Springfield, MO June 30, 2010 - The Springfield, Missouri law firm of Aaron Sachs & Associates is the presenting sponsor of the I Love America celebration, which will be held in Springfield on Sunday, July 4th. In past years, the day-long event has drawn over 100,000 people. Sachs says that “there is something there for all ages and all tastes, with almost 100 free games and activities, aerial acrobatics, an air show, food, live music, and a musically choreographed fireworks show brought to you by James River Charities. The ‘I Love America’ Celebration honours the founding of our nation and celebrates God’s faithfulness to America.” This is the sixth year Aaron Sachs’ firm has been a sponsor. The event is also sponsored by Empire Bank, KOLR 10, Price Cutter, Aire-Master, 88.3 the wind fm, Coca-Cola Ozarks, and 99 Hit fm.

Gates open at 1:00pm on Sunday, July 4th at the Springfield Underground, located at Highway 65 and Division Street in Springfield, Mo. The kids’ games, inflatables and air show begin at 2:00pm. The award winning band, “Group 1 Crew” will perform at 10:00pm, after the fireworks. This will be the largest family event of the summer and admission is free. Coverage of the event on God TV (Direct TV channel 365) will be broadcast July 5 at 9:30 PM, and again July 6 at 2:30 PM

This event traditionally attracts not only residents of Springfield but the surrounding communities including cities as far away as Joplin and Columbia. The day long festival has always attracted the largest attendance of any July 4th celebrations in the Ozarks. James River Assembly is recruiting approximately 2,500 church volunteers to help staff the event.

James River Assembly is one of the largest Assembly of God churches in America. It has been exemplary as a growing fellowship, having started with only 75 members in 1991. Average weekly attendance in 2009 ran at approximately 8,100, with over 15,000 attending Easter services. James River Assembly is located in Ozark, Missouri in Christian County -a county whose population is predicted to increase by 120,000 over the next two decades. As a result, a second church campus known as Wilson’s Creek was opened in Greene County on Sunday, September 20^th, 2009.

The Sachs family has been associated with the Assemblies of God for generations. Aaron and his wife of 20 years, Shelly, and their children Sarah and Will attend James River Assembly. Aaron’s father, Reverend William Nelson Sachs, was formerly the District Council Superintendent for the Southern Missouri District Council of the Assemblies of God and occupied this office when James River Assembly opened its doors in 1991. Aaron’s grandfather was also an Assembly of God minister. Aaron Sachs originally established the church body as a not-for-profit corporation.

The personal injury law firm of Aaron Sachs & Associates, P.C. has been involved in a variety of community service projects over the years. For more information on Aaron Sachs & Associates and their sponsorship of “I Love America”, visit their website at http://www.autoinjury.com/community-service/i-love-america.

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This Memorial Day weekend, what safety information do boaters need to know? I am attorney Aaron Sachs. Let’s discuss boating safety.

Q: Is “boating under the influence” as dangerous as “driving under the influence”?

• A: Boat operators become impaired more quickly than car drivers, drink for drink.
• The combination of motion, engine noise, sun, wind and spray actually accelerate intoxication,
• causing coordination, judgment and reaction time to decline even faster than they do on land.
• Operating a boat while intoxicated is a felony offense, with a $5,000 fine and 1-5 years in jail if convicted.

Q: What else can people do to enhance boating safety?

• A: Understand the Navigation Rules.
• They establish right of way, and allow you to navigate safely when two boats are crossing paths.
• Studies also show, those who have taken a boating safety course are less likely to be involved in accidents.
• If you want to ensure your boat is as safe as possible; request a courtesy examination, called a Vessel Safety Check.
• This is done by the Coast Guard Auxiliary or the Water Patrol.
• You’ll receive an evaluation, with specific recommendations to upgrade your boat’s safety.

Q: Aaron, what’s the bottom line on improving boating safety?

• A: Use common sense out on the water –
• learn how to drive safely, wear a life jacket at all times,
• and if you are drinking, pre-select a designated driver.

If you are putting your boat in the water this Memorial Day weekend, what safety information do you need to know? I am attorney Aaron Sachs. We will discuss boating safety in this week’s Legally Speaking.

