This is an interesting case to say the least. How do you feel about their release? Did our justice system serve its purpose? Should these men have been released?

Ryan Dunn along with his passenger was killed on Monday, June 24 in a car accident. The 34 year old was best known as the star of Jackass. According to Yahoo! News, the accident happened in a suburban neighborhood in Philadelphia where Ryan may have lost control of his 2007 911 Porsche GT3, flipped over a guardrail and continued into the woods where his car burst into flames.

The exact cause of the crash is unknown. Speed may have played a role in this horrific car crash according to the West Goshen township Police.

The first determination is the custody agreement. Often, one parent retains custody while the other has the right to visit the child at predetermined dates. In this case, a visitation schedule will be drawn up to provide stability for the child by establishing a set schedule for spending time with the non-custodial parent. Both parties will be involved in deciding upon a visitation schedule, not just the custodial parent.

A child’s school and extracurricular schedule must be taken into account when drafting a visitation schedule. Holidays from school must be divided between parents in a way that both can agree is fair. When a person is granted visitation rights, it is important for them to pick up and drop off their child or children on time and at the agreed upon location. This helps keep the arrangement as amicable as possible.

Depending on state law, grandparents may also be entitled to visitation. Generally, this is only applicable if both parents are deceased or have serious issues that must be dealt with before they can be granted custody of their children, including overconsumption of drugs and alcohol, and physical or verbal abuse.

It is important for the custodial and non-custodial parent to agree upon the visitation schedule and adhere to the schedule. Should either parent have a problem with the other’s actions involving visitation, it is likely that the custody case will end up back in family law court.

The above article should not be considered legal advice. This can only come from a qualified lawyer. If you or a loved one is in need of a family law attorney please see our directory of lawyers or look through our award winning attorneys.

The battle involves a family debate over the driving abilities of their 83 year old father.
Mary says her family has become completely divided on the issue, some thinking her
father is fine to continue driving, and some afraid that he is going to cause a terrible
accident if he doesn’t stop driving immediately.

Mary comes from a large family and has eight siblings. Over the years, Mary and all
but one sibling have moved out of state from their parents. In 2009, their mother passed
away, and dad has continued living alone in the family home. Mary explains that there
was never any division or unrest between siblings until the passing of their mother. For
reasons she did not share, friction between the adult children has continued to grow and
fester since mom passed away.

As Mary was describing the family dynamics, I was fighting off visions of the Cuban
Missile Crisis. On one front, you have a platoon of siblings accusing the others of being
mean and just wanting to take one of dad’s last remaining liberties away from him, and
an opposing faction accusing the first group of being cold and callused about his safety
and the safety of others.

During our telephone conversation, Mary began crying and stated “It’s gotten so nasty, I
actually plan to disown my family, and have asked Dad to just remove me from his will
just to get the bickering to stop”. Mary was clearly in pain and was reaching out for
professional help.

Now what? How can Keeping Us Safe possibly help Mary, her siblings and most
importantly, her father? Are our programs really suited for problems of this complexity?

Yes, absolutely…this is exactly what we do at Keeping Us Safe. In fact, one of our
continuing education (CEU) programs is even titled “Bringing a Peaceful Resolve to
Complex and Sensitive Senior Driving Issues”, which would probably have been a
perfect sub-title for this article.

Our “Enhanced Self-Assessment” program for older drivers is exactly what Mary’s
family (particularly her father!) needs. This individualized program has been designed
to serve as a valuable tool in helping older drivers (and their families) make appropriate
decisions regarding the future of ones safe driving career. If the individual is a safe
driver, we provide him or her with strategies on how to remain a safe driver as they
continue to progress through the aging process.

If driving retirement is the appropriate decision, then we provide the individual (and their
family) with acceptable alternatives and access to resources along with a very specific

plan to ensure a smooth and successful transition from the driver’s seat to the passenger
seat.

And that’s exactly what we did!

First, we established one simple “ground rule” with Mary and her sibling; that no matter
the outcome of my session with their father, all of the siblings would support (at least in
the presence of their father) any decisions made. Everyone agreed…whew!

In September, I personally met with Mary’s father. After our 3 hour session, which
was populated with driving and cognitive-related exercises (including an actual driving
exercise), her father and I developed a mutually agreed upon plan of action for his driving
future. His particular plan included several self-imposed driving restrictions, but stopped
short of a complete cessation from driving. Mary’s father was very happy with the
agreement that he and I developed, in fact he was actually very relieved.

