Lawyers Journal

Media's portrayal of judges falls short

By Richard P. Campbell

I have spent much of my professional life dealing with the adverse consequences of drinking and driving. When the crashworthiness doctrine took hold across the nation after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit issued its decision in Larsen v. General Motors¹ in 1968, individuals involved in high kinetic energy collisions began filing lawsuits against motor vehicle manufacturers in significant numbers. Since I represent motor vehicle manufacturers, I defended many, many lawsuits where the injured persons were occupants of vehicles operated recklessly by impaired drivers. Drunk drivers can do great damage to themselves and to others.