Las Vegas Injury & Accident Attorney Blog

Alcohol and illegal drugs are often be the key contributing factors in many Las Vegas wrongful death incidents. These substances, which lower inhibitions, can enable arguments to escalate quickly and prevent a person from actually think through the consequences of their impulses. For some under the influence, spats become fights, fights become battles, battles that can often end in a case of Southern Nevada wrongful death. If you have lost a loved one in a wrongful death case, contact Benson and Bingham today. We can help you recover financially from the incident.

Last weekend, a fight between a couple who had been drinking resulted in a potential Clark County wrongful death case with one person dead and one in jail, awaiting charges of murder using a deadly weapon. 33-year old Sounilak Ouchlaeun has been accused of running down her boyfriend with her 2010 Toyota Venza. The man, Conrado Mendoza, had been fighting with Ms. Ouchlaeun while the two had spent the day drinking. A witness to the evening, Valan Bengson told police that the couple began fighting over Ms. Ouchlaeun’s interactions with co-workers in the casino the couple worked at. At one point during the argument, Ms. Ouchlaeun became frightened and enraged after Mr. Mendoza punched and damaged a kitchen cabinet. Ms. Ouchlaeun attempted to leave, Mr. Mendoza tried to stop her by standing behind the SUV and was run over and dragged by the automobile for approximately six feet.

It is unknown whether or not Ms. Ouchlaeun has been charged with a Las Vegas DUI.

Benson and Bingham is a family owned Las Vegas personal injury firm. We represent clients in all types of personal injury law including automobile crashes, casino accidents and more. Our attorneys work closely and develop strong relationships with our clients, in order to best represent them through the successful outcome of their case.

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If 2012 has been a year of increasing Las Vegas traffic fatalities, then 2010 and 2011 were years of Las Vegas wrongful death incidents by the hands of local area police. Tomorrow, the federal Department of Justice is releasing their report on the shooting incidents. The United States DOJ reviewed the procedures and records of the Las Vegas Metro police for 8 month while compiling the report. The report will also include recommendations from DOJ’s community policing division on how to improve the relationship between the Metro Police Department and community members in Las Vegas. If you have lost a family member in a Nevada wrongful death incident with the Las Vegas Metro PD, contact Benson and Bingham today.

The shootings from 2010 and 2011 were brought significant scorn and concern for the department. In trying to address the shootings a Las Vegas Metro Police internal investigation concluded that:

• African Americans were involved in more officer shooting incidents than other races
• Even though officer involved shootings dropped to 18 from 25 in 2011, 12 of those people died that year, a record.
• The majority of people fired upon by Las Vegas Metro were carrying firearms at the time. Of those folks, the majority of those had shot at the police.

Two of the more egregious officer involved shooting cases in the past couple years were the 2011 shooting death of Gulf War Veteran Stanley Gibson and the 2010 deaths of Erik Scott and Trevon Cole.

The survivors of Clark County wrongful death incidents are not alone. The Las Vegas personal injury law firm Benson and Bingham can represent you and the rest of your family to help you recover money spent on medical bills, lost work and pain and suffering. We handle all types of Las Vegas personal injury law including automobile accidents, casino slips and falls and even dog or other animal attacks.

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A 3-year old girl drowned in the Virgin River, near Mesquite, NV on Tuesday. The child’s body was found in an irrigation canal owned by the Bunkerville Irrigation Company. The family of the girl was having a picnic near the river when the child’s grandmother saw the girl and two of her older cousins in danger of being swept away. The grandmother ran to the water and was able to pull out a 5-year old and a 4-year old but the young girl who died was out of her reach. The little girl’s body was likely sucked into a whirlpool created by the drainage ditch. Her death is similar to the death of 44-year old Joanna Hensley two years ago. Ms. Hensley’s survivors are now suing the Bunkerville Irrigation Company under Nevada wrongful death statutes. If you have suffered the death of a relative in an accident, and wish to discuss whether this was a Las Vegas wrongful death case, contact Benson and Bingham for a free legal consultation.

In the lawsuit, Joanna Hensley’s daughter and her attorneys allege that due to the irrigation canal dug by the Bunkerville Irrigation Company, the section of the Virgin River in Mesquite, NV is unsafe for swimming and other water sports. They also state there are no signs in the area surrounding the irrigation ditch to warn swimmers of the danger. If you have lost a family member in a Clark County wrongful death accident, contact Benson and Bingham today.

