Was that 18 Wheeler that hit you in violation of federal safety laws?
August 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under 18 Wheeler & Bus Accidents, All Blog Posts
The American Association of Justice just released it’s report “Warning Safety Violation Ahead” that gives the latest information on 18-wheeler and semi-truck accident deaths and trucking company safety violations.
The report shows that in 2007 there were 149 deaths in accidents involving large trucks (this includes tractor trailers and 18-wheelers) in Tennessee. Although Mississippi reported less deaths from truck accidents than Tennessee, they still had 75 deaths from these wrecks.
These numbers are sobering for those who drive on our states interstates and highways. Even though large trucks make up only 4% of the vehicles on our roads, they are involved in 12% of all motor vehicle deaths.
Another area for concern is the number of motor carriers with federal safety violations. As of April 1, 2009 there were 423 trucking companies based in Tennessee who were found to be out of compliance with federal safety requirements.
The full searchable database can be found here.
Thanks to John Day and his post for pointing us to this information.
Why do I have this blog?
August 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under All Blog Posts, James K. Ferrell
I was reading a fantastic post written by Ronald Miller today concerning his thoughts on why lawyers have blogs. Mr. Miller’s post started me thinking about my own reasons for this site and this blog.
Why do I have this site and this blog? And what are my motivations?
The primary reason for this site is to educate and inform people. I wasn’t always a lawyer. Before becoming a Memphis lawyer working with victims of car wrecks and truck accidents I was an ordinary person no more familiar with the law than most of you. If I would have been involved in a car wreck or been injured somehow I would not have known where to go, what to do, who to talk to and who not to talk to. Because of my background, I understand that it can be really confusing when you feel like you don’t know anything.
That’s why I decided to give away as much information away as possible. I want people to feel informed, knowledgeable and comfortable with what is going on around them if they have been in an accident. Other lawyers here in Memphis and Mississippi try to sell, sell, sell. They want you to sign on the bottom line and hire them. I want to teach, teach, teach. And I after I teach you I want you to be able to come to your own conclusions concerning: what you should do if you’ve been in a car wreck or injured in any way, how to determine if you should even hire a lawyer, and if you do need to hire a lawyer I want to help you learn how to choose the right one.
That’s what this blog is about. It’s all about being a teacher and helping others.
In my life I’ve always been very fortunate. I’ve always practiced the theory that those that give unconditionally, without demanding something in return will be rewarded. For me this has always held true. I give my love to others and I have received multiples of that love in return. I donate my time and money to others and have received much happiness and satisfaction from doing so. And in my practice I have been lucky that people who I help, often turn to us for help.
I’ll continue to post relevant and useful information for victims of accidents here in Memphis, Tennessee and throughout Mississippi. And I hope this info will help you with your case or settlement.
What I will NOT do on this site is fill it full of useless information just to bring in more visitors. A lot of other lawyers do this. They hire companies to scour the internet and newspapers looking for accident reports that the hired guns then copy and paste right into the lawyers blog. These lawyers do this just hoping that the person will do a Google search for their name and accident information. No useful information is provided, they are simply trying to suck you into their site. I promise we will never do that. If you do see a news report on our site it’s because we found it relevant to what’s happening in the community and it provides useful information for you. Examples of this are when very large injury verdicts are awarded or a special event occurs.
Please don’t think that just because of what I’ve written above that we don’t want your business. We do. If you fit our specific client criteria we would be happy to help you. But we want you to be informed and knowledgeable first and foremost. And to do that we try to provide honest and authentic material to guide you.
Who is the best personal injury and accident lawyer in Memphis?
August 25, 2009 by admin
Filed under All Blog Posts, James K. Ferrell
It’s impossible to say who is the best personal injury and accident lawyer in Memphis. No one can answer this question. Every case is different and one attorney may be perfect for one person and their case, but not quite the right fit for another.
