There is little in this world that offends the sensibilities of most people more than the sexual molestation of a child. Exploiting the innocence of a vulnerable minor is a heinous crime, and as such should be punished with as much time in prison as the law allows. But what about the victim? Prison time may prevent the sexual offender from violating more children, but it does little to help the innocent victim. Childhood sexual abuse often has a profound deleterious effect on a victim’s ability to function as an adult, especially in regard to sexual relationships, but also in a more general way because of anxiety, depression, and the inability to trust others. Call an experienced San Luis Obispo child abuse attorney immediately if you know a victim.
According to figures from (NHTSA), alcohol and drug use—including recreational, prescription, and over-the-counter medications—are incompatible with driving and cause untold suffering to victims of the many serious accidents caused by drunk or impaired drivers. Drunk driving crashes killed 10,322 people across the nation in 2012, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That comes to about one person every 51 minutes on the average. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) reports that the cost of alcohol-related crashes is more than $132 billion per year.
Wrongful Death
We expect to live a normal human lifespan into our seventies and eighties, and we expect the same for those we love. When death takes a loved one prematurely, it is always devastating. But when the death was entirely preventable, never should have happened, and was caused by someone’s negligent or careless act, it may be simply too much to bear. When a beloved member of your family is snatched away without warning, through no fault on their part or yours, and you are left with nothing but your grief, a pile of medical bills and funeral expenses, and perhaps even the loss of your family’s income, you may be overwhelmed with anger and sorrow and unsure of what to do next. A San Luis Obispo wrongful death lawyer knows how to act, and can help you through the entire legal process. Call one immediately if your family is suffering from a death caused by negligence.
Traffic Violations
There are several things about delivery trucks that make accidents more likely than with other vehicles. First and foremost is that delivery truck drivers are often under time pressure. Companies like UPS have strict standards on how much time it should take their drivers per delivery. Pizza restaurants sometimes guarantee that delivery will occur within a specific amount of time. Drivers nearing the end of the work day may find that they have limited time to get back to the company’s garage by closing time. The time pressure encourages speeding and may impair the driver’s concentration.
Sex Crimes
In California, the statute of limitations for bringing a civil action for sexual abuse or molestation of a child extends to eight years from the victim’s 18th birthday or three years from the time the abuse is discovered, usually in therapy.
If you’ve been injured in a fall caused by a hazardous condition on property belonging to someone else, you may be able to recover money to compensate you for your financial and quality-of-life damages. Slip, trip, and fall accidents are a type of premises liability case. They arise when a property owner, operator, maintenance contractor, or caretaker fails to maintain, monitor, or repair, their property, allowing the existence of dangerous conditions, resulting in serious harm to a visitor or tenant, and incurring liability for the damages the victim has suffered. Although people of all ages are vulnerable to premises injuries, senior citizens tend to suffer the most serious injuries from falls, which often lead to dramatically reduced mobility, loss of independence, and diminished life expectancy. The San Luis Obispo premises liability attorney Jude Basile is experienced at handling these cases and can help you get the compensation you deserve.
In many cases, burn injuries are the result of another person’s negligence, carelessness, error, or wrongdoing in the workplace, the home, in another’s premises, and in auto accidents. In these cases, the victim may be able to recover monetary compensation for economic and quality-of-life damages with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.
Medical Malpractice
Head and brain injuries affect more than five million Americans. At their worst, they are among the most catastrophic of all injury types, causing untold amounts of physical and emotional suffering and lost productivity. Every brain injury is unique, because the damage suffered depends on the function of the particular areas of the brain affected. Brain damage can be caused by an open head injury, which allows an object to penetrate the bone of the skull and damage brain tissue, or a closed injury, the more common type, which leaves the skull intact but damages soft brain tissue as it moves within the hard skull and rams against it. Brain injuries are often the result of falls, auto accidents, sports injuries, and acts of violence. A brain injury may also occur at birth or during a medical procedure, in which case it might be the result of medical malpractice. To succeed in obtaining sufficient compensation to reflect the full range of losses you’ve suffered, you will usually need to retain a San Luis Obispo head injury lawyer with a strong record of recovering money for serious and catastrophic injuries.