Drivers must also be aware of school zones.  Speed limits are strictly enforced in school zones. The penalties and fines for speeding in school zones are very high. They are very high for a reason: to stop you from speeding and to protect children. So don’t speed. Pay attention. Most importantly, be safe.

On August 17, 2010 Dr. Frank Ryan, a famous Hollywood plastic surgeon, died when his Jeep plunged off of a cliff near his Malibu beach home. It has now been learned that he was texting while driving. It is believed that his texting while driving caused him to accidentally drive over a cliff and plunge to his death. At the time of his death, Dr. Ryan was sending a Tweet about his dog.

Take a minute to let that sink in. A famous doctor plunges to his death while Tweeting about his dog. What was so important about that text message that it had to be done while he was driving? Why couldn’t it wait until he got home? He was only minutes away from his house. This is another case where common sense was ignored. The rules of the road that apply to everyone are ignored. For some reason people think that their texts are so important that they and anyone else in their social network cannot wait to hear the latest bit of trivia in their lives and they text while driving. Well texting while driving has severe consequences. This is a prime example. There was absolutely no reason that the text message could not wait. The doctor gambled his life and lost. All for a text about his dog.

It does not matter what your text is about. It cannot be worth risking your life and the lives of all the other people around your car. Do not text and drive. Text when you get home. If it is so important that it cannot wait, pull off the road. Park in a parking lot. Just do not text and drive.

If you or a family member has been injured by a distracted driver, someone who was texting or using their cell phone instead of paying attention, call Craig Murphy, Esq. at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices in Las Vegas today. Craig Murphy and Murphy & Murphy Law Offices sues distracted drivers, drunk drivers and impaired drivers for the injuries and damages they cause. In addition, we believe that the injuries and damages caused by distracted drivers, drunk drivers and impaired drivers are so significant that punitive damages are also warranted in these situations. You can contact Craig Murphy, Esq. and Murphy & Murphy Law Offices at 702-369-9696 or through their web site at www.nvpilaw.com.

Why do we sue drunk drivers, impaired drivers and distracted drivers? Because so many people refuse to follow our warning. It is the only way to protect injured people who have been hurt through no fault of their own. It is the only way we can attempt to make our streets and roadways safer for everyone.

The Las Vegas attorneys at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices see the horrible injuries that happen in auto accidents. The lives of the injury victims  are disrupted in many ways. They have severe pain. They require medical treatment. They are unable to work. Their car is destroyed. Many have a lifetime of pain, discomfort and disabilities from their injuries.

But what about the drunk, impaired and distracted drivers? They also pay a significant price. So this is our warning:If you drive drunk, impaired or distracted, you risk destroying your life and the lives of your family and children. Think about that the next time you are about to drive in such a condition. It is not just me saying that. Here is a case in point. Miranda Dalton was sentenced to eight to twenty years in prison. Dalton killed a 28-year-old in a car crash where she was drunk. In fact, Dalton was more than two times over the legal limit when she caused the crash. The judge sentenced Dalton to the maximum penalty allowed by law. Dalton claimed that she was trying to escape her problems by abusing alcohol. Dalton said that all of her problems have now gotten much bigger. Dalton will not be able to see her daughter while she is in prison according to the father of Dalton’s daughter. What makes matters worse is that Dalton had a prior drunk driving conviction. Dalton did not learn from her prior drunk driving arrest.

Dalton refused to learn from a drunk driving arrest and conviction. Maybe eight years or more in prison will help her to let it sink in a little bit. That is why Murphy & Murphy Law Offices continues to warn drunk, impaired and distracted drivers. They refuse to learn. They continue until it is too late. Too late for their victims and too late for them. Lives and families ruined. Lifelong trails of tears. Lifelong questions of what might have been. Don’t let it happen to you. Stop before you drive drunk, impaired or distracted. If you are a victim of a drunk, impaired or distracted driver, call Murphy & Murphy Law Offices at 702-369-9696 or visit our web site at www.nvpilaw.com.

