Boating Accidents

June 10, 2020

June 11th – National Make Life Beautiful Day

Well, we could all certainly use some more beauty in our lives these days. We often think of beauty as a physical attribute but it is so much more. Kindness is beautiful, justice is beautiful, truth is beautiful, courage is beautiful and so many more things. In honor of National Make Life Beautiful Day, we wanted to announce another give-away from our office. On June 27^th, we are going to be giving away 1,000 washable cloth masks from the parking lot of our Murfreesboro office. Just drive through and get a free mask. More details are below. In addition, below are some easy suggestions on how you could make life beautiful tomorrow, and we would love for you to comment with some suggestions of your own. Continue reading

May 21, 2020

Memorial Day Boating Safety Tips

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

It is hard to believe it is Memorial Day weekend. If you are like me, you have been suffering a certain level of time disorientation courtesy of the pandemic. One day inexplicably races by and some weeks feel like they lasted a year. Nonetheless, here we are – Memorial Day weekend. Typically, this is a heavy travel weekend but this year experts predict folks will stay close to home and visit local parks, rivers, lakes or just their own backyard. Whether you are towing your own boat to the river, renting a boat from a lake marina or heading to your lake house or cabin, we wanted to remind you of some incredibly important safety tips as the boating season officially gets underway: Continue reading

January 16, 2020

Growth for the Sake of Growth Is the Ideology of the Cancer Cell *

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

At dinner one night, when our son was little, he told a story about how a company had made a toy that did not perform as expected. He concluded his tale with an indignant “They don’t care about us; they just want our money”. From the mouths of babes, right? We all laughed but the sad truth is that every day in the headlines we see where corporations put profits over safety. To some, financial growth is the sole objective. So what can be done? Continue reading

December 3, 2019

Overwhelmed

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

At this time of year, especially with a shortened season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Shopping, wrapping, addressing, baking and all the other things that need to be squeezed into our already busy schedules can become stressful. But it is important to take a step back, take a deep breath and realize that this type of overwhelmed is rooted in something joyful. We buy the presents, send the cards, bake the cookies, etc. because it is part of a season of joy and festivities. But, there is another type of overwhelmed. Continue reading

September 5, 2019

After an Accident, You May Not Want to Sue but You May Get Sued

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

The New York Times published an article this week detailing how many hospitals, one of which is in Tennessee (LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis), have started suing their patients by the thousands for unpaid medical bills. Many of the patients had insurance and the hospitals were suing for deductibles and co-pays. According to the article, more than half of the reports to credit bureaus were a result of unpaid medical bills. Of course, in addition to the cost of litigation and the underlying medical bill, this affects people’s credit rating and overall financial health. Consider this from a study by the Commonwealth Fund:

43 percent had used up all their savings to pay their (medical) bills, 43 percent had received a lower credit rating as a result of their debt, 32 percent racked up debt on their credit cards, 18 percent said they had delayed education or career plans. People with lower incomes were particularly affected: 37 percent said they were unable to pay for basic necessities like food, heat or rent as a result of their (medical) bills.

Clearly, medical bills can be devastating to many families – even those with medical insurance. So how does this relate to a car accident or other injury-producing accident? Continue reading

August 27, 2019

Dos and Don’ts of Labor Day

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Yes, you can wear white after Labor Day. No, you should not celebrate the holiday without knowing its origins. (Following the bloody Pullman strike and other labor strife, Labor Day was created by the federal government in 1894 as a recognition of the American worker’s contribution to this country’s prosperity). Yes, you should be especially careful while driving this weekend. Labor Day is the second most dangerous weekend to drive – only Memorial Day weekend is more dangerous. Read on for more safety dos and don’ts of Labor Day:

Yes, you can still drink rose and fruity beer. No, you absolutely should not drink and drive. Alcohol-related car accidents spike during the holiday weekend. Call a ride-sharing service or a taxi. Use a designated driver or stay overnight but do not place yourself or anyone else at risk of an accident. And if you see a vehicle being operated erratically, keep your distance if possible and contact police.
Yes, you can take a road trip to the mountains, river, lake or anywhere else but be sure to use your seatbelt as it could save your life. Each year, seatbelts save almost 15,000 lives and experts estimate another 2,500 or more could be saved if everyone wore one.

July 25, 2019

Jet Ski Accidents

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

John Day loves his jet ski. At sunrise on almost any Saturday or Sunday for the last fifteen years, he has been out on to the water for an hour and a half ride. I have long asserted that, as a result of all that time on the jet ski, John could be blindfolded and dropped at any place on Tims Ford Lake and he could drive straight home as he knows every nook and cranny of the 11,000 acres and 240 miles of shoreline of that lake. Needless to say, after all those years, John is an experienced rider but even experienced riders, and certainly inexperienced ones, should know these facts: Continue reading

June 19, 2019

Five Important Safety Tips to Keep Your Family Safe on Tennessee Lakes and Rivers

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

We love being on the water. On a typical weekend morning, John is on his jet ski at sunrise ready to cruise every nook and cranny of Tims Ford Lake. The day continues with several boat rides during the day, maybe pulling a knee boarder or a skier, and we usually wrap up with a short evening cruise after dinner. And while we love the water, we also respect it. Joy’s grandfather drowned in a boating accident and every year Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has to deal with accidents and tragedies. In fact, over Memorial Day weekend, TWRA made 21 boating under the influence arrests, worked five injury accidents and six property damage accidents, and two teens have already drowned on Middle Tennessee lakes this summer. Here are the top 5 things you should and should not do while on the water.

June 6, 2019

Accountability v. Responsibility

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

In a recent blog post, Seth Godin wrote: “Accountability is done to you by the industrial system, by those that want to create blame. Responsibility is done by you. It’s voluntary. You can take as much of it as you want.” Seth Godin is a marketing guru and I enjoy his blog. As it relates to the legal field and the work of the lawyers at the Law Offices of John Day, I would change this post slightly: Accountability is done to you; when you do not take responsibility. Here is why I say that. Continue reading

January 10, 2019

Four Easy New Day’s Resolutions

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? A lot of us do. The most common New Year’s resolutions are: (1) exercise more; (2) eat healthier; (3) save money. We all have such good intentions and then life gets in the way. In fact, by February, 80% of New Year’s resolutions are out the window. So if you have already messed up on your New Year’s resolutions, you are definitely not alone, and The Law Offices of John Day has some good news. We have some quick and easy resolutions that can protect you and your family and help you feel better about yourself for having a cheeseburger, fries and milkshake for lunch. We are calling them New Day’s resolutions because all four can easily be accomplished in one day. Continue reading