I represent plaintiffs, or those injured by the negligence, ignorance, and omissions of other persons, employers, and corporations,  100% of the time. Conversely that would mean I work against defendant’s that have injured my client. OR DO I? Yes and no.

Actually, I work against defense attorneys that are paid hourly or on retainer by insurance companies. These insurance companies hire defense attorneys to protect them when their insured, or client that pays for insurance, does something wrong.  Understand?

Let’s look deeper. We all buy insurance. We buy insurance up to a certain amount and pay a premium.  That premium is paid to an insurance company to protect our interest if something goes wrong or something bad happens. We usually pay that premium towards a particular amount of coverage to have the insurance company come in and protect us when something goes wrong. Do insurance companies really protect their insureds?

Now let’s talk about insurance companies:

  • Did you know if someone hits you without auto insurance that your insurance company, the company you pay your premium to protect you, stands in place of the person that hit you without insurance?
  • Did you know if a drunk driver hit you and hurt you so badly to require more than your insurance coverage and you were smart enough to purchase UIM, or underinsured coverage, that your insurance company will stand in for the drunk driver and protect them against you stacking that coverage?
  • Did you even know you could stack certain insurance coverages?
  • Did you know that insurance companies pay lots of money for expensive software and research programs that let them know as much about you as possible?- ie Ever watch one of those movies where if it has ever been put into a computer or mainframe system they know? (Those aren’t science fiction movies anymore). Confidential medical records–ha ha. Funny.

Defense attorneys love to point out shiny objects in your past. If you have ever hurt yourself in the past then they will say that was the result of your current injury not the fact that the person they are paid to protect by the insurance company ran their 5,000lb car into your front seat.  In their minds it was most likely a result of the fall you had when you were 3 years old and it just never healed right.  Understand better?

Certain things can not be brought in front of a jury at trial regardless of how relevant they may be to a lay person:

  • I can’t bring into evidence the ticket the highway patrolman gave to the at fault party;
  • I can’t talk about the defendant’s insurance coverage;
  • I can’t even mention the word "insurance";  

Ironically, defense attorneys get paid by the hour and don’t care how quickly the case moves. Remember they get paid by the hour. Would you rush a project that paid you by the hour or would you work at it so long as you could? Also, it helps the premium you pay build interest and that interest to make them money while they stall on giving you any money. Funny isn’t it?

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

Insurance companies don’t make money paying you money, they make money keeping it away from you.

 Now, who do you think pays for that defense attorney? You or the insurance company?

The Greenville News had an interesting article entitled "Medicine Too Costly for More Patients". The article stated:

The national recession is forcing more people to seek help getting their medications or to leave the drug store without their prescriptions once they learn what they’ll cost.

The article referenced the Partnership for Prescription Assistance as an option for those without insurance or health benefits.  However, I found some of the most helpful resources to be in the comments part of the article.

  • Klady wrote: "CVS, Walmart, Target and Walgreens all have a generic program in which you can receive a 90-day supply for $9.99 as long as your medication is on the list. The list has about 300 medications on it, so there is a good chance that doctors would prescribe something off of this list if you ask."  (My research showed that Walmart & Target actually offered $4 generic drugs and Target had the most consumer friendly website)

  • Isuheidi wrote: "AnMed Health pharmacies also offer more than 230 generic drugs for only $5. You can find a list of the $5 medicines at www.anmedhealth.org."

The rest of the comments debate the health care industry and the pharmaceutical industry. Another time and place for that article. 

The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs has a list of all the Free Medical Clinics by county. Some of the relevant ones are pasted below:

  • Anderson
    Anderson Free Clinic
    414 North Fant Street
    Anderson, SC
    864- 226-1294
  • Greenville

    600 Arlington Ave.

    Greenville, SC

    864-232-2989
  • Oconee

    Rosa Clark Medical Clinic

    210 S. Oak Street

    Seneca, SC

    843-237-2672
  • Pickens

    Pickens County Free Medical Clinic

    303 Dacusville Highway

    Easley, SC

    864-855-7936

 

 

An aside: I find it to be quite racist that the SC Commission of Minority Affairs thinks only minorities need Free Clinics. This listing should be on all the public health and community related websites paid for by SC gov.

 

WSPA Channel 7 and the Anderson Independent are reporting that:

Christopher Adams, 35, of Starr suffered multiple injuries and died in surgery at AnMed Health Medical Center in Anderson shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

The accident happened around 9:45 p.m. Friday when the driver of the pickup truck, Robert Sisk III, 30, was traveling east crossing over S.C. 81 South at True Temper Road about four miles south of Anderson, said Lance Cpl. Jeff Gaskin of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The 1999 Ford truck struck the 2008 mo-ped, which was traveling north on S.C. 81 South, Gaskin said.

