Doctors have a responsibility under the Hippocratic Oath to keep patients safe from harm. When they fail to do so, they can be held liable for the damages both criminally and civilly.

Reports from 8 News Now say that one Las Vegas doctor is facing legal repercussions in both types of courts after causing an outbreak of Hepatitis C through negligent practices. Court documents show that the doctor who owned Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada infected patients by injecting them with syringes and vials re-used from other patients.

The doctor was arrested on 28 felony charges including negligence, racketeering, and insurance fraud. Although he claimed to be incompetent to face trial because of suffering two strokes, it was determined yesterday by a court that he is, in fact, fit to stand trial.

Attorneys for the 61-year-old doctor argued that the he did not understand the charges against him due to memory problems from the strokes he suffered. Medical experts testified that the doctor always found his room and other facilities, unlike other patients with serious memory issues.

The Nevada medical malpractice lawyers with Richard Harris Law Firm understand what it takes to prove that a doctor was negligent in a patient’s care. If you have received negligent treatment from a doctor, our experienced team of attorneys may be able to help.

More information is coming to light surrounding the tragic accident that left a 12-year-old Spanish Springs, Nevada, boy seriously injured while riding his bike. Reports from 8 News Now say that the boy was holding on to his mother’s vehicle while it was moving at the time of the accident.

Reports of the incident from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department indicate that the accident happened at 5:38 PM at the 400 block of Rockwell Boulevard. The boy was grabbing for the tail end of his mother’s pickup truck when he lost control of his bike, fell off, and his head on the asphalt.

The boy lost a large amount of blood and was still bleeding heavily when rescue crews arrived. The boy was the airlifted by CareFlight helicopter to Renown Regional Medical Center for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening, injuries.

The act of attaching on to a moving vehicle of any kind by a person on a bike, skate, or sled is not only illegal and punishable by law, but also extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. Broken or dislocated joints and bones, cuts, scrapes, and traumatic brain injuries are just a few of the commonly seen injuries associated with the activity.

The Nevada bicycle accident lawyers with the Richard Harris Law Firm ask that cyclists and skaters keep themselves and others safe by always wearing helmets and never attempting to hold onto a motorized vehicle while it is moving.

Federal health officials are conducting an investigation into the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, after three guests reportedly became ill after their stay. According to 8 News Now, two patients were hospitalized and another died after investigators believe they contracted Legionnaire’s Disease during their stay at the hotel.

While the Southern Nevada Health District has conducted water sampling at the hotel, no sign of the disease has been found after three past guests were confirmed to have the disease just days after their stay at the facility. The district says it will continue its investigation until the source of the bacteria is found.

Legionnaire’s disease is a form of pneumonia that can categorized by high fever, chills, cough, muscle aches, and headaches. The onset of these symptoms occurs within two to fourteen days of contracting the disease. The disease can be treated with antibiotics, but testing is required to confirm the diagnoses before they can by given.

Hotel operators have a responsibility to provide guests with a safe environment during their stay. Failure to do so that results in a guest becoming seriously ill could be considered negligence.

If you have been caused harm because of an unsafe product of practice on the public property, the Nevada premise liability attorneys with the Richard Harris Law Firm may be able to help you. Call us today for a free initial consultation of your case.

A broken part on a casino shuttle bus is to blame for an accident that left one passenger hurt. According to reports from 8 News Now, the accident happened Tuesday morning at around 9:30 AM on Spooner Summit as the bus left a Harrah’s Casino on its way to the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Preliminary investigation reports from the Nevada Highway Patrol indicate that a busted drive shaft on the 2000 E450 bus caused the 57-year-old driver to lose control of the vehicle moments before it began to spin and hit a concrete barrier wall running along the median of the highway.

One passenger was injured in the crash and was taken to Carson Tahoe Hospital to receive treatment.

Commercial bus lines are obligated by state and federal law to ensure their vehicle are safe for passengers to ride by preforming and logging routine maintenance on almost every aspect on the vehicle. Failure to do so could result in fines and penalties for the company, as well as the company possibly being held responsible for people and property injured in the event of an accident.

That is why the Nevada bus accident attorneys with the Richard Harris Law Firm are here to help you with your claim if you have been injured in a bus accident at no fault of your own. Contact us today for a free initial consultation of your case.

State and local law enforcement in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area will be conducting heavy enforcement at intersections for the next several days. Reports from 8 News Now say that the action comes after the release of a lower-than-average result for the city in regards to pedestrian safety.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking ranked Las Vegas 32nd out of 51 for the safest major cities in the country earlier this week. This prompted law enforcement to step up their actions at major intersections in the city.

For the rest of the week, the Nevada Highway Patrol in conjunction with Las Vegas Metro Police, the Henderson Police Department, and the Boulder City Police Department, will conduct numerous operations to ensure traffic motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike follow traffic laws and signals.

The operations will take place:

Tuesday

• At major intersections near Charleston and Lamb from 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM and     2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Wednesday

• At intersections near Maryland Parkway and Desert Inn from 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Thursday

• At major intersections near Tropicana and Paradise 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM and          2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Friday

• At major intersections near Serene and Eastern from 6:00 AM – 11:00AM
• At major intersections near Cheyenne and Losee from 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

The Las Vegas car accident lawyers with the Richard Harris Law Firm would like to remind both pedestrians and motorists to share the road for safety.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) made the approval today for a settlement of $1.7 million dollars to be paid in connection with the wrongful death of an unarmed 21-year-old man. According to 8 News Now, the man was shot and killed by a metro officer during a botched drug raid last year.