Q: Aaron, this week’s topic is improving boating safety. Boating is a relaxing, leisure time activity; so what are the main causes of boating accidents?

• A: On average, 800 people die and 4,500 people are injured each year nationwide in boating accidents.

• Approximately 90% of the fatalities were people who were not wearing a life jacket.

• Alcohol consumption was a factor in 35 - 50% of all drowning and boating accidents.

Q: What do people need to know specifically about lifejackets?

• A: Missouri law requires a Coast Guard approved life jacket to be available for each person on a watercraft.

• It is highly recommended to wear one at all times, but if you aren’t, make sure they are immediately accessible - not packed away in closed compartments.

• Children of seven or younger must wear an appropriately sized life jacket at all times.
• Life jackets don’t last forever – they should be checked for buoyancy at least once a year.

Springfield, MO March 22, 2010 — Every year, more than 1,300 people die from traumatic brain injury and 12,000 people are hospitalized or treated for brain injuries according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. These injuries often result from negligence, inattention, or other circumstances that are completely avoidable or preventable. The Brain Injury Association of Missouri fights this growing problem by promoting public awareness, prevention and knowledge through its Points of Light Club, one of its fund-raising arms, which enables groups in fourteen Missouri cities to provide ongoing support to brain injury victims and their family members. The law firm of Aaron Sachs & Associates will be the Host Sponsor for a Seminar the Association will hold March 27, next Saturday, in Springfield. The Southwest Regional Survivor and Family Seminar will take place at the Catherine McAuley Conference Center, a facility of St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, and is open to individuals, their families and caregivers, who cope with traumatic brain injury on a daily basis. The program will feature topics such as physiological manifestation of brain injury, (vision and motor problems); the effect of concussions; the brain-injury potential of substance abuse; and legal issues surrounding guardianship and conservatorship for those persons in charge of the well-being of brain injury sufferers and other special-needs patients. Aaron Sachs, whose law firm has offices in Springfield, Columbia, Joplin and Cape Girardeau, has been a Points of Light contributor for many years to help deal with the effects of traumatic brain injury. He sees this problem in his daily law practice so his firm sponsors a variety of public-service events during the year, such as helmet giveaways for young cyclists and driving-safety seminars for teens. “We need to make the public aware that life can change in a second, not just for the injured person, but everyone in that person’s family and circle of friends,” Sachs says. “Most of our awareness efforts are about prevention because faster than anyone can imagine, life can go from a joyous experience to mere existence. This is often preventable since it results from acts such as driving impaired, driving drowsy, even driving while distracted. The victim doesn’t have to die for his or her life to be effectively taken away.” “Unfortunately, the need is growing for the practical and tangible help we provide to an increasing number of victims and their caregivers, friends and family-members in our State. This is why we so strongly support the BIA-MO in their effort to help over 3,000 people on a continuing basis.” Aaron Sachs and Associates’ personal injury law firm has offices in Springfield, Joplin, Columbia and, now, Cape Girardeau. Their services and community-service outreach programs are covered in much greater detail on their website: http://www.autoinjury.com/areas-of-practice/springfield-office. ####

Springfield, MO (PRWEB) October 26, 2009 – Aaron Sachs is proud to sponsor the “October 31st Party” at James River Assembly. Aaron Sachs, whose personal injury law firm has offices in Springfield, Joplin, Columbia and Cape Girardeau, is committed to community service and safety. He encourages parents and youngsters to attend an alternative, supervised event on October 31st, Halloween at one of James River Assembly’s two Springfield locations for a fun filled evening.
At this fun, safe event at either the new Wilson Creek location, or at the original James River location, young people can safely enjoy a world of amusement and get the all-important candy “stash,” without knocking on a single stranger’s door.
Sachs states, “There is more candy than most children can handle, over 120,000 items. There’s kettle corn, a live show, inflatables for the tiny ones and plenty to do for adults, too.”
On Saturday, October 31st, the show will start at 1 p.m., and still be going as it starts to get dark around 5 p.m. The James River community is planning for approximately 7,000 children for this event.
Aaron Sachs Associates’ personal injury law offices are located in Springfield, Columbia, Cape Girardeau and Joplin. Their community-service outreach program is covered in much greater detail on their website: www.autoinjury.com under the “community service” header.

