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A teenage driver caused a violent multi-car collision in Virginia Beach this past weekend after he evaded police and reached speeds reported to be above or around 100 miles per hour. He is facing charges for driving while intoxicated, speeding, and eluding the police, and more may soon follow.
One woman, Naomi Kiesow, a young mother who recently became a U.S. citizen after moving from Honduras, suffered catastrophic injuries, including a broken leg, broken arm, and broken ribs, in the car accident. She and her family turned to Kalfus & Nachman PC for legal representation. Attorney Thomas Fitzgerald and Attorney Paul Hernandez have taken the lead on the case and have announced that they intend to file injury claims against the drunk driver and possibly the Virginia State Trooper who initiated the high-speed chase.
“Unfortunately, the actions of police officers in a lot of these situations are the flame that lights the fire,” Attorney Fitzgerald explained. “Is this solely caused by the driver of this vehicle, or is it also the actions of the police officer in engaging in and continuing these chases?”
Similarly, Attorney Hernandez said, “Disciplines of the state police, city police — they all talk on the same channels. This could easily have been avoided by stopping the chase.”
Reports from the Virginia Beach Police Department claim that the officer saw the drunk driver’s vehicle and knew that it had eluded law enforcement efforts before. After following the vehicle shortly, the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop at an intersection. The teenage driver then raced off, and the Trooper officially began the pursuit that would end with the violent multivehicle collision that left Naomi with severe injuries. First responders took more than an hour to extricate her from the mangled wreckage of her car.
Multiple news outlets have picked up the developing story. WAVY News Stream published an article that features Attorney Fitzgerald, which you can read in full by clicking here. 13 News Now recently published an article that features Attorney Hernandez, which can be found here.
For more information about this story as it develops, be sure to visit our blog often, where we can post important updates. If you need the help of our personal injury team that represents clients across Virginia, you can call (855) 880-8163 at any time and schedule a FREE initial consultation.
