St. Louis Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

More Uninsured Americans

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Percentage of Uninsured Americans Rising," by Theresa Agovino--

The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.

Moreover, more than half of the uninsured adults said they were having problems paying their medical bills or had incurred debt to cover their expenses, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based private, health care policy foundation. The study of 4,350 adults also found that people without insurance were more likely to forgo recommended health screenings such as mammograms than those with coverage, and were less likely to have a regular doctor than their insured counterparts.

--Posted by Missouri accident lawyer and Missouri accident abogadoT. Evan Schaeffer of the Alton Illinois accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Cahokia Loses Officer to Wrong-Way Driver

From the Belleville News-Democrat: "Cahokia Police officer dies in crash with pickup truck," by Carolyn P. Smith--

The mood was somber at the Cahokia Police Department on Monday as officers and Chief Richard Watson tried to carry out their duties and deal with the loss of one of the department's younger officers, who died following a head-on collision about 2 a.m.

Officer Jeremy Chambers, 26, appeared to be traveling north on Illinois 3 and a GMC 1600 pickup truck driven by William Anderson, 37, of the 4000 block of Grove Street, St. Louis, appeared to be traveling south.

--Posted by Missouri Fosamax lawyer and T. Evan Schaeffer of the Missouri Fosamax lawyers and law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Toll Bridge Between Missouri and Illinois?

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Tolls are in fast lane for funding bridges, roads," by Derek Poore--

To toll or not to toll for a new bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis is a debate similar to others across the nation.

Lately, the tolls have been winning.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kept a San Francisco Bay bridge proposal alive last year by agreeing to raise tolls on other bridges to help pay for it.

--Posted by Missouri Fosamax lawyer and T. Evan Schaeffer of the Missouri Fosamax lawyers and law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Another Duke Indictment?

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "3rd Suspect May Be Charged in Duke Case," by Tim Whitemire--

Hours after two Duke University lacrosse players were charged with raping and kidnapping a stripper at an off-campus party, prosecutors vowed to continue gathering evidence in an attempt to link a third possible suspect.

District Attorney Mike Nifong said in a statement Tuesday that he had hoped to charge three suspects at the same time, "but the evidence available to me at this time does not permit that."

--Posted by Missouri Fosamax lawyer and T. Evan Schaeffer of the Missouri Fosamax lawyers and law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Mumps in the Midwest

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: " Midwestern epidemic: Bistate region wary of mumps," by Deborah L. Shelton--

For the first time since the start of a major mumps outbreak in Iowa, Missouri last week saw a rise in mumps cases and several cases were reported in Southern Illinois.

The epidemic that began in December in Iowa has mushroomed to 605 cases in that state alone. Iowa health officials usually see only 5 to 10 cases a year.

And the outbreak has spilled into eight neighboring states.

--Posted by Missouri car accident lawyer and Missouri car accident abogado T. Evan Schaeffer of the St. Louis Missouri car accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse

From the Alton Telegraph: "Officer details child abuse symptoms," by Linda N Weller--

[T]he ugliness of child abuse can manifest in many ways -- from physically hitting a youngster or depriving him of food to emotional or sexual abuse or preying on runaways, said Sgt. David Goins, director of the community services unit at the Alton Police Department.

"It’s not usually a stranger. Usually, it is a family member or caregiver who willfully causes a child to be injured," Goins said.

Many times, the abuser is a boyfriend of the child’s mother who also may be abusing the mother.

--Posted by Missouri car accident lawyer and Missouri car accident abogado T. Evan Schaeffer of the St. Louis Missouri car accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Gas Prices Spike in Metro Area

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Gas price spike is expected to stick around," by Jeffrey Tomich--

Gasoline prices in the St. Louis area have risen more than 15 percent in the past month, and there's no relief in sight this summer.

The Energy Information Administration, an arm of the U.S. Energy Department, said Tuesday that stubbornly high crude oil prices combined with rising fuel demand and changing fuel specifications will keep average gasoline prices about 25 cents a gallon higher this summer than a year ago.

--Posted by Missouri mesothelioma lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the St. Louis Missouri mesothelioma law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Thousands March for Immigration Reform

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Thousands Rally for Immigrants Across U.S.," by Annabelle Garay--

Hundreds of thousands of people banged drums, waved U.S. flags and marched in a protest Sunday urging federal lawmakers to pass immigration reform that would legalize an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Shouting "Si Se Puede!" — Spanish for "Yes, we can!" — the marchers crammed into the downtown streets. They included families pushing strollers with their children and ice cream vendors who placed American flags on their carts. Many wore white clothing to symbolize peace.

--Posted by St. Louis Missouri personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of the Missouri personal injurys attorneys and law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Schaeffer & Lamere in the News

At the Schaeffer & Lamere website, we've added a section called "Press Coverage," in which we list of some of the many news articles about our firm or that quote one of its lawyers. Topics include Vioxx and Merck, weblogs, and even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie!

--Posted by Missouri car accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the Illinois and St. Louis Missouri car accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Retirement Overconfidence

From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News: "Workers Have Retirement 'Overconfidence'," by Eileen Alt Powell--

The majority of American workers think they'll be able to retire comfortably, but most aren't saving nearly enough to meet that goal, according to a new study.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute's annual retirement confidence survey, released Tuesday, found that about 68 percent of workers are confident about having adequate funds for a comfortable retirement, up slightly from 65 percent in 2005.

--Posted by Missouri car accident lawyer T. Evan Schaeffer of the St. Louis Missouri car accident law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.