Benson and Bingham has extensive experience, representing clients since 2003 in personal injury and wrongful death cases. For nearly a decade, we have worked closely with our clients to ensure they receive everything they deserve from individuals, corporations and insurance companies financially responsible for Southern Nevada wrongful death accidents. Our success speaks for itself, in 2010 and 2011 we secured over $24,000,000 in damage awards for our clients.

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Although Nevada is not home to deep-water oil rigs or large coal deposits, metals mining in Nevada is still prevalent and the Silver State actually produces the world’s third largest amount of gold after South Africa and Australia. With any natural resource extraction industry, the work involves digging for, chopping down, or otherwise harvesting the earth’s riches at a massive scale. In the 19th and 20th centuries, humans tapped into most of the easily obtained resources, leaving for today and tomorrow reserves that are generally harder to reach, more difficult to extract, and overall more dangerous to manage. To state the obvious: these are perilous industries prone to serious or fatal workplace injuries.

This difficulty and peril was on display in 2010 with major mining accidents across the world. First to steal the headlines was the explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine which claimed nearly 40 lives. Later in April was the BP oil spill, which devastated the Gulf Coast and was started when an explosion on the off-shore oil rig started a massive leak and killed eleven workers. Then there was the Chilean copper mining saga, where 33 men were trapped for over two months but ultimately survived. And in late November, an explosion in a New Zealand coal mine killed all 27 miners on shift.

Whatever lessons may be learned from these events, the public’s attention generally turns from each disaster after a few weeks, especially if a new tragedy or other phenomenon is more topical. But for the families directly affected by these events, life slows to a standstill as they search for closure and a way forward. More than nine months after the West Virginia incident, families of those killed in the mining accident are weighing their options. The company that owns the mine — Massey Energy — reached out to the families shortly after the accident and made a settlement offer to each family in the amount of $3 million per worker killed. The settlement offer was intended to resolve as many cases as possible without lengthy litigation and lawsuits for negligence. As the Wall Street Journal points out, the amount is greater than the $1.8 million that is typical for a wrongful death settlement but substantially less than the $7.8 that families typically receive in jury awards after a wrongful death lawsuit.

For those by tragedies such as these a Nevada mining injury, tough decisions come even before families have a chance to survey their lives and plan to rebuild. If you have lost a loved one in a Nevada workplace death or to any other kind of tragic accident, please call us today to begin a conversation. We offer free consultations and can help you decide between accepting a settlement offer and pursuing other legal options. Our Clark County workplace death lawyers have the experience you need in this difficult time.

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No amount of TV dramas, third-party stories, or personal reflection can prepare a person for the loss of a loved one. The days and weeks following a personal tragedy are often flooded with memories and sudden longing for the mundane markings of that lost person’s presence. When you lose a loved one to an accident or some other tragedy, you should talk with a Nevada wrongful death attorney to find out if you may be eligible for a settlement.

Several wrongful death lawsuits from across the country are currently pending. The parents of a young man who died of alcohol poisoning related to the activities of his college fraternity have sued the frat for encouraging dangerous alcohol consumption and for failing to appropriately monitor their son when he was incapacitated. In another case, the mother of a 20-year-old man is seeking damages after her son was killed when a friend’s truck flipped in a rollover accident. And a widow is asking for compensation after her husband was struck on his bicycle and killed when a driver failed to see him as she made a turn in her SUV.

Wrongful death suits, contrary to common misconception, are not an attempt to “price” your lost husband, child, or parent. No amount of money can bring that person back or restore you wholly to the person you were before you lost him or her. Rather, wrongful death suits are intended to recover funds sufficient to help restore you financially when the person’s death could reasonably have been prevented.

Common expenditures for wrongful-death settlement money include psychotherapy; prescription medications; and credit card bills, mortgages, or other major debts. Payments for pain and suffering are intended to offset the emotional loss. For many widows and widowers, losing a spouse means losing an emotional anchor and a financial partner or provider. Survivor benefits can help restore this loss. If you would like to learn more about seeking wrongful death benefits after a motor vehicle accident or other family tragedy, call us for a free consultation.

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