Hit and run driver, Cody Rhoden, pled guilty to 4 counts of vehicular homicide in Gwinnett County this week. Following his plea, the judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison with an additional 30 years of probation. According to prosecutors, Mr. Rhoden caused one of the deadliest car crashes…
Articles Posted in Wrongful Death
BP to Pay Record $50.6 Million Dollar OSHA Fine for Safety Violations Uncovered at Texas City Refinery Last Year
BP will pay a record $50.6 Million OSHA fine for numerous safety violations discovered at a Texas City oil refinery last year. The prior record for an OSHA fine, $21 Million, was also issued against BP for multiple safety violations at the exact same Texas City refinery a few years…
BP Oil Spill Litigation Consolidated in Federal District Court in New Orleans
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled that more than 300 cases filed against BP will be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans. The lawsuits include multiple wrongful death claims filed by the families of those killed in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion…
Judge Frees Man Serving 8 Years in Prison for Fatal Toyota Acceleration Crash
Today, the words unintended acceleration and Toyota go together like peanut butter and jelly, but in 2007 unintended acceleration was a foreign concept to most people. 2007 was the year Koua Fong Lee was sentenced to eight years in prison after his Toyota Camry accelerated without warning and crashed into…
Free Thumb Socks! New Campaign to Stop Texting & Driving
I just finished up a case where a violent head on collision was caused by a texting teen. In my case, luckily no one was killed, but texting and driving is a huge problem that is killing American teens. Do Something.org’s Thumb Wars is a national campaign to help educate…
Attorney Ben Persons Receives 10 out of 10 Superb AVVO Rating
Avvo is a leading lawyer rating website that rates and profiles lawyers in every state to help consumers evaluate and select an excellent lawyer for their needs. The primary focus of Avvo’s ratings are 1) Experience, 2) Industry Recognition, and 3) Professional Conduct. Recently, they have given Persons Firm attorney,…
Crime Stoppers Tip Leads to Capture in Fatal Hit and Run Incident
Atlanta has seen a flood of wrongful death and catastrophic injuries caused by hit and run drivers this summer. Numerous metro area police departments are pursuing active hit and run investigations. This week DeKalb county caught the man believed to be responsible for the fatal hit and run collision on…
Sandy Springs Police Looking for Car Involved in Deadly Hit and Run
Today, a Lexus LS 460, like the vehicle pictured to the left, struck and killed a pedestrian walking next to Roswell Road. According to the Sandy Springs Police the Lexus left the road, struck a man walking on the sidewalk, and immediately left the scene. We have seen a rash…
BP Executive Promises to Pay All Legitimate Claims in Gulf Coast Disaster
As previously discussed in this blog, the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA), Oil Polution Act (OPA), and the Limitation of Liability Act (LOLA) protect companies like BP from liability when disasters such as the Gulf Coast Oil Spill occur. However, it appears government and public pressure may prevent…
BP May Escape Liability for the Catastrophic Damage Caused by the Gulf Oil Rig Explosion
It has been revealed through recent Congressional hearings that BP ignored warning signs and continued to drill just hours before the oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded killing 11 people and causing an environmental catastrophe of historic proportions. BP has admitted fault, but BP executives testified that Transocean (the offshore drilling…