Archive for category Auto Accidents
Missouri cracks down on seat belt use
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on May 22, 2012
Seat belts save lives. It’s not just an empty slogan. The Missouri Department of Transportation has startling facts about the link between fatalities and the failure to wear seat belts: Seven out of 10 Missourians killed in traffic crashes in 2011 were unbuckled, and three out of four teens killed in 2011 traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt. Only 67 percent of Missouri teens (13-19) wear seat belts.
As Missourians killed in traffic crashes in 2011 , we have seen the devastating effects caused by not wearing a seat belt. The proper use of seat belts reduces the risk of serious injuries and even death. In Missouri, 79 percent of the citizens wear seat belts, but the state’s seat belt usage rage is well below the national average of 85 percent.
The Missouri Highway Patrol, Department of Transportation and local law enforcement are cracking down on wearing seatbelts from May 21 – June 3 with their “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
While it’s frustrating to be handed a fine for not being buckled up, the risks of not wearing a seat belt are just too great to ignore the law. In 2011, 784 Missourians were killed in traffic crashes. If everyone were buckled up, the number of deaths likely would be lower.
As of May 6, 2012, there were 255 traffic fatalities in Missouri, an increase of 22 percent when compared to roughly the same time period in 2011 (208 fatalities).
The good news is that Missouri car accident deaths have dropped 37.6 percent since 2005. But Missouri traffic fatality statistics reveal much work is needed to drive the numbers down even further.
In Missouri, 30 percent of traffic deaths involve an impaired driver. The leading causes of car accidents include speeding, driving under the influence and inattention.
Breaking News Law Offices of James Scott Farrin announces its sponsorship of Running of the Bulls in North Carolina
Posted by Lawyer in Auto Accident Lawyer on May 21, 2012
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Fourth Annual Running of the Bulls 8K, Durham’s premiere community road race and USA Track & Field NC Championship, on Saturday, June 2, in Durham, North Carolina.
Running of the Bulls is an 8 kilometer race – equivalent to 4.97 miles – that will wind its way through the historic downtown area of Durham, North Carolina. The race will start at 7:15 a.m. on Foster Street, close to the Durham Farmer’s Market and the YMCA. During the course of the race, runners will be able to get a glimpse of the different neighborhoods and cultural hotspots around Durham, including the American Tobacco campus, home to the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. The race will conclude with a lap around the track at Old Durham Athletic Park.
The race will conclude with an awards ceremony at 9:15 at the Durham Athletic Park.
Running of the Bulls 8K is currently open for registration. The registration fee is $35.00 per runner and will close on May 31. Runners will be able to register on the day of the race for $40 per person if any spots remain.
The race is directed by Bull City Running Co. and proceeds from this year’s race will benefit Sustain-a-Bull and other local charities.
Read The Full Story : Running of the Bulls in North Carolina
About the Firm:
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin a car accident attorney Roanoke Rapids Nc is headquartered in the American Tobacco Historic District, adjacent to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, in Durham, North Carolina, with 12 additional offices statewide in Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Goldsboro, Henderson, New Bern, Raleigh, Roanoke Rapids, Rocky Mount, Sanford and Wilson. The firm’s 28 attorneys focus on the following practice areas: Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability, Bankruptcy, Intellectual Property, Civil Rights, Mass Torts and Products Liability. Three of the attorneys are North Carolina Board Certified Specialists in Workers’ Compensation Law, one is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law and one is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law. The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is involved in the community, including sponsorship of local philanthropic organizations and an active employee matching donation program.
Legal News New Safety Testing Reveals Women and Children May Be at Greater Risk of Injury or Death in a Car Accident
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on May 9, 2012
Women often spend a lot of time driving their children to and from school, extracurricular activities like sports, and family activities.
Because they spend so much time on the road with such precious cargo, women often choose vehicles based on their safety rating and other perceived safety features. Yet new vehicle ratings reveal that safety information had been skewed for men, and that women and children may actually be at greater risk of serious injury from car accidents than previously thought.
Starting with 2011 models, the federal government began using a smaller “female” crash-test dummy for some safety tests, instead of the standard, average-sized “male” dummy. The result has been a lower safety rating for many vehicles – as much as two stars – to reflect the increased risk of serious injury for smaller passengers, such as women and children.
Legal News W Va Woman Fights to Collect $10 Million from Debt Collectors – ABC News
Posted by Lawyer in Car Accident Lawyers on April 25, 2012
Source : ABC News
It is illegal for debt collectors to make empty threats about serving people with a lawsuit or seizing their home. And it was especially galling to Mey, who says she is debt-free.
“They threatened to take legal action against our property and it wasn’t even our debt,” Mey said.
Millions of Americans are victims of this kind of mistaken debtor identity, partly because of a new breed of collectors called “debt buyers.” They purchase old debts for pennies that the original creditors have given up on and then try to collect them for a big profit. Critics say debt buyers sometimes use outrageous tactics to get the money where others have failed. RFA is a debt buyer.
See: Debt Collector Harassment Lawyer
At the time, Mey said she didn’t make a connection between that call and the collectors. But then she learned the call hadn’t come from the local sheriff’s office after all. The caller ID had been manipulated to look like it did, a practice called spoofing. That’s when she went online and discovered complaints about RFA debt collectors pretending to call from sheriff’s offices, including a male collector who called women vulgar names.
When “Nightline” went to RFA’s Orange County, Calif., office to ask about the case, it was abandoned. RFA is actually a fictitious business name for a company called Global AG, LLC. Records show it is just one of several collection companies run by the same people that often change names and move. “Nightline” also visited other offices registered to people named in Mey’s suit, but employees refused to talk and asked us to leave.
RFA’s lawyer later told “Nightline” that RFA made the first collection call to Mey, but denies making the second, obscene call. He said he was speaking on behalf of company principals Thai Han, Jim Phelps and Stewart Phillips.
“My clients say it is not their policy to engage in conduct that violates the law,” he said. He characterized the $10 million judgment as “unfair.”
As for Diana Mey, she says she knows she may never be able to collect the money, but that her lawsuit still serves a purpose.
“I hope that it sends a message to other debt collectors out there that you have to follow the law,” she said. “Because if you don’t, there are going to be people out there that are going to stand up against you.”
