From 2010 to 2011 traffic accidents in North Dakota increased by 43% but last year, 2015 they were the lowest level in five years.

According to the North Dakota Department of Transportation, 131 motor vehicle fatalities occurred in 2015, the lowest number since 2010 when there were 105. The number of accidents also reduced.

The reasons are not particularly clear but it could be due to the decline in the overall population of the state, so there are fewer vehicles on the road and there has also been a decrease in the large population of trucks which used to serve the oil field as there is less work happening there. When a truck was involved in an accident it would often lead to a fatality.

In addition, the roads have been improved around the state which could also have led to a reduction in the number of accidents.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call the Dickinson accident attorneys of Maring Williams Law Office, P.C. at (800) 492-5297 or contact us online today.

On Sunday afternoon December 6, there was nearly a fatal crash in Bismark.

According to authorities, the accident happened at approximately 12.07 p.m. when an unnamed driver in his 50s was driving a 2009 Chevrolet passenger vehicle west on Memorial Highway, Bismark, also known as “the strip”.

Authorities stated that the driver crashed in to a street light with such force, the impact ruptured a natural gas line. Firefighters had to extract the driver from his vehicle and were also concerned that the level of gas pockets may be dangerous to the public and nearby businesses. Fortunately there was no explosion or danger to the public as the wind had dispersed the gas to a safe level. Dakota Utilities were called to shut off the gas line and regulate the pressure.

The under pass exit Memorial Highway at east Main Street was closed to traffic in both directions for over two hours. The driver was taken to Bismarck Hospital suffering from unspecified injuries. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call the Dickinson accident attorneys of Maring Williams Law Office, P.C. at (800) 492-5297 or contact us online today.

On Monday morning, October 26, with the highways covered in fog, one person died and several more were injured in two separate accidents.

According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the highways were very foggy in north central North Dakota and at about 8 a.m. on Highway 83, around eight miles south of Minot, five vehicles were involved in the first accident. A car, being driven by Lyne Enget of Stanley was stopped and a Peterbilt semi hauling an empty ammonia tank ran into the car. The car was then pushed into another semi which was also stopped following an earlier collision, and Enget was killed.

The Peterbilt semi came to rest in the median and caught fire.

Six people were taken to Trinity Hospital as a result of the incident.

A second accident, on Highway Two near the Bakken Transload Station, near Ross involving at least four vehicles, including a semi which overturned, sent several people to the hospital in Stanley although most were released later.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call the Dickinson accident attorneys of Maring Williams Law Office, P.C. at (800) 492-5297 or contact us online today.

On Wednesday, September 2, a Sheriff’s deputy from McKenzie County was trapped in a burning vehicle.

According to the McKenzie County Sheriff’s office, 28 year old Deputy Chris Cloud was on his first day on patrol after he had finished his field training. He was driving along Highway 200 in his department Sports Utility Vehicle when he slowed down in order to make a U turn to follow a speeding vehicle going in the opposite direction.

However, as he slowed, he was rear ended by a semi and his vehicle burst into flames. A citizen driving down the highway stopped and put the fire out and extricated the Deputy.

Cloud was airlifted to Bismark for treatment of his injuries and since then he has been transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The truck driver is said to be uninjured.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call the Dickinson accident attorneys of Maring Williams Law Office, P.C. at (800) 492-5297 or contact us online today.

On Wednesday, July 22 a woman from Bismarck, North Dakota died and six were injured in a single vehicle accident.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the accident happened at about 9.30 p.m. on U.S. Highway 12 near Roundup.

A Chevrolet Trail Blazer was going west at a high rate of speed near mile market 177 when the driver, 31 year old Melissa Victoria Lane, tried to avoid hitting a deer and swerved. The vehicle then left the roadway and rolled over three times, went through a barbed wire fence and ended up in a field.

The occupants of the vehicle were a mother, Melissa, her husband, James Lane and their five children. Melissa Lane was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. Her husband, James who is suffering from terminal cancer was also ejected and taken to hospital with injuries.

All of the children, whose ages ranged from five months to 12 years, were also taken to hospital, three of them were seriously injured.

Jame Lane said that his priority is to cope with the loss of Melissa and make sure the children can be cared for when he dies.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call the Dickinson accident attorneys of Maring Williams Law Office, P.C. at (800) 492-5297 or contact us online today.