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North Carolina state troopers arrested a high school principal from Hyde County over the weekend on suspicion of driving while impaired. Authorities claim that the Mattamuskeet High School principle was driving a school-owned vehicle when he was arrested.

State troopers claim that the man measured 0.11 percent blood alcohol concentration after he was taken into custody. North Carolina law presumes impairment for any driver who measures 0.08 percent BAC or more.

DWI defense lawyers in North Carolina know that a person accused of drunk driving remains innocent until proven guilty. This blog has previously discussed collateral issues that can flow if a person is convicted of an alcohol-related offense. The high school principal reportedly has taken leave from his role as principal while the school district completes an independent probe into the DWI allegations.

Troopers claim that the 57-year-old man crashed the school-owned car while traveling on U.S. 264. Authorities believe that the driver took a curve too fast and lost control after over-correcting on the curve.

The car struck a utility pole alongside U.S. 264 near Swan Quarter, North Carolina. Law enforcement says that the driver’s-side fender of the county-owned vehicle, a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria, was damaged in the car accident. The wreck was reported around 12:45 Saturday afternoon.

Troopers ultimately arrested the school principal for drunk driving. A court date on the DWI allegations is scheduled for March 6. Meanwhile, the high school official is out on annual leave. This is the man’s first year as principal of the school.

Sources:

• WITN, “High School Principal Taking Leave After DWI Arrest,” Feb. 5, 2013
• WXII, “NC principal charged with DWI in school vehicle,” Feb. 4, 2013

Greenville DUI Attorney Blog | North Carolina Underage Drinking Lawyer | Pitt County First DUI Law Firm

Miami spinal cord injuries are most often caused by Miami car accidents and traffic accidents, violence, and falls. Miami traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of these types of injuries. Unfortunately for patients who have sustained this type of injury, spinal cord injuries can be among the most expensive injuries to sustain in a Miami truck accident or car accident. The medical costs alone in the first year can exceed 0 000, in part because of the many treatments that these patients need:

1) Emergency medical care. Most Miami spinal cord injury patients are rushed to hospital directly from the accident scene, where they require immediate medical help.

2) Rehabilitation. Miami spinal cord injury patients almost always need years of rehabilitation in order to strength muscles, regain some mobility, and learn to deal with a severe injury. Thes cost of this type of help can be substantial.

3) Counseling and support. Depression is a common concern for Miami spinal cord injury patients, many of whom suffer from depression and even substance abuse problems as they try to cope with their injury. In many cases, patients require help for the depression or even medication for the condition.

4) Surgery. After sustaining a traumatic spinal cord injury, many patients require emergency surgery to stabilize the spinal cord or to remove pressure from the spinal cord. These surgeries generally require a specialist and are quite complex, resulting in higher costs.

5) Extended hospital stays. Most patients who have sustained a spinal cord injury need to be in traction or kept immobilized in order to allow the injured area to heal. Patients may also require more healing time after surgery, resulting in extended hospital stays as well as numerous costs.

6) Ventilators and other costs. Patients who have sustained injuries high on the spinal cord may not be able to breathe on their own and may need to be on a ventilator or may need a pacemaker for the rest of their lives. The yearly costs of the ventilator and patient care for someone using this type of device can be quite high.

7) Transportation costs. If a Miami spinal cord injury patient recovers some mobility, they may be able to drive but may require a special vehicle or a specially modified vehicle that accommodates the injury. In cases where patients do not have the mobility to drive a car, they may need to pay for other methods of transportation. Many patients will also need a wheelchair.

Loss of income costs. Many patients spend months away from work after a Miami spinal cord injury. In some cases, mobility issues do not allow a patient to return to work and the patient must find some way to replace the lost income of decades.

9) Home care and home accessibility changes. Many patients with severe Miami spinal cord injuries need home care and in some cases require around-the-clock care because they do regain enough mobility to take care of everyday tasks themselves. The cost of a lifetime of at-home care can be substantial. In addition, in most cases, some changes to the home will also be needed to accommodate mobility issues. For example, grab bars may need to be installed in the bathrooms, lifts on the stairs, and ramps to the house. In some cases, doorways may need to be widened and counters lowered if a patient is wheelchair-bound.

10) Medication and incidental medical costs. Medications are usually required for Miami spinal cord injury patients. In addition to pain medication and anti-depressants many patients may also need medication to deal with occasional infections. In fact, spinal cord patients are subject to many complications, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and other problems which may require treatment and medication.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

According to an AAA review of 2009 traffic accident data, car accidents and other road accidents cost the US 9.5 billion in 2009. That represents a doubling of the cost of 2005 crashes. According to the AAA, Miami car accidents as well as accidents in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York reported the highest number of injuries. Miami can also be one of the most expensive places for car crashes. According to the AAA, the per-resident cost of car accidents in Miami-Fort Lauderdale is ,016, which is higher than the costs in San Francisco and all other large cities. There are many things that contribute to the high costs of Miami automobile crashes:

1) More congestion. As a larger city, Miami sees quite a lot of foot traffic, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, cars. With all of these travelers sharing the road, it is no surprise that Miami sees quite a few Miami pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and other traffic accidents. Where there is congestion, tempers tend to flare, and a larger concentration of vehicles and travelers can increase the risk of Miami car accidents and other traffic accidents.

2) Higher living costs. The cost of living in Miami can be higher, which can mean that the impact of income loss after a Miami truck accident or car accident may be more keenly felt. Trying to get by on savings, personal loans, or credit cards after a Miami traffic accident can be much harder, simply because there are higher costs to contend with.

