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A serious car collision in Tamarac can result in severe injuries, including spinal cord injuries, burns, and other injuries. In addition to being painful and devastating, these injuries can require literally years of healing time and recovery. In some cases, the injuries prove permanent and require a lifetime of care. If you have suffered a serious injury, it is important that you:

1) Get the best medical treatment you can. Seek help immediately after a traffic accident, since in some cases injuries can become fatal if not addressed right away. If you have been in a traffic collision in Tamarac or any other community, it is a good idea to seek medical attention, even if you do not have any serious symptoms or any symptoms at all. At the very least, you will want to be evaluated for head injury. In addition, you will want to get follow up care and possibly a second opinion if your injuries are serious. Unfortunately, medical mistakes and misdiagnosis in Tamarac and Florida can cause car accident patients to suffer even more serious injury and complications, so paying close attention to your medical care is vital.

2) Find a support system. Injuries don’t just cause physical pain. A severe traffic accident can also cause emotional trauma and upset. It is important to find a support system that can help you through the emotional healing process as your body heals. You can look for support groups in your area and turn to friends and family for help. If you feel depressed or are having trouble recovering emotionally from your injuries, speak with your doctor. He or she will be able to recommend counseling or other options that can help you.

3) Take care of your finances and legal rights. The insurance claims process after a traffic accident can be confusing and in many cases you may have the right to file a legal claim. The financial and legal aspects of your case can determine how much compensation you receive for your injuries. If you have been seriously injured and your healing process will take some time, it is very important to pursue the fairest compensation you are entitled to. Without it, you may end up paying some of the costs of your injury on your own, and this can cause significant financial distress at a time when you need no additional stress. To help safeguard your rights, consult with a personal injury attorney in Tamarac or your community to review your options.

4) Prevent further injury. One of the risks with a serious injury is secondary injury. For example, if you have sustained a head injury in a Tamarac car collision, balance and vision issues resulting from your injury could put you more at risk for slip and fall injuries in your Tamarac home. If you have sustained a serious injury, speak with your doctor about the steps you should take to minimize the risk of complications and secondary injury. This may involve making your home more accessible or it may mean getting physical therapy or other forms of therapy.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A North Carolina state trooper says that a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was driving while impaired in Union County, North Carolina on New Year’s Eve. The trooper says that the off-duty cop was weaving while traveling in his Ford Explorer around 6:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve. The trooper conducted a traffic stop, which ultimately led to DWI charges against the 44-year-old man.

Few details about the trooper’s DWI investigation have been made public. State officials claim that the off-duty officer admitted to drinking that day. But the state patrol has declined to say whether or not the off-duty officer failed any field sobriety test or submitted a sample for alcohol testing in the alleged DWI investigation.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say that the officer has been placed on administrative leave. The man is charged with several offenses in the aftermath of the traffic stop. Authorities accuse the man of DWI, operating a vehicle without insurance, expired registration, and driving left of center. The man’s driver’s license has also been revoked for 30 days, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Whenever law enforcement makes a DWI arrest of an officer, the story seems to make the news. It is important to note that people from all walks of life can face DWI charges. It is also important to remember that an arrest does not mean that a person is guilty of drunk driving.

A person accused of DWI has the right to challenge the allegations and the evidence in court. Mistakes are made in all walks of life. Law enforcement is not immune from making mistakes, and any chemical test used in alcohol testing may be subject to challenge for flaws.

Source: The Charlotte Observer, “CMPD officer charged with DWI on New Year’s Eve,” Cameron Steele and Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Jan. 3, 2013

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

A man has been charged after he allegedly assaulted several people as he tried to escape medical treatment at the Russell Health Centre on New Year’s Day.

Manitoba stories

Prosecutors turned to the North Carolina habitual felon statutes in a drunk driving case against a Leland, North Carolina, man. Authorities arrested the man in November on suspicion of driving while impaired. A grand jury later indicted the man as a habitual impaired driver, based in part on evidence that the man had a number of prior impaired driving arrests on his record.

Authorities say that the November 2011 DWI arrest was the 49-year-old defendant’s eighth DWI arrest. Prosecutors say that the man failed field sobriety tests and tested for a 0.10 blood alcohol level in a test on the night of the DWI arrest.

Prosecutors looked to the man’s overall criminal history and say that he has had numerous drunk driving charges, as well as 19 other criminal convictions, the bulk of which are reportedly for felony level offenses. Authorities say the man has priors for forgery, possession of stolen property, drug crimes and breaking and entering.

The habitual felon enhancements significantly increased the Leland man’s exposure to prison time. The defendant was sentenced to about two years behind bars for the November DWI allegations. The two years would have been the maximum sentence allowed, except for the habitual felon statutes. The habitual felon sentencing enhancements more than quadrupled the man’s overall sentence. The judge imposed a sentence of 108 to 138 months-or 9 to 11.5 years– in prison.

