A jury recently ruled that the majority share of negligence rested on a bar’s shoulders in a drunk driving wrongful death case.

According to the jury, the standards that were put in place to get the bar’s license to serve liquor in the state of Pennsylvania were ignored by the bar’s staff. The bartenders continued to serve the now-deceased woman on November 5, 2006, even though she was clearly intoxicated. As a result, she left the bar with a blood alcohol toxicity roughly three times over the legal limit. Following her exit from the bar, she got in her car and proceeded to try to drive home. She crashed around Delaware Avenue, suffering fatal injuries.

While the bar was in its rights to serve alcohol, limitations put in place in Pennsylvania makes it a violation to serve alcohol to someone who is visibly over-intoxicated. The message of the jury’s decision was that all bars and restaurants will be held accountable for their social responsibility to carefully monitor their patrons. As a result, the jury placed 51% blame on the bar and 49% blame on the woman, discounting the appropriate amount of judgment from the total claim against the bar. Many hope this case will instill moral accountability alongside profitability in any mistaken club and bar owners’ priorities.

In an attempt to lower fatality rates with teen drivers, a new survey has enumerated the four largest contributing forces to teen crashes.

State Farm and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia backed the National Young Driver Survey, a questionnaire completed by 5,665 teen drivers that aimed to illuminate the causes of young drivers’ mistakes. According to the results, 84% of crashes involving teens can be blamed on their four factors.

The first factor listed was the teenager’s inexperience driving. The study asked that teen drivers wait 6 to 12 months before letting friends ride along with them, as at least two-thirds of all fatal teen crashes can be blamed on driver error.

Secondly, distractions presented to the driver contributed heavily to fatal crashes with teens. The study blamed multiple passengers and cell phones, regular or hands-free models, for the three to five times increase in deathly collisions.

The third cause in the study was speeding. Males between the ages of 15 and 20 are caught speeding in 38% of fatal incidents.

Fatigue and drowsiness are the fourth factor. Teens coming back from late-night activities at school or their friends’ houses can pose a serious danger.

If you or someone you love has lost someone because of another driver’s error, contact the Pennsylvania wrongful death attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today by calling 610-667-7511 to discuss your claim.