Category Archives: wrongful death

DUI Rollover Crash Kills Two in Northern Nevada

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Another horrible T-bone rollover crash in Nevada left two people dead over the weekend. This vehicle accident, a suspected DUI crash in Reno, happened in the evening on Saturday. The accident occurred in the Glendale Park area, at the big intersection of Rock Boulevard and Mill Street. Early reports from police indicate that a little past eight o’clock in the evening a vehicle blew through a red light as it was heading in the northern direction on Rock Boulevard. That vehicle, the one which allegedly ran the red light, struck another in the intersection, t-boning it and causing it to roll off of the road and into the undeveloped land there. The two passengers of this vehicle died right there on the side of the road, according to Reno Police. According to one of the news reports on this Nevada DUI rollover death,

“The man who ran the red light was transported to a nearby hospital . . . his injuries appear to be non-life threatening.

Officials said the man showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol, and they expect he will be booked into the Washoe County Jail for two counts of DUI causing death when he is released from the hospital.

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The suspect driver is still in the hospital, according to Monday’s statement, and he will be identified once he is released.

The Reno Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the crash. They are asking anyone who has information about this incident to contact the Reno Police Department at (775) 334-2115 or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900. People can also submit a tip at www.secretwitness.com, or text the tip to 847411 (TIP 411) using the keyword ‘SW.’”

Crashes like this have made the news too much in recent weeks, with DUI crashes in Nevada taking the lives of people in Reno, Sparks, Las Vegas, and more. Benson & Bingham Attorneys at Law know we can’t bring loved ones back, and can’t take away the pain of losing them. But we also know that worrying about medical bills and funeral costs and the costs of missing work to grieve at this terrible time is just a bridge too far. Benson & Bingham’s lawyers look for all the ways to help lighten your load in this terrible time – it’s why we do what we do. We choose to do this work not because it’s easy or “fun” but because we can make a difference in the lives of people facing one of the worst things that a family or individual can face: the unexpected death of a loved one. Find out if Benson & Bingham can help you by contacting us today for a free, no obligation consultation.

Two Children Killed In Reno Automobile Accident

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A toddler and a young child were killed in a Reno automobile accident when a suburban utility vehicle crashed into their home on Monday, June 29th. The toddler killed was a boy, 2. The young child who died was a girl, aged 4. Police are investigating the crash and have yet to file charges against the man who ran into the home, who was 66. The accident happened just off Vassar St, at approximately 1400 Princess Ave. The children’s mother was in the home at the time of the accident but was not hurt in the Washoe County motor vehicle crash. The driver of the SUV has submitted to all examinations and is assisting police in the investigation. So far, investigators have spoken with witnesses who estimate that the SUV was travelling at almost 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash. After the crash, a neighbor, Dean Davis, ran into the home after calling police. The aftermath of the accident filled the neighborhood with a cloud of dust. A youcaring.com donation site has been established to raise funds for the family. The teenage niece of the two children’s mother was also in the home at the time of the crash. She was not hurt as well.

 

The driver of the SUV in the Northern Nevada fatal truck collision has been confirmed as Sheldon Berg, 66. Mr. Berg was driving his Subaru at the time of the crash. In January two and a half years ago, Mr. Berg was also part of another accident. At the time of the accident, Mr. Berg suffered a medical incident that may have been the cause of the January 2013 accident. Mr. Berg’s driver’s license was suspended six times – none of the suspensions have been for criminal offenses. Mr. Berg was first suspended in 2002 and then again in 2004 and 2007. In each of these three suspensions, Mr. Berg had voluntarily given up his license. Two additional times, once in 2011 and another time in 2010, Mr. Berg had his license taken away for not complying with license restrictions. In 2013, Mr. Berg’s license was again suspended when he refused to be examined by Nevada DMV officials.

 

Mr. Berg’s current Nevada driver’s license was granted in March 2015. Police have not answered questions as to how Mr. Berg’s license was given back after the 2013 accident and refusal to be examined.