Sisk, of Airline Road in Anderson, is charged with failure to yield the right of way.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to both families as they deal with this difficult time. Unfortunately, one never knows when a freak accident can occur. Please make sure you have your loved ones, friends, and even your enemies taken care of in times of need. It starts with:

  1. Full Coverage Automobile Insurance;
  2. Personal Injury Protection (P.I.P)/ Medical Payments;
  3. Handling Your Property Damage Correctly; and
  4. Avoiding Allstate Insurance Company Because They Suck

If you or your loved one has been injured in an accident, or as a result of another person’s ignorance, negligence, or omission, please feel free to call upon us at 864-231-7171 or toll free at 1-800-483-0880.

 

I am NOT an avid, amateur, or competitive runner. I do not read Runner’s World on a regular basis. However, I do like to get out there on a beautiful day and exert some energy, get rid of some stress, and challenge my body to stay healthy.

Recently I have enjoyed getting back out on the streets and trying to increase my stamina. My left knee still gives me some grief but I enjoy the pain and struggle that running provides. I am the type of runner that enjoys running in the South’s 90+ degree weather and torturing my body. Sure there are the health nuts that think that is not healthy but neither is binge drinking/smoking/excessive eating/ tomfoolery so let me pick my own poison.

I enjoy physically participating in the real life challenge of getting over the next obstacle in front of me. In Greenville, it is not that difficult to find hilly terrain to have a challenging jog. Lately, I have struggled with the hill coming from North Church Street, headed South towards the intersection of S. Church Street and University Ridge. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t the last leg of my run.

That hill has taught me some things:

  • If I dread doing it, I’m not going to push myself to complete it;
  • If I stop before I get to the top, I lose the discipline to start back up and finish the task I set out to perform;
  • If I look too far ahead because of the distance that lies before me, I lose hope in my struggle and often times fail to complete it;
  • If I put my head down and focus on one step at a time it’s a lot easier; and
  • When I do blow past the top and turn the corner towards home, I feel like I can conquer the world!

 

 A little "Eye of the Tiger" Rocky style to help those on Friday run out of their offices.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ("IIHS") is an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries, and property damage — from crashes on the nation’s highways. ** ...wholly supported by auto insurers.

The IIHS’ reported in their Special Issue on Car Size, Weight, and Safety:

    • "Reflecting Newton’s laws of motion, the results confirm the lesson that bigger, heavier cars are safer."

    • SIZE-"When a car crashes into a solid barrier, the outcome depends in part on the size of the front end.  If one car’s front end is long enough to crush twice as much as another car’s in a barrier crash at the same speed, its restrained occupants will experience half as much force as the people in the smaller car because it takes them twice as long to stop."

    • WEIGHT- "When two cars going the same speed crash front to front, the outcome depends in part on the cars’ relative weights. The heavier car will push the lighter car backward during the impact, which means the velocity change of the heavier car will be much less than that of the lighter car.  If the lighter car weighs half as much as the heavier car, the forces on its occupants will be twice as great."

    • PHYSICS-"Dictate crash outcomes." The poor performance of all three micro and mincars in frontal impacts with midsize cars isn’t surprising. It reflects the laws of the physical universe, specifically principles related to force and distance."

    • "The greater the change in velocity, the greater the forces on the people inside and the higher the risk of injury."

It amazes me when I talk to insurance adjusters and they do not reference the research they pay for. I know the title and article imply common sense but that is not what insurance companies use in negotiating claims.  They like to talk about property damage as a direct correlation to injuries.  Obviously their own research proves them wrong. Imagine that!

 

 

Good Friday entry in Wikipedia:

According to the New Testament, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane by the Temple Guards through the guidance of his disciple, Judas Iscariot. Judas received money for betraying Jesus and told the guards that whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Jesus is brought to the house of Annas, who is the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. There he is interrogated with little result, and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest, where the Sanhedrin had assembled (John 18:1-24).

Conflicting testimony against Jesus is brought forth by many witnesses, to which Jesus answers nothing. Finally the high priest adjures Jesus to respond under solemn oath, saying "I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us, are you the Anointed One, the Son of God?" Jesus testifies in the affirmative, "You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty, coming on the clouds of Heaven." The high priest condemns Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus concurs with a sentence of death (Matthew 26:57-66). Peter also denies Jesus three times during the interrogations. Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him three times. See the article Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus regarding the two trials, one at night, the other in the morning and how their timing may affect the day of Good Friday. 