Records show that in June of 2010, the LVMPD embarked on a drug raid at a Central Valley apartment where undercover officers had purchased narcotics in the past. They found the suspect in the bathroom and an officer shot the man in the face after saying in reports that the victim made a “furtive movement” toward detectives. Witnesses to the raid said that the man was merely putting his hands up when he was shot.

The officer who pulled the trigger came under major scrutiny after the shooting, as he had been involved in two prior officer-related shootings. A coroner’s inquest determined that although the officer was justified in the shooting, inconsistencies in the officers’ stories were enough to warrant the settlement with the family.

This is the largest settlement in Las Vegas Metro history with 65 percent of the money going to the victim’s young child and the remaining amount going to his fiancée and mother.

The Las Vegas wrongful death attorneys with the Richard Harris Law Firm are available to discuss your case if you feel you have lost a loved one because of someone else’s negligence.

In an effort to combat the growing problem of prescription drug abuse and overdoses, the federal government has implemented several new programs targeted at better education for parents, while better monitoring the countries supply and demand of drug’s with potential for abuse.

8 News Now reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is teaching parents with a new program to keep all medications put away and out of reach of young children. The program comes at a time when estimates say that one in every 150 toddlers will visit the ER because of an accidental overdose. Some experts say that the problem could grow as much as 20 percent in coming years. This is why they suggest:

• Never tell a child medicine is candy.
• Ask visitors and guests to keep medications put up.
• Keep medication in a locked cabinet—never in a child’s reach.
• Teach children about drug safety at an early age.
• Always have the number for Poison Control on-hand.

In addition to the campaign, the CDC also has begun using a national database to monitor the consumption of potentially abused drugs. Now, doctors, pharmacists, and law enforcement can track prescriptions being written and filled by doctors and patients.

The Las Vegas Drug Injury Lawyers with the Richard Harris Law Firm are here to help if you have been harmed by a medication at no fault of your own.

Two people from Las Vegas, Nevada, were killed early Thursday morning after being involved in a single-vehicle crash on an on-ramp of I-215. According to 8 News Now, the accident occurred as the vehicle exited the highway near Cheyenne Avenue.

Investigators with the Nevada Highway Patrol said that the vehicle did not stop or slow down as it got off the highway and passed through an intersection. Authorities say the vehicle was traveling too fast and collided with a barrier wall next to the highway. The 66-year-old driver and 72-year-old passenger both died at the scene of the accident.

Experts say that Thursday’s deaths bring the total number of highway fatalities in the state to eight so far for the year. The number of highway deaths in the state has slowly, but steadily, risen in recent years.

This rise caused the Advocates for Highway Safety to research the growing problem and released a report yesterday that reveals the monetary cost of reckless driving. The report estimates that state taxpayers pay $1.9 billion a year for accidents caused by negligent driving. That cost includes medical expenses, property damage, legal costs, infrastructure repair, employee payout losses, and lost productivity.

This is why the Nevada auto accident attorneys with the Richard Harris Law Firm encourage motorists to follow these tips to safe driving:

• Always buckle up
• Eliminate distractions before driving- check mirrors, phones, and stereos
• Slow down
• Never get behind the wheel if intoxicated

A 62-year-old man died in a Las Vegas, Nevada, motorcycle accident yesterday afternoon. According to 8 News Now, the single-vehicle crash occurred at around 6:30 PM along a stretch of US-95, near Anne Road.

Nevada highway patrol confirmed that the man was with two other bikers yesterday as they headed northbound. The two other riders got ahead of the man though, leaving him alone. Troopers say that then, for an unknown reason, the biker veered off the side of the highway and lost control of the bike. The impact of the crash ejected the rider from the bike and threw him to the asphalt. The injured biker was taken to University Medical Center, where he later died of complications.

Investigators are still working to determine the case of the crash.

The Nevada motorcycle accident lawyers with Richard Harris Law Firm understand the dangers that motorcycles can present for a rider, but by following a few safety tips, they can also be wonderful hobby and pass-time.

The most important thing to remember is to Wear a helmet AND protective clothing! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that wearing a helmet saved an estimated 1,158 lives in 2003. The agency also cites in a safety pamphlet that eye protection, boots, and sturdy leathers are vital in protecting the rider as well.

Taking a motorcycle safety course and obtaining the proper motorcycle license will also decrease your chances of being involved in a motorcycle crash.

In a town like Las Vegas, where as many people can potentially be walking next to the street as there are driving on it, it is vital that motorists and pedestrians alike understand the importance right-of-way at a crosswalk. That is why, according to 8 News Now, the North Las Vegas Police Department conducted a Crosswalk Safety event Friday.

The exercise, which was sponsored by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety, hosted officers focusing on drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and drivers who pass vehicles stopped for pedestrians. They hoped the end goal of the event was increased awareness of surroundings on the highway by both drivers and pedestrians.

The effort was conducted in response to a string of recent pedestrian accidents in the area. In October, a 6-year-old girl was killed when she was hit in a crosswalk by a by a 78-year-old woman. Studies show, of the 414 pedestrian accidents in Clark County last year, 105 of them involved a child between the ages of one and 15, while 28 involved someone ages 16 to 20.

The Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers with the Richard Harris Law Firm support efforts such as these because they say it makes the community safer as a whole. Each year, the firm sponsors a campaign called “Students With A Cause,” which invites area high school students to create public service announcements to combat these kinds of problems.