I have repeatedly stated the risks and hazards caused by drunk, impaired and distracted drivers in my previous blog posts on the Murphy & Murphy Law Offices web site at www.nvpilaw.com. The blog posts are archived for all Las Vegas residents and web site visitors to review. Anyone who has been injured by a drunk, impaired or distracted driver in Las Vegas should seek immediate legal help. There are some auto accidents and other injury cases where the injured person may not need to hire a Las Vegas attorney. However, in cases of injuries or death from a driver in Las Vegas who was drunk, impaired or distracted the victim and the victim’s family need skilled and experienced legal representation. Not every Las Vegas lawyer or attorney is qualified to handle such claims. You must fully investigate and interview Las Vegas lawyers and attorneys before you decide who to hire. Deciding which Las Vegas attorney or lawyer to hire is the most important decision you will make about your case. It will impact every aspect of the case. You must make sure that the Las Vegas attorney or lawyer you hire has a track record of success at trial. You do not want to hire a settlement mil for your case. You must also hire a Las Vegas attorney or lawyer with whom you will have a good working relationship. Make sure that you can talk to the Las Vegas attorney or lawyer. You do not want to be forced to only talking to non-lawyers. Know who is going to be doing the work on your case, the Las Vegas attorney or lawyer, or some staff person. It is your case and you must know these things.

The news from today proves that serious injuries and wrongful deaths can happen at any time and any where in Las Vegas. A 27 year old man was riding his bicycle in Summerlin in Las Vegas at approximately 8:00 a.m. The bicyclist was riding on the right hand side of the road where he was supposed to be riding. The Las Vegas bicyclists was hit from behind by a drunk driver at 8:00 a.m. The bicyclist was killed in the accident. Unfortunately, when Las Vegas pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles are hit by cars or trucks, it is the pedestrians, bicycleists and motorcycle drivers who are seriously injured, often times killed. They are just no match for a car of truck.

Las Vegas residents do not expect drunk or impaired driving accidents to happen in Summerlin at 8:00 a.m. This is just another situation that proves drunk, impaired and distracted drivers can strike at any time in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas drunk, impaired and distracted drivers leave a trail of death, injury and destruction in their wake. Families are shattered. Children’s lives are ruined. Mothers, fathers and children are left with lifetime injuries, scars and wounds that cannot be healed.

That is why Murphy & Murphy Law Offices sues drunk, impaired and distracted drivers on behalf of Las Vegas accident and injury victims. Murphy & Murphy Law Offices does not seek pennies on the dollar quick settlements. We are not a high volume settlement mill. We do not advertise on television, radio, billboards or the sides of buses. We are not a “discount”, ”cut-rate”, or “half-price” law firm. We are Las Vegas injury trial lawyers. We will pursue your case for its full value. We will sue Las Vegas drunk, impaired and distracted drivers for the full amount of your damages for your injuries or wrongful death case. We will also seek punitive damages against the Las Vegas drunk, impaired or distracted driver. It is only through such cases that we can hope to change Las Vegas for the better. If by suing one person for injuries or wrongful death because of drunk, impaired or distracted driving we are able to get one or more people to decide not to drive in such conditions, we have succeeded in making Las Vegas safer for everyone.

Ifyou or a family member has been harmed, injured or killed by a Las Vegas drunk, impaired or distracted driver, call Murphy & Murphy Law Offices today. We will take immediate steps to protect your rights and provide you with the highest level of personal attention and legal representation.

Medical malpractice tort reform laws provide economic protection to hospitals and doctors in all cases. Even in cases such as this where a baby dies due to improper and perhaps criminal acts, the insurance companies are given protection and the victims are left with little or no recourse. In the case of the baby who died as the result of the disrupted catheter, the total amount of damages will be limited to $350,000 in non-economic damages. Since it is a wrongful death case involving a baby, there will be no loss of future income, there will be no future medical care, there will be no future loss of support from the baby. All the damages are limited to pain and suffering, grief and the emotional distress of the parents during the ordeal leading up to the baby’s death.

Would anyone trade the life of their baby for $350,000? Would the parents of a new born baby go through the agony of knowing their baby’s life was at risk for any amount of money? Does anyone believe that $350,000 is sufficient compensation for the loss of a baby who should have been happy and healthy?

