HensonFuerst | Injury Law Blog

admin August 26th, 2010

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University officials will look into the circumstances surrounding the Greensboro wrongful death of a student, according to news-record.com.

The student became victim of the Greensboro wrongful death after collapsing during tryouts for the track and field team. The 20-year-old was in a supervised voluntary open tryout before the Greensboro death.

Read more.

Do you think the weather had an effect on this Greensboro wrongful death? Do you think an undetected medical problem could have caused this Greensboro wrongful death?

If your loved one or the loved one of someone you care about has become the victim of a Greensboro wrongful death, the Greensboro wrongful death layers at Henson Fuerst can help.

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• HensonFuerst news , Wrongful Death

admin August 19th, 2010

A woman is facing trial as prosecutors accuse her of the Raleigh wrongful death of her 19-month old son, according to news14.com.

The woman is accused of the Raleigh wrongful death after prosecutors say she doused her son with bleach and hid his body in a plastic tub in her closet.

Prosecutors say the woman tried to claim it was an accident, but she didn’t call 911 following the possible Raleigh wrongful death.

Read more.

Do you think a Raleigh wrongful death of a child should have a harsher punishment than a Raleigh wrongful death of an adult?

If your loved one or the loved one of someone you know has been involved in a Raleigh wrongful death, the Raleigh wrongful death lawyers at HensonFuerst Attorneys can help.

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• HensonFuerst news , Wrongful Death

hfstaff August 19th, 2010

The problem of impaired-driving is a serious one.  While America witnessed a decline in the number of impaired-driving fatalities from 2007-2008, the numbers are still too high.  That’s why law enforcement agencies throughout the country are participating in an intensive crackdown on impaired driving.

This national impaired driving crackdown—known by its tagline, Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest—-runs from Friday, August 20 through September 6 (Labor Day).

In 2008 alone, nearly 12,000 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit, according to the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). More than 400 of those fatalities were in North Carolina.

According to the latest data, 32 percent of fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or above — an average of one fatality every 45 minutes.

According to representatives of the NHTSA:

“Our message is simple and unwavering. If we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. Even if you beat the odds and walk away from an impaired-driving crash alive, the consequences of driving while impaired can still virtually destroy your life.”

Violators often face jail time, lose their driver license, or are sentenced to using ignition interlocks. Their insurance rates go up. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. And even if you aren’t injured, you may injure someone else, and have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life.

Driving impaired is simply not worth the consequences. Don’t take the chance. This crackdown will last through Labor Day, but it is a message that everyone should bear in mind everyday:  If you’re over the limit, you’ll be under arrest.

Stay safe… drive sober.

Resources:

Click here for more information about what you can do to join the fight against impaired driving: Stop Impaired Driving.

HensonFuerst auto wreck webpage

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• Auto Accident , Injury prevention , Motorcycle Accident , NC auto accident lawyers , Personal Injury , Safety , Truck Accident , dwi

hfstaff August 19th, 2010

Another day, another automobile recall. Has there ever been a worse year for car safety issues?

Mazda is recalling 500,000 cars worldwide, about 215,000 in the United States, for problems with the power steering. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes all 2007-2009 Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 vehicles. The problem is that there is a risk of sudden loss of power steering assist, which can occur at any time while driving the vehicle. Without the ability to steer the vehicle as expected, the risk of a crash.

I looked on the Mazda corporate website and the Mazda USA website, and I couldn’t find any reference to this recall. However, according to the NHTSA website:

Due to short supply of parts, the first phase of mailing of owner notification letters will begin on or before September 15, 2010 and the second phase mailing will begin in September 2010 and be completed in February 2011.

Unacceptable! Are some Mazda drivers supposed to drive around with an increased risk of crashing for the next six months? Even one day of driving with the potential for power steering failure is unacceptable. According to an article in today’s New York Times:

The recall comes about a year after Mazda started fixing vehicles in Japan for the same problem. But Mazda told the American safety agency that since the “occurrence rate was low” in the United States it issued only a technical service bulletin to dealers telling them how to fix the problem.

Let me get this straight–vehicles in Japan have been getting fixed while U.S. drivers are continuing to drive at risk? I don’t care how low the occurrence rate is, a single crash that results in an injury or death is one occurrence too many.

The phone number for Mazda Customer Assistance is 1-800-222-5500. If you own one of the recalled cars, call and demand that they pay for a rental car until your car is fixed. You can also call the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 if you get no satisfactory answer from Mazda.

