While it is still true that driving in a car is much safer now than it was decades ago, the high-water mark for automobile safety, at least in terms of the frequency of traffic deaths, was actually four years ago, back in 2014.

Since that time, several factors have been pulling the number of fatal car accidents , or at least the overall number of fatalities, up. One of these facts seems to be an epidemic in the number of deadly hit-and-run accidents.

Since 2012, the number of fatalities due to hit-and-run accidents has spiked by over one-third, from 1,512 deaths in 2012 to 2,046 deaths in 2016, the last year final statistics were available. Since, 2009, the number has actually increased by 60 percent, and it is now the highest it has ever been since 1975, when government agencies started to track these numbers.

Although one could rightly say that hit-and-run accidents are a nationwide problem, they are a particular problem in Nevada, where the rate of fatal hit-and-run accidents is over 2.0 per 100,000 residents. This ranks Nevada high among the states when it comes to the frequency of deadly hit-and-runs.

Why the number of these tragic hit-and-run accidents is on the increase puzzles experts, since there seems to be no real rhyme or reason to the trend. Some have speculated that distracted driving is to blame, while others think it might just be a consequence of urbanization, meaning cars, pedestrians and bicycles are sharing space in close quarters.

Whatever the reason, though, the families of victims will no doubt spend financial and emotional capital recovering from these sorts of tragedies. While no amount of money can bring a loved one back, there are legal options for recovering compensation even if the driver is never found.

Many people in Reno, Nevada probably recognize paralysis as a symptom of a serious injury to the spinal cord. The loss of mobility is indeed part and parcel of the vast majority of spinal cord injuries , and it alone can spell a lifetime of pain and suffering.

Additionally, someone who suffers from paralysis will need extensive medical treatment and rehabilitative care. Moreover, even after they are ready to go home, there is going to be a lot of cost associated with making the necessary adjustments to one’s life and daily living, adjustments which include, for instance, moving or making one’s home handicapped accessible.

However, there are other conditions associated with spinal cord injuries that make life even harder. For instance, even if someone is not paralyzed completely, he may lose control over when he goes to the bathroom. Likewise, one will lose the sensation of pain, meaning that it is easier to suffer from something like a burn or even a bedsore.

More seriously, a spinal cord injury can cause serious problems with one’s blood pressure that, if left untreated, can even lead to a premature death. Likewise, someone with a more serious injury to the spine may experience trouble with her breathing.

Finally, a spinal cord injury can impact one’s overall health. A victim may have difficulty with obtaining a balanced muscle tone, for instance, and the fact one cannot move, or has more difficulty doing so, can also mean that a once physically fit person gets out of shape. Not surprisingly, the victim of a spinal cord injury may also suffer from depression.

The bottom line is that paralysis is just one of many serious medical problems a victim of a spinal cord injury will face over his life. Fortunately, assuming the injury was caused by another person’s negligence, it is possible for a victim to get compensation for his losses.

A 17-year-old from nearby Sparks has died after being hit by a car. The girl was reportedly crossing a street near an area high school when the accident happened. The accident happened after dark, and it appeared from photos of the scene that it occurred at least in close proximity to a crosswalk.

Police said that the driver of the vehicle who struck her, also a teenager, stayed at the scene of the accident and spoke with police.

Police have at least initially ruled out drugs and alcohol as a factor in this crash, and they also indicated that they did not believe the driver was speeding. An investigation in to the cause of this tragic accident remains underway.

To the general public, it may be easier to excuse the driver who hit the girl since he probably was not being reckless. However, even if this was an accident, the reality is that a family has lost a child or sibling who was just entering into the prime of her life.

Even if this was an accident, the family still deserves some acknowledgement for their loss in the form of compensation from the responsible party. At a minimum, they should receive help paying for the victim’s final medical bills and funeral expenses.

Particularly when around an area where pedestrians frequent, such as high schools, drivers must remember that their obligations involve more than just driving soberly and with due regard for the speed limit. They must pay utmost attention to the road and must yield to pedestrians when they are lawfully crossing the street. If they fail in these obligations and cause a car accident involving a pedestrian, then in justice, they owe compensation to the family of the victim.

A victim of a drunk driving accident in Nevada may have to spend the rest of his or her life recovering from that one split second in which the victim’s car was hit by a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver. They may, for instance, face paralysis because of a spinal cord injury or permanent brain damage after a head injury. In some cases, the victims may include the family members of a person who lost his or her life in a crash caused by a drunk driver.

While any bad car accident is hard to deal with emotionally, victims may have a lot of additional, and justifiable, anger at the person who caused the drunk driving accident. This is because while they may have not crashed their car intentionally, everyone knows by now that drunk or drugged driving is extremely dangerous behavior and can cause a severe collision.

This anger is not something to be ashamed of, as it is not really driven by a need for revenge. It is really a matter of justice that drunk and drugged drivers be held accountable for their actions. At a minimum, this would mean paying for the victim’s medical bills, lost wages and other non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering. However, in cases like these, it seems that perpetrators should pay additional damages just to reinforce that their behavior was completely unacceptable.

A previous post on this blog talked about how punitive damages may be available after Reno, Nevada, drunk driving accidents. Our law office is fully prepared to help victims of drunk or drugged drivers pursue these damages when they are available. We will investigate thoroughly, so we can reinforce to a judge, a jury or even a mediator how important it is that drunk drivers pay all damages for which they are legally responsible.