Latest Blogs

      Just hours after graduating from high school in Cartersville, Georgia on May 24, 2014, eighteen year old Chance Werner was dead reported CBS News. He had been celebrating the milestone with friends at a lake by playing a game. The game involved sitting in a shopping cart, tying the cart to a pole, and then pushing it all the way down a dock to the water. The idea was that the tie would prevent the cart from going into the water, but the person in the cart would be bounced out into the lake.  But with Chance, instead of the cart being tied to the pole, it was tied to him. When the cart was pushed down the dock, both it and Chance bounced into the lake. Unable to untie himself from the cart, and weighed down by it, Chance drowned. He leaves behind a devastated family, including his eight month old son.

    Unfortunately, Chance Werner's death is far from the only tragedy linked to graduation parties. Already in 2014 alone, a student was fatally shot at a party in New Orleans; four students were injured when shot at a graduation party in Michigan; and a student's brother drowned while at a graduation celebration at Dartmouth.  And the graduation party season has just begun.

    At Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys know that graduation celebrations can quickly spiral out of control, resulting in tragic consequences that alter lives permanently. To address some of the risks associated with these parties, many communities are working with their schools to promote "Safe and Sober Parties." These parties are held in central locations--often the high schools themselves--and chaperoned/sponsored by parents and volunteer groups. The students are "locked-in" and the party goes all night, so that after-parties are not a risk. 

    Randall Spivey, of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., warns parents that even though the festivities may be in your home and on your property, it is still illegal to serve alcohol to minors. If a minor consumes alcohol on your premises, it can be considered contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Therefore, when hosting a party with underage kids, it is a good idea to not serve any alcohol at all--even to the parents. If kids arrive with backpacks or large bags, have a search and seizure policy so no alcohol is smuggled into the party. If people arrive tipsy or drunk, call someone to take them home. At this time of year, and in these situations, our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys encourage parents to be parents, not pals.  

    At Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., we strive to help ensure that graduation remains a time of celebration and does not become a time of tragedy. For more information on how to keep the occasion safe, or if an unfortunate event has occurred, contact our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys.