Criminal Law

• DUI/DWI
  Hilo Injury Attorney Helping Victims of Drunk Drivers and Their Families Recover Compensation after Drunk Driving Car Accidents
• Wrongful Death
  Losing a beloved family member to accidental death is a sudden and shocking event that no one is ever prepared for. Along with the grief and pain of losing a loved one, surviving family members frequently find themselves confronted with a major, unexpected loss of income or assistance they are ill-prepared to deal with. Hawaii law recognizes the significant losses experienced in the case of wrongful death and provides a means for the estate and family to recover compensation from the party responsible for causing the death. Hilo attorney Louis P. Mendonca understands the process involved and knows what it takes to be successful in an action for wrongful death in Hawaii.
• Traffic Violations
  Hundreds of people die every year in auto accidents in Hawaii, and thousands more are injured. The sad truth is that the vast majority of these accidents could have been prevented had people simply chosen to drive with more care. Instead, people engage in speeding, texting while driving and other distracted driving, drinking and driving, and other negligent or dangerous behaviors that we all know should not occur. Hilo car accident lawyer Louis P. Mendonca helps Hawaii auto accident victims hold negligent drivers accountable and obtain compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other legal damages. If you have been injured in an auto accident due to the negligence of another on the Big Island, contact Louis P. Mendonca, Attorney at Law, at 808-961-6690.
• Robbery
  Property owners who invite the public onto their premises should also provide a reasonable amount of security to keep their guests safe from robbery, assault or other criminal activity. For instance, hotels should ensure that their parking garages, hallways and stairwells are well-lit to deter criminal activity. Security cameras, keyed entries, gates, alarms and security guards or patrols may all be in order, depending on the circumstances. Nightclub owners may need to employ bouncers or security guards to keep the peace and remove disorderly patrons, but owners and management should also ensure that bouncers are properly trained and supervised so that they do not harm guests through an overzealous performance of their duties. Property owners and property management companies can be held liable for injuries that occur due to their negligent or unreasonable security failures.
• Assault
• Hit and Run
  Even though all drivers in Hawaii are required to carry insurance, about nine percent, or a little less than one in ten registered drivers are not insured. This translates to about 100,000 drivers in the state without insurance, who could be on the road at any time. What happens if you are hit by an uninsured driver, or if you are injured in a hit and run and cannot identify the driver or vehicle that hit you?

Property Law

• Premises Liability
  Customers and members of the public have the right to expect that the premises of an establishment are kept safe and well-maintained. Nobody has better knowledge of the condition of the premises than the property owners themselves, and it only makes sense that property owners should be held liable when an accident occurs on the premises due to their negligence. In Hilo and throughout the Big Island, attorney Louis P. Mendonca represents persons injured on the premises of others due to a slip, trip or fall, dog bite, negligent security, or other premises liability claim.
• Property Damage
  Hawaii insurance law requires all drivers to carry liability insurance on their vehicle at all times. At a minimum, drivers must have insurance to cover $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, and $10,000 per occurrence in property damage. Even with such low minimum requirements, as many as one in eight Hawaii drivers on the road at any given time are not carrying insurance. The odds of being struck by an uninsured driver are much higher than you might think.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Hilo personal injury lawyer Louis P. Mendonca provides selected internet resources designed to assist personal injury victims and their families. Please note that these resources are links to government and non-profit websites and are provided for informational purposes only.
• Auto Accidents
• Dog Bites
  Dog owners can be liable when their dog bites a person due to their negligence, such as by taking the dog out off-leash or leaving the yard unfenced. Owners are strictly liable for injuries caused by their animals regardless of whether the owner knew their dog might be dangerous or not, so long as the victim was not trespassing and did not provoke the animal. If the owner did know that the dog was vicious or had bitten before, the owner is absolutely liable for any injuries caused.