Simon Law Firm's online newsletter for February 2018
www.christophersimon.com
404-259-7635
FEbruary 2018
B e W ary of S hady H ospital P ractices
When you work as an injury attorney for over 18 years, there comes a point where the labyrinth of laws that surround each case becomes easy to navigate. When a client comes in, stressed from mounting medical bills or pain from serious injuries, I am able to clearly lay out their options. I can advise whether the best course of action is filing a complaint with the court or even letting them know they may not even need a lawyer at all. Many of my clients have inadvertently dug themselves into a hole and need help getting back out of it. That’s where we come in. Still, I know that pretty much every client would rather have avoided digging the hole in the first place. That’s why all of us at Simon Law Firm are dedicated to educating our local community in every way we can, with the goal of preventing those catastrophic decisions that so many people make in the wake of an injury or car accident. In the past few years, a lot of older hospitals in the Atlanta area have been bought out by independent companies. As a result, they’ve become much more focused on profit and their bottom line, often at the expense of patients. A few clients have been showing up at our office after they were given terrible advice by their medical practitioners. When a person gets admitted to the hospital following a
IFANYTHINGIS
UNCLEAR,SEEK OUTEXPERT
LEGALADVICE. IT COULDSAVEYOU THOUSANDSUPON THOUSANDSOF DOLLARSINTHE LONGRUN.
If you’ve been injured in a collision, it’s vital that you stay on top of the medical billing procedure. It anything is unclear, seek out expert legal advice. It could save you thousands upon thousands of dollars in the long run. At the time of writing, our firm is in the middle of a case, representing a client who’s out $150,000 from these shady practices. Though we’re confident that we’ll be able to get him substantial compensation, it’s been a massive source of stress and struggle in his life. I love representing regular folks just trying to make themselves financially whole again in the midst of disaster — but like I said before, it’s best if we can avoid the disaster in the first place. The key is to stay educated, a goal we take very seriously around Simon Law Firm. And, when in doubt, call an attorney!
car accident, many, understandably, are unclear where the bill should be sent. These hospitals, wanting 100 cents on the dollar, are telling patients to send the bill to the at- fault party for the accident. This approach makes sense, right? Surely the at-fault party should be responsible for your medical bills. The thing is, the at-fault driver’s insurance won’t pay a cent until the entire case is completely closed out. Instead, what the hospital will do is file a medical provider’s lien on your case. This will ensure they’ll be getting paid out of any settlement you may receive. Ultimately, this means you’ll be the one footing the bill, not the at- fault party.
–Christopher Simon
www.christophersimon.com | 1
P ublished by T he N ewsletter P ro • www . thenewsletterpro . com
E ducation in the K itchen WHAT YOUR CHILD CAN LEARN FROM BAKING
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you’re probably wracking your brain for the perfect recipe to bake for your loved one. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought chocolate, but there’s no topping the personal touch of some homemade baked goods. If you have kids, baking alongside them can be just as rewarding as enjoying the fruits of your labor. As an added bonus, baking is a hands-on opportunity where your child can learn all sorts of important concepts. Here is a short list of some of the educational lessons hiding in your kitchen.
Math Baking is a numbers game. Just take a look at any recipe, and you’ll recognize the importance of math in building a beautiful cake. Having children measure out ingredients helps them learn about fractions and ratios. You can also test your kids by doubling or halving a recipe for multiplication and division practice. With older kids, practice unit conversions by asking, for example, how many pints are in half a gallon. Following Directions Not unlike computer science, baking requires a strict order of operations. The wet and dry ingredients often need to be mixed separately and then folded together. It only takes one deviation from the instructions for a pastry to go from According to Gizmodo, Facebook users upload 300 million photos per day. Similarly, 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram daily. Social media is a great platform for sharing and storing, but what if you want to literally hold on to those memories? That’s where Free Prints and Social Print Studio come into play. Free Prints The most attractive aspect of the Free Prints app is right in the name. Users can download 85 free 4-by-6-inch photo prints a month (up to 1,000 a year). But you can only print one free copy of each photo. Additional prints will run you 9 cents each. Standard shipping costs $2.99, and your photos arrive within five to 13 days. Or, for an additional dollar, they can arrive in four to six days. If you choose to print photos in sizes other than 4-by-6 inches, you will have to pay more for the service.
delicious to disgusting. Spending time in the kitchen, then, is a great way for kids to learn the importance of reading directions carefully and comprehending what they’ve just read. Cultural Understanding Cuisine is a fundamental part of every culture. Introducing your child to dishes from around the world will expand their horizons. Want your child to be a less picky eater? Involving them in the cooking process is the surest way to get them excited about trying new flavors and ingredients. Nutrition Now, you might not think that baking cookies will encourage greater nutritional awareness, but hear us out. Sugar is often buried within packaged foods. When you bake something at home, a child The app is well-designed and easy to use; you can print photos from your device’s library or link your accounts to print directly from Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, Flickr, and Picasa. The app is free and available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 8. Once your photos are uploaded and saved, you can then browse PhotoAffections.com, where you can order a variety of custom products, including magnets, canvas prints, and phone cases. Social Print Studio Functioning as both a website and a stand-alone app, Social Print Studio is a small company based in San Francisco that has been printing social media photos since 2010. While this company is capable of printing photos of your social media posts, they can do so much more with your digital memories.
gets to see, firsthand, just howmuch sugar goes into certain sweets. Meanwhile, cooking savory dishes also allows them to learn what constitutes a balanced, healthy diet.
