Three injured near Reno when paint truck slams into SUV
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • May 23, 2014
After a simple car accident, the law of personal injury in Nevada is straightforward: When a negligent driver causes an accident that hurts another person, the negligent party is liable for damages to the injured. However, many accidents are far from simple, and oftentimes the law can be anything but straightforward.

Recently, three people were injured in an accident near Reno when a semitrailer smashed into an SUV. According to police, the driver of the SUV, who was carrying two passengers, had run into a stop sign, which punctured one of the vehicle’s tires. The driver then tried to turn around, but was struck by the semitrailer, carrying a load of paint.

The three occupants of the SUV were transported to a nearby hospital. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said. The trailer of the large truck flipped in the accident, spilling paint all over the road. The semitrailer driver was apparently unhurt.

After a truck accident such as this one, it can be hard to sort out what really happened and who might be liable for medical expenses and other damages. The fact that a driver does something wrong just before being injured in an accident – such as running into a stop sign – may or may not affect that driver’s recovery in a personal injury lawsuit. Even if the injured driver was partially responsible for the collision between two vehicles, this may reduce that driver’s recovery, but doesn’t necessarily mean that the injured driver can’t recover any damages.

In addition, truck accidents raise their own legal complications. When a truck driver causes an accident, that driver may be held liable for damages, but in some cases so too may the trucking company that employed the driver.

Because semitrailers are so large and heavy, the injuries in truck accidents are likely to be very serious and require huge medical expenses. A personal injury lawsuit can help the injured to be compensated for these damages. A Nevada attorney with experience in truck accident lawsuits can help the injured or their families to understand how the law may apply to the unique circumstances of their case.

Source: Reno Gazette-Journal, ” Accident in Fernley leaves three hospitalized ,” Marcella Corona, May 15, 2014

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Number of motorcycle accident deaths rises in Nevada
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • May 16, 2014
There was good news and bad news for Nevada motorcyclists in recent traffic safety reports. Nationwide, the number of deaths in motorcycle accidents declined in 2013 by 7 percent from the year before, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. The small drop is significant because the number increases most years. This drop marks only the second year that the number has declined since 1997. Researchers cautioned that the decline may be largely due to the fact that much of the country experienced poor weather for much of last year, leading to fewer American motorcyclists on the roads.

And now for the really bad news: Nevada was apparently one of 13 states listed in the Governors Highway Safety Association report that experienced an increase in the number of motorcycle fatalities. In fact, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety, the 53 motorcyclists killed on the state’s roadways last year represented an increase of 39 percent over 2012.

The authorities often remind motorcyclists to be careful on Nevada roads. What doesn’t get stated often enough is that many motorcycle accidents are caused by drivers of other vehicles. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, nearly half of all fatal motorcycle accidents involve collisions with another type of vehicle. The majority of these occur when a car or truck driver fails to yield or violates the motorcyclist’s right of way.

Because they are so much more exposed than other people on the road, motorcyclists’ injuries in an accident are likely to be severe. When these injuries are due to another negligent driver, the injured or their families may be compensated for medical expenses and other damages through a personal injury lawsuit.

Nevada attorneys with experience in motorcycle accident lawsuits can help the injured or their families to understand how the process works. Because the injuries are likely to be severe, the expenses caused by these accidents are likely to be extremely high. A lawsuit can help the injured or their families to cope.

Source: CBS News, ” Motorcycle accidents claiming fewer American lives ,” Robert Preidt, May 6, 2014

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Seven hospitalized after multi-vehicle crash near Reno
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • May 08, 2014
Nearly all types of traffic accidents on Nevada roadways have the capacity to cause serious injuries, but accidents involving large commercial vehicles have the capacity to cause greater harm to more people than do other crashes on the road. The simple fact is that 18-wheelers and other commercial trucks are bigger and heavier than other vehicles, and therefore when they hit something, they hit it with more force.

Recently, seven people were hospitalized after a serious multi-vehicle accident which police said appeared to have been started when a cement truck ran into a passenger car on U.S. Highway 395 just north of Reno.

Police said the impact of that first collision sent the passenger car into a guardrail. Other vehicles, including a Hummer and a motorcycle, collided with each other in a chain reaction, police said.

Police said a toddler received a head injury in the accident. The other six people received injuries that police said were not life-threatening.

Nevada law provides that those injured in a vehicle accident caused by a negligent driver may be eligible to receive compensation for damages by filing a personal injury lawsuit. However, determining negligence can become more complicated when an accident involves multiple vehicles.

In addition to that legal complication, accidents involving commercial trucks have legal peculiarities of their own. In some cases, the trucking company may be held liable as well as the driver for the accident.

