Accident Safety & Reconstruction: November 2009 Archives

A former accident & emergency doctor in California has been found guilty of assaulting cyclists by overtaking them and then slamming on his brakes. Dr. Christopher Thompson was convicted by a jury at Los Angeles Superior Court on seven counts including assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving causing specified bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury.  In one incident he left a cyclist requiring 90 stitches and reconstructive surgery to his nose and several broken teeth.

An accident reconstruction expert used GPS data from an earlier incident which showed bicyclists traveling at the 30mph speed limit before the 60-year-old doctor passed them, then braked suddenly, forcing them to take evasive action to avoid a collision.  In a more serious accident, which took place on the road where Dr Thompson lives, one cyclist went through his rear windscreen while the other flew over the car and landed on the road.

Excerpted from http://road.cc/.

Jack W. Frandy, 69, of Rio, WI, was charged Thursday with two counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and with misdemeanor obstructing an officer and faces 25 years in prison in the death of Ben VanderVenter.  A crash re-construction expert reported that both vehicles were traveling less than the speed limit at the time of the impact, with the Cadillac going 45 mph and the Saturn between 40 and 44 mph, according to a criminal complaint.

A blood test later revealed Frandy's blood-alcohol concentration to be 0.166 at the time of the collision, according to a criminal complaint, more than twice the legal level of 0.08 to drive in Wisconsin. Pamela Frandy, 60, Jack Frandy's wife, initially told authorities she was the driver; Frandy called her to the scene after the crash, according to a criminal complaint. Pamela drove from their Highway B residence to the accident before contacting 911, authorities said.

Source wiscnews.com.