 

Man Killed In Northern Nevada Mining Accident

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Yet another worker in an Elko, Nevada mine has been killed in a Northern Nevada workmen’s compensation death. The company who runs the mine, Allied NV Gold Corporation, announced that the miner died at the Hycroft Mine, which is approximately 55 miles from Winnemucca, right on the border of Pershing and Humboldt counties. Allied Nevada has stated that it is cooperating with investigations by the State of Nevada and the United States government. The mine covers over 72,000 acres in Northern Nevada. The accidental death at work in Washoe County happened at approximately 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 28th. It happened in the mine’s open pit section, where silver and gold are dug from the earth. Much of the work at the mine has been ceased although the processing of ore already mined continues.

 

The United States federal government operates an agency focused on mine safety and mine worker deaths in an effort to improve safety and reduce the deaths that can happen when extracting valuable ore and minerals from the earth. As a whole, mining has improved as a career. Over the past 10 years, mining injuries per 200,000 hours have fallen from approximately 3.92 injuries per 200,000 hours in 2005 to 2.43 injuries per 200,000 worker hours in 2014. Rates of death from mining accidents in 2014 were as low as 0.0142 per 200,000 deaths. Employment in mines has fallen to a low of just over 365,000 people in 2014.

 

plane crashFor centuries, mining has been considered one of the most dangerous jobs. In the United States, as the general public learned of the deaths and injuries attributed to mining, pressure was put on the industry and federal and state governments to improve the lives and safety of those who extract minerals from the earth. The year the most deaths from due to mining accidents in the United States was 1907. That year over 3,200 people were killed. The most dangerous type of mining is coal although mining for precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and more are especially dangerous as well.


If you have lost a relative to a Reno death while working, go to NV-Attorney.com today to contact us about your case. From our website, you can contact us directly or via telephone. NV-Attorney.com is the Northern Nevada based office of the widely known Las Vegas family owned personal injury law firm, Benson and Bingham.

Sparks Trespassing Shooting May Lead To Reno Wrongful Death Case

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The jury is currently being picked for Wayne Burgarello’s murder trial. Mr. Burgarello, 74, is being tried for the shooting death of two people who had trespassed in a vacant property owned by Mr. Burgarello. Nevada law allows individuals to use deadly force with firearms in their homes when they are subjected to a legitimate threat. The bill also cautions homeowners against shooting first and not being aggressors. Even though Mr. Burgarello believed he was in danger, police and district attorneys handled the case as one of capital murder. A conviction on a capital murder charge could lead to a Reno wrongful death suit.

 

The home invasion linked shootings happened just before valentine’s day last year on February 14th, 2014. Neighbors alerted Mr. Burgarello that people were in his vacant duplex. Then, Mr Burgarello went to the duplex with two loaded handguns to investigate. Upon entering, Mr. Burgarello saw another man in the unit, Cody Devine, 34. Mr. Burgarello shot Mr. Devine when he thought he saw a gun or other weapon in Mr. Devine’s hand. A police investigation revealed that Mr. Devine was not carrying any weapon of any kind and that he had been shot many times. Another person in the vacant duplex at the time, Janai Wilson, 29, was also shot repeatedly by Mr. Burgarello. Ms. Wilson, however, survived the attack and is expected to testify against Mr. Burgarello in his trial.

 

A number of bills in the Nevada assembly were introduced that were intended to strengthen the laws associated with the castle doctrine in Nevada. The castle doctrine is a legal concept purported by guns rights activists. The doctrine, in its purest form, enables homeowners to use nearly any means necessary to deal with trespassers. It enables those involved in such incidents to use justifiable homicide defenses in their court cases. The doctrine also provides some immunity against Nevada wrongful death lawsuits. The bills that were introduced to increase castle doctrine protections in 2015 and SB 175, SB 171 and AB 139. AB 139 was considered to be an omnibus gun rights bill which also worked to include other gun rights for silver staters.
NV-attorney is branch in Northern Nevada for the family-owned personal injury law firm, Benson and Bingham. Founded by cousins Benjamin Bingham and Joseph Benson, our firm has significant experience with wrongful death in Clark County, Las Vegas pedestrian accidents and even casino accidents that occur outside of the state of Nevada when those companies have their corporate headquarters in the Silver State.

