Personal Injury Law Blog

The experienced Portland, Maine car accident attorneys at Hardy, Wolf and Downing have seen the tragic results of distracted driving accidents far too many times in our personal injury practice. As a service to the Maine community, we would like to educate our clients about the dangers of distracted driving in an effort to protect families and save lives.

An Orange County, California jury deadlocked today, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial in the distracted driving case against a 31-year-old driver who was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in an April 2011 accident that killed 23-year-old Deanna Mauer on the 405 Freeway. After 16 hours of deliberations, the twelve member jury could not reach a verdict.

Unless you’re a demolition derby driver, no one leaves the house in the morning expecting to be involved in a car accident.  Automobile accidents are scary, costly and often involve time away from work and family dealing with automobile repairs, liability issues, and insurance claims.

“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” Dorothy Parker Being the parent of a teenager isn’t for the faint of heart.  Seemingly overnight, the sweet toddler who was once begging you for another bedtime story is suddenly asking for the key to the family car so they can stay out past your bedtime.

With roughly 250 million cars and light trucks on our nation’s roadways,  roadside automobile accidents are a familiar sight for most motorists.  It’s rare to cruise down a busy highway without seeing the tell-tale flashing lights of emergency vehicles at the site of a car crash.

If you live in Maine, you’ll never run out of wonderful places to explore. But in order for everyone to enjoy hiking, walking and sightseeing safely,  motorists and pedestrians must be mindful of each other’s whereabouts and focus on sharing the roadways safely.  Especially as the weather warms up, more pedestrians will head outdoors to enjoy the beautiful sights around the state.

Spring can be a dangerous time for Maine drivers. Even though Mark Twain wasn’t concerned about driver safety as he addressed a room of New Englanders in 1876, he nevertheless noted, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Doubt and Diagnosis  Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are serious injuries to brain tissue that may leave patients with lasting physiological damage and serious cognitive deficits. These injuries also have long-term effects on victims’ ability to earn a living and perform routine functions of daily living.

In the year 2000, the Family Caregiver Alliance reported that approximately 13 million Americans required some type of long-term care in nursing homes, assisted living facilities or at home.  According to current estimates,  by the year 2050,  this figure is expected to double to approximately 27 million.

As our parents age, many face health problems that make it unsafe for them to continue driving. The experienced Maine elderly abuse attorneys at Hardy, Wolf and Downing know that adult children often face the difficult conversation with their aging parents when concerns arise about driving safety.