Thorp Law

09/26/2024

I was honored to be able to represent a wonderful young woman who was terribly injured by a drugged up driver. After a seven day trial, a Wake County jury rendered its verdict and held this dangerous driver accountable.

05/01/2024

It’s the first day of May, time once again to pause and appreciate the rule of law in America with the celebration of Law Day. The American Bar Association marks the annual occasion with programs and PR campaigns that emphasize the vitality of the American justice system. This year’s theme, Voices of Democracy, focuses on encouraging Americans to participate in the 2024 elections by educating them on the electoral process, encouraging civil discourse and moving the country forward after free and fair elections. For a look at what your fellow Americans are thinking about these and other issues vital to the functioning of democracy, check out the ABA 2024 Survey of Civic Literacy. One encouraging statistic: 81% of respondents knew “rule of law” means everyone must follow the law. https://www.americanbar.org/news/reporter_resources/civic-knowledge-survey/

04/22/2024

Today is Earth Day, yes, but I can’t help being excited about its other official designation – National Beagle Day. Being the proud owner of Huckleberry, the world’s most adorable miniature Beagle, I feel compelled to take a moment to expound on the virtues of this breed and our hound in particular. The American Kennel Club describes the Beagle as curious, friendly and merry and rates them as good with young children and other dogs.
Here at Thorp Law we have found these evaluations to be spot on. Huckleberry has proved to be especially good with the latest addition to our canine support staff, Cocoa Puff, our paralegal Tammy’s new little ball of fur. The two get along fabulously well, and their camaraderie is a boost for office morale. So, on this Earth Day and National Beagle Day, Thorp Law is grateful to be the beneficiary of the gifts of the natural world, with the joy that Beagles bring us foremost among them.

04/09/2024

The fact that there’s a day designated for being kind to lawyers is itself a great kindness, so let me just say thank you to whoever collected the signatures, filed the paperwork or did whatever needed to be done to make that happen. I’m guessing it was a lawyer.
But I am even more grateful to the many clients who didn’t need a calendar reminder to share kind words. Over the years, I have heard from so many of you who have let me know how the work our team did made a difference in your lives.
The knowledge of a job well done is a reward in and of itself. But when we hear from our clients that their suffering was eased by our efforts, that our work helped make their world better, that they felt made whole, that is the greatest kindness I can imagine.
So, if you’ve ever told a lawyer they made a difference, thank you for being kind, today and every day.

04/04/2024

No matter what shade of blue your blood usually runs during college basketball season, the lure of this year’s candy apple red Wolfpack bandwagon is proving impossible for most of us who live in the Triangle to resist. How can you not pull for these guys and gals who are playing with the kind of heart and grit that recalls the Cardiac Pack of 41 years ago? Seeing State make it to the Final Four even took the sting out of watching my Tar Heels fall to them in the ACC Tournament in part because the Pack has been winning with such verve and in part because it has put so much of Raleigh in such a joyous mood. For years, the capital city has had to sit March out, watching while Durham and Chapel Hill painted their streets blue and ordered up extra crowd control and confetti. How great was it to see all those photos of fans young and old posing on Hillsborough Street in front of the bell tower glowing red? The Pack has rekindled the city’s enthusiasm for the school. As a native North Carolinian and a Triangle resident for 35 years, I am proud to be pulling for State this week. And, even though I don’t own an Old Tuffy T-shirt, I will be putting my wolfies up and cheering for the Pack when they face off against Purdue on Saturday. Why not us?

03/28/2024

As I watched the Frances Scott Key Bridge crash into the Patapsco River like a stack of Legos when a cargo ship hit it Tuesday, my reactions raced from shock and horror to grief and sorrow to settle on practical concerns: How did this happen and how do I keep myself and my family safe from something like this?
Shipping disasters are largely beyond our control, of course, but our reactions in any emergency can make all the difference. NPR had a great piece with an important safety tip: If you find yourself in a car submerged in water, remember the acronym SWOC – Seat belts off, Windows open, Out immediately, Children first. Don’t call 911 first. And no matter what, do not wait for the car to fill up with water like you may have seen in action movies. Lifesaving Rescue, an aquatic safety and water rescue training company, has an extensive document of tips and facts about how to survive an accident like this. In some cases, an ounce of prevention is the best we can do.

