Articles Posted in North Carolina Personal Injury

Roadway defects and highway defects in North Carolina can cause very serious injuries.  Uneven pavement during resurfacing operations is one type of roadway defect that has resulted in numerous serious crashes in North Carolina.  Other types of roadway defects that have resulted in serious crashes include shoulder drop offs, excessively sharp curves, potholes, improper road design causing pooling of water due to lack of drainage, excessive gravel or debris on roadways.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has very specific rules and regulations that must be followed to ensure proper roadway construction and maintenance.  However, not every contractor employed by the NCDOT follows the rules and serious accidents are sometimes the result.  Our firm is currently litigating a very significant roadway defect case arising from an improper resurfacing project that resulted in serious injuries and one death.

The lawyers at Hendren Redwine & Malone work hard on roadway defect cases to ensure a fair recovery for injured victims.  Attorney Mike Malone has multiple degrees in civil engineering including a PhD from NC State.  Our lawyers put our knowledge and experience to work in each North Carolina roadway defect claim.  We work with top engineers to ensure that every roadway defect claim gets the best representation possible.

A series of motorcycle accidents on Interstate 77 near Huntersville, North Carolina is being attributed to uneven pavement on the roadway.  Huntersville, North Carolina police have indicated that as many as 5 separate motorcycle accidents along the stretch of Interstate 77 near Hambright Road are the result of uneven pavement including one accident that resulted in a fatality last Saturday night.  The company that is serving as the general contractor for the project has been fined almost $7 million for the project.

There are number of NCDOT regulations that apply to to resurfacing operations that are often violated during pavement operations.  Among other regulations, for any pavement deviations of 2 inches or less, all resurfaced lanes must be brought to the same elevation within 72 hours.  If the lanes are not brought to the same elevation within 72 hours, UNEVEN PAVEMENT signs must be placed in advance of the uneven pavement and along the uneven pavement section of the roadway.  Also, for any paving lifts greater than 2 inches, all lanes must be brought to the same elevation within the same level by the end of the work day.

At this time, we cannot determine whether the uneven pavement was appropriate under the NCDOT rules and regulations.  However, the excessive number of motorcycle crashes is very concerning.  Our firm is currently litigating a series of motorcycle crash cases involving uneven pavement at a highway resurfacing operation on a highway in western North Carolina that appears to be very similar to the situation on Interstate 77.

A young woman named Sabrina Powell was tragically killed on Saturday evening in a wreck near Beaufort, North Carolina.

The wreck happened on NC Highway 101 at around 6:30 pm when a another vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign.  As of this time, there is no indication about charges from the wreck.  However, it would seem likely that the driver who failed to stop at the stop sign would be charged with at least a misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

Ms. Powell was 27 years old and from Beaufrot, North Carolina.

A UPS driver has now been charged in the accident that killed a woman named Julie Jenkins on Halloween night in Burke County, North Carolina.

The wreck happened in Interstate 40 when the UPS truck rear-ended the car that Ms. Jenkins was riding in.  The UPS driver has been charged with a failure to reduce speed and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

The limited information about this wreck does not provide any additional facts about why the UPS driver may have failed to reduce speed.  If we learn more information about this tragic wreck, we will update this post.

A woman named Patricia Dean was tragically killed on Wednesday in a crash near Ramseur, North Carolina.  The crash happened at around 4:20 pm on US Highway 64 near the intersection with Pleasant Ridge Road.

Ms. Dean was a passenger in a vehicle that apparently crossed the center-line and ultimately crashed into an on-coming Ford SUV.  The driver of her vehicle was also seriously injured although it is not clear why the car crossed the center-line.

Ms. Dean was 51 years old and from Ramseur, North Carolina.

A gentleman named Walter Everhart was tragically killed on Friday morning when he was hit by an impaired driver in Raleigh.  The wreck happened around 1:00 am near the intersection of South Saunders Street and Wilmington Street.

According to available information, a man driving a 2019 Ram truck hit Mr. Everhart along southbound South Saunders Street.  The driver of the Ram truck was charged with driving while impaired.

Read more about this accident.

A gentleman named Jose Sepulveda was tragically killed on October 28, 2019 in a crash on Interstate 77 when a tractor trailer failed to slow down.

The wreck happened at nearly the same location where a woman named Jennifer Burton was killed on October 27.  In both wrecks, traffic was slowed and a tractor-trailer failed to reduce speed and hit the rear of waiting vehicles.

In the wreck involving Mr. Sepulveda, a total of six people were transported to hospitals for care including four children.  Mr. Sepulveda was from New York.  Charges are pending against the driver of the tractor-trailer.

An elderly gentleman named James Whitaker was tragically killed on Saturday when he was hit by a hit-and-run driver in Washington, North Carolina.

The wreck happened near the intersection of Bridge Street and West 7th Street as Mr. Whitaker was crossing the roadway in his motorized wheelchair.  A 37 year old man hit Mr. Whitaker and then left the scene.

Mr. Whitaker was 83 years old.  The driver that hit Mr. Whitaker is facing numerous charges including felony hit-and-run, driving with a revoked license, and death by motor vehicle.

A gentleman named Randall Padgett was tragically killed on Saturday when he was hit by an impaired driver near Godwin, North Carolina.

The wreck happened around 9:00 pm on NC Highway 1828 near the intersection with James Dale Road.  According to available information, Mr. Padgett was travelling on NC 1828 when a man crossed the center line and hit Mr. Padgett head-on.  Mr. Padgett died at the scene.  He was 65 years old and from Godwin, North Carolina.

The driver of the second car was arrested on charges of felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired and has a bond set at $150,000.

A woman from Roanoke, Virginia named Jennifer Burton has tragically passed away from injuries sustained in a crash with a tractor-trailer on October 27 on Interstate 77.

The crash happened near mile marker 81 at a location where the left lane of the highway was closed for construction.  According to available information, a tractor-trailer failed to slow down in the construction area and ran into the back of the vehicle in which Ms. Burton was a passenger.  Unfortunately, Ms. Burton passed away several days after the wreck.  Ms. Burton was 61 years old and from Roanoke, Virginia.

Charges are pending in the accident against the tractor-trailer driver.