Walter A. Haynes Personal Injury Law Blog

With the rise of public transit at an all-time high in many cities across the nation due to both skyrocketing gas prices and an increased number in commuters (many of whom have been forced to take jobs further and further away from home) the issue of train safety is gaining momentum.

It is important to remember that whether you (or a family member) is the taking the train or simply crossing over an intersection that has railway tracks, safety must come first.   In... Read More

Although one aspect of this story is a few years old, current versions of it are popping up with the rise of social networking sites like Face-book and Twitter.  In fact, just a few months ago various states have reported findings to the ABA on how jurors and lawyers have been posting play-by-play status updates from inside the courtroom.

The question then becomes: What type of impact does this type of behavior have on a trial?  The first and most obvious answer (at least... Read More

In April of this year the New York Times posted an article entitled, New Lessons to Pave a Road to Safety.  Since the story’s initial release, letters to the editor have been pouring in (one of which was recently posted by the news giant) addressing parents concerns and reactions to the piece.  So what is this controversy really about?  I decided to take another look and my findings were both surprising and fascinating.

First of all, most people... Read More

With the success of heavily caffeinated "energy" drinks such as Red Bull, a popular mixer for alcoholic beverages in college bars, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch (best known for Budweiser beer) has recently announced a new fruity beer infused with caffeine, guarana and ginseng.  But that’s not all.  In fact, a new line of caffeinated beer is being marketed by other companies across the globe in states all over the nation, including, California.

As a result,... Read More

On Monday, April 25, 2011, the Press-Enterprise put out a story on an unauthorized roadblock that turned into an attempted kidnapping.  The author notes, “it may have been only horseplay, but someone staged a phony roadblock and then grabbed a teenage motorist who'd stopped to move orange traffic cones out of her way yesterday in Winchester,” say sheriff's officials who are investigating the case as an attempted kidnapping.

The victim, sixteen years, reported the... Read More

The LA Times recently reported, “With a high DUI rate and residents complaining of drunks on the streets, the city of Huntington Beach has imposed restrictions and employed new police tactics.”  Unfortunately however, the story also revealed that tax money generated by partiers is still much needed, city leaders say.  

The investigation begins about 1:30 a.m. on a recent Friday in Huntington Beach's Main Street, typically busy by this time of night with... Read More

The Dessert Sun just released an article discussing the issue of how difficult it is to teach recruits about participating in high-speed pursuits.  Of course, a high-speed chase is something that many Americans may choose watch on television and the general notion of a “hot pursuit” is certainly not a foreign concept to California residents.  However, the question of how to prepare for such an instance rarely comes up.       
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Recently, I read a story from Berkeleyside about Frank Cruz, a man who turned a horrific personal tragedy (i.e. the death on a crosswalk of his five-year-old son Zachary) into a crusade to make Berkeley’s streets safer for pedestrians.  This story inspired me to share just a few ideas about how one family is making a difference.    

For starters, supporters managed to get the month of March coined “Zachary Cruz Pedestrian Safety... Read More

In LA, the Times reported that Court officials are currently “turning to one-day trials to help over things along in the overburdened justice system.”  In short, time is typically budgeted as follows: One hour for jury selection, and three hours each for plaintiff and or defendant to put on their cases.  Another nuance?  Only eight jurors are seated — even fewer if both sides agree — instead of the usual 12 plus alternates!  The story also... Read More

Just a few days ago, CNN reported on March 18, 2011 that one person died that Friday in a chain-reaction crash involving at least 20 cars on Interstate Highway 80 in northern California.  According to the story, California State Highway Patrolmen, Sgt. Curtis Fouyer told reporters the accident occurred about 1:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) when a truck carrying refrigerated hydrogen flipped over near Donner, California, and several cars were caught under the truck.

At the time of the... Read More