A Nevada attorney with experience in personal injury cases involving truck accidents can help the injured or their families to understand how the law may apply to their unique circumstances. The injuries in a truck accident can be severe and require extremely high medical expenses. A personal injury lawsuit can help the injured and their families to cope with the lingering costs of a terrible accident

Source: KTVN, ” 7 hurt in Reno multi-car crash; US 365 reopens ,” April 29, 2014

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Family sues FedEx for $100 million over fatal truck-bus crash
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Apr 30, 2014
Many Reno residents were horrified recently by news reports about a fiery crash between a FedEx truck and a chartered bus full of high school students. Ten people died in the accident, five of them young students on their way to a college visit at Humboldt State University in California.

Now, the family of one of the students killed in the tragic accident has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against FedEx. The family argues that negligent truck maintenance was behind the crash. The lawsuit claims that FedEx trucks had a history of catching on fire and that FedEx failed to address the problem. Witnesses said the FedEx truck was on fire before it jumped a median and crashed into the bus.

The bus company and the estate of the FedEx truck driver are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. The family seeks $100 million in damages.

Lawsuits involving truck accidents raise some legal issues that are unlikely to come up in lawsuits involving accidents between two cars. Nevada law provides that those who have been injured by another driver’s negligence may be compensated for medical expenses and other damages through a personal injury lawsuit. In the case of a fatal accident, the family of the victim may be compensated through a wrongful death lawsuit.

The difference in a truck accident is that parties other than the negligent driver may be held liable for damages. In some cases, the trucking company may be held liable simply because the driver was working as an agent of the company at the time of the accident. In other cases, the trucking company may be held liable because it was negligent in maintaining its vehicles, or because it violated federal trucking safety regulations.

A Reno attorney with experience in truck accident lawsuits can help the injured or their families to understand how the laws may apply to their unique set of circumstances. The injuries and the monetary damages from a truck accident are likely to be severe, and a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit can help the injured or their families to cope with the aftermath of a terrible accident.

Source: Los Angeles Times, ” Mother of student who died in fatal bus crash sues for $100 million ,” Christine Mai-Duc, April 23, 2014

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Nevada pedestrian killed while crossing street
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Apr 28, 2014
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable people on Nevada roads. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, a pedestrian is injured in a traffic accident every eight minutes. A pedestrian is killed every two hours. Even as fatalities from car accidents have declined in recent years, pedestrian fatalities have shown increases.

Recently, a woman was struck by a car and killed while walking across a street in Fernley, about a half-hour’s drive from Reno. Police said the 63-year-old woman was in or near a marked crosswalk at about 8:30 p.m. when a Cadillac sedan struck her.

Police said the 49-year-old driver of the Cadillac was cooperating with authorities in the investigation. The driver’s two children were in the car at the time of the accident, police said. Alcohol was not considered to be a factor in the accident, police said.

Under Nevada law, when someone is killed due to another driver’s negligence, the victim’s family members may be compensated for their monetary damages through a wrongful death lawsuit. To show that the driver was negligent, the plaintiffs would have to show that the driver failed to exercise a reasonable level of care, and that the injury occurred because of that lack of care.

The fact that a car hit a pedestrian does not necessarily mean that the driver was negligent. Pedestrians also have a duty to act reasonably, and a pedestrian who darts across a busy street on a dark night may be deemed to have acted unreasonably. If that is the case, a court may find that there was nothing that a reasonable driver could have done to avoid the crash. However, if a pedestrian was struck while using a crosswalk at an appropriate time, this is strong evidence to show that the driver caused the accident through negligence.

A Nevada attorney can help the injured or their families to understand their rights and legal options after a terrible accident. An award in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit cannot turn back time, but it can help the injured and their families to cope with the aftermath of an accident.

Source: KTVN.com, ” NHP Identifies Woman Killed by Car While Crossing Fernley Street ,” April 15, 2014

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New study gives hope for spinal cord injury therapy
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Apr 17, 2014
Among the worst injuries Nevada residents suffer in car accidents are those that affect the spine. Long after bruises, broken bones and cuts have healed, spinal cord injuries can keep people paralyzed. Despite all its advances, modern medicine still struggles to come up with effective treatments for people with serious injuries to their spinal cords.

That said, a recent study provides some hope that some spinal cord injury sufferers – even those whose injuries occurred years before – may one day regain control of their limbs.

The study, reported in the journal Brain, used electrodes that were placed near the spine of patients who had been paralyzed for more than two years. Researchers used the electrodes to stimulate the patients’ spinal cords while manipulating their paralyzed limbs. Ordinarily, the brain sends electrical impulses down the spinal cord to control these movements, but in people with spinal cord injuries, the signals can be blocked. Researchers found that by using the electrode therapy, they were able to restore the connections in some patients.