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tags: joplin personal injury, safety, springfield mo, springfield personal injury, James River Assembly, JRA, Halloween, aaron sachs, aaron sachs and associates.

In thinking back on the summer, one of the highlights was the 2009 James River “I Love America” Independence Day celebration, sponsored by Springfield, MO personal injury and accident attorney Aaron Sachs set an all-time-high attendance record with 120,000 attendees.

Hosted by the James River Assembly church on July 3rd, this was the 13th year for the festival, which has seen turnouts in past years as high as 80,000. “This year the event grew to a population larger than the fourth largest city in the state of Missouri and all on just 16 acres,” said Aaron Sachs, a Springfield attorney who helps people hurt or disabled in Missouri accidents. “It was a great day for celebrating God, the great country of America and for celebrating summer.”

The day-long event featured an air show, live music, food booths, picnic areas, and, as always, a spectacular fireworks show to cap off the celebration. With no admission fee and free watermelon, it was the family-friendly party of the summer!

And it wasn’t just the 120,000 who came to the field above the Springfield Underground who enjoyed the event. Many Springfield area neighbors set up in their own yards or neighborhoods to enjoy the fireworks. There, they celebrated not just Independence Day but their own good luck in living so close to the dazzling display!

As a Springfield, Mo personal injury attorney and accident lawyer, I spend a good bit of time focused on vehicle accidents on our city and state roads, but a story recently in Springfield News-Leader about a boat collision accident at Lake of the Ozarks reminds me that car, truck, bike and motorcycle accidents aren’t the only kinds of motor vehicle accidents there are.

Even after school starts again, a lot of people go to the lake over Labor Day weekend which means lots of outdoor activities that can involve accidents and personal injuries.

Just as we encourage Springfield and Ozarks citizens to drive carefully and behave responsibly to prevent motor vehicle accidents on our roads and highways, we want to take this opportunity to remind everyone to also behave responsibly and drive carefully on Missouri lakes and waterways. This means no drinking and driving, making sure all safety measures are followed — including kids in life jackets and enough life jackets for EVERYONE on the boat no matter how experienced drivers and passengers are — following safety guidelines for water skiing, etc.

Let’s happily welcome Labor Day to Springfield and the Ozarks, and do everything we can to make it in Springfield, MO and Table Rock Lake or Lake of the Ozarks this year!

The 2009 James River “I Love America” Independence Day celebration, sponsored by Springfield, MO personal injury and accident attorney Aaron Sachs, set an all-time-high attendance record with 120,000 attendees.

Hosted by the James River Assembly church on July 3rd, this was the 13th year for the festival, which has seen turnouts in past years as high as 80,000. “This year the event grew to a population larger than the fourth largest city in the state of Missouri and all on just 16 acres,” said Aaron Sachs, a Springfield attorney who helps people hurt or disabled in Missouri accidents. “It was a great day for celebrating God, the great country of America and for celebrating summer.”

The day-long event featured an air show, live music, food booths, picnic areas, and, as always, a spectacular fireworks show to cap off the celebration. With no admission fee and free watermelon, it was the family-friendly party of the summer!

And it wasn’t just the 120,000 who came to the field above the Springfield Underground who enjoyed the event. Many Springfield area neighbors set up in their own yards or neighborhoods to enjoy the fireworks. There, they celebrated not just Independence Day but their own good luck in living so close to the dazzling display!

Teaser: Could new passport rules affect your family vacation? I am attorney, Aaron Sachs. We will discuss new border entry laws in this week’s Legally Speaking.

Intro: Following the 9/11 attacks, Congress worked on several measures to improve border security. Some of those measures made the requirements for entering the U.S. much stricter, but it took years for the new rules to take effect. Now that they have, they could affect you if you take a trip outside the U.S. Brian Hamman and attorney
Aaron Sachs will discuss passports in this week’s Legally Speaking.

Q: Aaron, this week’s topic is passports and border security. Does everyone need a passport to enter the U.S.?

A: Not yet, although that is the eventual plan. The date for requiring passports for anyone entering the U.S. from anywhere hasn’t been determined yet.

