Arnold & Stafford Legal Blog

Low alcohol levels and eye impairment

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in DUI/DWI on Friday, March 27, 2020.

You may have heard that impaired drivers can get a DUI even when their blood alcohol level is under the .08% commonly cited as the legal limit. This is true, as officers have other means of gauging impairment and can arrest someone that they deem too intoxicated to drive safely, even if that person does not fail the limit.

When considering this, perhaps you began to wonder how even small doses of alcohol could cause impairment. You've had one or two drinks in an hour and felt like you could drive, so what happens?

Deployment stress leads to military drug use

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in Drug Charges on Friday, March 20, 2020.

There's no way around it: Getting deployed can be stressful. Soldiers have one of the most selfless, dangerous jobs in the world, and that can take a toll. Even when they're proud to put their life on the line to protect their country, they still have to face the realities of a harsh workplace environment and the very real dangers of operating in a combat zone.

In some cases, this stress can lead to substance use and abuse among members of the military. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse puts it:

What happens to your license with a traffic offense or DWI?

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

Like many other people, you might take your driving privileges for granted. You use your vehicle at any time to get where you want to go.

In fact, you might not realize just how much of a privilege your driver's license is until after a conviction for a traffic offense or DWI. What are some of the penalties you could face?

Doctors may think skin cancer is a rash

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in Misdiagnosis on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and, in some cases, one of the easiest ones to cure. Unfortunately, it's also possible for it to get misdiagnosed as something far less serious, such as a rash.

One man said he thought he had a pimple at first. It was a dark color, but he ignored it. It then turned into a small red spot and he went to see his doctor. The doctor thought it was a rash and told him to just use some over-the-counter cream on it. That didn't help, so he went back, and another doctor just doubled down on the wrong diagnosis and told him to use a stronger cream.

Georgia police officer hit by suspected drunk driver

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in DUI/DWI on Friday, March 6, 2020.

A police officer from Ringgold, Georgia, got a call on Sunday, March 1, that a driver may be under the influence. The officer initiated a traffic stop and pulled the car over.

While investigating the situation -- the police are never supposed to assume that a driver is intoxicated -- the officer told the driver to turn the car off. They apparently did so, at least at first.

Surgeons may leave these items behind

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in Surgical Errors on Friday, February 28, 2020.

Have you seen the commercial where a surgeon leaves his cellphone inside of a patient and only finds out when he gets a call after the procedure? It's meant to be funny, but it's not nearly as far from the truth as you may assume. The reality is that surgeons do leave items behind from time to time, and they can cause serious problems for patients. In the worst cases, these events could even be fatal.

Examples of items that may get left behind include:

Tweezers
Sponges
Scopes
Surgical gloves
Surgical masks
Needles
Scissors
Scalpels
Forceps
Tubes
Measuring devices
Towels
Drain tips
Clamps
Guide wires

Did you experience a 'never-event?'

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in Surgical Errors on Saturday, February 22, 2020.

There is a term in the medical community, which refers to some situations as "never-events." These have been described as preventable and serious mistakes. In short, they are things that should never happen -- and yet they do.

Two examples of never-events are mismatched blood transfusions or surgery on an incorrect body part. This second issue could mean amputating the left leg when the right leg needs to be amputated, for instance, or it could mean carrying out an operation on a hand when an operation was needed for the patient's foot. In some cases, it means doing the right operation but on the wrong patient.

Speeding, repercussions and points on your driver's license

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law on Thursday, February 20, 2020.

Some states do not use a point system as a penalty for traffic infractions, but in Georgia, point assessment applies to every kind of traffic ticket that law enforcement officers issue.

You may think that the system is no big thing until you realize what may happen to your driving privileges as points accumulate.

The police understand when drunk driving is more likely

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law posted in DUI/DWI on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.

Do you ever feel like you see the police crack down on impaired driving at a certain time or around a certain event? It's not all in your head; you really are seeing more officers on the roads. The police understand when drunk driving is more likely, and they'll often step up enforcement efforts around these times.

For instance, they already did it once in Georgia this year, right around the Super Bowl. They knew that it was a massive event that was essentially a holiday. They knew a lot of people would watch the game at the bar or at parties where alcohol was served freely. When the game ended around 10:00 p.m., they knew they'd see a lot of impaired drivers on the roads.

A DWI conviction can cast a big cloud over your future

On behalf of Arnold & Stafford, Attorneys at Law on Monday, February 10, 2020.

If you are in college or just out of school and focused on your first professional job, your whole life is in front of you, and you probably have big plans for your future.

You may not think much about drinking and driving, believing that if stopped for DWI, you simply pay a fine and go on with your life. However, a DWI conviction can disrupt your future plans in a big way.