If you’ve been out and about in Memphis this year, you have heard the words Uber and Lyft. These ridesharing services are becoming increasingly popular and provide a cheap way for people to hitch a ride after a night out. Some even use it as their main mode of transportation, taking the service to and from work. But what happens if your Ubercar is in a wreck? Who’s responsible and liable for any injury that you incur? Chances are, not your driver’s insurance company. Although many policies differ in coverage, critics of the program say that auto insurance companies see their covered drivers as a ‘driver for profit’ deeming their coverage null in the instance of a wreck during a
Did a road defect have something to do with your motorcycle crash? If so, how might that affect your case? Memphis motorcycle injury attorney Darrell Castle discusses your options. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEjenGHEmYQ&feature=youtu.be Text: What happens when a road defect causes my motorcycle accident? If you’re on a motorcycle or bicycle and there’s a defect in the road that causes your accident, it depends on what you mean by “defect” in the road. If you’re talking about a pothole or something like that, you’re under an obligation to watch the road, and to pay attention, and to avoid things like that. You have a duty not to run through some pothole deep enough to cause your accident. But at
Residents in the rural parts of the Memphis area are struggling: Money is scarce and debt is high in Tipton Co, Fayette Co, rural suburbs like Arlington, and across the Mid-South. Foreclosures are on the rise, which can affect everyone’s property values and give neighbors a sense of unease. And we’re hearing about it from the people who work in our office, friends and relatives, and many clients. But why is it happening? This is a particularly hard time for the middle class, and when middle incomes suffer, rural areas tend to suffer as well. This is because as incomes divide, more money makes it into the cities, and the cost rises for living a quiet, peaceful life further from
Picking up a new prescription? Before just paying, grabbing, and heading to your next errand, consider how much you really know about your medication. If taken incorrectly, prescription drugs can be ineffective, addictive, and even life-threatening. As a pharmaceutical injury lawyer in Memphis, I can say I’ve seen the worst, and it’s worth taking your time to be safe. So when picking up your medication for the first time, get printed information and speak with your pharmacist. Make sure you know the answer to the following questions: Why am I taking this medication, and what is it supposed to do? What is the brand name of this medication? Is this the generic brand? If so, what is it called? What
By: Darrell Castle Have you driven down a two lane highway behind a big semi-truck and just wanted to go ahead and legally pass it? What stops you? Well, these semi-trucks are hard to see around. And this often leads to drivers testing their luck and passing by them anyway. And THAT leads to a high risk of very serious truck accidents. (To learn everything you need to know about auto accident law, download my FREE report, Car Accident Law 101) That’s why Samsung has developed a prototype called the Safety Truck. If you’re driving behind one of these safety trucks, then you’ll have a “clear, real-time view of oncoming traffic.” These trucks won’t be on the road
We had a relatively long and extremely cold winter here in Memphis this year, but now temperatures seem to be getting just right for Spring time. Looking at the forecast this weekend, it seems like for the first time in a while, we have consistently mild temperatures here in Memphis. I urge you to take advantage of these comfortable temps and save on your utility bills. How? Well, with these temperatures, depending on your personal preferences, there’s not really a need for heat or air conditioning, meaning you can keep your units off. As a Memphis bankruptcy attorney practicing in the city for over 30 years, I’ve seen countless clients come into my office suffering from debt they just can’t
I saw an interesting story in the Memphis Daily News about the job market for college graduates – it’s improving. According to the Labor Department, the unemployment rate for 2013 college graduates – defined as those ages 20-29 who have earned a four-year or advanced degree – was 10.9%. That rate falls lower than the previous year of 13.3% and is the lowest since 2007’s 7.7%. Although that’s good news for college graduates, it may not be great news. Just because there may be more jobs out in the market doesn’t mean a dream job will be out there. Many times, college graduates will have to settle for a lower paying job than desired or maybe even a job that’s
Say no to Tylenol! By: Darrell Castle Say “no” to extra-strength acetaminophen, like Tylenol, for your liver’s sake – that’s what the FDA is urging. Four months ago, the FDA sent out a warning to all pharmacists regarding the dangers of Tylenol and other over-the-counter medications containing high-doses of acetaminophen such as: Benadryl Excedrin Nyquil Robistussin Theraflu Vicks However, even though acetaminophen has now overtaken viral hepatitis infection as the most common cause of acute liver failure, extra-strength Tylenol still fills the shelves of stores and is consistently recommended by doctors, who also continue to prescribe other medications containing more than 325 mg. of acetaminophen, which is considered “extra-strength.” The FDA doesn’t usually have to repeat itself. However, Tylenol is
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), people of the Mid-South should remain wary of phone calls from the Consumer Protection Bureau (CPB) claiming they’ve won money. Their website, http://uscpb.com, claims they were recently founded to monitor and direct financial matters in our nation. However, according to Randy Hutchison, president and CEO of BBB of the Mid-South, the actual agency in charge of that is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and this scammer agency is just playing off of their name. A Memphis man contacted the BBB after his mother claimed she received a phone call telling her she won $500,000. “She does like to enter sweepstakes, but this just sounded fishy,” he told BBB. “The more I looked
By: Darrell Castle Your money is very vulnerable online if you’re not careful. One of my staff members received an email from what looked like Discover (which she is a customer of) claiming that her account was blocked and that online verification was required. Since the email looked like it was genuinely from Discover and she is in fact a customer, she clicked the link that took her to the page in which she was supposed to verify her information. It asked for her name. She input her name. It asked for her email. She input her email. It asked for her email password. RED FLAG. Why would they need her email password? What purpose does that serve? Rather than