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A former Memphis police officer was was indicted on two counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of aggravated assault.  The indictment stems from a deadly crash that occurred in August 2012.  The indictment was handed down by the grand jury on  May 10, 2013.  Accident reports and eye witnesses indicate that Beard was traveling…

When we seek medical treatment from a qualified health care provider, we expect him or her to act in accordance with the acceptable professional practice of medicine to heal us.  In fact, physicians are one of the most trusted professions and revered by many individuals.  Moreover, most interactions with health care providers are positive and…

Suppose you hire an attorney to prosecute your claim, and your case is dismissed or an adverse ruling is rendered.  Maybe the judge stated something negative regarding your attorney.  Maybe your attorney told you to do something or he did something that turned out to be a mistake or just did not seem right.  Maybe…

A fifty-four year old wife and mother of two goes in for a routine hip replacement and dies on the operating table.  Her doctor carelessly cut an artery and refused to call for assistance to repair it until it was too late to save her.  These are the disturbing facts of a case we recently…

A bill recently introduced in the Tennessee Legislature could drastically change Tennessee’s current motorcycle helmet law.  The current law, T.C.A. section 55-9-302, requires all drivers or riders of a motorcycle to wear a helmet that meets federal safety standards.  The proposed bill, SB0548/HB0044, would give the driver of a motorcycle the option of not wearing a…

Hyundai and Kia are recalling almost 1.9 million vehicles to repair faulty brake light switches that can cause a host of electrical systems to fail and for side air bags that can cause injuries. The brake light switch can turn on and off due to defective electrical contacts, which can then cause the failure of…

No one wants to hire an attorney who will not adequately and competently represent them.  However, despite good intentions, clients sometimes hire attorneys who are either incompetent, unprofessional, or inexperienced.  Mistakes and errors can happen by even the best of attorneys, but there are some things you can do to help minimize your risk of…

American Honda announced that it will recall more than 182,000 Hondas and Acuras for possible brake malfunctions caused by problems in the vehicles’ electronic stability control systems. The recall applies to 101,000 Honda Pilots, 60,000 Acura MDX SUVs and 21,000 Acura RL sedans from the 2005 model year and approximately 800 Acura MDX SUVs from…

On February 12, 2013, I obtained a jury verdict on behalf of my clients for $500,000 stemming from a wreck that happened in 2010.  The wreck occurred when the driver of an SUV lost control and crashed into a column supporting an over-passing bridge.  The crash left the driver and passenger dead.  Unfortunately, the family…

In Tennessee, a driver and passenger of a motorcycle are required to wear an approved helmet. Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-9-302 states:   (a) The driver of a motorcycle, motorized bicycle, as defined in chapter 8 of this title, or motor-driven cycle, and any passenger on any of these, shall be required to wear either a crash helmet meeting…

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s administration is ready to release massive and detrimental changes to the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation System.  Gov. Haslam formally released his proposed changes during his recent “state-of-the-state” address.   Some of the Governor’s changes include: Making the employer less likely to be at fault for an on the job injury Eliminating the right…

Year after year I see cases in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi where a patient falls and sustains serious injuries while in the hospital.  Hospital falls take a heavy toll on patients, especially elderly patients.  You can read about one of these cases I handled here. In 20-30% of the falls the patient suffers severe to…

A mother and her grown daughter are dead after a two-car accident on U.S. 51 in Brighton. The Tennessee highway accident happened on Friday, January 4, 2013, at about 1:15 p.m. Sixty-two-year-old Sherry Claffey, of Atoka, was headed south in the right lane of U.S. 51 when her Ford Explorer struck the rear right corner…

News broke recently of a Memphis woman who was arrested shortly after giving birth to a baby with cocaine and heroine in its system.  Perhaps the most shocking part of this story is that this was the woman's the fourth child to be born addicted to drugs.  One program in Memphis aims to prevent these…

When you buy a car, you expect it to meet certain safety standards. You expect that your car will work as intended, your seat belts will stay fastened in an accident, your airbags will deploy when needed, and the frame will protect while absorbing the impact of an accident through its crumple zones. These are…

Every emergency room doctor and primary care doctor should be aware of the most common signs and symptoms of an appendicitis.  They include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and fever and chills. But not all patients present with these classic signs and symptoms.  In fact, approximately 30% of patients who are ultimately…

                Most people associate nursing home negligence with bed sores or overmedication.  However, a new study by the Federal Consumer Safety Commission is looking into deaths caused by bed rails.  Bed rails, the same products that are designed to keep the elderly from rolling out of bed, are actually…

Eight-year-old Quindarious McGhay, of Memphis, should have celebrated Christmas with his family, but the young boy was killed in a tragic Christmas Eve traffic accident. The Middle Tennessee car accident took place at 12:13 p.m. on December 24, 2013. Quindarious and his family were travelling on I-40 just west of the Fayette County line. They…

A lawsuit recently filed by 8 alleged victims of abuse name a Davidson County pastor as the abuser.  The lawsuit alleges that the pastor of Bethel World Outreach Church, Rev. Larry Tomczak, abused the victims as early as the 1980s. Rev. Tomczak is known for being a believer in corporal punishment.  A book Tomczak sells…

Overexertion is the third leading cause of unintentional injuries in the United States and the leading cause of workplace injury. Overexertion accounts for approximately 25 percent of Tennessee workers’ compensation claims and about 3.5 million emergency room visits each year. Whether you are at home or at work, our Memphis workplace injury attorneys recommend taking…

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 303 children suffer from some type of cerebral palsy.  Cerebral palsy stems from a certain type of brain injury that causes a range of medical conditions that affect the nervous system and brain.  This damage results in a wide variety of disorders, including movement problems, speech…

It is a sad New Year for the Mississippi Choctaw Indian community. Five siblings were killed after an accident in Neshoba County. Their father was at the wheel. Duane John, 34, has been charged with six counts of DUI manslaughter after causing the fatal Mississippi car accident at about 12:35 a.m. on Saturday, December 29,…

                One of the most important decisions parents make for their child is their choice of a child-care provider.  Parents’ worst nightmare is placing their child in the care of someone that does not have the child’s best interest at heart.  Too often, however, children are injured or killed…

Picture from Chattanooga Times Free Press   2012 was a deadly year for motorcycle enthusiasts on Tennessee roadways.  In total, there were 1,019 fatalities involving a motor vehicle; up from 937 deaths in 2011.  151 of these deaths occurred in “District 4” which includes Crockett, Dyer, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Shelby, and Tipton…

Suppose you had an appendectomy. While you were in the operating room, an operating assistant used sponges to mop up blood and other body fluids that got in the doctors way.  Most of the time, the used sponges were placed on a nearby tray, but the doctor needed a syringe quickly. The nurse placed the…