Atlanta Injury Attorney BlogWith the holidays recently coming to a close, many people are looking back on late-night gatherings they enjoyed with friends and family throughout the season. While most holiday parties go smoothly, however, from our experience practicing law we know that many of these events end in DUI charges and other alcohol-related legal problems. Historically, alcohol has had a complex relationship with the law, ranging from outright prohibition in the 1920s to modern-day task forces monitoring underage drinking near fraternity houses. Because of this, laws are refined and changed rather frequently, and one of the most important examples is the Georgia Supreme Court’s reinforcement of the Dram Shop Act last July.
Wrongful Death Liability for Georgia State Patrol for New Years Eve Crash
We heard the sirens as my wife and I walked to the Chik Fil A Bowl to watch Virginia get crushed by Auburn and it was not until the next day that we read about the tragic collision that took the life of the wife of an Atlanta Braves trainer. She was killed when her SUV was struck by a Georgia State Patrolman speeding to help another officer in a traffic stop. The patrolman was not in pursuit of anyone at the time and had his lights activated but witnesses disagree on whether his siren was active. It is undisputed that he entered the intersection on a red light.
Depositions in Car Accident Cases: It Depends on What Your Definition of Is Is
So, we just finished deposition a tractor trailer driver who was involved in a collision with a motorcycle that kill the cyclist. The truck driver had been driving down a road with two lanes on each side of a grass median and he had taken a left turn. While being asked the questions in deposition, he was asked several times whether he turned from the left hand hand lane. He was asked whether he got into the right hand lane as some tractor trailer drivers are prone to do. They tend to take wide angles on the turn to allow the tandem wheels to track properly around the curb.
Lawyers Seek Permission to Offer $10,000 Reward for Hit and Run Truck Driver
Our firm is currently working with the family of Tre Little to track down a tractor trailer driver who caused a hit and run crash on I-285 at 5:30AM on November 15th. There is physical evidence that a Ford Focus was struck by the tractor trailer and slammed into Mr. Little’s car. Both of those drivers were killed by a third vehicle when they got out of their car.
Your Arrest Gets Published Online and It’s the First Thing That Comes Up When You Google Your Name
In the course of handling a lawsuit against an underage driver who was charged with DUI for civil damages stemming from a bad injury, we Googled the Defendant and one of the top hits was his more recent arrest for Minor in Possession. www.Arrestcentral.com and www.Bustedmugshots.com are two examples of sites that cull readily available arrest information and make it very Google friendly.
This can become a huge problem for you, especially if you have a unique name. If you have a common name, a search on you are your city of residence is likely to return hundreds of responses. But, if you are uniquely named and have an arrest record that has been scraped, odds are that a prospective boss or nosey parent will locate the information.
Can they publish that information? Don’t I have privacy rights?
Yes, they can publish any true public information. Yes you have privacy rights, but an arrest record is public and your privacy rights are trumped by the First Amendment rights of the publisher. The same holds true for a newspaper reporting your arrest. So long as they don’t cross the line and say that you are guilty, as they did in the Richard Jewell (Olympic Park Bombing Suspect) case.
Alcohol Sales in Sandy Springs Start November 11 but Not in Atlanta
Sandy Springs and Woodstock will start Sunday alcohol sales as early as 12:30 PM on Sunday November 20th but it will take a while longer in Atlanta. The Atlanta City Council passed an ordinance saying that sales will not go into effect until January 1, 2012.
Top Five Initial Mistakes that Car Accident Victims Make
We get calls all day long from anxious car accident victims with questions ranging from property damage fairness to complex surgical options. Over the last 2 years as health insurance and car insurance regulations have evolved, one thing is clear; there is a dearth of good information out there. Without further ado then I will hit today on the top five mistakes that we see people making after they are injured in a car accident.
What Does an Epidural Steroid Injection Feel Like?
So today I had to go in for an epidural steroid injection to my L5-S1 level due to radiating numbness in my leg and pain for several months. Over the last 15 years as an Atlanta car accident lawyer, I have discussed, analyzed, asked deposition questions and argued about these procedures. Going through with one yourself is quite another experience altogether.
Lawyers Barred from Seeking Punitive Damages for Cell Phone Use
In a groundbreaking Atlanta car accident case, lawyers have received an unfortunate decision on whether a driver who causes a crash and injury because of cell phone use can be sued for punitive damages.The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in Lindsey v. Clinch County Glass Inc. No A11A1313 that where a driver caused a car accident while talking on a cell phone, the injured party cannot pursue a claim for punitive damages.
Georgia law allows a party to sue for punitive damages when there is a “pattern or police of dangerous driving, such as excessive speeding or driving under the influence.” But the Court stopped short of finding that talking on a cell phone and causing a crash was anything more than a violation of the rules of the road. The decision did not bar a car accident victim from seeking punitive damages in cases where the at fault driver was texting and driving although no case has specifically said that texting enables a punitive damages claim either.
North Fulton Regional Hospital and Atlanta Medical Center Bills after a Car Accident
When clients meet with us after a car accident in Atlanta and they disclose that they received their emergency room care at North Fulton Regional or Atlanta Medical Center and they do not have health insurance, we know going in that the bill is going to be staggering. Back in 2009, the Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a study on the markup hospitals apply to cost.