Money cannot make up for the loss of a child. However, that is how our society has determined that injury victims are compensated. We no longer subject the negligent party to the same fate as the injured victim. Our society no longer extracts and eye for an eye. Yet doctors and hospitals are only required to pay minimal amounts when their acts or failures to act cause harm or death to patients. It is the victims who are left with the life long results and insufficient compensation for their losses. The injury victims and their families are left with the burdens of the unfortunate results while the doctors and hospitals go on with business as usual.

My point is that anyone can say whatever they want on their web site, in a press release, or in their firm literature advertising their law firm. How can a Las Vegas accident or injury victim tell what is true and correct as opposed to a bunch of hype? Ask for the attorney’s experience on cases like yours. Ask for the attorney’s track record of getting jury verdicts and substantial settlements on cases like yours. In addition to reviewing the Las Vegas attorney’s experience and track record, meet with a number of attorneys in Las Vegas. Don’t just tell them about your case. Interview the attorneys. Ask about their policies and procedures. Find out how the Las Vegas attorney will communicate with you. Find out who will primarily be handling your case. If you are considering hiring a TV lawyer, you must know that the TV lawyer will not be handling your case personally. The Las Vegas TV lawyers have too big of a case load to handle your case personally. Your case will be handled by a case worker or an associate attorney in the office. Find out who. Find out who you should talk to if you have questions. Find out who your contact person is. 

Once you have received the answers to these and other questions that you have, you should see the value in hiring a lawyer who will personally handle your case. You do not want to be shuffled around to a bunch of different case workers. Also, you want to be confident in knowing that the lawyer and law firm have a solid track record, experience, and success. You do not want someone learning on your case, do you? On the job training is not for a serious Las Vegas injury case. If you have been injured in a Las Vegas accident and you need to hire a Las Vegas attorney for your injuries, hire the skilled and experienced Las Vegas trial lawyers at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices. You will get close personal attention to your case. You will also be hiring a firm with a proven track record of success.

As a result of the insurance company refusing to accept personal responsibility for the injury and damages, a lawsuit has to be filed. The lawsuit is turned over to an insurance defense attorney. The insurance defense attorney, an attorney hired and paid for by the insurance company, denies liability. Throughout the litigation, the insurance defense attorney refuses to admit the driver’s fault for causing the collision. At trial the insurance defense attorney acts as though the negligent driver is the victim because he or she has been sued. However, the negligent driver is not the victim. He or she was not injured. They hit the injured person from behind and caused injuries and damages. The negligent driver on the other hand was not injured because he or she was fully protected by the seat and airbags. It is the person who is hit from behind that has no protection. Yet the negligent driver refuses to accept personal responsibility for the harms and losses caused by his or her negligence.

We now see a situation where someone refuses to accept personal responsibility being played out in the national press. Actress Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in rehab for failing to comply with the orders of her parole imposed for DUI charges. Lindsay Lohan failed to comply with the terms and conditions of her parole. Instead of complying, Lindsay Lohan went to the French Riviera for a film festival. She claimed to lose her passport and could not attend a scheduled court hearing. Her alcohol monitoring bracelet went off on more than one occasion indicating further failures to comply with the terms and conditions of her parole. As a result, she was sentenced to 90 days in jail for her failure to comply.

Lindsay Lohan had every opportunity to comply with the terms and conditions of her parole. She chose not to comply. Yet does she accept personal responsibility for the DUI charges? Her behavior shows that she does not. Does she accept personal responsibility for her failure to comply with the terms and conditions of her parole? No. Today in the press her mother is quoted as saying that the sentence is too harsh. Her mother says that Lindsay Lohan did not receive fair justice. She says that Lindsay Lohan is scared to death of going to jail. That is a refusal to accept personal responsibility by Lindsay Lohan and her mother. There is a saying, “Do the crime, do the time.” Lindsay Lohan should have thought about the consequences of her actions or failure to act before she did it. She should have thought about the consequences of failing to comply with the terms and conditions of her parole. She should accept the penalty for her decision not to comply. Her mother should accept the fact that Lindsay Lohan’s choices are what caused the 90 day jail sentence. Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan alone is to blame.

