Approximately thirty miles north of Portland, on Maine’s east coast, the cities of Brunswick and Bath are home to 20,278 and 8,514 residents respectively. Located in the northeastern section of Cumberland County, Brunswick contains Bowdoin College and Mid Coast Hospital, one of Maine’s newest full-service hospitals, which opened its doors in 2001. Bath, Maine, the county seat of Sagadahoc County, is located a few miles east of Brunswick. Bath is known for its 19th century architecture, extensive Bath Iron Works shipyard facility, and excellent harbor and port, which are formed by the Kennebec River estuary area. Both Brunswick and Bath are popular Maine tourist destinations with their easy access to the coastal waters.
Here at Peter Thompson & Associates we understand that Brunswick, Bath, and the surrounding area experience a significant level of motor vehicle accidents. Brunswick’s Cumberland County experiences the highest rate of motor vehicle accidents in the State of Maine. This county’s high traffic volume, often by drivers unfamiliar with the area, creates some of the most dangerous roadways in Maine. According to the Maine Department of Transportation, 8 of the top 20 high-crash sites between 2009 and 2011 were in Cumberland County. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2010 alone Cumberland County experienced 25 fatal motor vehicle traffic accidents, nearly 16% of the State’s total for that year. Between 2006 and 2010, Cumberland County also ranked highest in traffic accidents involving pedestrians, with 402, traffic accidents involving bicycles, with 353, and motorcycle crashes, with 644. Though less populous than Cumberland County, Bath and Sagadahoc County still experience a substantial number of traffic accidents, with 5 fatalities reported in 2011 and 66 crashes involving motorcycles between 2006 and 2010.
Peter Thompson & Associates recently represented a client from Bath, Maine who was injured in a motor vehicle accident on route 127 in Woolwich. A person operating a rental truck traveling in the opposite direction of our Client made a left turn in front of him, causing a serious accident. Our client suffered significant injuries, including extensive fractures to his ankle, which required multiple surgeries, full-time rehabilitation, and years of frequent treatment. Even at the time of settlement, our client’s ankle limitations and pain were severe and opined to be permanent. Our client had been offered a job at Bath Iron Works just prior to this accident, which he was forced to decline due to the injuries. This motor vehicle accident left our client uninsured, homeless at times, jobless and permanently disabled.
Fortunately, our skilled attorneys were able to find significant insurance coverage through the at-fault truck driver’s employer. A challenging aspect of this case was to provide our client with a settlement that would not only compensate him for his past suffering, medical treatment, and other damages, but would also take into account all the future expenses and problems that he would continue to deal with due to his permanent injury. Furthermore, our client had incurred large medical liens as a result of his treatment that our office was able to negotiate down in order to maximize the recovery. Injuries from a motor vehicle accident can change one’s life; make sure you have knowledgeable attorneys who have experience in dealing with serious injuries in your area.