful death accident shows that children do not have the skills to drive an all-terrain vehicle. They do n [...]

An elderly man was struck and killed by an Amtrak train headed from Harrisburg to New York City, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The train was scheduled to stop in Philadelphia at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 30 and struck the man at around 11:20 a.m. near the Ardmore Station. According to witness statements, the train was going so fast that it traveled about half a mile before coming to a complete s [...]

According to this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a 20-year-old man from South Philadelphia was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison for the incident in which he was driving under the influence of marijuana. The driver ran down two women after a Phillies game in 2008. One of the pedestrians was killed and the other woman was permanently disabled. Police say the two women left the stadium after the base [...]

State closes Willow Grove personal-care home after 2 deaths The state closed Willow Crest Manor, a personal-care home in Willow Grove PA, after two residents died there. According to this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, it was understaffed, and medication was dispensed by unlicensed employees. The owner is now fighting to get his license back. The state agency found that medicines given to residents weren't [...]

On July 16, a driver in University City, PA struck three construction workers — including flipping one onto his hood and smashing his windshield — then drove around the block to argue with them. According to this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the man was driving a Chevrolet Malibu east on Chestnut Street approaching 30th Street in Philadelphia when he got stuck in traffic. The traffic was caused by a c [...]