Future of Driver-less Cars Should Be Now! ~by Legal Pub

Some say driver-less cars are many years away.  Others contend that the technology is already here but human acceptance is not.  Google's self-driving cars are already on the road.  To say that the car is largely a success is an understatement.  In theory, occupying such a vehicle allows the occupants to sleep, surf the internet, chat on the phone, watch internet television or actually do productive work while commuting. Think Lincoln Lawyer- only without the human chauffeur.

So will it happen?  Technology to date suggests that automated cars make fewer mistakes than humans. But self-driving cars raise major questions of social significance, mainly, will it interfere with personal injury lawyers ability to make a living?  For example, will lawyers still be able to bring law suits or will there be mandatory arbitration clauses to govern compensation for injuries?

Today, if an accident happens, the driver is the subject of legal scrutiny. Drives are also held to certain standards such as not driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or distraction.  With driver-less cars, is it suddenly acceptable to drink and ride? Do distracted driving laws become obsolete over night? Perhaps more troublesome is the quality of the individual who actually programs the vehicle to react when an emergency occurs.  As a driver, we may make a split second decision when faced with an emergency presenting a moral dilemma? For example, when the computer has a choice of hitting a pedestrian and saving the driver or steering into oncoming traffic to avoid the pedestrian, the decision seems to place God-like power in the hands of a computer programmer back at the factory.  Manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz have already written programs that make the decision for the automated cars. They choose the safety of the driver. LINK   Will the Mercedes Benz software choose the same option that you would have made if you were behind the wheel?  Moreover, should the government step in and mandate the choice the car manufacturer's software makes in emergency situations?

Time will tell as to the moral issues.  As to the legal issues, you can bet that the lawyers will find someone to try to hold responsible for accidents and their shrinking bank accounts.

Jim Carrey to Experience Real Life Courtroom Drama? ~by Legal Pub

Jim Carrey once played a lawyer in Liar Liar.  Now he may end up getting real life court experience. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of of Cathriona White by her mother, Brigid Sweetman against Carrey alleging wrongful death. The lawsuit alleges that Jim Carrey gave three sexually transmitted diseases to his girlfriend, Cathriona White and that White's suicide was the result of her obtaining prescription medication from the actor.  Mark Burton (White's estranged husband) previously  filed a similar wrongful'death lawsuit against Carrey.  It is unclear how both plaintiffs can maintain separate suits.  law suit.  Michael Avenatti represents both plaintiffs.

Cathriona, 30, died in 2015 with a bottle of prescription medication nearby.  According to the coroner's report, it was suicide. Ambien, Propranolol and Percocet were all found in her system.  Carrey and White dated off and on from 2012 until the time of her death.  Carrey denies giving her the drugs. Martin D. Singer represents Jim Carrey.

Time to Stop the Heroin Madness ~by Legal Pub

It is time to stop the heroin madness.  Addiction is on the rise and there is no easy solution in sight. Recently,  a 7-year-old McKeesport, Pa. girl could not arose her parents.  She went to school anyway.  She told the bus driver that she was not able to wake up her parents. The bus driver reported the conversation to authorities who found the bodies of Christopher Dilly, 26, and Jessica Lally, 25, inside the little girl's apartment.  Both Dilly and Lally apparently died of drug overdoses.

Even more disturbing was the  discovery of three other children, ages 5 years, 3 years and 9 months left unattended in the apartment. The children were taken to a local hospital and determined to be in good health. This drug epidemic in Allegheny County is repeating itself all over America.  Opioid overdoses are becoming all too common all over the U.S.   recent report.  But Allegheny County may be one of the worst places.  There were 422 opioid-overdose deaths in Allegheny County in 2015 according to the Washington Post. [Heroin overdoses .] 

 

An NBC affiliate reported that the double overdose  in question was the second one on that block in less than a day.   NBC WPXI.  
 
This is truly become a public heath epidemic.  As many as 10 Pennsylvanians die each day due to addiction.  Nationwide, opioids  and prescription pain relievers killed more than 28,000 people in 2014 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 50% of Opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription drug.  Pennsylvania is not the only state with an Opioid addiction problem.    [174 heroin overdoses in 6 days in Cincinnati]

Where does it end?  While that answer may not be clear, it starts with education about the addictive properties of both prescription and nonprescription Opioids.