It has been in the news that one of Nevada’s neighbors will lower the so-called legal limit with respect to their drunk driving laws. Starting in the next day or two, a person in this state who gets pulled over with .05 blood alcohol content or more will face criminal drunk driving penalties.

In Nevada, the legal limit remains .08, where it has been for quite some time, since the last nationwide movement to lower the limit from .10. However, there have been some signs that this new movement to lower the legal limit further has some traction. Other states have considered the matter, and a federal agency recommends the change.

Given the economy of Nevada and other issues, one could easily see state officials wishing to wait on making such a change. However, there is definitely medical evidence that supports the position of those who wish to lower the legal limit.

For instance, according to one analysis, a person who is trying to drive a car at .05 BAC may have slowed reaction times to the point where they will not be able to respond to an urgent situation on the highway that would require them to stop, swerve or take other action. Likewise, at .05, a person may have a hard time keeping focus on other vehicles and may experience problems steering.

The lesson injured victims in the Reno area can take from this discussion is that one need not be at .08 BAC in order to show the signs of being under the influence of alcohol and, thus, a dangerous driver. Any driver whose alcohol use contributed to an accident may be liable to pay compensation to their victims as a result of a drunk driving accident.

The attorneys at our Reno, Nevada, law office recognize acutely how important it is to make sure that a victim of a spinal cord injury gets compensation for all of his losses and expenses.

Not getting full compensation for spinal cord injuries can, after all, mean that a victim years or even decades down the road finds herself in a big financial pinch because of paralysis or a related condition that she did not cause. This is one reason why going with a less experienced personal injury lawyer, or one who is a little too quick to settle cases, can ultimately leave a victim in a lurch.

While this blog has often repeated that the lifetime cost of a spinal cord injury is very high, actually estimating the exact cost is hard for a variety of reasons. For one, since spinal cord injuries are permanent, figuring out the cost means accounting for years or even decades in to the future in terms of lost income and ongoing medical and rehabilitative care. This in itself is a difficult financial calculation.

Moreover, the exact cost depends on a number of specific factors. For one, the severity and extent of the injury must be taken in to account, as does the level of education and general background of the victim. Work experience and salary history, including fringe benefits and the likes, are also important to take in to account.

Getting fair compensation after a spinal cord injury is more than a matter of proving who is responsible. Insurance companies and others may try to minimize their losses by offering a settlement that does not come close to covering a person’s long-term losses, and someone without experience may mistake such an offer as a gesture of generosity. Our office has the know-how and resources to defend against this.

As Reno residents can probably guess, handling a truck or other large commercial vehicle is a tough task. This is why commercial drivers have to get a special license that entails extra training and other legal hoops that those who are just driving ordinary passenger cars do not usually have to worry about.

Getting a commercial license also means that commercial drivers are subject to special rules that other drivers do not have to worry about.

One of these rules is a requirement that, at least in commercial vehicles, drivers not operate with a blood alcohol content of more than .04, which is the equivalent of a couple of drinks. This is a limit Nevada drivers of large trucks and other commercial vehicles must observe even though Nevada’s legal limit is otherwise .08, just like the vast majority of the states.

Since this is the law, truck drivers must follow it, and trucking companies must likewise take steps to be sure the rule is followed. However, for those who are curious, there is actually some scientific fact behind this rule. The reality is that a driver who is at .05 BAC or even at .03 BAC does not have the same ability to make quick judgements, react or focus on objects that are ahead on the road.

Even at .04 blood alcohol content, a trucker can cause a lot of damage. Even a little mistake behind the wheel can lead to a bad truck accident. These sorts of accidents can leave victims permanently injured and unable to work.

If it turns out that the accident may have been caused by a driver who was over the alcohol limit for commercial drivers, even if he or she had under .08 BAC, then victims can attempt to hold the driver accountable via a lawsuit alleging negligence.

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.