F rom the W eb to the W all TOOLS TO PRINT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PHOTOS
Social Print Studio’s products are divided into four categories: photobooks, the classics, wall art, and everything else. You can order your photos printed in soft, hard, or layflat book form. Their classic options include postcards, mighty prints, and photostrips. Or, turn your photos into beautiful wall art with metal prints, canvas prints, and wall calendars. You can even get greeting cards, stickers, and buttons. Pricing varies by item, but one thing remains constant: Social Print Studio is dedicated to offering the best products possible. The app is free and available for iPhone, iPad, and Android. While sharing photos on social media accounts is an easy way to store your memories, these apps will help you keep and display those memories for years to come. The next time you need to spiff up your walls or give an extra-special gift, pay them a visit!
P ublished by T he N ewsletter P ro • www . thenewsletterpro . com
2 | 404-259-7635
WORD SEARCH
FOR YOUR SEMI CRASH CASE YOU NEED A SPECIFIC LAWYER If you’ve recently been in a wreck with a semi or tractor trailer, it’s important to know how your case will differ from the ordinary auto accident process. For one thing, due to the specificities and intricacies of the situation, it’s vital that you have an attorney with particular experience working with tractor trailer collision cases. Many lawyers around Georgia claim to handle such cases, but it takes real-world experience to know where to look in the records to effectively represent you in such a situation. As a former lawyer for the trucking companies and their insurance carriers, Chris Simon spent six years defending semi truck drivers after crashes, giving him an intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of these cases. In the years since that time, he has concentrated 40 percent of his law practice to representing victims against those companies, ensuring his clients get the compensation they deserve. In Atlanta, trucking cases are more complex for a number of reasons. First, all interstate trucking companies are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. When a tractor trailer driver violates a safety regulation from their massive list, the court can charge the jury to determine negligence, making a world of difference if the case is disputed. Second, semis have advanced computer systems, similar to an aircraft’s “black box,” and some are equipped with on-board radar or satellite tracking data that can provide important information about why the crash happened, even if the driver is lying. Third, in order to reconstruct the crash, you’ll need an engineer with specialized skills specific to these large-scale collisions — the kind of expert only experienced trucking lawyers have on call. Finally, trucking cases in particular should never be settled without a lawyer at least deposing the driver and risk manager under oath and performing an exhaustive review of all operational documents. The average lawyer may not be trained to handle these trucking cases, but we at Simon Law are. Give us a call at 404-259-7635 today and get the compensation you deserve. But how are tractor trailer collision cases different?
Candy History Justice Law
Love President Truth Valentines
H ong K ong EGGTARTS
Celebrate Chinese New Year in style with these egg tarts! Originally a Portuguese delicacy, these marketplace treats were influenced by British custard tarts and eventually became a Hong Kong staple. INGREDIENTS
• • • •
1 cup confectioners’ sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour
• • • •
Vanilla extract
2/3 cup white sugar 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup butter
10 eggs, beaten
DIRECTIONS 1. In a medium bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork until crumbly. Stir in 1 beaten egg and a dash of vanilla until doughy. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and press into tart molds. Use 2 fingers to fold down edges of dough. 2. Heat oven to 450 F. In a medium saucepan, combine white sugar and water; bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved, then let cool. Strain remaining 9 eggs through a sieve, then whisk in sugar mixture. Stir in evaporated milk and a dash of vanilla. Strain the mixture again and fill tart shells.
3. Bake 15–20 minutes, until golden brown.
www.christophersimon.com | 3
P ublished by T he N ewsletter P ro • www . thenewsletterpro . com
2860 P iedmont R d NE #210 A tlanta , GA 30305
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
i D on ’ t G et F inancially T aken by Y our H ospital ! 1 C ook Y our W ay to B etter G rades F rom T he W eb T o T he W all 2 W hy S emi C ollisions R equire a S pecific L awyer C raving D essert for C hinese N ew Y ear ? 3 P residents D ay or W ashington ’ s B irthday 4 On the third Monday in February, the entire nation celebrates Presidents Day … sort of. While the holiday is known colloquially as Presidents Day, its official federal name is still Washington’s Birthday. If that wasn’t confusing enough, different states officially know it as “Presidents Day,” “Lincoln/ Washington/Presidents Day,” “Washington-Lincoln Day,” “George Washington Day,” and more. Let’s untangle how all these variant names came about and delve into the fascinating history of the holiday. Washington was born on February 22, 1731. Given his incredible contribution to the founding of the United States, it’s understandable that a national holiday would be established to commemorate his legacy. The holiday was first established in 1879 for employees in Washington, D.C. Six years later,
THE TANGLED HISTORY OF PRESIDENTS DAY
HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE
it was expanded to include all federal offices nationwide. And for the next century or so, nothing changed. However, in 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This bill officially moved holidays that were once celebrated on specific dates, like Memorial Day and Columbus Day, to a particular Monday in a given month. This allowed for three-day weekends and, hopefully, encouraged retail sales with an extra day of shopping. But this, unintentionally, moved Washington’s birthday celebration to a day between his actual birthday and the birthday of another venerated president, Abraham Lincoln. By the late 20th century, Lincoln’s reputation and legacy were as titanic as Washington’s. Because Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, many states found it appropriate to make the day a commemoration of two great presidents rather than just one. By the 1980s, “Presidents
Day” was the more widely acknowledged name, if not the official designation.
Why it hasn’t received a uniform federal name is anyone’s guess, but at least when you say “Presidents Day,” everyone knows what you’re talking about. No matter what you call it, the day is a chance to celebrate some of the people who’ve made lasting contributions to our nation’s history. If you look at any presidential ranking, Washington and Lincoln are probably No. 1 and No. 2. It’s fitting, then, that we celebrate their birthdays in tandem.
4 | 404-259-7635
P ublished by T he N ewsletter P ro • www . thenewsletterpro . com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs