Charlotte North Carolina Legal Blog

Distracted driving has become a plague on American society. Just as it seemed we were making progress on reducing the rate of drunk driving and getting drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelts - and thereby beginning a decline in the rate of deadly accidents on the roads - along came "smartphones" and the world of distraction those devices present. Our readers in North Carolina can no doubt detect the telltale signs that a person is on their cellphone while driving: a quick jerk to stay within their lane; seeing the driver's eyes in the rearview mirror, looking down at their cellphone instead of at the road; and, of course, those drivers who just blatantly hold their cellphones up right in front of their faces while driving.

Distracted driving is, according to some reports, causing the rate of deadly accidents in America to begin to see an uptick after years of declining. Avoiding distracted driving is crucial if Americans everywhere, including in North Carolina, want to do their best to avoid fatal accidents.

An accident on Interstate 485, the loop around Charlotte, left 6 people with serious injuries. Two of those injured fought for their lives at an area trauma center.

One of the vehicles involved in the accident burst in to flames at some point. Rescuers had to remove more than one person from the vehicle that burned after they managed to put the fire out. The rescuers had to cut the roof from the car in order to access the occupants. Authorities closed the Interstate for some time to conduct an initial investigation. Their investigation will continue. While the outcome of the police's investigation will give some clarity as to the legal rights and options of those involved, generally speaking, there are very few multi-vehicle accidents that are truly unavoidable.

A person's backbone is made up of several smaller bones called vertebrae, all of which surround the spinal cord, which is arguably the most important nerve in the body. To prevent the vertebrae from rubbing against each other, there are softer tissues between the vertebrae called discs. These discs work a lot like the brake pads on one's car in that they prevent the wear and tear of two hard substances grating against each other. A herniated disc is a common type of back injury that probably affects many people in the Charlotte area.

A disc is considered herniated when the softer part of the disc comes out of the slightly tougher encasing around it. This leaking tissue can irritate the sensitive nerves around the spine, which causes pain. The symptoms of a herniated disc can be severe. The severity depends on how bad the condition of the disc is and where the defective disc is located along the spine. In the worst cases, pain, along with a weak or numb sensation, can keep a worker off the job. Corrective surgery may be required.

Although people may not like to talk about it, many Charlotte residents suffer with alcoholism or some form of drug addiction. Oftentimes, they are still able to go to work and live productive lives despite their struggles. However, such behavior does have a tendency to take its toll on the body. On some occasions, a person may develop a medical or mental health problem that can be directly tied, or partially tied, to his or her addiction. These problems can force a North Carolina resident out of the work force permanently, leaving them to find some means of paying the bills.

The good news is that Social Security disability benefits are still available for those who struggle with drugs or alcohol, even if their addiction may have contributed to the disability in some way. As this blog has mentioned before, Social Security is a no-fault system, meaning that, for the most part, so long as a person qualifies as disabled, there will not be questions asked about who is responsible for the injury or illness.