In the morning, the whole assembly brings Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king (Luke 23:1-2). Pilate authorizes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own Law and execute sentencing, however the Jewish leaders reply that they are not allowed by the Romans to carry out a sentence of death (John 18:31).

Pilate questions Jesus, and tells the assembly that there is no basis for sentencing. Upon learning that Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate refers the case to the ruler of Galilee, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Herod questions Jesus but receives no answer; Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate tells the assembly that neither he nor Herod have found guilt in Jesus; Pilate resolves to have Jesus whipped and released (Luke 23:3-16).

It was a custom during the feast of Passover for the Romans to release one prisoner as requested by the Jews. Pilate asks the crowd who they would like to be released. Under the guidance of the chief priests, the crowd asks for Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for committing murder during an insurrection. Pilate asks what they would have him do with Jesus, and they demand, "Crucify him" (Mark 15:6-14). Pilate’s wife had seen Jesus in a dream earlier that day; she forewarns Pilate to "have nothing to do with this righteous man" (Matthew 27:19).

Pilate has Jesus flogged, then brings him out to the crowd to release him. The chief priests inform Pilate of a new charge, demanding Jesus be sentenced to death "because he claimed to be God’s son." This possibility filled Pilate with fear, and he brought Jesus back inside the palace and demanded to know from where he came (John 19:1-9).

Coming before the crowd one last time, Pilate declares Jesus innocent, washing his own hands in water to show he has no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified in order to forestall a riot (Matthew 27:24-26). The sentence written is "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Jesus carries his cross to the site of execution (assisted by Simon of Cyrene), called the place of the Skull, or "Golgotha" in Hebrew and in Latin "Calvary". There he is crucified along with two criminals (John 19:17-22).

Jesus agonizes on the cross for six hours. During his last 3 hours on the cross,from noon to 3pm, there is darkness over the whole land.[7] With a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit. There is an earthquake, tombs break open, and the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declares, "Truly this was God’s Son!" (Matthew 27:45-54)

Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and secret follower of Jesus, who had not consented to his condemnation, goes to Pilate to request the body of Jesus (Luke 23:50-52). Pilate asks confirmation from the centurion whether Jesus is dead (Mark 15:44). A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out (John 19:34), and the centurion informs Pilate that Jesus is dead (Mark 15:45).

Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus, wraps it in a clean linen shroud, and places it in his own new tomb that had been carved in the rock (Matthew 27:59-60) in a garden near the site of crucifixion. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus (John 3:1) also came bringing 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, and places them in the linen with the body of Jesus, according to Jewish burial customs (John 19:39-40). They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb (Matthew 27:60). Then they returned home and rested, because at sunset began Shabbat (Luke 23:54-56). On the third day, Sunday, which is now known as Easter Sunday (or Pascha), Jesus rose from the dead.

 

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO OTHERS. PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU CAN NOT HANDLE THE FREEDOM OF YOUTHFUL AND IGNORANT EXPRESSION IN THAT SAME DICTION.

(Since Friday is Good Friday, I am using Thursday as my liberal expression day)

That’s right. I just said, "F*&k you if you have never had cancer!"

  • If your world has never stopped;
  • you have never had to immediately face the reality of your immortality;
  • never witnessed the shame of your invincibility being brought down before you;
  • never interacted with all the well wishers that just make things worse by telling you about their friend/family member/or loved one that DIED of the same cancer you are fighting;
  • never received intravenously a chemical brought in by nurses wearing rubber gowns, in a bright yellow bucket with a covering warning of the dangers of exposure, WTF!;
  • never gotten high off of Benadryl given intravenously; and
  • never lost your hair as a result of those highly cautionary chemicals brought in by the nurse in the rubber gown or by a machine that applies radiation directly to your head.

In keeping with the theme of this week’s National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week, I thought I would share the thoughts of a young cancer survivor, aka me.Therefore, I will tell it from my generation’s diction.

"Be still, and know that I am God." That passage has stuck with me a long time as a result of my whole world stopping on or about June 17, 1995 at Lexington Medical Center when they informed me that my white blood cell count was over 160,000 (normal range 4,000-10,000). The following days of needle insertions, Hickman line insertions and reinsertions, chemotherapy, spinal taps, radiation to the head, constant monitoring and loss of privacy, and bone marrow aspirations were not that delightful.

