Brandy gets sued again over deadly accident. Singer Brandy’s nightmare regarding a deadly car crash two years ago is far from over. Although a lawsuit filed by a family member of Awatef Aboudihaj, the married mother of two who was killed in the accident, was dismissed, Brandy is looking at a new round of civil charges. Donald Lite, who was injured in the 2006 multiple-auto collision, is suing Brandy, claiming that her alleged disregard for the rules of the road is the reason he suffers from extreme physical damage, according to TMZ.com. He says he has “serious and permanent injuries.” The lawsuit, filed last week in L.A. County Superior Court, alleges that Brandy’s failure to keep a safe distance, coupled with her alleged speeding, caused the actress to slam into the rear-end of Awatef’s vehicle, knocking Awatef’s car into his vehicle. Lite is suing for an undetermined amount.

Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughter apparently doing fine after car accident

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughter, Dominique, reportedly is doing fine after she was hit by a car outside of her father’s office building in Harlem. The reverend apparently rushed to her side after learning of the accident, which EURWeb is reporting took place when she was struck while walking with two co-workers outside of National Action Network’s headquarters on West 145th St. “A car pulled into the gas station at full speed and she was pinned to the car,” explained Sharpton’s spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger. “Her father rushed home and she is on crutches with several stitches but she is fine and grateful for the outpouring of support from around the country.”

Kindler, gentler Klan? Not!

The Ku Klux Klan in the tiny central-east Texas town of Lufkin will hold a cross-burning this September “to honor Jesus Christ.” Officials of the White supremacist branch, the United White Knights, say that its members are not hatemongers but “God-fearing moral men and women” working “for survival of the White race.” Read more of what they said, and the reaction at BET.com/News.

Authorities this week are investigating the tragic death of legendary Baltimore DJ Khia “K-Swift” Edgerton at her home. Edgerton reportedly jumped into a pool during a party she was hosting, but didn’t immediately resurface from beneath the water. When Edgerton was pulled up, she reportedly lay unconscious with a fractured neck. Emergency crews were contacted, but there was apparently no attempt to give Edgerton CPR while partygoers waited. K-Swift became the only woman in the country to coordinate a mix show for Radio One station 92Q Jams. She was also owned her own graphics and production company, as well as being a member of the Murda Mamis female DJ squad. “I’m at a loss for words right now,” Murda Mami founder 1st Lady El tells AllHipHop.com. “K-Swift was not only one of my Murda Mami sisters, she was a great friend. She knocked down doors for women in this industry, so humble and hard working…She will be missed.”

Deaths from accidents and smoking among eighth-graders are down

The teen birth rate is up for the first time in 15 years, and homicides among teens are up for the first time in 12 years, a new government report shows. On the plus side, there has been a drop in childhood deaths from injuries, and fewer eighth-graders are smoking, according to the report, put out by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. One interesting finding was that while the number of children has increased, the proportion of children in the population has decreased, Edward J. Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics, said during a morning teleconference Thursday. The number of children in the United States has increased from 73.7 million in 2006 to 73.9 million in 2007, Sondik said. But the proportion of children in the population as a whole has decreased, from 24.6 percent in 2006 to 24.5 percent in 2007. On the other hand, the numbers reflect a couple of disturbing trends among teens. Researchers found an increase in the rate of births, Sondik said. “The 2006 teen birth rate was up for the first time in 15 years,” he said. “This is only a single-year increase, but we believe it bears watching.” The birth rate among girls, ages 15 to 17, increased 133,138 in 2005 to 138,920 in 2006, Sondik said. Also, the rate of low-birthweight babies born to young girls in this age group increased from 8.2 percent in 2005 to 8.3 percent in 2006. Another disturbing trend is the increase in violent crimes and homicides committed by adolescents, Sondik said. “Homicides increased in 2005 for the first time since 1993,” Sondik said. “In 2005, the firearm homicide rate also increased for the first time in more than a decade. Young people, ages 12 to 17, who committed violent crimes increased from 14 crimes per 1,000 in 2004 to 17 per 1,000 in 2005. This is still a substantially lower rate than in 1993, when there were 52 violent crimes per 1,000 adolescents, the report stated. Even at that rate, smoking declined among some middle school students. “Fewer eighth-graders are smoking now than they did a year ago,” Sondik said. Among eighth-graders, those who reported smoking cigarettes dropped from 4 percent in 2006 to 3 percent in 2007. This continues a decline in smoking among this group from a peak of 10 percent in 1996, Sondik noted. To see the full report, visit the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

The critically injured Grammy nominee lost his wife, grandson in car accident

The Rev. Timothy Wright, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer and pastor who was critically wounded in a head-on collision Friday, is gradually recovering, Newsday reports. Wright lost his co-pastor wife, Betty, and his 14-year-old grandson, D.J., in the accident, but he has not yet learned about his spouse’s death, the Long Island, N.Y.-based newspaper reports. Rev. Wright, 61, has been asking for Betty, but family members say they are waiting until he is physically stronger before breaking the tragic news to him. “He’s holding on,” said David Wright, one of his five sons. “He’s conscious. He can’t talk, but he can nod his head.” Wright, pastor of the Grace Tabernacle Christian Center Church of God in Christ in Brooklyn, suffered extensive injuries, including a broken jaw, according to Newsday. He remains in critical condition at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. Authorities say that John Pick, 44, was traveling the wrong direction on I-80 in Greene Township, when his vehicle struck Wright’s. Pick was also killed. They were returning from a religious conference in Detroit. Lori Wright, D.J.’s mother, told Newsday that her son “was a perfect kid … not an ounce of trouble. He loved gospel music; he loved all types of music. You couldn’t ask for the more perfect child.” Said his father, Danny, “I never really let [his three sons] away from us, but he wanted to go.” Send your condolences below.