North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

The Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP is proud to offer 15 high school seniors the chance to win a $2,500 college scholarship--$37,500 in total. The winners will be selected based on several criteria, including their respective presentations on how to prevent minors from driving while drunk.

Winners will be selected from one of the 23 North Carolina and South Carolina counties where our Charlotte, North Carolina injury law firm represents clients, including the North Carolina counties of Cumberland, Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Robeson, Burke, Alexander, Iredel, Stanly, Caldwell, Rowan, Lincoln, Cleveland, Cabarrus, Union, Catawba, Gaston, and Mecklenburg and the South Carolina counties of Dillon, Marlboro, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York. Applicants must have applied to study full-time at a four-year college or university.

Charlotte car accident lawyer Michael A. DeMayo, who has awarded $125,000 in scholarships since establishing the college fund in 2003, understands the tragic consequences that can arise when a traffic collision happens because someone was driving drunk.

Unfortunately, there are teen drivers who drive drunk. Combining drunk driving with driver inexperience and the propensity to become easily distracted dramatically increases the chances that a teen motorist will cause a deadly South Carolina or North Carolina car crash.

Findings from two studies, recently published in Pediatrics, report that when a parent is very involved in monitoring and restricting a teenager’s driving habits, the minor’s drinking and driving rate goes down by 71%, while the chances he or she will become involved in a car crash drops by about 50%. Teen drivers also were 29% less likely to text and talk on the cell phone while driving. Parental involvement can consist of setting up driving rules and regulating a teen's driving habits and activities.

Educating young drivers about the dangers of drunk driving is essential to saving lives. It is important that teenagers educate themselves and each other about the deadly dangers that come with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Our Charlotte car accident law firm will award the 15 college scholarships based on each applicant’s teen drunk driving presentation, high school transcript, letters of recommendation, and SAT scores. Deadline to submit an application is March 1, 2010. Winners will be selected on April 9. For more specifics about contest rules, visit the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo on the Internet.

The Law Offices of Michael A DeMayo, LLP's annual scholarship program

Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe, US News & World Report, September 25, 2009

Related Web Resources:
MADD North Carolina

Pediatrics

It’s been official for some time now. Texting while driving is dangerous. So why do many people still do it? The risks that come with this bad driving habit are the focus of this week’s Distracted Driving Summit being held by the US Department of Transportation.

At the opening of the two-day conference, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood provide attendees with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2008 distracted driving statistics:

• 515,000 injuries
• 5,870 deaths
• On any day, nearly 800,000 drivers used a handheld cell phone

While drivers under age 21 make up the greatest portion of distracted drivers, there are many adults who text and drive. Our Charlotte, North Carolina car accident lawyers realize that it can be difficult to fathom how texting, a seemingly harmless activity, can be so deadly. But the statistics, research findings, and the number of people whose lives have been destroyed because they were injured or lost a loved one in a cell phone crash or a text messaging accident can no longer be ignored.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute recently reported that large truck drivers increase their crash risk by 23 times when they text and drive. Merely reaching for communication device or dialing a cell phone increased the chance of a car accident or a truck collision by six times. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that more than 1 million auto crashes a year that happen in North American can be linked to driver inattention.

Texting while driving becomes illegal in North Carolina beginning December 2009. There is still no law banning motorists from texting in South Carolina. Unfortunately, even with all the information and new laws, there will be still people out there who will risk their lives and the lives of others to make that cell phone call, send a text, turn the iPod dial to find the perfect song, or surf the web on their Blackberry or iPhone to stay abreast of the latest news headlines.

New Research Finds Increase in Use of Hand-Held Devices Among All Drivers, DOT.gov, September 30, 2009

Texting Trouble: Transportation Summit to Address Distracted Driving, September 30, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving Summit, US Department of Transportation

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Continue reading "NHTSA Reports Nearly 6,000 Distracted Driving Deaths in 2008" »

According to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 37,261 US traffic deaths in 2008. 1,433 of those fatalities occurred during the 1,324 North Carolina motor vehicle accidents that happened last year. Nationally, there were:

• 50,430 motor vehicle crashes
• 25,428 motor vehicle occupant deaths
• 714 bicyclist deaths
• 1,045 child traffic fatalities (under age 13)
• 4,054 teen traffic deaths
• 4,268 of the fatalities were older seniors (ages 70 and over)
• 4.008 large truck deaths
• 5,091 motorcyclist deaths
• 4,378 pedestrian deaths

Motor vehicle accidents continue to be a leading cause of fatalities in the US. The injuries and deaths that are a result of auto collisions can take huge physical, emotional, mental, and psychological tolls on traffic crash victims and their families. This is one reason that you should contact an experienced Charlotte, North Carolina injury law firm as soon as possible.

