Few students can afford to pay for college completely on their own. The majority of students take out at least some form of financial aid to pay for their college education.

According to the 2007-08 National Post-Secondary Student Aid Study (the last year for which data is available), 66 percent of undergraduate students finished their degree with some debt, and the average debt was $27,803.

Student loan debt for graduate and professional students such as those attending law school or medical school can exceed $100,000.

Students graduating with poor job prospects in a still floundering economy may find themselves unable to pay back these debts. While many government loans offer income-based repayment plans and other options for those experiencing financial hardship, many private loans do not.

The high cost of student debt and the limited options for those with private loans has spurred some legislators to advocate for allowing private student loan debt to be included in a bankruptcy filing.

Proposed Changes

Changes to the bankruptcy laws in 2005 broadened the definition of the type of student loans that were excepted from a discharge in bankruptcy. In essence, the changes made private student loans ineligible for discharge in a bankruptcy – except in extreme cases of hardship, for which a petition to the Bankruptcy Court could be made. Federal student loans have been ineligible for discharge unless a showing of “undue hardship” could be made by the bankruptcy debtor for two decades.

Sen. Rick Durbin (D-IL) has proposed allowing private loans to be included in a bankruptcy. A bill was proposed in 2011 to make these changes, and legislators are currently debating it.

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The United States Senate has built into its version of the federal transportation bill $24 million in extra funding for research on alcohol-sensing technology that could be installed in vehicles. Along with seat belt alarms, perpetual running lights on the floors and the serene guidance of GPS units, this new concept would detect boozy breath in drivers and prevent them from being able to start the car.

As opposed to the interlock device, which functions much like a breathalyzer test and is installed in the cars of some drivers with DUI convictions, these new technologies would be far less intrusive, if not subliminal, and could eventually end up in every car. Not surprisingly, there are many conflicting opinions on the topic, from car manufacturers to restaurant owners to those who have suffered traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and broken bones in drunk driver car accidents.

Dallas Texas personal injury lawyer David Glenn, of Glenn Law Firm, sees the anguish drunk driving accidents in Texas cause and applauds any technology that can help save lives, while still appreciating the complexity of the issue. “Of all the types of accidents that cause catastrophic injury,” he attests, “drunk driving accidents may be the most devastating and disturbing for families. There’s no excuse for a drunk driver whose negligent actions cause serious injuries or lead to the loss of life.”

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It can be hard to admit when you’ve been injured at work, particularly if it’s a slow-developing injury or one that’s not too common. Injuries that are clearly very serious-such as a spinal cord injury or fall from a ladder broken back on a construction site job, brain injury from a company car accident or a bad burn from a restaurant job or working with toxic chemicals-are usually attended to immediately, often requiring an ambulance and sometimes hospitalization.

At Recht Law Offices, the Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia workers compensation lawyers know it’s all too easy for loyal, hard-working employees to be stoic and not complain about pain, especially when it’s from gradually worsening type of injury. These injuries can be equally debilitating and are often musculoskeletal, requiring longer rehabilitation than more immediately severe injuries, and can mean months of physical therapy or occupational therapy for full recovery.
If you or someone you love was injured at work, or if you lost a loved one, in a wrongful death job accident, you need the aggressive legal representation of Ohio, Pennsylvania or West Virginia personal injury lawyers Recht Law Office. We fight for justice. Call Recht Law Offices at 1-800-HURTLINE or complete the online contact form.

Such injuries include common hospital worker injuries such as muscle strains from heavy lifting, repetitive stress injury and carpal tunnel syndrome, which are well-known office job and assembly-line injuries, and knee injuries from going up and down stairs and ladders, which is a frequent construction worker injury.

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