Some of the things to look for when you’re trying to find an accident or injury lawyer for your case is as follows:
These are just a few of the things you should look at and ask when you’re searching for the best attorney for your case.
To learn more about how to choose the best attorney for your case, and to find out if you even need to hire a lawyer order our free book “7 Deadly Mistakes That Can Kill Your Memphis Accident Case” by clicking HERE
$30 Million Dollar Verdict for Teen
August 25, 2009 by admin
Filed under 18 Wheeler & Bus Accidents, All Blog Posts
Jurors award a $30 Million verdict in DeSoto County, Mississippi for semi-truck accident victim!
Here is a synopsis of the story from the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
A DeSoto County Circuit Court jury on Friday awarded a $30 million judgment to a teenager who received permanent brain damage in a traffic collision three years ago.
Ethan Bryant spent eight months in a coma after a gravel truck plowed into the side of his pickup in August 2006 at Malone and Goodman roads in Southaven.
Attorneys representing the Bryant family, said the truck driver’s load was 20,000 pounds overweight and the driver had little experience.
“The jury held them accountable for hiring an unqualified driver,” said their attorney Paul Scott.Bryant’s friend and passenger, Patrick Taylor, was killed in the collision. Both were 16-year-old students and athletes at Hernando High School.
The jury found that APAC-Tennessee Inc. — a road-paving company that hired gravel-truck driver Chad McCarty — was 70 percent responsible for the wreck.
The other 30 percent was split between McCarty and the company that loaded the gravel, which settled out of court.
McCarty pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault and was put on 15 years probation.Bryant, now 19, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him incapable of living without help. His mother, Kateri Bryant, gave up her job to take care of her son.
“He requires 24-hour care,” said his dad, Carey Bryant. “It’s turned into my wife’s full-time job.”
He said the jury’s verdict was the first moment of justice he has felt in the past three years.
“I think the proudest moment we have was when all 12 jurors stood up and returned a verdict that APAC exercised extreme negligence,” he said. “DeSoto County residents spoke very loudly that these kind of trucking companies will not be tolerated.”
Circuit Court Judge Robert Chamberlin presided over the trial. Attorney Bill Luckett represented APAC-Tennessee.
How easy is it to be involved in a very bad car wreck?
August 13, 2009 by admin
Filed under 18 Wheeler & Bus Accidents, All Blog Posts, Car Wrecks
It’s extremely easy. All it takes is a few seconds of looking around at the wrong time or simply not paying attention. It’s so easy my wife was almost involved in a very bad wreck yesterday.
Katie was driving home on I-55 near Senatobia. She had just picked up our two children who had been staying with their grandparents. As she came over a hill, driving nearly 70 mph, she had to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting a car that was stopped on the interstate. The car was stopped due to construction work, but because there was a hill blocking her view Katie had no idea of this.
Luckily she was able to avoid hitting the car in front of her. She told me that only moments earlier she had been looking in her rear view mirror to check on our baby boy, and if she would have been doing it five seconds later there would have been no way she could have avoided a horrible accident.
Katie was also lucky that the 18 wheeler that was behind her was able to swerve off the road to avoid rear ending her. This truck was also caught off guard and could have seriously injured or killed my family. I’m very grateful today that the driver of this truck was paying attention and alert. If not for this I could be sitting here right now in complete sorrow and shock. I thank God that I am not.
You never know what will happen on any given day or at any given time. But when you’re on the road please pay attention. Don’t text people. Don’t zone out. Don’t drive when exhausted or intoxicated. Yesterday my wife and the driver of the semi truck behind her were alert and attentitive. If either one would not have been things would be very different for me right now.
P.S. The reason why I practice law, and do the work I do, is to help people who arent’ as lucky as I am this morning. Somewhere there is a person who had a completely different outcome than me on this occasion. That is the person who needs help. I can’t fully understand the pain and hurt that they are going through. No one really can. But we simply listen and do the best we can.
