Las Vegas Injury & Accident Attorney Blog

Despite the Las Vegas Metro Police department’s revised use of force policy, another Las Vegas policeman was involved in the shooting of a civilian last week. The shooting occurred when a 19-year old Vegas man attempted to rob a 7-11 convenience store on North Jones Boulevard. The officer, Steve Lehmann, 34, was in the parking lot of the convenience store when two customers exited excitedly, informing him the chain store was in the midst of an armed robbery. When Officer Lehmann entered the store, he saw 19 year old Lawrence Howard pointing a handgun at the store clerk. Seconds later, Mr. Howard turned towards Officer Lehmann, and in the process pointing his .38 caliber weapon at the Las Vegas Metro Police Officer. Officer Lehmann, fearing for his safety, immediately shot Mr. Howard several times. Mr. Howard was not killed by the shots and was transported immediately to University Hospital. It is unknown as to whether or not Officer Lehmann warned Mr. Howard before firing. If you or a relative has been involved in a Las Vegas personal injury shooting, Benson and Bingham can represent you to help you recover money for lost work, pain and suffering and medical bills.

Troubled by the large amount of officer involved shootings by members of the Las Vegas Police, te department recently revised its policy for the use of deadly force. Doug Gillespie, the Clark County Sherriff recently stated that the 3300 police officers of Las Vegas Metro and other departments have recently received training highlighting the value of human life. The training also included other tools for officers to use in violent situations. Part of the motivation for the new police directives has been to reduce local governments’ exposure to Las Vegas wrongful death and Clark County personal injury lawsuits.

Benson and Bingham is a Southern Nevada personal injury law firm that works to build strong relationships with our clients to best represent them. In 2010 and 2011, we secured injury awards of over $24,000,000 to help assuage our customers’ medical costs and pain and suffering.

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When television specials profile the “most dangerous jobs in America” or other spins on the same theme, they often focus on sectors with new and powerful technologies such as off-shore oil drilling, chemical production, and cutting-edge construction projects where the risk of death or spinal cord injury lurks constantly and can strike in a moment. Other tabulations of employment risks focus on lower-level risks that are faced on a daily basis, such as is experienced by firefighters and police officers. Often forgotten are the jobs that now seem mundane, such as agriculture and mining. But as a recent trench collapse accident shows, the risks of working underground are as serious as they were hundreds of years ago.

A 42-year-old man took a temporary job on a construction site where his responsibilities were supposed to be digging several shallow trenches. When the man arrived on-site, he was instead assigned to a deep trench (about six feet deep) where he was supposed to lay pipe. The trench was narrower than it was deep, and much of the dirt that had been excavated was laid at the opening to the trench. While the worker was in the trench, the walls collapsed partially and buried the man up to his waist. A subsequent collapse that occurred before the man was rescued trapped him further. The weight of the soil put immense pressure on the man’s body, collapsing one of his lungs, damaging a kidney, and requiring a week of intensive-care hospitalization and some $200,000 in medical expenses.

Humans have been mining minerals from the ground since Biblical times, some 6,000 or more years ago. The risk of mine collapse accidents has always been a factor in this activity, and as the scale and scope of mining has expanded we have developed technologies and methods to reduce the risks and increase the benefits. Many observers point to the deplorable coal-mining industry that fuels China’s rapid growth at the cost of hundreds of lives each year, but the reality is that mining is still risky business even today. We all remember the Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion last year, and there was also the story of the trapped miners in Chile.

One type of mining accident stands out, however, in terms of its disproportionate effect on a small number of individuals. Accidents from coal mining and other precious-metals mining are spread out somewhat evenly over the country’s regions and variance is mostly due to chance. But when it comes to gold mining, Nevadans clearly bear the brunt of the risk. Some 93 percent of the nation’s gold mining accidents in 2009 occurred in our state, resulting in more than 60 Nevada workplace injuries.

Surely this is in part related to the fact that Nevada has the nation’s largest supply of gold and in fact the state is one of the largest producers of gold in the world.  But the reality is also that the mining industry has successfully used its largesse to ally with powerful political interests and seek out preferential treatment. At the state level, mining taxes are constitutionally capped at only five percent; lawmakers are now contemplating beginning a five-year plan to change this which will involve passing a repeal of this exemption in two legislative sessions and then gaining voter approval. At the federal level, the Nevada gold mining industry has been able to leverage its singularly productive and lucrative position to avoid major scrutiny by mine regulators, allowing it to put its workers’ health at risk with virtual impunity.

If you or a loved one have been harmed in a Nevada mining accident, contact us today for a free consultation. Our experienced Las Vegas mining accident lawyers are familiar with the major issues in this field and can help you build a strong case related to the unique factors in your situation. We have two Clark County personal injury law offices to serve you.

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