Archive for November, 2014

Kansas DUI Defense Attorney Shares Tips for Avoiding Holiday Season DUIs

Sunday, November 30th, 2014

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, families everywhere are planning for a fun-filled December. Throughout the holiday season, there are many opportunities to enjoy time with friends, family, and even co-workers. At this time of year, there are many special foods on the menu, as well as plenty of seasonal beverages. Whether you are looking forward to enjoying a few glasses of wine with dinner, a cup of egg nog with your cookies, or both, it is essential that you plan ahead for each of your holiday events so that a DUI won’t spoil your holiday fun.

The holiday season is a popular time for law enforcement to set up DUI checkpoints. Law enforcement officers are well aware that there are many events going on, and in addition to the DUI checkpoints, they assign additional officers to patrol busy areas throughout the evening hours. Fortunately, you don’t have to get a DUI this holiday season. The following tips can help you to stay safe and have fun.

The best way to avoid getting a DUI is also the simplest – don’t drink and drive. If you plan to attend a few gatherings with the same group of family or friends, plan to take turns serving as the designated driver. Also, whenever you go to an event, check with other attendees ahead of time to see whether anyone plans to be a designated driver.  In many places, cabs, buses, and other types of public transportation provide an easy way to avoid driving home after the party.

Sometimes, you may have to travel quite a long way to an event. For these events, getting a hotel room at or near the event and spending the night is a great way to enjoy yourself safely. If you are attending the party with family or friends, why not share the cost of a room, or ask whether there is someone in the area with a guest bedroom or couch that you could use for the night.

If you find yourself in a position where you will be driving home late at night, you may feel like you are sober enough to drive.  Notwithstanding, it is important to avoid attracting any attention from law enforcement officers. Follow the rules of the road, and check your vehicle over regularly so that you won’t be singled out for a late night traffic stop because of a burnt out headlight.

If, despite your best efforts, you get pulled over, do whatever you can to remain calm. You have rights, and one of those rights is that you may choose to provide the officer with very little information about where you have been and what you have been doing. Be careful not to provide the officer with any information that could incriminate you. If you do get arrested and charged with a DUI, give yourself the best possible chance at avoiding conviction by calling a knowledgeable Kansas DUI Defense Attorney right away, at (316) 264-1548.

 

Kansas Criminal Defense Attorney Discusses the Crime of Stalking

Tuesday, November 11th, 2014

Sometimes, it can be rather annoying if a person continuously shows up wherever you go or won’t stop calling you or sending you texts or emails. Unfortunately, some people go beyond the level of annoying and escalate their conduct to a point where the person on the receiving end of the constant contact feels afraid that they or someone else close to them is in danger of being harmed. When this happens, the activity becomes a crime; the crime of stalking. Stalking is a serious problem, and while stalking victims are often women, there are also male stalking victims who know just how frightening it is to feel as though they could be harmed at any time.

Stalking is a course of action which one person takes towards another person that may include behaviors like incessant in-person, telephone, or electronic contact, harassment, humiliation, and threats of harm to the victim or to their friends, family, or pets. Stalking is something that occurs over time, and in many cases, the contact occurs for a period of time of at least six months to up to five years or more. It is reported that approximately a quarter of all stalking victims are contacted in some manner by their stalker at least once every single day. Because of their popularity and ease of use, it is not surprising that the most common methods of stalking involve cell phones and computers, with stalkers using phone calls, text messages, email, and social media to bombard their victims with messages.

Kansas takes stalking seriously, with first offenses being classified as a class A person misdemeanor, unless the alleged perpetrator’s behavior violated a protective order, in which case it is a security level 9 person felony. Second offenses are person felonies, with a security level of either five or seven depending upon the behavior and the circumstances. If you have been accused of stalking, it is important that you contact a seasoned Kansas Criminal Defense Attorney right away. Your attorney can look at the circumstances of your case and determine which potential defenses may help you avoid a conviction. For example, there are often evidentiary issues in stalking cases. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that and much of the state’s evidence comes from the victim’s own testimony.

A stalking conviction could have a serious impact on many areas of your life. You deserve to be represented by an attorney who will explore all of the options for defending your case, so that you can reduce your chance of being convicted or reduce the consequences that are imposed upon you. We take pride in giving each criminal defense case the personal attention that it deserves, because we feel that criminal defendants are unique people with unique needs who deserve fair outcomes in their cases. To get your questions answered by a Kansas Criminal Defense Attorney, please give us a call at our Wichita office today at (316) 264-1548.

Kansas Personal Injury Attorney Talks About Birth Injuries

Tuesday, November 4th, 2014

Personal injuries come in many forms, and have many different causes.  The process of childbirth happens many times each day, all over the world, as families welcome babies into their lives. Much of the time, births are fairly uneventful, with no long-term negative implications for either the mother or the child. Unfortunately, things can go wrong during childbirth, and either the mother or the baby or both can be temporarily or permanently injured.

Birth injuries may be visible right away, or they may not become apparent until weeks or months after a baby is born. From the moment of birth and onward, babies are growing, developing, and changing. If a baby was deprived of oxygen for a length of time during the birthing process, he or she may have sustained brain damage which could reveal itself to parents as the baby experiences delays in reaching developmental milestones, such as rolling over and crawling. If you notice any sort of delays, your pediatrician can assess your child and determine whether the delays are the likely result of a birth injury, or the result of being a healthy child who has a slightly different developmental timetable than other children his or her age.

In addition to developmental delays, seizures can alert parents to the possibility of a birth injury. Not all seizures in infants and young children are caused by birth injuries, but some are. As with developmental delays, your pediatrician can help you to understand the cause of your child’s seizures in addition to treating them. In order for your pediatrician to have all of the information that they need  to determine whether your child’s developmental delays or seizures are the result of a birth injury, provide the pediatrician with information about your birth.  This includes information such as whether there were any birth injury risk factors like forceps, vacuum extraction, a cesarean birth, or an unusual appearance of your child immediately after birth.

Birth injuries can be temporary or they can be permanent. One example of a birth injury that is sometimes temporary is the brachial plexus injury, an injury to the group of nerves which begins in the neck and extends throughout the upper body. Brachial plexus injuries often result when there is difficulty in getting the baby’s shoulder through the birth canal and excessive force is used to deliver the baby. Some brachial plexus injuries are permanent, while others may be completely or fully healed by surgical means such as nerve transfers, nerve grafts, and nerve repair. Cerebral palsy, a movement control disorder, is an example of a permanent birth injury. Injuries to the brain of a child in utero, before birth, or after birth can cause cerebral palsy, as can mistakes during labor and delivery, bacterial infections, head trauma, and oxygen deprivation.

Whether your child’s birth injury is temporary or permanent, they are likely to require specialized short term or long term medical care. It is important that the medical professionals whose negligent actions result in birth injuries are held responsible for their actions. Your Kansas Personal Injury Attorney will help you to build a strong case in your favor. To learn more about how a Kansas Personal Injury Attorney can help you to obtain the settlement that your injured child deserves, please call our Wichita office today at (316) 264-1548.