One Man Injured and One Boy Killed In Separate Northern Nevada Train Accidents

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Two males involved in separate area train accidents in April. The first, from early April involved a man, 53, who was hit by a tran and stuck underneath. The last update from police shows that he was critically injured but that was considered stable by attending physicians. After being freed from the train, the man was rushed to a local hospital and spent several hours in surgery. The accident happened at Record St., and Sixth St. near Reno’s downtown.

 

Ren police stated that the conductor of the train had ample time to warn the man to get off of the train tracks and get to safety, but the man either didn’t hear the screaming conductor and roaring train or simply ignored them in the rail injury in Reno.

 

While the conductor saw the man on the tracks he attempted to stop the train, but the heavy 800 ton train takes a significant distance to stop at nearly any speed. In fact, because of the numerous amount of people struck, clipped and grazed by trains in the Reno downtown area, trains only travel through downtown at very slow speeds – 10 miles per hour to reduce train accidents in Northern Nevada.

 

The area sees a lower number of train accidents in Washoe County due to the train trench that was dug in downtown Reno in the early 2000s. The first train to run through the Reno train trench went through on April 18, 2005.

 

In nearby Nevada County, California, on Sunday, April 20, a young boy was killed in a train accident. The train accident happened in Farad, CA. The boy, 13-year old Anthony Schafer, was hit by the train while looking at the Truckee River. Emergency personnel rushed the young boy to a nearby trauma center via helicopter but he succumbed to his wounds. Two neighboring police agencies responded to the train accident, which happened at approximately 6 p.m.

 

NV-attorney.com is the website that supports the Northern Nevada branch of Las Vegas personal injury law firm, Benson and Bingham. Benson and Bingham is a family owned law firm founded approximately 10-years ago by cousins Benjamin Bingham and Joseph Benson. Our firm, which focuses not only on Las Vegas automobile accidents, Clark County wrongful deaths and even casino accidents outside of Nevada when the company has their corporate headquarters in Nevada. Since 2010, our attorneys have successfully secured over $62,000,000 in awards for our clients.

 

Maine Chair Lift Accident Could Happen In Northern Nevada

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A Maine ski resort, Sugarloaf, had a significant chair lift accident that injured seven of the two hundred people who were on the lift at the time. The ski resort accident was caused by a fault in a gearbox which caused the malfunction. The accident is currently being investigated and the ski resort remains closed. Just before the weekend, the gearbox that malfunctioned this weekend was inspected – and passed. The lift was working correctly on Saturday afternoon when it abruptly stopped then spun backwards, approximately for half of the distance of the lift. While Nevada ski resorts have had a relatively weak ski season in Winter 2014/2015, accidents can still happen at Northern Nevada/Lake Tahoe ski resorts. If you have been injured in a Reno vacation accident, contact Benson and Bingham today to start discussing your case.

 

Since both Northern and Southern Nevada are tourist heavy areas, tourism accidents in Clark County and Washoe County are very common. Some of the more common types of Northern or Southern Nevada vacation accidents that happen are casino accidents. Casino accidents can be escalator mishaps, elevator malfunctions, alcohol-related injuries and even slip and fall accidents on tile and carpet. Slip and fall accidents can happen on carpet or tile. Carpets can wear out and people can slip on tile that is being mopped and cleaned. Other types of vacation accidents can be when tourists are participating in extreme sports. Extreme sport injuries can come from snowboarding, skiing, boating, swimming and water skiing. In Southern Nevada, tourist accidents can come from skydiving and ATV adventures. Some have even been injured hiking in the mountains around Lake Tahoe or around Lake Mead.