As out time together was winding down and I was gathering my belongings, Mary’s
father explained to me that since the passing of his wife, his children have become
very divided on almost every single family-related issue imaginable, and it was very
distressing for him to see. He added that he knew his driving wasn’t the best anymore,
but he thought he was still OK to drive. He said, with tears in his eyes, that he had half
of his children telling him one thing, and the others telling him another, and he found
himself torn on what to do. With the constant bickering, he was not only unsure anymore
of his own driving abilities, but was also unsure of how to stop the growing family
turmoil surrounding what was “best” for him.

It was then that Mary’s father explained how relieved he was that someone completely
independent and removed from the family dynamics and emotions, became involved in
the mess (his word). There was a true sense of relief about his face now, not to mention
a sincere smile. The tears in his eyes were gone, and he spoke now with a sense of peace
and comfort. I then left his residence and made my trek back to Ohio.

I had occasion to speak with both Mary and her father last week. Mary said that although
she and her siblings still debate the driving issue amongst themselves, they have all held
to their word to support their father’s driving “agreement” with Keeping Us Safe, and
that they now represent a unified front when talking to Dad about his driving.

During the conversation, Mary’s father said that despite his self-imposed driving
restrictions, he is still very active in the community and has “figured out” how to get to
where he wants to go without always having to drive. You could hear the smile in his
voice.

It was a very rewarding conversation for me, as Keeping Us Safe was indeed able to
bring a peaceful resolve to yet another family’s complex and sensitive senior driving
issue.

If you are interested in helping the families of older drivers in your community, consider
becoming a certified “Beyond Driving with Dignity” professional. To learn more about
this new training and certification program, please contact Keeping Us Safe by email
(info@keepingussafe.org) or by calling us toll-free at 877-907-8841.

The residents and legislatures of Boston, Massachussetts have been making a strong push lately for increased protection for children on school buses. It seems a mistake, they conject, to have seatbelts on all manner of vehicles except the one that carries their children on a daily basis.

Logically, it seems almost intuitive that seatbelts would now become a more accepted part of school bus transportation. Despite that, the bill put in place seems to be extremely slow moving and not looking to gain momentum any time soon.

More details as reported by Telegram.com:

“For decades while state and federal laws pushed seat belt mandates on car manufacturers and the public, school bus operators here have had no requirement to provide seat belts or shoulder safety straps for children.

That would change under legislation awaiting action in the House and Senate that would require shoulder straps in school buses within two years.

The school safety belt law, which was killed in the Transportation Committee in 2008, has been recommended for adoption by the Public Safety Committee this year. It is currently in the House Committee on Third Reading, chaired by state Rep. Vincent A. Pedone, D-Worcester, awaiting a recommendation to go before the full House for a vote.

Despite that progress, however, few lawmakers have heard about the legislation and there is little momentum to pass it.

The bill is competing with hundreds of other bills with high-profile legislative battles raging among lawmakers on expanded gambling, economic development, health care cost-cutting, drug sentencing and criminal record and gun-buying restrictions, with only four days left for formal sessions in this two-year legislative session.”

This topic, while focused in Massachussetts, is indicative of similar conversations going on all around the country. It may take a wave of approved seatbelt laws to swing the tide of both public and political opinion to approve seatbelts in most states. The real stumbling block is budget.

Making the decision to actually contact a lawyer for representation can be a harrowing experience. It has an ‘over-the-cliff’ sensation as it makes your legal troubles seem very real. However, if you are prepared with the right information and the right mindset, it needn’t be such a staggering experience.

The most important thing to remember is that an attorney will be an employee for you. You are not wasting his/her time, nor are they above listening to you. Go in with the understanding that you are both trying to get a feel for the situation in order to figure out how best to resolve it.

Many people are worried about being honest when meeting with a lawyer; they are concerned about being judged, doubted, or brushed off. Unfortunately, there are bad attorneys out there who may do these things. Your goal should be to find an attorney with an excellent reputation and knowledge of the subject matter for which your situation applies. We often recommend using a free lawyer consultation service who’s sole purpose is to gather a network of reputable attorneys and help people connect with them.

Another important factor is cost. Most quality lawyers will waive any consultation fee when hearing your initial concerns. Charging clients just to hear the circumstances is considered uncouth at best in the legal world.

Do yourself a favor and have all the needed materials prepared. Bring copies of documentation that help explain the situation and prove that your claims have solid footing. Remember that in a court of law the less that has to be taken at your word the better. Judges and juries need to see facts that prove your case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Finally, prepare yourself emotionally for the experience. Go in with an open mind and expect to be asked questions that may make you feel vulnerable. Your attorney will need to dig into the uncomfortable circumstances that first brought you to him/her. Understand that doing so is their job and only asking the soft questions will ultimately hinder your case. That being said, if you feel your attorney is emotionally bankrupt or unsympathetic to your cause, you may want to consider going elsewhere.

The match between you and your attorney should be a good one before moving forward into the actual trial process.