A similar study was published in 2011 in the medical journal Lancet. Researchers consider the new study especially promising because it replicated the results of the earlier study and showed that the therapy can work even for patients who have been paralyzed for more than two years. Previously, researchers thought that after two years, connections cannot be re-established between the brain and the limbs.

Spinal injuries often occur as the result of a car accident. When these injuries are the result of someone else’s negligent, the injured may be compensated for their damages through a personal injury lawsuit. One category of damages recoverable is future medical expenses. This category refers to the rehabilitative treatment and other expenses that will be necessary to treat the injuries long after the lawsuit is completed.

In cases involving difficult-to-treat, permanent injuries such as those to the spinal cord or brain, future medical expenses can be very important, and very expensive. A Nevada attorney with experience in personal injury cases can help the injured to calculate these and other damages so that they can get the compensation they need.

Source: Los Angeles Times, ” Electric stimulation offers new hope for ‘reawakening’ paralyzed limbs ,” Melissa Healy, April 8, 2014

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Nevada police cracking down on distracted driving
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Apr 11, 2014
Portable digital devices are great for keeping in touch with people, taking photos or just playing a game while stuck in a long line. In the past few years, the devices have become such a big part of many people’s daily routines that some Nevada residents forget that there are certain situations in which they should definitely not look at their phones. Perhaps the most important time to put the phone away is when one is behind the wheel.

Recently, Nevada law enforcement have been cracking down on motorists who are using their cell phones while driving. The crackdown is part of a campaign called Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of using a cell phone while driving.

Nevada law prohibits talking or sending or receiving messages on a wireless device while driving. Those who are cited for violating the statute can be fined up to $250.

Still, authorities say that one in four fatal car accidents is caused by a distracted driver. “Distracted driving” is a loose category, but studies show that texting and driving is widespread and can easily lead to an accident. Nevada Highway Patrol officials have said they view distracted driving to be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

In Nevada, the law states that those injured in a car accident caused by the negligence of another driver may receive compensation for medical expenses and associated damages by filing a personal injury lawsuit. If an accident occurs involving a driver who fails to execute the same level of caution that another reasonable person would under similar circumstances, that driver may face negligent driving charges. Drunk driving is strong evidence to show negligence. So too is distracted driving.

A Nevada attorney working for clients who have been injured in a car accident would investigate the circumstances of the crash, looking for evidence to show whether the other driver caused the crash through carelessness. Evidence that the driver was texting while driving or otherwise distracted could be very important.

Source: Public News Service, ” NV Law Enforcement Cracking Down On ‘Distracted Drivers’ ,” Troy Wilde, April 8, 2014

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Nevada Highway Patrol: Drivers still using phones behind wheel
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Apr 02, 2014
car accidents

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Nevada police: Driver was on drugs at time of fatal accident
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Mar 26, 2014
car accident

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Cattle truck collides with station wagon on Nevada road
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Mar 20, 2014
A loaded semitrailer truck can weigh 25 times more than an average passenger car. That simple fact explains why truck accidents are among the most deadly accidents on Nevada roads. Any collision between a big-rig truck and a smaller vehicle can lead to catastrophic injuries for the people in the smaller vehicle.

Recently, in Douglas County, about 30 minutes from Reno, a driver was sent to the hospital after a semitrailer pulling a load of live cattle collided with a station wagon. News reports did not reveal the condition of the hospitalized driver of the station wagon. The truck driver was not reported to have been injured. Of the 66 cattle in the truck’s trailer, 25 were killed, police said.

According to police, the truck driver ran a red light before hitting the station wagon.

In addition to the greater risk of serious injury, truck accidents also raise different legal issues that typical car accidents. After someone is injured in an accident caused by a negligent driver, Nevada law provides that the negligent driver may be found liable for medical expenses and other damages suffered by the injured. However, when the negligent driver was behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, there may be other parties liable as well.

In some cases, a trucking company may be held liable for an accident under the legal theory of respondeat superior, which holds employers liable for damages caused by their employees. A trucking employer may also be held at least partially liable if the accident was partly the result of the company violating federal trucking regulations, such as those designed to reduce the dangers of truck driver fatigue.

Exactly how liability might apply can only be determined after an investigation of the case. A Nevada attorney may be able to help the injured to understand how the law may apply to their unique circumstances.

Source: KTVN.com, ” 2-Vehicle Accident Shuts Down Douglas County Intersection ,” March 12, 2014

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