This time of year I always get a little scared for my family and friends on the road. I know it’s a time of celebration, but as a car accident attorney in Memphis, I’ve seen what can happen when someone gets behind the wheel after a few drinks. If you’re planning to go out for New Years, please, make sure you have a safe ride home. Whether you use a designated driver, a car share app, or cab company, you can never be too careful. If you plan to drive (sober), please keep an eye out, and get out of danger from any car that looks unpredictable or out of control. Keep an eye on the road both behind and
It’s not too late to file suit against Lipitor By: Darrell Castle Lipitor lawsuits continue to move forward in litigation. Court documents indicate more than 1,200 Lipitor lawsuits have been filed in federal multi-district litigation. These lawsuits claim that women taking Lipitor have an increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes and that Pfizer, the drug manufacturer, is accused of having previous knowledge of this risk but hiding it from doctors and patients before 2012. In 2012, Lipitor was ordered to put a label on its bottles warning users of the risks associated. However, plaintiffs believe the warning label doesn’t sufficiently warn Lipitor users of the potential increased risk for Type 2 diabetes. What does this mean for you? It’s
Levaquin, Cipro & Avelox have been associated with permanent nerve damage By: Darrell Castle If you’ve suffered nerve damage from taking an antibiotic then Levaquin, Cipro or Avelox may be to blame! These three popular antibiotics are in a class of drugs called “fluoroquinolones,” which are antibiotics used for a variety of community and hospital infections. In 2013, the FDA issued a warning for these drugs requiring label changes warning users about the risk of possible permanent nerve damage – peripheral neuropathy – from these drugs taken by mouth or injection. Peripheral neuropathy is a nervous system condition that often affects the arms and legs, but can affect other areas of the body as well. The condition can leave victims
Xarelto is a blood thinner with no remedy to stop the bleeding By: Darrell Castle There’s a new dangerous drug out there to watch out for and it goes by the name Xarelto. Xarelto is a blood thinner with an awfully dangerous side-effect — uncontrollable bleeding. Uncontrollable bleeding is a risk shared by all blood-thinners. However, with Xarelto, there is no known remedy to reverse the bleeding, causing major problems. Because of this issue, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson are now under heavy legal trouble, facing lawsuits from victims claiming Xarelto is a defective and dangerous drug because of its blood-thinning problems. What does this mean for you? If you or a loved one have taken Xarelto and experience severe
Memphis is a city of scorching hot summers and decently cold winters with weird instances of weather in between. This winter however, it definitely seemed to get a little (maybe a lot) more cold than usual. It got so cold in Memphis that on some particular days, MLGW officials didn’t even come around to read the meters, but instead estimated the amount of utilities used and made up the difference on the next bill. You may have tried your best to stay warm without turning your heat up in your home – utilizing space heaters, snuggling with mounds of blankets and eating deliciously warm tomato soup (or any other flavor of your preference). However, if you’re like me, there came
Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers and have been for decades. Thousands of teen drivers and passengers are killed every year in road crashes. But in a turn of wonderful news, over the last few years the CDC reports that fatality rates for teen drivers have actually decreased by 46%. Insurance companies cite as one explanation the Graduated Driver License (GDL) requirements in some states. States with comprehensive GDL laws that require – among other things – 50 hours of practice, no cell phone use, and restricted night driving have less teen road fatalities. In fact, the rate of fatality in each state tends to decrease according to the strength of the individual state’s GDL law.
If you could be in peak physical health and be debt-free at the same time, would you choose to do so? Of course! But what if you had to choose between the two? Credit Karma, a personal finance company, surveyed Americans and found that a giant percentage, 72% to be exact, would rather keep their current debt than lose 25 pounds. Living in Memphis, the city listed in Newsweek magazine as the “Fattest City in America” in 2012, makes that factoid even more alarming. Using Credit Karma’s survey as a guide, if the large majority of the Memphis population cares so little about their weight, then how much less will they care about their current debt situation? Americans owe more
Medical bills are putting people in debt By: Darrell Castle Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare in Memphis will cut 75 jobs and reduce spending by almost $50 million. This is due to falling reimbursements – America’s medical industry’s new reality. “The current healthcare environment is presenting financial challenges for hospitals across the country.” said Gary Shorb, Methodist LeBonhuer’s CEO, in an email to employees. Memphis’ economy has been fueled by the medical industry in recent years with more than $300 million worth of hospital expansions and 10,000 new health industry jobs over the last decade. However, rising health care costs are finally catching up the this regional medical hub. It’s not only businesses and the employees being affected by rising health
The USA Today’s Wall Street Cheat Sheet reported the top 12 states with the healthiest foreclosure markets. The ranking, based on the percentage of foreclosure inventory and the amount of completed foreclosures in 2013, looked like this: Wyoming Alaska North Dakota Nebraska Colorado California Minnesota Montana South Dakota Virginia Missouri Arizona So, even with Memphis, one of the state’s main cities that CNN Money ranked as the 10th “Hottest Housing Market for 2014,” Tennessee still has work to do in the foreclosure department compared to other states. “Clearly 2013 was a transitional year for residential property in the United States. Higher home prices and lower shadow inventory levels, together with a slowly improving economy, are hopeful signs that we are turning a
What Does It Mean to Be Injured in a Slip and Fall Accident? Here at Darrell Castle & Associates, I’ve met with hundreds of people who’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident. We also call these premises liability cases. Slip and fall injuries can be far more serious than some people imagine. They can require surgery and long hospital stays. But what does it take to prove a slip and fall actually occurred and that you deserve compensation? Simply put, in premises liability cases, there has to be negligence that caused the injury, and you have to be able to prove that negligence. If you’re in a commercial building and slip and fall, causing an injury, you need