It seems like every time I read the local news there is yet another accident altering the lives of an innocent victim in Las Vegas. Just last week I blogged about the efforts various law enforcement agencies throughout Las Vegas are undertaking to make the streets safer for drivers and pedestrians. I was especially saddened yesterday when I read that a 16 year old girl was struck and pinned by a school bus while walking in a marked crosswalk. According to North Las Vegas police spokeswoman Chrissie Coon, the driver a 51-year-old Las Vegas resident, failed to yield at a crosswalk and struck the girl, a North Las Vegas resident. Coon said the bus driver was at fault and should have stopped short of the crosswalk.

North Las Vegas police Sgt. Tim Bedwell said the bus which is about 60 percent the length of a standard school bus, was carrying only the driver and one student when it hit the teen. Thursday’s collision continued the recent spike in the number of Las Vegas Valley vehicles hitting pedestrians especially in North Las Vegas. On Oct, 21, three girls were injured about 6:45 p.m. when they were struck by a vehicle in a North Las Vegas crosswalk at Camino Eldorado and Bent Arrow Drive. One six-year-old female died from injuries suffered in the crash while another six-year-old female was treated for a fractured skull and released from the hospital. I would like to close with the quote given by Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Richard Strader when asked about how to make the streets safer “The public needs to use common sense both the pedestrians and the drivers because It’s all our responsibility to keep our community safe.”
-Edward M Bernstein and Associates

School bus runs over teen in North Las Vegas
Antonio Planas
Las Vegas Review Journal
November 3, 2011

A Clark County School District bus driver rolled through a stop sign Thursday afternoon, striking a 16-year-old girl in a crosswalk and pinning her under the vehicle’s wheels, North Las Vegas police said. The unidentified girl was at University Medical Center in serious condition Thursday night.
Read the rest of the article HERE

Fatal accidents between pedestrians and drivers are an all too common occurrence here in Las Vegas and despite efforts to improve pedestrian safety in the Valley there was yet another fatal accident last week. Three small children walking in a crosswalk were struck by a 78-year-old woman who failed to yield as three other vehicles had. Six-year-old Amelia “Mia” Decker died from her injuries while another six-year old remains hospitalized. With the number of pedestrian fatalities in Nevada nearly double the national average, traffic experts have become more aggressive in their attempts to improve not only crosswalk markings but the relationship between pedestrians and motorists. According to UNLV Safe Partnership Community member Erin Breen, accidents involving pedestrians are a problem across the Southwest due to straight, wide streets which all too often invite motorists to exceed the speed limit and lose focus.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Las Vegas Valley join together several times a year to target problem areas and cite motorists who blow through crosswalks. North Las Vegas is the only city in the valley that applied for grant money to perform additional crosswalk stings and host educational programs. The department received $60,000 from the Nevada Department of Public Safety to hold pedestrian safety events. Part of the program includes sending undercover officers across the street and nabbing motorists who fail to obey the law. Please exercise caution when walking on Las Vegas streets and if you are driver I would like to remind you not to drive distracted and to give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going.

-Edward M Bernstein and Associates

Officials lament loss of girl hit by car despite safety project
Adrienne Packer
Las Vegas Review Journal
October 28, 2011

With the number of pedestrian fatalities in Nevada nearly double the national average, traffic experts became more aggressive in their attempts to improve not only crosswalk markings but the contentious relationship between pedestrians and motorists.

Read the rest of the article HERE

What happens if you are in a car accident while a family member is driving? What if your family member is at fault and you are injured? Can you still make a claim? Insurance companies have been known to tell people that they can’t make a claim against a family member after an accident. Below is a great article from injuryboard.com explaining why that is incorrect!
If you are in an accident, it is very important you call my office before signing off on a claim. We can help you ensure you and your family members are protected. Call us at 702-240-0000 or go to www.edbernstein.com.

-Edward M Bernstein and Associates

Car Accidents With A Family Member Driving
Posted by Mike Bryant
Thursday, December 02, 2010 9:02 AM EST

Every once in a while, we will get a person who comes into the office and they will tell us that an agent or even an adjuster has told them that they can’t make a claim against a family member after a car accident. This is 100% incorrect.

If a family member is negligent (at fault) and due to that negligence a relative is injured, there is a claim after a motor vehicle accident. It’s no different than if you never knew the person who caused the accident.

As with any accident, you will always have no fault coverage to pay the needed medical, wage loss and replacement service benefits. However, the pain and suffering part of the claim will be covered through the liability part of the policy.

This is yet another example of where an experienced personal injury attorney can make sure that spouses, children and other relatives rights can be protected. As always, make sure you talk to someone knowledgeable before you sign off on a claim or give away the rights of your children.

Find this article at: Injury Board