3) Higher numbers of car accidents. Miami sees more traffic crashes than a smaller city, and the larger number of accidents increases the risk and also the insurance costs for everyone.

4) High speed areas. Miami has many overpasses, freeways, and high-speed roads in order to facilitate traffic movement. Unfortunately, high-speed areas can also mean more high-speed accidents, which tend to be accidents leading to fatalities and more serious injuries.

5) Insurance fraud. Unfortunately, Miami has the dubious distinction of being home to large numbers of insurance fraudsters. In fact, Florida leads the nation for insurance fraud. Insurance fraud delays insurance payout claims for even legitimate cases, as all claims coming from Florida are treated with a degree of suspicion. As well, insurance fraud increases the cost of insurance and car accidents for all Florida motorists.

6) A high number of fatal car accidents. According to the AAA, an average fatal car accident costs million. The AAA considers the costs of accidents by tabulating property damage, lost income, medical expenses, reduced daily or household activities, costs of emergency services, traffic delays, rehabilitation, lost work productivity, legal and administrative expenses, lost quality of life, and pain.

According to the AAA, reducing the cost of accidents begins with reducing the number of accidents. The AAA suggests adding modern roundabouts and placing barriers on two-way roads to prevent accidents. In addition, the AAA promotes the use of rumble strips to reduce the toll of traffic accidents.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Florida car accidents involving teens have a high cost – both in terms of lives lost and in terms of dollars. According to the AAA, car accidents involving teen drivers who are between the ages of 15 and 17 cost the US over billion in 2006 alone in damages and medical costs. Teen drivers cost the US .8 billion in fatal crashes that year and teen driver car accidents caused 2,541 fatalities and 406,427 injuries.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that car accidents account for about 36% of deaths for teens, making it a leading cause of death for this age group. The risk of car accidents for teen drivers between 16 and 19 years old is higher than the risk for any other age group. Teens who are 16 and 17 are especially at risk, with one out of three drivers reporting an accident in their first year on the road.

Many Florida car accidents involve young drivers, and there are many ways to reduce the risk for young drivers, according to experts:

1) Increase mandatory training. Teen athletes log in thousands of hours of practice, but most states require just a few dozen hours of training time with a skilled instructor. Asking your political representatives to increase mandatory training is an important first step. In the meantime, parents and family members can pay for extra training time for their teen drivers – and check to make sure that teens take advantage of the offer. The more experienced drivers are, the less likely they are to be in an accident.

2) Focus on defensive driving. Once teens learn the basics of parking, turning, and sharing the road, they should also be taught emergency driving situations and defensive driving or collision-avoidance techniques. Ideally, these would be required by law. Until they are, parents can ensure that their teens get the extra training needed to stay safe. Many national programs cost less than 0.

3) Graduated licensing. Studies of graduated licensing programs have shown that easing new drivers into driving by increasing driving privileges gradually works. Signing pledges and creating new driver agreements to ensure that teens do not drive under the influence or while distracted can also be helpful.

4) Limiting the number of passengers in a car. Additional passengers mean additional distractions and each additional passenger increases the risk of a serious Florida car accident, according to many research studies. Unfortunately, teens tend to ferry many passengers, since younger friends are often without a license and car of their own. Parents can insist that teen drivers drive no more than one or two friends at a time to reduce the risk of accidents.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Western Manitoba is far from being
finished with this spring’s floodwater.
Manitoba stories

So you only had two beers, but the breathlyzer read .11%. What happened? Well, for starters, breath machines are generally inaccurate and unreliable. Then again, maybe you had a dietary deficiency. Scientific research appears to indicate that a high blood-alcohol level may not reflect high alcohol consumption, but rather a deficiency of zinc in the blood.

In a study conducted at the University of North Dakota, researchers discovered that the metabolism of alcohol was dramatically affected by zinc intake. For example, they found that for those subjects on a low zinc diet, blood-alcohol levels increased rapidly within 15 minutes of consumption of measured amounts of alcohol: roughly twice as much alcohol was present in their blood as was present in those subjects on normal zinc diets. Further, greater amounts of alcohol remained in the blood for longer periods of time when there was a zinc deficiency. 46 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 688.

Interestingly, it has been discovered that individuals who regularly consume large amounts of alcohol develop zinc deficiencies. This deficiency will, of course, cause the higher alcohol concentration and slower elimination. In other words, it is the problem drinker who is most likely to have abnormal absorption and elimination of alcohol — and abnormally high blood-alcohol test results.
 

DUI BLOG

Brandon police are investigating a break-in at a high school in the western Manitoba city.

Winnipeg Sun – Manitoba

Today’s article in USA Today entitled, “Website warns athletes that alcohol can lead to prison, death” is a good reminder about the dangers of underage drinking. The article describes how the New Mexico Activities Association is launching a website (lifeofanathlete.com) to remind high school athletes about the dangers of alcohol abuse. On the website, the story of Gabe Gurule is told. Gabe, a former three-sport athlete at an Albuquerque high school who was being recruited by several Big 12 schools, drove drunk on Thanksgiving 2005 and killed three innocent people. He’s now spending his time in the Central NM Correctional Facility in Los Lunas.

Perhaps the most telling part of the article is to point out that the program stresses to high school athletes that even occasional alcohol use can have an impact. They say, “A single night of partying, according to the American Athletic Institute, can undo two weeks of training. It can also have more serious results.” Gabe proved that.

For parents of high school athletes (or even non-athletes), this is a good reminder of why we must continually talk with our teens. Please start the conversation if you haven’t already. It may be your teen you prevent from becoming a victim or a prisoner in a correctional facility.

Blog to Eliminate Drunk Driving