 

Benson and Bingham is a Southern Nevada personal injury law firm that has significant presence across the Silver State. Our Nevada licensed attorneys have experience with Las Vegas automobile accidents, Clark County wrongful death cases and even pedestrian accidents in Southern Nevada. We can also represent people who are injured in casinos and vacation resorts outside of Nevada when the property’s corporate headquarters is based in the Silver State. Our firm is extremely client focused – we develop strong relationships with the individuals and families we represent and these relationships are often responsible for referrals we receive for new clients. Everyone of our clients is also covered by our exclusive happiness guarantee. Not happy with the final invoice in your case? Benson and Bingham’s team members will develop an invoice structure that meets with your approval.

 

Huge Increase in 2015 Northern Nevada Homicides

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Statistics show homicides have seen significant early growth in 2015 in Washoe County. Much of the time, a homicide can potentially be a Reno wrongful death case and the surviving family members should contact a Nevada personal injury attorney to discuss potential remuneration due to the loss of their loved one. The homicides have occurred throughout the Washoe Valley. A woman was injured and a man was killed in a shooting in Sparks on Burnside Dr. Near UNR, Two women died in a murder suicide in February. A home invasion resulted in the beating death of a Reno man in January. In 2014, Northwestern Nevada saw no homicides.

There is little evidence that the Northern Nevada wrongful deaths suggest a trend. The weather so far in 2015 has been warm with little rain and snow. One of a key factors to many in-home homicides is domestic violence.

The Sparks murder from last week occurred when a woman and her friend had returned to the former domicile to retrieve property. The woman who was killed was found shot on the front yard of her former residence. Police responded to and arrived at the residence approximately one minute after the 911 call.

The February murder suicide occurred on Brentwood Dr. at the 1000 block. When police and paramedics reported to the scene of the suspected crime, they found the two women, murdered and three cats in the back yard that had also been killed with single gunshots. A gun that is suspected of being used in the shootings was also found at the scene.

At the end of January, a Sparks home invasion resulted in the death of a man trying to defend his home. Robert McDonald, 68, was killed when someone had broken into the 20th St. home on the 900 block and beat both men. Mr. McDonald eventually was removed from life support systems and succumbed to his injuries. Sparks police found no evidence of forced entry and due to the nature of the injuries, neither man that was hurt was able to explain the attack.

If you have a family member that has died to an untimely death, contact Benson and Bingham today to speak to one of our licensed Nevada personal injury attorneys. Benson and Bingham, based in Las Vegas, is one of Nevada’s leading personal injury law firms, specializing in wrongful death in Washoe County, Las Vegas automobile accidents and Southern Nevada casino slip and fall incidents.

54-year Old Man Killed In Reno Pedestrian Accident

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With fatal pedestrian accidents occurring on the average of one every two months (or 6 times a year) in Reno, area police departments, the Nevada Department of Transportation and the Washoe County Commission are all looking for ways to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths in Washoe County. In December, a 54-year old man was killed crossing North Virginia Ave in front of the Bonanza casino. The man, Vincent Yowell, was eventually found to be inebriated at the time of the crash and had failed to activate the walk signal that would have alerted motorists that someone was crossing. Mr. Yowell was actually struck by two automobiles and one of the drivers contacted Reno police about the accident. The 53-year old driver was the second to hit Mr. Yowell and believed that he had hit a large animal, instead of hitting a person. The Bonanza Hotel’s surveillance cameras caught the accident, and absolved both drivers of fault in the crash.

In an attempt to reduce the number of Reno pedestrian accidents, the Reno police have begun a number of efforts to ticket those in Reno who are not driving safely or who are driving recklessly. Police have been sending undercover officers to dangerous intersections in Washoe County. All intersections have crosswalks, whether they are marked or not. When someone is in a crosswalk, unless there is a traffic island, motorists must stop and wait for them cross the street completely before those driving cars continue on their way. Crosswalks can also be in areas that are heavily trafficked by pedestrians, including areas around schools, parks and hospitals. When turning a corner, drivers are asked to slow down and anticipate someone crossing the street. It has been estimated that approximately 50% of all pedestrian accidents are the fault of the person hit by a car and not the driver.

