Las Vegas Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

The man responsible for a deadly hit-and-run accident last September in Las Vegas was sentenced this past week to 12-96 months in jail. The official charge to which the driver pled guilty was felony evasion. But, police also suspected that the driver was under the influence at the time of the collision. Unfortunately, the perpetrator was not located until twelve hours after the accident hiding out at a nearby high school.

Since police had no evidence the man was under the influence, prosecutors were willing to accept a plea to a lesser offense. Had the driver been found guilty of the hit-and-run while under the influence, his sentence last week would have almost assuredly been higher. The deadly car accident occurred on I-215 near Sahara Drive.

Accidents can happen in an instant and have dire consequences. Such was the case recently when the Clark County Coroner's Office identified the person killed in an unfortunate auto accident last weekend as a 17-year-old male. According to police, the fatal car accident that claimed his life occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday morning when a Saturn ran a stop sign at Washburn Road and Goldfield Street.

The Saturn struck a Toyota driven by the 17-year-old victim. A 13-year-old passenger in the Toyota was also injured when she was thrown from the vehicle. She was taken to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas and listed in extremely critical condition.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has declared May to be Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Motorcycle accidents have claimed the lives of 37 people in Nevada already this year with the latest fatality happening locally in the Las Vegas area. These tragedies have spurred authorities into action.

The goal of the promotion is to get both motorcyclists and drivers of other vehicles to take greater safety precautions. Members of the motorcycling community have been calling on authorities to raise awareness, as inattentive or otherwise negligent car and truck drivers have become a dangerous hazard for bikers.

How to respond to an emergency vehicle's sirens is one of the first things that new drivers learn in driver's education courses. Nevertheless, when the moment is upon us, drivers do not always react appropriately. Such was the case last week when a marked police vehicle on its way to the scene of an emergency was struck by an SUV in downtown Las Vegas.

The car accident occurred at the intersection of Charleston and Nellis boulevards. The officer was taken to the University Medical Center with minor injuries. The female driver of the SUV remained at the scene to be treated for her own minor injuries. Fortunately, no one sustained a serious injury. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.