As our North Carolina motor vehicle crash lawyers reported previously, the number of traffic deaths declined between 2008 and 2007, when there were 1,705 traffic deaths in the state. Yet we cannot ignore the fact that lives are still being lost in motor vehicle collisions due to defective auto parts, defective roadways, and negligent drivers.

In addition to the hazards posed by drivers who drive drunk, speed, or fall asleep while operating their motor vehicles, modern technology now has presented us with the additional dangers of talking on the cell phone, text messaging, updating one’s Facebook status, or Twittering while driving. These activities may seem harmless are enough, but they really aren’t when coupled with operating a motor vehicle.

No two North Carolina traffic crashes are alike, which is why you should speak with a Charlotte motor vehicle crash lawyer who is experienced in dealing with your type of motor vehicle accident. The sooner you start exploring your legal options, the easier it will be to focus on physical recovery while your Hickory, North Carolina injury lawyer begins the claims process for you.

Fatality Facts, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Related Web Resources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Fatality Analysis Reporting System

A 55-year-old woman remains in the hospital in critical condition after a friend’s pet chimpanzee attacked her. Charla Nash’s nose, hands, eyelids, and lips were ripped off and a number of her facial bones were crushed during the 12-minute chimp attack that took place in February 2009. She also has a traumatic brain injury and she may be blind. This week, her family filed a $50 million personal injury lawsuit on her behalf.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys are accusing the chimp’s owner, Sandra Herold, of failing to take the necessary steps to make sure that people were safe around Travis. The 14-year-old chimpanzee had a history of erratic and violent behavior.

Their personal injury lawsuit contends that Herold was aware that Travis was aggravated on the day she invited Nash over to assist her in bringing the chimp back into the house. The complaint says that because of the tragic accident, Nash has suffered serious psychological and emotional trauma, debilitating physical pain, won’t be able to retain her job, will lose her benefits and income, and won’t be able to enjoy life the way she did before the accident.

Herold believes the chimp attacked her friend because she had a new hairstyle and thought she might be a danger. A police officer who arrived at the injury scene shot Travis dead. Herold, who tried to pull the chimpanzee off Nash, had to be hospitalized for her injuries.

Chimpanzees as Pets
According to the Chimp Haven Web site, chimpanzees are wild animals who should not be treated as pets. While they might behave like dependent, helpless animals when they are young, they will exhibit a strength and cleverness by age 5 or 6 that will be very difficult to handle. They can possess up to 10 times the strength of human beings and can be very dangerous to be around.

If you were injured because you were attacked by someone else's animal, you may be entitled to North Carolina personal injury compensation.

Family of chimp attack victim seeks $50 million, CNN.com, March 18, 2009

Chimpanzees as Pets

Related Web Resources:
Worst Chimp Attack Ever, Esquire, February 17, 2009

Wild animals are not people; only people are people, Mercator.net, March 18, 2009

The World Health Organization has released its World Report on Child Injury Prevention. Among its findings is that motor vehicle deaths continue to be the leading cause of child fatalities. Almost a million children die around the globe annually because of accidental injuries, many of which are preventable.

The WHO Report's Leading Causes of Accidental Child Injuries:

1. Traffic Accidents: 260,000 kids a year are killed. 10 million others are injured. This is also the #1 cause of fatalities among children, ages 10-19. Motor vehicle crashes are also the #1 cause of child disabilities.

2. Drowning Accidents: While some 3 million children survive drowning accidents each year, about 175,000 others are killed. Many drowning accident survivors suffer from permanent brain damage.

3. Burn Accidents: 96,000 kids die each year from their burn injuries.

4. Fall Accidents: 47,000 youths die every year because they fell. Hundreds of thousands of children survive fall accidents, but with injuries.

5. Accidental Poisoning: Over 45,000 youths are killed annually because they ingested something that was poisonous.

The WHO’s Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention director, Dr. Etienne Krug, says that injuries become the number one cause of child deaths once a young person turns 9. In the US, these leading causes of child injuries and fatalities are also among the common causes for personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving injuries to minors.

