The Law Firm of Stephen
 M. Reck Wins Verdict for  Driver

Attorney Stephen M. Reck recently won a verdict in a contested auto collision case at New London Superior Court.  The crash happened at a Norwich intersection when the defendant driver turned left directly into the path of the plaintiff, who suffered a neck injury and headaches.  The jury returned a verdict in favor of Attorney Reck's client, a now 27-year-old woman, for $320,000 but reduced it by 20% for the partial fault of the plaintiff.  

NHTSA: 10% of Fatal Crashes Involved Distracted Driving 

Distracted driving was cited as a contributing factor in nearly 10% of all fatal crashes in 2010, while that number nearly doubles (to 18%) for crashes where individuals were injured, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The report studied all vehicle crashes in 2010, analyzing how influential distracted driving behaviors were in those crashes. NHTSA notes that the numbers reported for 2010 should not be compared to the data collected for 2009, as the data collection methods are different. NHTSA found that 416,000 people were injured that year in motor vehicle crashes that involved distracted drivers, while 3,092 people were killed in crashes where someone was exhibiting distracted driving behaviors. Cell phone usage was prevalent in both fatal and injurious crashes as it was related to 408 deaths (13% of total distracted driving fatalities) and 24,000 injuries (6% of those injured in distraction-related crashes).  Read more. 

Medical Malpractice Insurance Rates Continue to Drop 

Medscape reported, "undermining a talking point of organized medicine about tort reform, premiums for medical malpractice insurance for three bellwether specialties dropped for the fifth straight year in 2012, according to a new report published in Medical Liability Monitor (MLM)." According to the article, "the American Medical Association and other medical societies have argued that a broken medical liability system boosts insurance premiums for physicians." Medscape notes, however, that "rates for obstetrician/gynecologists, general internists, and general surgeons decreased on average by 1.7% in 2012, following declines of 0.2% in 2011, 0.5% in 2010, 2.5% in 2009, and 4% in 2008, according to MLM's annual rate survey." 

Opinion: Focus on Patient Safety to Reduce Malpractice Cases

Mary Alice McLarty, president of the American Association for Justice, wrote in a CNN op-ed that "preventable medical errors are the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and cost our country $29 billion a year," adding that while medical malpractice lawsuits are a symptom of the problem, the root of the problem is medical malpractice itself. Writing that "the civil justice system gives families of patients who have died or have been injured by medical negligence an avenue to seek accountability," McLarty argues that proposals for medical malpractice reform are misguided because they only strip away patients' rights and remove accountability. She argues that the most effective way to address the medical malpractice crisis is to focus on patient safety efforts.