The same should hold true in an automobile accident. The at fault driver should admit fault and accept his or her responsibility. Since that rarely happens, it is up to the jury to impose responsibility. In these hard economic times, it is a burden on many people to serve on a jury. The insurance companies know it. Yet they force many cases that should be settled into court and pretend that it is the injured person who is abusing the system. Unfortunately, the court rules forbid any mention of the fact that there is any insurance company involved. The court rules give the insurance defense lawyers a veil to hide behind. The court rules allow the insurance defense lawyer to hide behind the at fault driver and make it appear that he or she is going to have to pay any verdict that is rendered. In fact, the at fault driver does not have to pay anything. His or her insurance is responsible and it is his or her insurance company that has refused to settle the claim. As jurors, you must know that the injured person is the victim of the injury and the victim of an insurance company bent on taking advantage of the system. It is only the jury in such a case that can impose responsibility. That is why at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices, we only accept a limited number of legitimate, worthy cases. We anticipate that it may be necessary to take your case to court and try it before a jury. We will do that so that you can be compensated for your injuries and damages and so the jury can impose personal responsibility even if the insurance companies continue to refuse to accept it.

Lets look at the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill disaster continues unabated. Millions of barrels of oil a day continue to spew into the Gulf. According to BP’s latest estimates, it could take another month before it is able to stop the oil from continuing to spew into the Gulf. In Louisiana alone businesses and entire industries are facing the complete devastation. The financial damages to the tourism industry and the fishing industry cannot even be calculated. Estimates are in the hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more. However, due to the lobbying efforts of the oil companies and other powerful interests, Federal law limits BP’s responsibilities for damages to $75 Million. Federal law caps BP’s financial responsibility to those whose lives and livelihoods have been taken from them. There is no obligation for full and complete compensation. There is no requirement for fair compensation. The compensation is capped. So everyone who has been damaged and all those who may be damaged as the oil spreads to other states and perhaps spreads to the east coast of America will all have to share in the $75 Million.

How is it fair that BP’s damages can be capped? It isn’t. Plain and simple. The people who are damaged the most are the ones who can least afford to be without compensation. BP on the other hand will be protected. Its profits protected. The injured people and small businesses are the ones who are left with no protection and no way to recover what has been lost.

Caps on damages like those protecting BP are in effect in Las Vegas. You may become the next victim of tort reform. Nevada law imposes strict damage limits in medical malpractice cases. No matter how badly a person is injured by the negligence of a doctor, the damages are capped at $350,000 for non-economic damages. What does that mean, if a person is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for life, the most a negligent doctor would have to pay for all the pain inflicted, all the mental anguish suffered, all of the enjoyment of life taken away, could not exceed $350,000. If a jury awarded more, the judge, by law, would have to reduce the damages to $350,000. Who wold be willing to be paralyzed for $350,000? No one. Beyond that, suppose a family ember died as the result of medical negligence. Say a young stay at home mom. Would anyone dispute that her life would be worth more than $350,000 to her family? I do not think so. However, that would be all the family would be entitled to receive.

No one thinks of the potential consequences when a proposal to limit the constitutional rights of individuals is being presented by multi-million dollar ad campaigns. National organizations, business alliances, and insurance companies lobby and press politicians everyday to impose strict liability limits to protect them from having to pay damages to people who have been injured due to their negligence. It is nothing more than a scheme to protect and guarantee their profits. More than that it is a means to give them free reign and a license to practice their business in any manner its sees fit without regard to the consequences because they are protected by caps on the damages they have to pay when their practices are negligent and cause injury and damage. Look a BP. What incentive did it have to be safer? What plans did it have if something were to go wrong? BP can know that its liability for damages is capped at $75 Million. It can pay its corporate dividends. It can fund a $50 Million ad campaign to try and save its corporate image. Think about that for a minute. BP is willing to pay almost as much for its public image ad campaign as it will be required to pay for damages due to the protections afforded to it under federal law. How can that be right? How can that be fair? Unfortunately it is the little people all around the Gulf of Mexico and perhaps beyond that will really have to pay the price when BP escapes its full responsibility.