The 49-year-old was first convicted of DWI in 1993. He also has prior DWI convictions from 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. The 2007 conviction resulted in a sentence of 1 year and 8 months.

Sources:

• Star News Online, “Habitual drunken driver gets lengthy prison sentence,” F.T. Norton, July 25, 2012
• WECT “Following 8th DWI conviction, man sentenced to minimum of 9 years,” July 30, 2012

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

I don’t even know where to start with this one….

Man Spends 2 Years in Solitary After DWI Arrest


Dona Ana County, NM.  Jan. 25 – A New Mexico man who said he was forced to pull his own tooth while in solitary confinement because he was denied access to a dentist has been awarded million due to inhumane treatment by New Mexico’s Dona Ana County Jail.

Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, then thrown in jail for two years. He was in solitary at Dona Ana County Jail for his entire sentence and basically forgotten about and never given a trial, he told NBC station KOB.com Tuesday night.

"[Jail guards were] walking by me every day, watching me deteriorate," Slevin said. "Day after day after day, they did nothing, nothing at all, to get me any help."

Slevin’s medical problems extended beyond his dental issues, he said. His toenails started curling around his foot because they were so long, he told KOB.com. And his countless requests to see a doctor for depression medication were ignored, he said.

He said his lawsuit "has never been about the money. I’ve always wanted this to make a statement."

The million, awarded by a federal jury Tuesday, is one of the largest prisoner civil rights settlements in U.S. history, according to KOB.com.

"I wanted people to know that there are people at The Dona Ana County Jail that are doing things like this to people and getting away with it," said Slevin, who now suffers from PTSD and believes he will have to take medication for life as a result. "Why they did what they did, I have no idea."

The mistreatment started from the moment his client was arrested, Slevin’s attorney, Matt Coyte, told msnbc.com.

"He was driving through New Mexico and arrested for a DWI, and he allegedly was in a stolen vehicle. Well, it was a car he had borrowed from a friend; a friend had given him a car to drive across the country," Coyte said.

Slevin was depressed at the time, Coyte explained, and wanted to get out of New Mexico. Instead, he found himself in jail.

"When he gets put in the jail, they think he’s suicidal, and they put him in a padded cell for three days, but never give him any treatment."

Nor did they give him a trial, Coyte said. Slevin said he never saw a judge during his time in confinement.

After three days in a padded cell, jail guards transferred Slevin into solitary confinement without explanation.  "Their policy is to then just put them in solitary" if they appear to have mental health issues, Coyte told msnbc.com.

Dona Ana County officials were tight-lipped about the case, refusing to answer questions about whether any jail employees were reprimanded or fired over Slevin’s treatment…

While in solitary confinement, a prisoner is entitled to one hour per day out of the cell, but often times, Slevin wasn’t even granted that, Coyte said. He was deprived of showers and grew fungus underneath his skin. He lost his will to even want to get out and live in the outside world, Coyte told msnbc.com.

"Your insanity builds. Some people holler or throw feces out their cell doors," he said. "Others rock back and forth under a blanket for a year or more, which is what my client did."

By the time Slevin got out of jail, his hair was shaggy and overgrown, his beard long, and his face pale and sunken, a drastic contrast from the clean-shaven booking photo taken of him when he was arrested two years prior…

"Hs life has been devoted to survival [since his release from solitary]," Coyte told msnbc.com. "He is totally inequipped; he is hollow. They’ve removed his humanity from him."

His suffering hasn’t been in vain though, Coyte said.  "He’s a brave guy. When he says it’s not about the money, he really means it. He wants no one to go through what he went through. And people do, in New Mexico and across this country."

This wasn’t China or North Korea.  This happened in America.  And as his attorney said, this kind of thing isn’t going on just in New Mexico, it’s happening "across this country".
 

(Thanks to Robert Battle and Bill Sullivan.)
 

DUI BLOG

We are proud to kick off the launch of our new homepage in celebration of our 20th Anniversary this year. Since 1991, we have been fighting underage drinking and drunk driving while making a commitment to encouraging a healthier America.

Our Anniversary kicked off last week with a celebration including our staff, boards, member companies, and Olympic athletes Julie Foudy and Apolo Ohno – all people who have dedicated themselves to our mission over the past 20 years.

In addition to our new homepage, we have also added a new page to our site in celebration of our 20th. Over the course of the next eight months, this page will be updated with exciting new additions including a timeline to look back at the history of The Century Council. We will also announce an additional 19  people, for a total of 20 People to Watch in the future (we mentioned our first, Stephen Talpins, in yesterday’s post).

We look forward to celebrating with everyone!

Century Council Blog