By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Jennifer A. Mock, 37, was ordered to serve 30 days to 6 months in prison, plus an additional 23 months on probation for driving drunk and running into a Port Carbon day care center sometime last year. Mock pleaded guilty September 23 to DUI, recklessly endangering another person and careless driving.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A woman of an unlicensed day care in Yacolt, Washington, was arrested after she was found passed out in her minivan with two children inside. The woman was identified as Sheia Mikolos, 45. According to authorities Mikolos was drunk and passed out behind the wheel. Along with the two children inside the minivan were empty and half-empty cans of beer. Mikolos was arrested on two counts of Reckless Endangerment. The children were inspected by medics then turned over to Child Protective Services, they were later returned to their parents. Mikolos is entitled to representation by a Washington criminal law attorney or a public defender. To read more on this story please see Owner of unlicensed day care center arrested after found passed out in car with two children.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Tragically, children are injured and die every year while crossing the street. In some instances, the injuries are caused by driver inattention or driver distraction. In other instances, the injuries are caused in part by the child’s inattention or distraction. Some times, the incident is caused by both the fault of the driver and the child. Parents, teachers, and caregivers should do their best to educate children about child pedestrian safety. USA Safe Kids has a very useful website that has a page titled Safe Kids Walk This Way. It contains a list of Child Pedestrian Safety Rules that should be reviewed with children. Simple safety precautions can help avoid serious personal injuries and deaths to children attempting to cross the street. Of course, all the care in the world cannot prevent death or injury to a child as a result of careless driving, negligent driving, or drunk driving.
By Steven Smith, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In New York, it is now a felony to drive a vehicle while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle. Drivers, many are the very parents of the child in the vehicle, should refrain from driving any time that a child or any other person would be put in danger while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Far too many personal injuries and deaths occur on New York roads due to drunk driving. The New York law was named after a child who died as a result of a drunk driver. Leandra Rosado, of Manhattan (New York) died as a passenger in vehicle going to a sleepover. There were also six other children in the vehicle at the time. While this law will not bring Leandra, who was only 11 years old at the time of the incident, back to us. Hopefully, the law will be a further deterrent to continued drunk driving on New York roads. You can read more about this law at New York’s Felony Law Takes Effect.
By David M. Baum, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Legislators in the State of Illinois are attempting to make the roads a little safer in Illinois by passing a ban on texting while driving law. It is not against Illinois law to drive while texting, checking e mail, updating Facebook, or otherwise surfing the Internet on handheld devices, mobile phones, and computers. There have been a great number of accidents attributed to distracted driving caused by these activities. The new laws make sense and should discourage many drivers from engaging in such acts. Of course, there have been driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence laws in effect for years; yet, people still drink and drive. Tragically, personal injuries continue to occur as a result of drinking and driving. While the new Illinois law will not completely eradicate texting while driving and other dangerous acts while driving, the new laws should reduce the incidents of such acts. The law should be a deterrent to drivers in the State of Illinois especially if the law is properly enforced. You can read more these new Illinois laws at Texting Ban While Driving – One of Many New Illinois Laws.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A sixteen year old girl with no driver’s license and a borrowed car drove into a tree outside the Wagon Wheel Mobile Home Park in Alamosa, Colorado. She had three other teenagers and two small children, aged 20 months and 4 years, in the car with her at the time. The car had been borrowed from a relative of one of the passengers. The girl is expected to be charged with drunk driving (DUI), driving without a license and criminal negligence resulting in the injury of a child. The driver is claiming that a steering malfunction caused her to miss the turn she was trying to make into the park, and sent her into the tree instead.
By Steven Smith, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Albany, New York, a bar owner backed a vehicle out of her driveway into a day care center. Marion Albert (age 77) backed out of her drive way, jumped a curb and then crashed into a day care center. A 15 year old girl was injured and suffered a fractured leg. Two other people (a 21 year old in the day care center and a one year old) suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, most of the children enrolled in the day care center were on a field trip at the time of the crash. Ms. Albert was charged with reckless driving, aggravated vehicular assault, felony driving while intoxicated, and endangering the welfare of a child. You can read more about this story at Bar Owner Backs Vehicle into Albany, New York Day Care Center.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Drinking and driving or driving under the influence is a danger in every city and town throughout the United States. Alaska is no exception to the dangers. in Fairbanks, Alaska, a mom used a different approach to dealing with the dangers of driving under the influence. This mother used her 7 year old son to drive her car. According to Alaska State Troopers, the mother was passed out next to her son. Karen Koch was charged with reckless endangerment and permitting an unauthorized person to drive a motor vehicle. You can read more about this story at Alaska Mother Uses Her 7 Year Old Son to Drive Her Car – Mother Passed Out Drunk in Car.
By Steven Smith, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Elizabeth Durante of West Islip New York was a young and caring college student. Recently she and other fellow students were driving from New York to Massachusetts, on their way to a humanitarian project in Uganda. A 24 year old Connecticut resident was driving under the influence when he operated his vehicle in the wrong direction on busy interstate 395. It was late at night and the drunken driver had no headlights on. His vehicle smashed head on into the vehicle in which Elizabeth Durante was a passenger, killing her.
By Jay Foster, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Trial has been set for Larry Setzer of Horn Lake, Mississippi who has been charged with two counts of causing a death while driving a car under the influence (DUI) and causing an personal injuries and death. Car accidents by DUI can affect all of us, including our children. At the time of the car wreck Setzer was not drinking but was on a drug called Xanax. Anything that can impair motor skills and alertness including but not limited to illegal drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, and sleep deprivation put innocent adults and children at risk on Mississippi highways and roads.
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