I do not know the reason or cause of the accidents. Auto accidents happen for many reasons. However, almost all accidents happen because of the fault of someone. Someone failed to follow the laws or rules of the road. Someone failed to use common sense and exercise a reasonable degree of care and caution. The causes of the accidents will come to light. It could be distracted driving. Driving while under the influence and being impaired. The accidents could have been caused due to speed or carelessness.

Since an accident can happen at any time and to any one, what is there that you can do to protect yourself and reduce your chances of being seriously injured or killed in a Las Vegas auto accident? Do not drink and drive. Do not drive under the influence of drugs or medication. Do not text and drive. Do not talk on the cell phone and drive. Follow the traffic laws. Do not speed. Do not take unnecessary risks when you drive. Always wear a seat belt when you are in a car. Do not ride in a car with an impaired driver. Maintain a reasonable distance between your car and other cars (do not tailgate). Be aware of your surroundings. When stopped at a stop light, look in all directions before you start to go. Many people in Las Vegas run red lights. Watch so you do not become an innocent victim. While you cannot eliminate the possibility of ever being in a car crash in Las Vegas, following this advice will substantially reduce the odds of you being involved in a Las Vegas auto accident and protect you from being seriously injured.

That pervasive attitude is the result of a long-running and ongoing multi-billion dollar campaign by insurance companies and big business. The goal is to crush the rights of the little guy. To close the courthouse doors to the common everyday person. Another goal is to generate larger corporate profits. Not only by eliminating lawsuits for the corporation’s negligence, but to also allow the corporation conduct business in an unfettered manner. No more worries about corporate responsibility getting in the way. Take whatever course of action it chooses and the corporation can generate larger profits and not have to worry about the victims it leaves in its wake. Examples that are just starting to come to light are in the housing lending schemes and the Wall Street bailouts. We see examples in the newspapers every month on examples from China where unsafe and harmful products are placed on the market because of a complete failure of any regulation or standards. Merely a profit motive is operating as the only anchor. We have entire housing projects that are contaminated with unsafe and hazardous Chinese drywall. McDonald’s Corporation just had to recall all of the promotional drinking glasses it was giving away because they were made with a deadly chemical. At the present time we see a disaster of unknown proportions unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico as oil continues to spew into the Gulf. Time will only tell whether BP and the other responsible corporations will meet their responsibilities or whether they will seek to avoid their responsibilities through claim denials and years and years of litigation.

On a smaller scale, here is another example. A life insurance company receives a claim under a life insurance policy. The life insurance company informs the beneficiary of the life insurance policy that it is going to conduct an investigation. The beneficiary cooperates fully by providing all documents and records requested. The beneficiary gives a recorded statement. The beneficiary completes questionnaires and forms. The claim is accepted. The beneficiary receives a check for the payment of the life insurance policy.

Nine months later the beneficiary receives a letter saying that the life insurance company made a mistake. No specific mistake is stated or indicated. There is no allegation of fraud or that the beneficiary did not cooperate or gave false information. The letter just says the company made a mistake. Because the life insurance company allegedly mader some mistake, the life insurance company demanded that the beneficiary send the money from the life insurance policy back to the company.

What if the money is gone? What if the money has been spent? What if the money has been invested? How and why should the beneficiary have to pay it back? The life insurance company gave it to the beneficiary. It said, here it is, it is yours. Where is the corporate responsibility? If the life insurance company made a mistake shouldn’t it have to live with it? Shouldn’t the life insurance company have to accept the negligence of its employees’ actions. Instead of accepting the fact that it paid the money, wrongly or rightly, the insurance company refuses to accept responsibility. Isn’t the real answer the same thing we would teach our children? Accept the consequences of your actions. Grow up and learn to be a responsible citizen. It is time for us and our corporations to learn and live by the lessons we teach our children. Start taking responsibility for your actions. Fess up and pay up when you are wrong. Your mom, or in the case of corporations, your PR Firm and multi-million dollar ad campaign will not always be there to bail you out of the messes you create. Accept responsibility and make it right. Then learn a lesson from the mistake and don’t do it again.