Hundreds of tractor-trailer & bus companies shut down for safety violations

The United States has ordered hundreds of bus and tractor-trailer companies shut down because of serious safety violations, including not testing drivers for illegal drugs and using retreaded tires which are prone to blowouts.

According to a report by the Government Accountability Office many of the companies that have been shut down over the past two years pop up again under new company names but still have the same ownership, drivers and vehicles. The full story by the AP can be read here.

This report is particularly troublesome for those of us who drive in and around the Memphis, Tennessee and mid south areas. Memphis is a major hub for trucking companies and many trucks move through Interstate 240, I-55 and I-40 on their way to other destinations.

As my readers know, I seem to be a particular magnet for sem-trucks trying to run me off the road. This new report gives me extra reason to pay attention the next time I hit the highway.

What is underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage and why you need it

Take five minutes to do this, it could really help you out if you get in a car wreck.

Call whatever company/agent you have your car insurance with. And see how much underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage you have. This insurance is what you will use if you are hit in a car wreck and the person who hit you either doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have enough liability insurance coverage.

Currently the state minimum for liability insurance that all drivers are supposed to have in both Mississippi and Tennessee is $10,000 for property damage (car), and $25,000 per person for bodily injuries (medical bills, rehab and etc.) up to $50,000 max in bodily injuries per accident.

What does that means in plain english?

Example: You have a 2008 Honda accord that is valued at $20,000. Someone runs into you head-on and totals your car. You have to go to the hospital with serious injuries. Several surgeries and a long hospital stay later you have doctor’s bills that are almost $175,000. (Believe me it’s easy to hit that number in a short amount of time.) And you missed three months of work, causing you to miss out on $18,000 worth of paychecks.

The person who hit you only has the state minimum of liability insurance. That means if you get them to settle for the maximum amount of insurance coverage they have, you will only be reimbursed $10,000 for your car and only $25,000 total for your medical bills and missed work. That still leaves you in the hole for $178,000. And if you yourself have the minimum for underinsured/uninsured coverage you’ll probably be able to “stack” the coverage and get an additional $35,000. But that still leaves you $143,000 behind!

As a lawyer I can tell you from experience that a lottttt of people here in the Mid-South don’t have any car insurance or only have the bare minimum. That’s why you need to call your insurance agent right now and ask how much your underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage is. You should make sure you have at least $250,000 worth. And the best part is that this extra bit of insurance is extremely affordable.

In order to get you guys up-to-date info, I just spoke with my agent’s office (shameless plug: Ron Townsend with American National 754-1555) to see how much it costs to increase your coverage to at least $250,000. Guess what? It only costs around $40-50 per year!

So go ahead an make the call right now. It’s wet outside today here in Memphis and you never know when some crazy idiot driving with no insurance is going to ram you from behind. And for only $3.50 per month more on your insurance bill you could be protected.

And, oh yeah, the call to my insurance agent only took 2:26 seconds.

What do you do if you have an accident with a parked car?

You’ve read our posts about what to do when you are in a car wreck here in Memphis, Tennessee – stop, give and get information, call the police, take pictures, etc. But what does the law require, in an accident where you’ve hit an unattended car?

Let’s take a look:

Tennessee law states that you are required to stop and attempt to locate the driver to let them know your name and address as the driver, and the name and address of the car’s owner, should that not be you. If you can’t find the driver, you’re obligated by law to leave a note giving that same information with a statement of the circumstances of the impact. Any other information applicable to your insurance policy should also be included. The note should be left somewhere really obvious for quick viewing by the owner of the hit car (we always recommend under the windshield wiper, for keeping it secure).

Mississippi law is almost word-for-word the same as Tennessee’s, with one exception: should there be no material damage done by the accident and if the car was parked or placed in a way that the owner was guilty of negligence, no note need be left.

Despite that clause in Mississippi law, we have to recommend that no matter what visible damage you do or do not see a note should always be left. It could be midnight on a moonless night, or a street light could be right above you, but damage isn’t always visible. Be overly cautious and exceptionally responsible by letting the owner of that parked car you bumped know what happened and how to reach you.

5 Tips to Avoid a Serious Memphis Accident

No one ever wants to be involved in a car wreck or a lawsuit. Thankfully there are many, many ways to reduce the chances of major car or truck collision.

Here are our Top Five Tips to Avoid a Serious Wreck in Memphis:

1. Pay Attention: In this time of deadline-driven, time-sensitive living, it is not at all uncommon to be answering a cell phone, rummaging through a purse, eating a sandwich, or even putting on makeup while driving. Try to eliminate your distractions so that you are more aware of your surroundings as you navigate the roadways.

2. Don’t Speed: We all admit to driving over the speed limit on occasion, whether it be 5 mph over on a side road or 10 mph over on the freeway. These extra miles add up, though – if you consider that they not only decrease your possible reaction time in a crash but also increase the stored energy that has to be released in an impact, it may make it worth it to slow down a bit and get to your destination safely.

3. Wear Your Seatbelt: It may not be “cool” for your teenager to wear it, but explain to them that the car they’re driving has a very specific mechanism to protect them in case of an accident, and that the seatbelt is a hugely important part of that mechanism. It keeps them snug in the safe zone as the car crumples around them.

4. Communicate While You Drive: Use your signals, make gradual lane transitions, take your time to brake, and leave yourself plenty of room for any moves you want to make. If you and others make an effort to keep the other drivers informed, there will be fewer instances of miscommunication on the road.

