Posted on August 13, 2014 in Motor Vehicle Accidents

Driving under the influence of alcohol or other mind or perception altering drugs has become an epidemic in this country and has a great impact on motor vehicle accidents as well as the injuries that can result. Although police officers have the ability to test on scene for alcohol, other drugs can be harder to detect. This is complicated by the issue of narcotic medication use and abuse, even when it is taken legally.

If you were involved in a motor vehicle accident with an intoxicated driver, nothing can excuse any behavior; however, understanding all the factors may allow us to prevent future incidents. In fact, studies have now shown that mental illness is a huge contributor to the DUI problem.

Almost 60 percent of all Driving While Intoxicated (DUI) repeat offenders suffer from one or more psychiatric illnesses.

While repeat DUI convictions can certainly land a person in jail in many states, perhaps the issue is not the result but the underlying cause instead. By jailing these offenders we are not making any progress for society; instead, we are often making a problem much worse. Should we screen these multiple offenders for mental illness and treat them accordingly, perhaps terrible accidents could be prevented.

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 Posted on August 06, 2014 in Motor Vehicle Accidents

Almost everyone has been impacted by a major accident or negligent action-whether directly or indirectly. Stories arise every day of car accidents, incidents of slips and falls, and even injuries due to oversight on property owned by others. The result is often large medical bills, loss of wages, as well as a physical, psychological, and emotional toll that can cause irreparable harm.

It is only natural for an accident victim to want-or need-to seek legal compensation for the pain, suffering, and financial hardship brought on by the occurrence. A personal injury attorney will assess your situation and help you move forward based on two universal principles in civil law. Every personal injury case involves the issues of both liability as well as damages.

The term liability in this context is the standard in civil lawsuits determining whether-and to what extent-the defendant is actually responsible for the incident. Generally, you must be able to prove that the accident occurred due to negligence, strict liability, or an intentional wrong to collect damages. Once your lawyer has established liability on the side of the defendant, it is important to be prepared for the next step.

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 Posted on July 18, 2014 in Motor Vehicle Accidents

While it is clear that motor vehicle accidents have many consequences, a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) quantified the monetary and societal impact of motor vehicle accidents, and the results are staggering. The study was based data from 2010, when there were 32,999 fatalities, 3.9 million non-fatal injuries, and 24 million damaged vehicles.

The price tag associated with the crashes is a whopping $871 billion in economic loss and societal harm, including $277 billion in economic costs, or close to $900 for each person living in the United States in 2010, and $594 billion in harm from loss of life, pain and decreased quality of life caused by injuries.

Some of the report’s key findings include:

• Drunk Driving: Alcohol-related crashes accounted for 18 percent of the economic loss attributable to motor vehicle accidents. The cost was $49 billion, or $158 per person in the U.S., with a total cost of $199 billion or 23 percent of the overall societal harm when lost quality of life is factored in.

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