It’s the end of the year, and that means it’s time for the Winter 2008/2009 Texas Law Alert! This table-of-contents article and the following short blog entries are all part of this winter’s Alert. Easy-to-read tips and articles on common legal questions make up each Texas Law Alert, a free service from Street and Ragsdale, your Fort Worth/Dallas personal injury lawyers.

WE PREFER YOU TO REFER!

The period of time following an accident is one of confusion and uncertainty. There are many things to take care of. Hiring a good lawyer is one of them.
Many times, people don’t know where to go when they need legal help. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, call us. We will vigorously represent you and make sure that you are justly compensated for your injuries. That’s our job.

ATVS: ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 136,000 injuries and 700 deaths occur from ATV accidents every year.

CHILDREN AND ATVS

Amazingly, 95% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 who are injured on ATVs (and 65% of younger children) are injured or killed while riding a full-size ATV intended for an adult.

BE ALERT FOR MEDICATION ERRORS
While more and better drugs are usually considered a good thing, the increase in the number of drugs available and in the number of drugs the average person takes has led to an explosion in the number of errors made in prescriptions.

UNSAFE LOAD = BIG RECOVERY
The company’s president told him he could either drive the company’s truck or drive his own truck home. The trucker refused to take the unsafe load and was fired the same day.

BALANCE YOUR CHECKBOOK
Although no one would argue that balancing your checkbook is a fun way to pass an evening, balancing it every month is important for several reasons.

INSURANCE COMPANY HITS
When it’s time for an insurance company to pay you a settlement because you were injured in an auto accident, does your insurance company sing a different tune?

Although no one would argue that balancing your checkbook is a fun way to pass an evening, balancing it every month is important for several reasons.

Bouncing Checks Is Expensive

Banks make much of their profit on bounced check charges and overdraft fees, and these charges and fees keep going up. They can also have a negative effect on your credit rating, making borrowing for everything from a house to a car to a vacation more expensive. Balancing your checkbook every month (and keeping good records of ATM withdrawals, fund transfers, etc.) helps make sure you don’t write checks you can’t cover, saving money.

Mistakes Happen

Although not common, banks sometimes make mistakes on your statement. If you balance your checkbook every month, you can find these mistakes early, when they are easier to correct.

Stop the Bad Guys

Finally, as much as we hate to think about it, fraud and identity theft are on the rise. While rare, it is possible for others to siphon off funds from your bank account without your knowledge. If you go over your records every month, you can discover this kind of problem before you lose too much of your hard-earned money.