And if you were injured in a car wreck that involved a 2007, 2008, or 2009 Mazda 3 or Mazda 5, feel free to call HensonFuerst for information about your legal options. Our phone number is 1-800-4LAW-MED. Or visit us online at http://www.lawmed.com. If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.

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• Auto Accident , NC auto accident lawyers , Personal Injury , Recalls , Safety

hfstaff August 17th, 2010

Today, General Motors announced a voluntary safety recall of all 2009 and 2010 models of the Chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook crossover vehicles. The second-row seat belts may be damaged in a way that makes them appear properly latched, even when they are not.

The recall affects about 250,000 vehicles.

“Because of the potential for a false-latch condition, we want customers to return their vehicles to have the recall repair performed as soon as possible,” said Jeff Boyer, GM executive director of safety.

According to a GM press release, vehicle owners will begin receiving letters giving recall details, including how to schedule an appointment with the dealership.

If you own one of these vehicles, it would be prudent to avoid using the second-row seats until the problem is fixed–don’t take a chance with the lives of your loved ones. If you have been involved in a wreck and think that a faulty seat belt latch may have contributed to the injuries of someone in your car, feel free to call the injury lawyers of HensonFuerst for information about you legal options. If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.

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• Auto Accident , NC auto accident lawyers , Personal Injury , Recalls , Safety

hfstaff August 13th, 2010

Not sure we understand this…no, we take it back. We’re positive we don’t understand this.  North Carolina prevents state DWI courts from using those ankle bracelets as part of their arsenal of tools to prevent people from continuing to drink and drive.

According to an article in today’s News & Observer, we’re not the only ones confused by this decision:

That decision has puzzled and frustrated some officials, who ask whether opposition to the technology was sparked in part by turf battles and personality conflicts. David Wallace, director of the National Center for DWI Courts, said he’s not aware of any other state that has imposed such restrictions.

“I’m very surprised,” said Wallace, whose organization helps train officials in setting up DWI courts. “…It takes away one more tool that could be used to monitor people … so they’re not out there risking the community’s safety.”  [italics added by blogger]

Drunk driving is a pervasive and continuing problem. It may not be in the newspaper everyday, but the automobile wreck attorneys of HensonFuerst deal with the painful aftermath of drunk-driving crashes every day. Every…single…day.

As far as we’re concerned, anything that has the potential to help keep people from driving drunk should be celebrated, not prohibited. Foes say that the technology of bracelets is not foolproof, to which we say: So what? Bicycle locks aren’t foolproof, either, but does that mean that we give up on locking our bikes when we stop in a public place? Of course not. Any little thing we can do to make it more difficult for a thief to ride away on our property is good.

Personally, I don’t care if the alcohol-detecting ankle bracelets aren’t perfect. If they stop one person from driving drunk and hurting one innocent person, then the technology is fantastic. Every other state has figured this out…why not North Carolina? Coming on the heels of the story of Johnston County illegally dismissing 33 DWI cases (N&O story), it’s beginning to seem as though drunk drivers get better protections than the rest of the residents.

(Want to take this one step further? A conspiracy theory I heard posited one additional link: the state-run ABC alcohol stores.)

What exactly is going on? At HensonFuerst, we will continue our efforts to educate young drivers about safety and responsibility… and we fight for compensation for those innocent drivers injured–sometimes fatally–in wrecks caused by people who drive drunk. We urge North Carolina to allow DWI courts to use alcohol-detection ankle bracelets as another tool to help curb dangerous drivers.

Read the full N&O article here:  http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/13/626823/dwi-tool-is-curbed-in-nc.html#ixzz0wV3KpXpr

Read our auto wreck information page here: http://www.lawmed.com/north-carolina-auto-accident-lawyer.php

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• Auto Accident , Motorcycle Accident , NC auto accident lawyers , Safety , Truck Accident , dwi

admin August 12th, 2010

A woman was killed in a Raleigh auto accident when a state trooper collided with her vehicle, according to wral.com.

A report determined the woman caused the Raleigh auto accident but that the trooper was to blame because of speed and the fact that he didn’t have his siren on at the time of the Raleigh auto accident.

A child riding in the woman’s car was also killed in the Raleigh auto accident.

Read more.

Do you think state troopers should receive harsher punishments if they’re found to cause Raleigh auto accidents?

