Stricter Distracted-Driver Enforcement Might Make Roads Safer
June 1st, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
Since the first cars rolled off the assembly line at the turn of the 20th century, drivers have been faced with a serious challenge: How to stay focused on the road for long stretches. With the development of transportation technology, and without an observant horse as a failsafe, we must now be extra diligent. However, […]
Distraction Is Proving to Be a Big Problem for Tennessee Drivers
May 21st, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
Driving while distracted in Tennessee can be costly. The fee for texting while driving is just $50, but police can instead issue a citation for violating the “due care” law, which comes with a fine of up to $300. In addition to those penalties, drivers may be subject to a steep increase in car insurance […]
TDOT Aims to Improve Work Zone Safety and Drivers Can Help
May 14th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
In roadway work zones, flaggers help control the flow of traffic. These Tennessee Department of Transportation employees are the people who hold the “Stop/Slow” sign. Last year, a driver struck a flagger in Fayette County. TDOT wants to prevent that from happening to any other transportation workers, so it’s trying to improve worker visibility. In […]
Legal Questions Surround Self-Driving Cars and Fatalities
May 11th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
If a fully autonomous vehicle causes a death, who is to blame? That’s a question that doesn’t have a clear answer, but an answer may be coming soon. In March, a self-driving Uber car stuck and killed a cyclist who was walking her bike across a street in Tempe, Ariz. The car – a Volvo […]
Hunters Be Cautious: Some Leisure Sporting Equipment Could Be Defective
April 4th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
Many people use crossbows, rifles, and slingshots for hunting or for sport, and one would logically assume that these devices will function as intended. However, several recalls in recent years have shown that thousands of products with dangerous defects have ended up in stores. Take a look at the following recalls, if you have a […]
Why SSD is So Important in Tennessee and ‘The Disability Belt’
March 21st, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
The “Disability Belt” is a term for a geographic region – roughly from West Virginia to Missouri – where a high percentage of people are receiving Social Security Disability benefits. In certain counties within this area, poverty rates are high and employment opportunities are scarce. When jobs are available, they usually entail manual labor. SSD […]
Let’s Stop Believing the Myth That SSD is a Welfare Program
March 14th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
When you’ve worked for most of your life and you reach retirement age, you should be entitled to Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security is a program workers fund through payroll deductions, so benefits are not a “handout.” Social Security Disability works in the same way – you pay into it when you’re employed. Yet, […]
Dispelling the Myth That Some SSD Recipients Don’t Want to Work
February 16th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
Some people believe that recipients of Social Security Disability are lazy – that they’d rather stay home and collect benefits instead of work. But that’s not true. A recent Washington Post article may help reverse this harmful stereotype. The article featured stories from five SSD recipients in different parts of the United States, highlighting the […]
The Impact of SSD ‘Fixes’ on Unemployment
February 9th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
A former staff member of the House Ways and Means Committee recently wrote an opinion piece featured in The Daily Caller. In the piece, she says that tightening Social Security Disability – making it harder for people to get or retain benefits – will cause a spike in the unemployment rate. The correlation between unemployment […]
Ask Yourself These Questions to Determine SSD Eligibility
January 30th, 2018 by Attorney John Colvin
Tennessee residents often ask what the criteria are that the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to determine eligibility for disability benefits. If you qualify, you may be paid Social Security disability (SSD) benefits each month if you are unable to work for at least a year due to the disability. The definition of disability under […]
