A Chapter 13 bankruptcy can help you keep your car By: Darrell Castle It’s pretty common for people to fall behind on their car payments. Dealing with that debt can be frustrating, but there’s even more the car owner needs to worry about in this situation – losing the car. Your car loan is a secured debt, meaning it’s debt backed by collateral (your car in this case) that a creditor can recover if you default. However, there are ways to stop the creditor from taking your car. If you want to save your car, then a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is right for you. In Chapter 13, you can usually lower your car payment and the interest so that you
Cars don’t kill people; texting & driving does By: Darrell Castle Distracted driving is the leading killer of teenagers in the United States. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, in 2013, there were more than 5,000 accidents involving distracted drivers and only about 730 accidents involving drunken drivers in Shelby County. Texting and driving is obviously still a big problem, despite the new law in 2009 prohibiting texting and driving in Tennessee. Why are drivers still doing it? Are the punishments not stiff enough? Currently in Tennessee, anyone who’s caught texting and driving can receive a maximum fine of $50. Is that really enough? Is it too hard to catch drivers who are texting on the road? “The first
These days, our phones can feel like our lifelines because they help us stay connected with our loved ones amidst busy schedules and long distances. However, when you’re driving, your phone becomes quite the opposite of a lifeline. While driving, glancing down to your phone to send a text message is a costly, sometimes deadly decision. In fact, if you should get into a car accident while sending a message, that text can be used by a personal injury attorney as evidence to convict you of negligence in a personal injury case. Read on to find out how texting and driving constitutes negligence and what the consequences of a texting and driving car accident are. Texting and Driving Laws in
Wondering how many of your friends and neighbors have filed bankruptcy in Memphis? A lot. Memphis bankruptcy lawyer Darrell Castle discusses. Please consider scheduling a consultation with our team of bankruptcy lawyers Memphis, TN families trust today, so that we can help to ensure that your options are as informed as possible.
Are you living a life controlled by debt? By: Darrell Castle Josh Millburn wrote a memoir on his life titled “Everything That Remains.” In this memoir, he detailed his life in which he lived for material possessions and how he changed his outlook. However, in living for material possessions and to just fill his life with stuff, he fell deep into debt, maxing out credit card after credit card. He did this in his own pursuit of happiness and the “American Dream.” Here’s what he said once he got himself out of debt – “Eventually, happiness was just a speck on the horizon way off in the distance. The closer I got, the farther I had to go. Turns out
By: Darrell Castle One myth of medical malpractice is that doctors pay for the costs out of pocket, and thus are ruined by a large case against them. This isn’t exactly true. Medical malpractice claims are typically handled by the insurance companies, which provide liability insurance to doctors. The larger the settlement for the injured person, the more the insurance company pays, not the doctor directly. (Want to learn everything you need to know about medical malpractice? Click here to download my FREE report, Medical Malpractice 101.) However, doctors do pay a good bit out of pocket for the insurance coverage. Depending on their practice specialty and the risks involved, doctors usually pay tens of thousands of dollars
By: Darrell Castle The idea of workers’ compensation is quite simple. If you’re injured on the job and unable to work, then your employer should provide you with workers’ compensation. It’s purpose is to replace your wages while you’re off work healing. Do you need an attorney for workers’ compensation? Just because the idea of workers’ compensation is simple doesn’t mean the process is. It’s actually pretty complex, especially with new laws in place. However, it’s not complex for experienced attorneys like the ones at Darrell Castle & Associates. A workers’ compensation lawyer Memphis, TN trusts can help you file workers’ compensation in a timely manner. Bypassing an attorney to handle your claim doesn’t keep you from getting compensation, but
By: Darrell Castle One sign that your loved one is being abused in the nursing home is if they have to be taken to the emergency room. If your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse, or you think he or she has, then you need to speak to an experienced attorney immediately. Call (901) 327-1212 to schedule your FREE case evaluation, or fill out one of the contact forms to have someone from our office contact you. Darrell Castle & Associates has received multiple Client Distinction Awards from Martindale-Hubbel for client satisfaction so I can assure you that you’re in good hands here. Video Transcript How do you know when your loved one is being abused in
By: Darrell Castle When you’re a victim of medical malpractice, that means your doctor’s conduct fell beneath the standard of care. Medical malpractice isn’t just a bad result. It’s not bad beside manner or rude conduct by a doctor, nurse or some hospital employee. Do you want to know what IS medical malpractice? I’ll give you an example of a case we’ve had here at Darrell Castle & Associates. A man goes into the emergency room complaining of crushing chest pain, pain radiating down his arms and numbness – symptoms of a heart attack. The doctor then tells him he probably just has indigestion, sending him home with an order to take two Aspirins and call him in the morning.
Medical bills and liability in car accident cases By: Darrell Castle If you’ve been hurt in a car accident, you should always seek medical attention! There will probably be an ambulance at the scene of the crash, or you can go see a doctor. But of course, that comes with a cost. How do you pay for that medical treatment? Well, that depends on whether the accident was your fault or not. If the car accident WAS your fault, then you’ll be liable for those costs. However, if the accident WAS NOT your fault, the person AT fault is liable for those payments. Are you not sure whose fault the accident was? That’s okay – it’s common. That’s why you