Q: Who does require a passport?

A: Formerly, anyone flying into the U.S. from a foreign country other than Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean needed a passport. The first border rule that went into effect in 2007 requires all air travelers into the U.S. to have passports, even if they’re coming from those areas previously exempt from the rule.

Q: What about travel by land?

A: While not many residents of Missouri enter the U.S. via a land border crossing on a regular basis, the rules have changed. In case you do find yourself driving in from Canada or Mexico, you’ll need to present acceptable identification proving your citizenship.

Q: What is acceptable?

A: Passports, passport cards, enhanced driver’s licenses, military IDs accompanied by military travel orders and a few more obscure ID forms can be used by themselves. If you don’t have any of those, you need two forms of ID, generally a driver’s license and a birth certificate. Citizens age 18 and under simply need a birth certificate.

Q: Will passports eventually be required for all land border crossings?

A: Yes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection claims it could happen as early as this summer.

Q: How do you get a passport?

A: If it’s your first passport, or you’re replacing a lost passport, you have to apply in person at a registered facility. You can search for a nearby facility at the U.S. Department of State’s website - they are commonly court buildings, post offices and other municipal buildings.

Q: What do you need to bring with you?

A: Two photos of yourself, cropped to the appropriate size, proof of your U.S. citizenship (usually a birth certificate), and a photo ID.

Q: What are the photo requirements?

A: The two photos must be identical, in color, 2 inches by 2 inches in size, and taken within the last six months. Your current appearance should not differ significantly from your appearance in the photos.

Q: What should you do if you’re outside the U.S. and you lose your passport?

A: The first steps you should take happen before you ever leave the country. Make several color copies of your passport. Keep several in your luggage, leave some with friends, and scan a copy and email it to yourself. While these won’t substitute for your real passport, if you lose the real one, they can make it a lot easier to get a new passport.

Q: Who should you call if you do lose the real passport?

A: Visit the U.S. Embassy wherever you are, during normal business hours. Expect a long wait and lots of bureaucratic headaches. You may have to call a friend or an attorney in the U.S. to help determine your citizenship.

Q: Aaron, what’s the bottom line on border safety?

A: Americans are getting used to security inconveniences when they travel these days. We’ve tightened the borders, so these issues are just a fact of life now.

Legally speaking is published weekly on this website, brought to you from the law offices of Aaron Sachs Associatesserving the areas of Springfield, Joplin and Columbia MO.

I am attorney Aaron Sachsfrom the law firm of Aaron Sachs Associates of Springfield, MO. We will discuss the W.C. Grace Trial in this week’s Legally Speaking.

Feb 23rd was the opening day of the W.R. Grace criminal trial taking place in federal court.
I’m sure that personal injury attorneys nationwide will be watching this case with great interest.

The suit alleges that chemical company W.R. Grace (of A Civil Action notoriety) released asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from their mine in the town of Libby, MT, and then hid information regarding their disposal of the contaminated material from federal investigators.

Approximately 400 deaths are attributed to the asbestos exposure as well as 1200 injuries including the lung disease called mesothelioma.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake in the case as well as possible prison sentences for the executives involved in the obstruction of justice cover up and for violating the Clean Air Act.

Although the judge has said that the residents of Libby who have died or developed asbestos-related illnesses are not really “victims of a crime” many people disagree.

Health and Wellness News reported that “Dr. Brad Black, who works at a clinic for asbestos disease sufferers in Libby, called Judge Molloy’s statement ‘outrageous’ and has extended an invitation to the judge to ‘come see the unbelievable suffering’ in Libby as a result of irresponsible and ‘criminal’ actions on the part of the now-defunct W. R. Grace corporation.

“For decades, that company showered Libby with a slow poison, delivered with a full knowledge that the asbestos would sicken or kill a large percentage of our population. If that’s not a crime,” stated Black, “and these people aren’t victims, I don’t know what is.”

As a Missouri personal injury attorney, living and working far from Libby, Montana, my interest in this case stems strictly from a desire to see justice done. If this large chemical company knowingly endangered the citizens of this small town by dumping asbestos-laden material in open fields where children and others played and walked and gathered, I certainly hope that they will be made to pay.