Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

According to a study, the number of DUI arrests involving women has increased by 36% over the last decade. Men comprise the majority of all DUI arrests in the country, but women have been catching up.

According to the study, the factors influencing male and female drinking are extremely different. Many DUI arrests involving women, seem to be linked to drinking in the daytime while caring for children. This has led sociologists to speculate that this increase in DUI arrests involving women has to do with parenting-related stresses. The study noted that the majority of women who were arrested for DUI are the primary caregivers for their children. The Department of Transportation will focus on tackling this safety problem during its annual holiday enforcement campaign.

Another drunk driving-related study however has fewer surprises for Indiana personal injury lawyers. The study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that parents, who drive under the influence, are more likely to pass on such destructive driving practices to their children. When a teenage motorist has a mother who drives under the influence, his or her risks of driving under the influence are higher than for teenage drivers whose mothers do not drive under the influence. Approximately 18% of teenagers whose mothers drove intoxicated also drove intoxicated, compared to 11% of teens whose mothers did not drive under the influence. In the case of the fathers, the impact seems to even greater. Teenage motorists with fathers who drove under the influence were much more likely to drive under the influence, than teens whose fathers did not drive under the influence of alcohol. The percentage of teen DUIs whose fathers also drove under the influence was 21.4%

Continue reading "Women Are the New Drunk Driving Challenge for Law Enforcement" »

A new study indicates to Indiana medical malpractice lawyers that a surgeon’s risk of making potentially deadly errors increases not just when he's performing a surgical procedure under the influence of alcohol, but also over the next 24 hours.

The researchers studied a group of six surgeons. These surgeons consumed alcohol one night, and the next day, were placed in a laparoscopic simulator. The simulator allows them to “perform” laparoscopic procedures. The researchers specifically chose laparoscopy because these procedures typically require a heightened level of visual-spatial abilities and cognitive abilities. Before performing the surgery, the surgeons were tested for alcohol, and only 5% tested positive. Doctors were then tested at 9 PM, 1 PM, and 4 PM.

The researchers found that the risk of surgical errors after a night of drinking was especially high during the 1 PM slot.

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In 2005, the economic cost of accidents, including medical expenses and lost income from days off from work, totaled a staggering $99 billion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which came upon that estimate, however believes that the $99 billion tag could actually be much lower than the actual amount. For instance, that estimate doesn't include increased expenses in the form of higher insurance premiums that a motorist may have to pay after an accident. When you factor in these costs, the actual economic cost of accidents in 2005 could cross $200 billion.

It's data from 2005, but in spite of the five year gap, there's no reason for Indiana personal injury lawyers to believe that accident costs for 2009 or 2010, would be significantly lower. If you take the analysis methods adopted by the CDC, you are likely to find billions of dollars of economic losses caused by traffic accidents every year.

Continue reading "Annual Cost of Auto Accidents Equals $500 for Every US Motorist" »

Indiana’s icy roads and hazardous conditions received a lot of attention recently. Unfortunately, it was the consumption of alcohol by a careless driver that may have resulted in death and serious injuries for several people on Indiana State Road 37 this past week. The drivers and passengers were involved in a four-car accident that sent several to the hospital and one to the funeral home.

Continue reading "Alcohol May Be Involved In Indianapolis Accident" »