Liability in a Car Accident Involving a School Bus

Posted by Adam R. Leighton on Feb 12, 2019 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Liability in a Car Accident Involving a School Bus Car Accident Lawyer The last thing anyone expects to occur is to find themselves victim of a car accident. This is especially the case when faced with an accident that resulted from a school bus driver’s negligence. Although this may be an unusual situation, there is still a likelihood that you stand to suffer injuries. While a school bus can certainly help to protect its’ passengers, motor vehicles who are involved in a bus accident crash stand to withstand serious injuries. An accident attorney can help determine who should be held liable for the accident and collect evidence to prove liability. The Impact a School Bus May Have School buses are clunky. Watching their girth as they slowly chug down the road can leave you wondering if they have the ability to keep up with the flow of traffic. In the morning and afternoon hours, school buses are a standard part of the commute. Whether driving through your neighborhood or sharing the highway, the last thing you suspect is the likelihood that a bus driver won’t be able to safely operate their vehicle. As a society, it’s not uncommon for people to hold bus drivers to a high standard. After all, they are transporting the most precious cargo in the world, our children. What many unsuspecting accident victims may not realize is the impact such a large vehicle can have on a car should an accident occur. Because of their size, school buses can do serious damage to other drivers on the road should an accident occur. School buses are designed to protect young passengers from the force or impact when faced with a crash. However, accident victims stand to suffer damages; leaving them to consider the possibility of filing an accident claim for compensation. This can be a tricky road to travel that may be best faced with the help of a car accident attorney. Determining Who is Liable When injured in an accident caused by a school bus driver, an attorney can assist in helping you determine who you should file a claim against. This will depend upon several factors. You will need to determine who should be held liable for the accident: The bus driver? The school District? The school bus vehicle manufacturer? A contracted transportation service? This can be tricky to determine. You will want to be sure that you start off your case on...
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Creditors and Bankruptcy

Posted by Adam R. Leighton on Feb 9, 2019 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Creditors and Bankruptcy Experienced Attorney Regardless of who you are, financial hardships can be very stressful and make your life much harder than it needs to be. These hardships include debts from credit cards, student loans, utility bills, or mortgages. Not only do these hardships cause you stress, they place immense pressure on your personal life, personal relationships, and sometimes, loss of jobs. Although debt collectors are permitted to attempt to contact you in order to recover the debt owed, it is illegal for them to harass you. The Federal Trade Commission and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act define the legal and illegal actions taken by debt collectors. Debt collectors are not permitted to: Harass you by using threats of harm or violence, use obscene language or repeatedly use the phone to annoy you Lie, misrepresent what you owe or make other false statements, such as falsely claiming they are attorneys or government representatives, when attempting to collect a debt State that you will be arrested, or your wages will be garnished if you don’t pay your debt Try and collect interest or fees on top of your debt or threaten to take your property unless it can be done legally Automatic Stay During Bankruptcy Proceedings Commonly, when you file for bankruptcy, there is an automatic stay that prohibits most forms of collection activity. This stay includes legal action, garnishment, and contact by phone or mail. The automatic stay is broad and encompasses nearly all attempts to collect debt acquired prior to bankruptcy. However, there are a few exceptions. These exceptions include child support enforcement, criminal cases, and even eviction cases. It is important to note that the automatic stay will not apply to any debts acquired after the filing of bankruptcy. The Debt Collector Violates the Automatic Stay If none of the exceptions identified above apply to the debt collector, then this collector has violated the automatic stay. If this is what happened in your case, you may have some options. These options include: Informing the creditor of your pending bankruptcy, so that if they garnish your wages, they are required to return the amount to you. They are, in essence, correcting the violation Notifying the bankruptcy court if the collector does not stop attempting to collect its debt after you inform them of the pending bankruptcy. The court can sanction the debtor if the violation was willfully violated Filing...
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