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Raleigh auto accident, the Raleigh auto accident lawyers at HensonFuerst Attorneys can help.

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• Auto Accident , HensonFuerst news

hfstaff August 6th, 2010

The little North Carolina town of Knightdale, just east of Raleigh, has grown a lot in the past year, but apparently a lot of that growth includes people who run red lights.

According to a story on WRAL.com, the red-light camera along route 64 capture speeders, red-light runners, and even some horrific traffic accidents, including one where a tractor-trailer slammed into a car, spun it around, and then hit it again.

Drivers who run a red light get a $50 ticket in the mail. What seems particularly disturbing is that the amount of fines Knightdale has collected in the past year from these red-light incidents has tripled. Yes, TRIPLED…from $9,000 to $27,000. That’s more than 10 dangerous intersection episodes each week–in little Knightdale!

“That is more or less a daily occurrence at the intersections,” said Shawn Brown, Knightdale’s public safety director and police chief. “People are using their cell phones, or they’re distracted in some way and don’t see the light.”  [from WRAL story]

Wow. Again we see the risks of distracted driving. No phone call is worth the risk to your life, or someone else’s life. If you must talk on the phone, we urge you to pull over…otherwise, put your phone in the back seat or the trunk, where you won’t be tempted to use it.

And for those of you who don’t practice DWD (Driving While Distracted), all we can say is this:  Keep your eyes open out there–don’t assume that everyone will stop at a red light. Sad (and dangerous) but true.

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• Auto Accident , Motorcycle Accident , NC auto accident lawyers , Safety , Truck Accident

hfstaff August 4th, 2010

Turning 16 is a grand milestone for most teens. Their driver’s license gives them their first real taste of freedom. But combine that with a 3,000-pound car and their invincible mentality and teens hit the fast lane to danger. [Rocky Mount Telegram, July 31, 2010]

North Carolina has seen a 40% decrease in teenage driver fatalities this year, compared to a similar period in 2009. That demonstrates the amazing start of what everyone hopes will be a long-term trend. And with the continuing teen driver programs of the N.C. Highway Patrol, those hopes may very well be realized.

According to an article in the Rocky Mount Telegram, Operation Drive to Live and other programs are focusing on reinforcing safe driving practices. According to the article:

“No one can prevent all fatalities, but we can raise awareness. We can help people to realize the consequences of making bad decisions,” [1st Sgt. Martin] Jones said. “We will use a case from May where a 17-year-old ran a stop sign to educate others; because that is all it takes, one brief moment of unclear thought. As tragic as that death is, it will be used to save other lives.”

The state-wide Operation Drive to Live ended in June, but more efforts will be ramped up for the new school year. At the top of the Highway Patrol’s priority list is to reduce the incidence of speeding through vigilance and new technology. After all, speed is the leading cause of traffic fatalities.

“We are going to use the LIDAR more, which (is more accurate than traditional radar units, can reach thousands of feet to measure speed and distance and) is very undetectable,” [Highway Patrol Lt. Keith] Stone said. “We can use it without being seen.”   [Rocky Mount Telegram]

So teenagers aren’t the only ones who need to watch speed limits a little more closely.   FYI–if you want to report drunk drivers, speeders, crashes, or other highway situations, simply dial *HP (for Highway Patrol) on your cell phone!

All of us here at HensonFuerst are proud of the work of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, and we support all efforts to reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths on our roads. We’ll keep you posted on new programs as they are announced.

The children are our future…but only if they stay alive past high school.

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• Auto Accident , Motorcycle Accident , NC auto accident lawyers , Personal Injury , Safety , Truck Accident

admin July 29th, 2010

A man was charged with second-degree murder after the SUV he was driving was involved in a North Carolina auto accident that killed a 17-year-old, according to CharlotteObserver.com.

The man’s Jeep Cherokee was traveling about 60 mph when it crossed the center line of the two-lane road and collided head-on with a 1984 Oldsmobile driven by the teen and caused the North Carolina auto accident.

Alcohol containers were found in the North Carolina man’s Jeep after the North Carolina auto accident.

Read more.

Do you think North Carolina auto accidents involving alcohol are a growing issue? Do you think teens are more vulnerable to North Carolina auto accidents involving alcohol?

If you or someone you know has been involved in a North Carolina auto accident, the North Carolina auto accident lawyers at HensonFuerst Attorneys can help.

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• Auto Accident , HensonFuerst news