This article discusses the common dangers associated with driving through low waters, and the most effective ways to escape a submerged vehicle.

03/11/2024

Living with a brain injury can bring with it extreme feelings of isolation because every survivor’s experience is as unique as the brain itself. As a personal injury lawyer, I work with many clients who are brain injury survivors, and I see the challenges that they and their loved ones face as they navigate an emotional and psychological landscape changed by their trauma. So, I’m excited to share a new resource that the Brain Injury Association of America has introduced to mark Brain Injury Awareness Month: the new My Brain Injury Journey awareness campaign, which aims to break through the isolation by giving survivors tools and a forum for sharing their personal stories of injury, recovery and thriving after a brain injury. https://www.biausa.org/brain-injury/community/personal-stories
It's estimated that 2.8 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries every year. If you or your loved one suffers a brain injury, it’s important to know that you are not alone and that you can get the help that you need to heal, recover and thrive.

02/29/2024

If only there were more hours in the day, more days in the week, more time, we tell ourselves. Well, here it is, February 29, an extra day, more time. We can argue about whether it’s actually an extra day or just an accounting blip resulting from our attempts to tame a landscape as vast as time with a rudimentary tool like the Gregorian calendar.
But why would we waste our extra day doing that? Instead, we should take inspiration from leaplings – those born on this date – and others who wrote into National Public Radio to describe how they will be spending the day. Some are getting married. Some are observing ceremonies like college graduation that the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to skip in 2020, the last leap year. Some are just hosting silly celebrations. All sounds like time – extra or not – well spent.

We get a leap day only every four years. How will you spend it? Here's some inspiration from people celebrating all sorts of personal milestones — and those who just want to enjoy their extra day.

01/31/2024

I was reading a New York Times story recently that tried to explain why the frightening surge of car crash fatalities that started during the pandemic in the United States is continuing. A lot of behaviors are at play: a rise in impaired driving, cell phone use, going without seatbelts, rage and speeding. It was a long story, with a lot to unpack, but one nugget stood out for me, about the futility of speeding: “It would take driving 100 miles at 80 mph instead of 75 mph to shave just five minutes off a trip.”
We all know this – that trying to make up for lost time by speeding in midtown traffic is pointless and dangerous – but for some reason when we’re late for an appointment we’re tempted to do it anyway. But what if we resisted the urge? Of all the things we could do to make the world a safer, better place, what’s easier than driving the speed limit? As the article points out, bad behavior like road rage is contagious. Is it possible that good behavior could be contagious, too?
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/magazine/dangerous-driving.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20240121&instance_id=113093&nl=from-the-times®i_id=145168921&segment_id=155926&te=1&user_id=7735109d3b8ac1b824283f59f6da038f

01/02/2024

Jan. 2 feels like the perfect time to celebrate National 55 MPH Speed Limit Day -- and that’s because it is. It was on this day in 1974 that President Richard Nixon signed into law the first national speed limit, an unpopular regulation aimed at helping Americans curb gas usage as they struggled with the oil crisis of the early 1970s. Why celebrate? Because the 55-mph speed limit wound up being a life-saver, lowering automobile-accident deaths by the thousands each year. Congress repealed the national speed limit in 1987, and 55 mph can seem like a snail’s pace on some stretches of highway these days. But it’s good to take a moment and remember that slowing down and following the rules is the No. 1 way to stay safe out there. We can drive 55.

12/31/2023

Wishing everyone a happy, happy new year!

12/22/2023

Happy Holidays from Thorp Law!