5. Keep Space and Pace: Give yourself room between the car in front of you and your front bumper – tailgaters aren’t just annoying, they’re dangerous. And by maintaining a regular driving pace (try not to speed up here, slow down there, zip around this car or that car) you’re creating a predictability that lets other drivers know you won’t suddenly dart over in front of them. Finally, give those trying to merge some space; that two-second delay won’t hurt your commute, and may even save a life.

Remember, you are not alone on the road when you’re alone in your car. Don’t let yourself get caught up in a spilled drink or sending a text back to a friend – you can’t forget that you’re piloting a two-ton vehicle, an effort that requires skill, concentration, and attention. No matter the size of your car or truck, be mindful of others so that you can avoid being involved in a Memphis car wreck or lawsuit!

If you have been involved in an accident and don’t know what to do order my FREE book at www.MemphisAccidentBook.com or call anytime at 1-888-GET-JAMI.

Who hasn’t sued Disney?

I might be a Memphis, Tennessee personal injury and accident lawyer but any of my friends or family can tell you that I’m also a huge Walt Disney World (WDW) fan. I love going to WDW, I love thinking about going to WDW and I even worked for WDW at one point in my life. But have you ever stopped to think about how many lawsuits are filed for personal injury and accident claims against WDW and the major theme parks down in Orlando? There must be tons of them right?

To be exact, according to the Orlando Sentinal, there were 447 personal injury and accident lawsuits filed against the major Orlando themeparks between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2008. That’s 89 lawsuits a year, or 1.7 lawsuits filed per week. That doesn’t count any slip and fall, accident or injury claims that were settled without filing suit.

Many of these claims were for legitimate issues, such as when a taxi ran over a toddler. Yet many others were for comical claims, such as when a man sued for “embarrassment” when a ride attendent “challenged” him as he was entering a Fastpass line inappropriately.

The entire article can be read online at the OrlandoSentinal.com.

Just remember, if you’ve been in a legitimate accident here in Memphis where there were you were seriously hurt I’m here to help you. But DON’T call me or my law office if you did something wrong and were then “called out” and became embarrassed! Shame on you, you should be embarrassed. And you should be even more embarrassed if you’re attempting to sue someone because of it.

Don’t become the next bike accident victim

When most of you saw the headline above you probably thought I was talking about motorcycle wrecks and accidents. And although my law firm does take on cases where riders of motorcycles have been hit and hurt, what I’m writing about today is good old fashioned peddle power.

I love Memphis, but it’s not a great community for bike riding. My office is only 1.5 miles from my home and I’d love to be able to ride to work. However, to do so is difficult and dangerous. That’s because the city streets are built without regard to bike riders. This is something that the city, suburbs and county need to do something about. The new purchase of the railroad right-of-way from Midtown to Shelby Farms is a step in the right direction, but an aggressive stance needs to be taken by someone to make the more of the city and county safe for bikers.

In the meantime, remember: accident cases aren’t always car vs. car. They often end up much worse when they are car vs. bike or car vs. pedestrian – make sure to give bikers a at least a three-feet wide berth, and we will all stay happy and healthy!

It’s not only drivers and their passengers who are at risk of an accident in Memphis!

As I was going through my daily twitter feed this evening an item posted by the Commercial Appeal caught my eye. They reported that just this morning two pedestrians were hit while trying to cross the street. One was a five year old little girl who was running out of from her driveway.

This needs to be a reminder for everyone anytime they are walking on or near any street. You need to do what I teach my three year old daughter every day – “Always look both ways before crossing a street!” Not only that but you’ve got to be super aware of your surroundings.

And driver’s, it doesn’t matter if you’re feeling powerful swooping around town in three tons of steel and fiberglass. You have got to pay attention and be on the lookout for pedestrians! If you hit someone it’s almost always your fault. You have to yield – it’s the law! So take the time to be careful, it doesn’t matter if your ten minutes late getting somewhere. Not when that ten minutes means you were able to arrive safely without hurting yourself or someone else.

In these instances both pedestrians who were hit by cars had to be taken to the hospital in critical condition. I wish them a speedy recovery.

For the entire story visit the CommercialAppeal.com

Have you ever wondered what happens during a car accident trial?

Most of you reading this blog have probably never actually taken part or witnessed a car accident trial or probably even any type of trial live and in person. If you haven’t but would like to know exactly what goes on during the trial process our friends over at the Law Offices of Miller and Zois have put together an absolutely wonderful collection of transcripts from one of their trials where the lawyers argued over who caused a car wreck.

In these transcripts you can read exactly what went on during the trial. Everything from jury selection to opening and closing statements is included. It’s extremely rare to see the transcripts from a car accident case published online so I’d highly recommend that you visit HERE to read the transcripts. Especially if you’ve been involved in a car wreck or truck accident in Tennessee or Mississippi and want to know more about how the nuts and bolts of a car wreck trial.

Did You Know: Get 10% off your car insurance!

Did you Know?

That in both Mississippi and Tennessee there are laws that provide for insurance premium discounts for drivers age 55 and older if they simply complete an approved motor vehicle accident prevention course?

In Mississippi you just need to contact the Department of Public Safety to find a list of approved courses, and in Tennessee you need to find a course approved by the Commissioner of Safety. Once you complete the course and present a certificate of completion to your insurance company you can receive a discount of up to 10% on your monthly premium.

This discount lasts for up to three years. And in this day and age, any little savings helps – the average insurance premium in Mississippi right now is $1408, and in Tennessee it’s $1554. This discount opportunity could save our senior (Note: Mom & Dad the world “seniors” does not apply to you:) drivers up to $155 a year, on average!

Take advantage, and increase everyone’s safety on the roads.

Memphis car wrecks

This is a test post about car wrecks that occur in Memphis.