NV-Attorney is the Northern Nevada arm of leading Las Vegas personal injury law firm, Benson and Bingham. Across the Silver State, Benson and Bingham is known for assisting those who are injured through no fault of their own in Northern Nevada car crashes, Reno casino injuries and even animal attacks in Washoe County. Benson and Bingham and NV-Attorney also represent the families of those who have been killed in wrongful death accidents. All of Benson and Bingham clients also receive B&B’s exclusive happiness guarantee. Simply stated, the guarantee gives all of our customers the right to push back on an invoice total they do not agree with.

 

 

Nevada News on Vehicle Deaths from Faulty GM Ignition Switches

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News continues to break in Northern Nevada about car accidents from GM ignition switch malfunctions. These cases are occurring all over the country, and the news is coming in from different directions. Just today, news broke in a case in Georgia, where a family had settled a wrongful death case against General Motors for five million dollars. Though this case had been settled since last year, they claim that new evidence has come to light that the giant car manufacturer had hidden evidence in the case which would have made for either a different, better settlement for the family, or a higher likelihood that the family would have chosen not to settle but instead air their complaint in front of a jury. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Nevada caused by a faulty ignition switch in a GM vehicle, or in any kind of accident where the cause might be due to faulty manufacturing and a possible case of product liability in Nevada, Benson & Bingham Attorneys at Law can help. Contact us today for a free consultation.

The news in the case today was a judge in Georgia denied the motion from General Motors to throw out this previously settled case. The family of the woman who died, Brooke Melton, a nurse in Atlanta, is bringing back up their wrongful death charge against the company based on this reportedly new evidence they say GM held back before, which would be fraud. The case stems from the death of the 29 year old Melton, who her family said died in a car accident because the power to the car shut off due to the faulty switch, which made her crash through being unable to control the vehicle.

Any time a company makes a product that does you harm or causes the death of a loved one, that company may be liable for damages. Particularly if the company knew about the defect and said nothing, or should have known about the defect as any reasonable person would have. If you’ve been injured by a faulty product in Southern or Northern Nevada, contact Benson & Bingham today. We work with top notch experts in every field to help determine liability, and can get you the compensation you deserve if your situation was the fault of a third party. Contact us today for a free consult.

Car Accident in Northern Nevada Kills 4

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There was just a terrible fatal car accident in Northern Nevada a few days ago, one that took the lives of four different people in two different cars, and one a girl just 3 years old. Few details have been released yet that we’ve seen, just one of the driver’s names and the ages of the other individuals who were involved in the accident. Some very basic pieces of information have been shared regarding how the accident happened, but not much beyond the police’s first impression of what happened in the accident, not much on why or who may have been at fault. First we’ll start with what is initially said to have happened in this fatal vehicle accident in Nevada. The accident happened in Spring Creek, in northeastern Nevada, on Route 227. It was this last Tuesday night, one vehicle was turning left when a different car smashed into the right side of the first car. The first vehicle rolled and slammed into a light pole so hard it took it down.

The who of the accident is heart breaking. The driver of the car making the left hand turn was the only person to be identified as a resident of Spring Creek named Jessica Layton. She and a girl of 6 are the only two survivors of the accident. Both needed medical attention, but at least walked away with their lives. The vehicle driven by Layton had two passengers killed, the 3 year old girl mentioned before and a man aged 19. Both passengers of the other vehicle, the one not making the left, were killed. They were a 25 year old woman and a 27 year old man.

If someone you love is killed in a car accident in Northern Nevada or Southern Nevada, Benson & Bingham Attorneys at Law can help. Our lawyers know how to take care of all the details of a horrible, untimely death like this in ways to make your life and your grieving just a little easier. We take pride in that. If your loved one died because of the negligence or fault of another person, we can also get you compensation to cover all the costs of the whole horrible situation. We offer free initial consultations, as well, so you don’t have to worry about just coming to talk through your legal options with our top Nevada wrongful death attorneys at Benson & Bingham. Contact us today.