If your son or daughter died in a North Carolina auto accident, bus crash, pedestrian accident, bus collision, train accident, premises liability accident, or fall accident, there are steps you can take to make sure that you hold the liable party responsible and that you get your child the medical care he or she needs to recover.

Injury Risks For Children Vary Around The World, Washington Post, December 23, 2008

Traffic Accidents Top Cause Of Fatal Child Injuries, NPR, December 10, 2008

Related Web Resources:

World Report on Child Injury Prevention Report, WHO (PDF)

CDC Childhood Injury Report, CDC

Continue reading "Motor Vehicle Accidents Continue to be the #1 Killer of Children, Says World Health Organization" »

In Hillsborough, North Carolina, town members are trying to raise funds for Khari Clark-Hester, a 6-year-old girl who is paralyzed from the waist down after she suffered spinal cord and brain injuries during an auto crash on April 10.

Khari sustained these catastrophic injuries when the passenger side of the car she was riding in was hit by a pickup truck. Khari spent several weeks in intensive care at NC Children’s Hospital and was later moved to a rehabilitation center. Her mother and 2-year-old sister were also involved in the crash but are now both fine. Khari needs money to pay for a medical car seat, a wheelchair ramp outside their house, and other medical costs.

In North Carolina and South Carolina, our catastrophic injury lawyers can help you or your injured family member recover personal injury compensation from the negligent party to cover your losses and damages. Catastrophic injuries are often life changing accidents, and living with a TBI or an SCI can be very expensive.

Traumatic Brain Injury
A sudden trauma to the brain can cause a traumatic brain injury. While a mild TBI can result in temporary unconsciousness, headaches, dizziness, or blurred vision, a more person with a serious TBI may experience convulsions, seizures, permanent brain damage, or fall into a coma or brain death.

Spinal Cord Injuries
A severe blow that dislocates or fractures the spine can lead to a spinal cord injury. An SCI patient may experience loss of sensation, sexual dysfunction, respiratory problems, loss of movement, including paralysis, and other serious health problems.

Our North Carolina auto accident lawyers know how to prove that a negligent motorist or another liable party caused your catastrophic injuries. We will zealously pursue your recovery. Our personal injury lawyers have successfully obtained compensation for the families of minors seriously injured in auto crashes.

Community unites to help accident victim, The Daily Tar Heel, June 12, 2008

Town rallies for injured girl, The Chapel Hill News

Related Web Resources:

Spinal cord injury, MayoClinic

Traumatic Brain Injury

Continue reading "6-Year-Old North Carolina Girl Paralyzed in Car Crash Is Center of Local Fundraising Efforts" »

Ag-Mart Produce has agreed to settle the birth defects lawsuit filed by the parents of Carlitos Candelario, a 3-year-old boy born without arms or legs. The boys’ parents Abraham Candelario and Francisca Herrera had worked for the tomato grower in fields in North Carolina and South Carolina that had been sprayed with pesticide while Francisca was pregnant.

Candelario and Herrera filed their birth defects lawsuit against Ag-Mart in 2006. They have accused the family of spraying pesticides on the fields while workers were present and not waiting long enough to send workers back to the field after the pesticides were applied.

A hearing has been scheduled this summer in North Carolina by the state pesticide board to determine whether Ag-Mart workers were exposed to toxic chemicals in pesticides. The tomato grower grows grape tomatoes in Brunswick County, North Carolina.

In 2005, Ag-Mart was charged with 369 violations of the state’s pesticide law. Company officials, however, says that many of the charges are false because North Carolina investigators had misinterpreted work records.

To this day, Ag-Mart continues to deny responsibility for causing Carlitos’s birth defects. Other farm workers under its employ also had children with birth defects around the time that Carlitos was born.

Ag-Mart has also voluntarily stopped using certain pesticides that appeared to be responsible for developmental problems in lab animals.

The terms of the birth defects settlement between Ag-Mart and Carlitos’s family is confidential, but their personal injury lawyer says that Carlitos will receive financial support for his medical costs, plus income, for life.

In South Carolina and North Carolina, our personal injury lawyers represent children and adults that have sustained catastrophic injuries because of the negligent or careless actions of people and/or corporations.

Ag-Mart settlement with couple OK'd, News and Observer, April 18, 2008

Board revives pesticide case, News and Observer, March 12, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Ag-Mart Produce

Beyond Pesticides

Continue reading "Plaintiff Mother In Ag-Mart Birth Defect Lawsuit Worked in North Carolina Tomato Fields While Pregnant With Son Born Without Limbs" »