Davis Levin Livingston Firm Blog

 While helicopter accidents are not frequent in Hawaii, they do happen. In 2012, the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) recorded three nonfatal and zero fatal helicopter accidents. Helicopter accidents may occur due to several reasons; and an experienced helicopter accident attorney can investigate the matter to help you get the funds you deserve if you were injured or you lost a loved one in a helicopter crash.

 Riding the bus is a cost effective and convenient way for many people to get around Honolulu, and often riding the bus is lauded as a safe travel option. Overall, injuries from bus crashes across the United state has shown a steady decline between 1988 and 2008, still in 2008, 24,000 people were hurt or killed in bus related crashes. But not all bus related personal injuries involve crashes. There are also a number of ways riders and drivers can be injured on a bus when no notable accident has taken place. This raises the question as to whether Honolulu bus accidents are actually occurring more often than statistics suggest.

 As a state consisting of a series of islands, and a known vacation and recreation destination, Hawaii is known not just for relaxation…but, also for boating and water sports. But, much like other activities, boating does not come without risks. In fact, along with a rise in the number of participants in boating activities comes a rise in the number of boating accidents and fatalities in Hawaii each year.

When you choose to visit Hawaii for your vacation, you are likely to spend some of that time in your hotel. Most people do not even think about their vacation being disrupted by an accident or serious injury. Unfortunately, mishaps do occur quite frequently in resorts and hotels. If an accident does occur on the property of a resort or a hotel, it needs to be determined whether the resort or hotel is responsible for the accident.

Many people travel by air regularly for work and for pleasure. Most plane trips are routine and without incident. Even so, there are times when serious injuries do occur. These injuries may occur due to the mistakes made by major American airports, airlines, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), as well as the equipment and plane manufacturers.

Airlines and airports are accountable for giving safe conditions to their passengers and anyone else on their property. When you are injured due to unsafe conditions, you and your family members have the right to sue for compensation. This compensation should cover lost income, medical expenses (related to your injury), pain and suffering, and if it applies wrongful death.

Every year, thousands of cruise ship passengers are injured. While some passengers are injured on the cruise ship itself, others are injured during excursions or while ferrying to ports of call. The majority of these passengers will return home and eventually make an appointment with a local attorney to discuss their legal rights. However, if you reside in a location without an attorney experienced in cruise ship injuries, he may not know the ins and outs of the cruise ship regulations.

 Your elderly loved ones are some of the most vulnerable people in your life. When you entrust an assisted living facility or nursing home to care for an elderly family member, you expect them to give him the kindness he deserves. This is true especially when you consider the cost of a nursing home facility in Hawaii. One year in a semi-private room costs almost $120,000.

According to the American Health Care Association, approximately half of U.S. Citizens will be nursing home residents at some point in their lives. This means that nearly everyone will put his or her faith in an assisted living facility or nursing home to care for an elderly loved one or friend.

Large franchises own over half of the nursing homes in the nation. Two-thirds of the nation’s nursing homes are being operated as ‘for-profit’ businesses.

Although there are state and federal regulations (Nursing Home Reform Act of 1986) put into place to protect nursing home residents, the unthinkable still occurs. These gross violations compromise the well-being, health and dignity of some of this nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

Patients often question whether they have waived their rights to bring a medical malpractice case against a doctor or hospital when they have signed a consent form.  The answer is generally no.

Illegal street drugs are not the only dangerous drugs that cause harm to users.  Dangerous drugs can also be drugs that were legally prescribed.  Prescriptions drugs can cause injury that is compensable in court. 

Most personal injury liability is determined by negligence law.  In these cases, a defendant is only liable if he or she diverged from the standard of care appropriate for the situation, and if the divergence caused the injury.  The party responsible for the injury will only be liable legally if he or she failed to exercise the duty of care expected of people in a similar situation.