Driving the wrong way on highways became a problem when our interstate highway system was built in the 1950s. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show that about 350 people die each year when vehicles erroneously drive into oncoming highway traffic. Thousands more are seriously injured annually. Drivers who are confused, inattentive, or intoxicated cause these serious accidents. Poor on-ramp planning, unclear signage, and temporary construction areas also contribute to collisions. To prevent wrong-way access, highway departments post prominent wrong-way signs on exit ramps, and some states have experimented with tire-flattening spikes. Other states are experimenting with video-detection systems and flashing lights to warn law enforcement and oncoming traffic that a wrong-way vehicle has entered a highway. If you or a loved one has been injured in a wrong-way vehicle accident, contact us at 480.833.8800 or attorney@sgplaw.com.

Our firm believes that every citizen should serve as a trial juror to safeguard everyone’s liberty, rights, and property. Most jurors on criminal or civil cases find their experiences rewarding and agree to serve again. During hard economic times, however, many who are summoned to jury service may face severe fiscal insecurity. If you believe jury duty will harm you financially, you can ask a judge to excuse you from service. Here are some examples:

• You are unemployed and need to look for work.
• You were recently employed and cannot take time off now.
• You will miss a mortgage payment because of lost time at work.
• Your employer, who used to pay for jury-service days, can no longer afford to.

There’s a proviso: When the economy recovers, you accept the call to serve as a juror.

Believe it or not, your credit score can affect your auto insurance rates. What’s a credit score? It’s a risk rating calculated from credit reports using special mathematical formulas. Lower scores result from paying bills late, having few or no credit references, or poor credit-card practices. Even fiscally responsible consumers suffer premium increases of more than 100 percent when insurers credit-score them. For 34 years, Mattie Grainger from South Carolina insured her autos with Allstate. She had a perfect driving record, few insurance claims, and enjoyed safe-driver discounts. Yet Allstate raised her premiums, telling her she didn’t qualify for a lower rate because of a low credit score. Grainger’s credit score was low because she simply didn’t need extensive credit. Many argue that applying credit-scoring in preparing insurance quotes or policy premiums is inherently unfair. We do, too.

To minimize injuries in a collision or rollover, automakers have a legal duty to design and construct car, truck, and SUV roofs that provide structural protection to drivers and passengers. Sadly, that’s not always the case.

A 16-year-old was a belted front-seat passenger in a 1998 Ford Explorer rollover accident. She suffered a spinal fracture and head injury that caused partial quadriplegia, memory loss, and impaired ability to organize and process thoughts. She has limited use of her arms, uses a wheelchair, and requires assistance with daily living activities. Injury to her lungs paralyzed torso muscles, so she trained herself to breathe using her diaphragm. Her past medical expenses totaled about $1 million, and future life-care costs are estimated at $20 million. Her attorney sued, alleging the Explorer’s roof was not crashworthy and could not withstand the impact of a foreseeable rollover collision. The parties agreed to a confidential structured settlement before her suit was filed.