Funny story. I got so sick, weak, and delirious on the first round of chemo that I believed I could still stand and operate my body. It had only been 1 day for heaven’s sake. My parents finally decided to let my aunt and uncle watch over me, while they ran home to take showers and get clothes for a longer stay. When I tried to get out of bed, I had so many damn tubes going in me and I was so weak, I stumbled and stepped on some of those tubes.  Those tubes were connected to the Hickman line that was surgically inserted in my jugular vein. My 180lbs of downward momentum ripped that tube right out of my chest and the rest is kind of a blur. I remember a loud noises, lots of nurses in my room throwing sand bags on my chest to stop the bleeding, a shot of morphine, and an extended stay in the ICU.  That was just the first few days. I guess that wasn’t too fucking funny was it?

Or how about one of the nights in ICU the first week when all the chemicals started really fucking with my head and …..

 

Continue Reading F___ You If You Have Never Had Cancer!

The week of April 5-11, 2009 has been recognized nationwide as Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week. This is important on so many levels but more importantly for myself and my family, because we recognize it every day.

I was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 17 and given a very poor prognosis (I’m going on 31 now and "Living the Dream".)  I have watched my mother die a slow and painful death with lung cancer, in my mid 20’s. My family has currently been hit again with my Uncle’s diagnosis of cancer. This illness has no eyes to see color, sex, or economic background. It simple invades our lives and affects each and everyone of us in some direct or indirect manner. Live the dream every day because no one is promised tomorrow, regardless of their situation.

Earth Times reported:

Nearly 70,000 young adults in their 20s and 30s are diagnosed with cancer each year and it is the leading disease killer among 20 to 39 year olds. Young adults with cancer have had less survival improvement than other age groups and strides made in cancer treatment have bypassed young adults, who also have the lowest participation rate in clinical trials of any age group.

Vital Options International has provided a plethora of resources and information through their website to better educate and bring together the cancer community. They have a wonderful collection of videos and trendier marketing materials for young adult cancer survivors.

Planet Cancer is another wonderful resource for young cancer survivors. These websites take the edge off being diagnosed or dealing with cancer.  Take it from someone that knows, truly knows.

If you want to support your local cancer groups please donate your time, money, or resources to any of the following:

 

The Greenville News reported on the morbid subject of teen driving fatalities in some upstate South Carolina counties and how to make younger people more aware of these realities. The article indicated that:

Despite adults’ best efforts, the number of teens who died in Greenville County traffic wrecks barely budged in 2008, even as overall traffic deaths fell 20 percent. The numbers were better in Anderson County, where teen traffic deaths plunged 73 percent.

Parents, educators, legislatures, comment makers, and students are offering solutions and ideas:

  • required safety courses and defensive driving classes;
  • seat belt awareness and support;
  • mortality awareness for the male drivers;
  • more parental oversight and management of younger drivers; and
  • a scholarship opportunity focused on shedding the light on this grim subject matter.

 Related Articles and Resources:

Wren Student Deaths are Reminder of Community’s Tragic Past

Welcome to the Unofficial Guide to Your South Carolina DMV – (all you need to know about South Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicle’s rules and regulations for young drivers.)

 

 

  1. If you or your loved one has been injured as a result of another person’s ignorance, negligence, or omission, please feel free to call upon this Trey Mills. That would include accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, product liability issues, and other personal injuries that result in losses and harms to you or your loved ones. if you need a phone number: 864-231-7171.
  2. If you want someone that sings, you need to visit this Trey Mills. He actually took the web page I would like to have but I guess in all fairness, it was his first. This Trey Mills sings and has Trey Mills myspace pages, Trey Mills Facebook pages (totally different than this Trey Mills Facebook page), and other Trey Mills singing related links.
  3. If you want a Realtor to assist you with purchasing homes in the Lake Conroe area of Texas, you need this Trey Mills. This Trey Mills has a website called http://www.justasktrey.com. That is a pretty cool marketing twist for a Trey Mills. I guess I can mark that one off. If you need a phone number: 936-788-4712.

Those are the top three Google searches when you Google "Trey Mills". However, it is weird that I have met another Trey Mills that also graduated from Clemson and is a lawyer. Not quite the game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon but interesting all the same. Then again, since I am officially Floyd S. Mills III and I go by "Trey", sign my name "Trey", and introduce myself as "Trey", does that make me THE TREY MILLS?

Well, I guess this should be lead article in any Google searches of "Trey Mills"…………………….. and your Google Juice is mine.