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
Well, we are one week into the new year and the new decade. How are you doing on your resolutions? Most folks, roughly 80%, will trash their resolutions by January 10th. The failure rate on resolutions is so high because generally resolutions like weight loss or learning a foreign language or completing your graduate degree require hard work and take significant time. But, we have 5 important resolutions that can be done in a couple of hours max and could make an incredible difference in your life. Continue reading
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
Everyone can let out a collective sigh of relief. The weather apps are now saying the rain will stop in time for trick-or-treating. If your house is like ours, Halloween is the second biggest holiday of the year and postponing it because of rain would be catastrophic in kid-dom. But in all seriousness, the biggest tragedy, of course, would be an unavoidable accident that leaves a child injured. That is why, we wanted to give you just a few quick reminders of how to stay safe this Halloween. Here are 5 important things you can do to help make the night all treat and no trick: Continue reading
Whether we walk to work or walk from our car into the grocery store, all of us are pedestrians at some point. And, pedestrian deaths are on the rise with last year reaching a 30-year high. More than 6,000 people are dying each year in pedestrian accidents and thousands more are seriously injured. Experts believe several factors are contributing to the increase in pedestrian deaths. And while new vehicle technology claims to help prevent pedestrian accidents, recent testing by AAA shows otherwise. Continue reading
Did you know that for children ages 5 and older car accidents are the number one cause of death? Every single hour of every day, 150 kids will be treated in an emergency room for serious injury due to a car or truck accident. I am proud to report Tennessee became the first state in the nation to enact a child restraint law. Since 1979, Tennessee law has required that children be properly restrained in a car, truck or SUV. Because next week is Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, we thought it would be a good time to review the requirements of Tennessee’s child restraint laws and give you some tips on how to keep your child passengers safe. Continue reading
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
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:
Davidson County, Rutherford County and other area schools are already back in session, Williamson County schools start this Friday and a number of private schools start next week. Hopefully, everyone has done their summer reading and is ready. Drivers also need to be ready especially since there have been some changes in Tennessee law. Take our true or false quiz below to find out if you are an A+ driver. Continue reading
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
Tennessee Injury Law Center