Articles Posted in Personal Injury

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No one wants to be involved in a serious auto accident. However, according to a recent report, some states are better than others when it comes to the ability of accident victims to recover for their injuries from an at-fault driver and his or her insurance company. Unfortunately, Florida didn’t quite make the top of the list. In fact, Florida came in second-to-last.

The report looked mostly at the required amount of insurance that all drivers must have to legally drive and compared that number to the percentage of compliant drivers. For example, in Florida motorists need to carry the following insurance coverage:

  • $10,000 in bodily injury per person;
  • $20,000 in bodily injury per accident; and
  • $10,000 in property damage per accident.

In the insurance business, this kind of coverage is written as $10,000/$20,000/$10,000. Other states, such as Maine, require drivers to insure themselves with $50,000/$100,000/$25,000.

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In December a Buffalo, New York man accepted a settlement offer for $5 million to compensate him for injuries he sustained in an accident that took place back in 2008 while at work on a construction site. According to one local news report, the man’s injuries were quite severe, including a punctured lung, eight herniated disks, and a torn rotator cuff.

Evidently, the man’s case was almost dismissed after the defendants in the case—the general contractor and the property owner—made several arguments to the judge for early dismissal. First, the defendants argued that the man’s medical condition was not good at the time of the accident and that the injuries he claimed arose after the accident were preexisting. If the judge found this to be true, the damages sought by the man would be greatly reduced, potentially to zero.

Second, the defendants claimed that the man failed to pursue a safer alternative to his chosen path when he was injured. If the judge found that this was the case, the plaintiff’s own negligence may have mitigated the defendants’ responsibility.

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Earlier this year in October, a key Florida State football cornerback was involved in a serious hit-and-run accident. Despite the seriousness of the accident, and his fleeing the scene, he was let off the hook relatively easily by police. According to one news report by the New York Times, the accident occurred at 2:37 in the morning on a Sunday night.

Evidently, the Florida State player drove his car into the path of an oncoming vehicle, causing the serious accident. Rather than stay at the scene and make sure that the other driver was all right, he decided to flee the scene with his two passengers.

The cornerback eventually returned to the scene. When he did, police were present and conducting an investigation into what had happened. However, despite the fact that the accident occurred late at night, the officers did not administer an alcohol test. They didn’t even ask the player if he had been drinking that evening.

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OxyContin is one of the best selling prescription pain medication on the market today. Due to the drug’s extended release capabilities, it offers patients up to 12 hours of pain relief with just one pill. However, this same attribute makes it a favorite among those looking for a quick and easy high. In fact, so many people have become addicted to the drug that the State of Kentucky brought a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the drug, Purdue Pharmaceuticals.

According to a report by Insurance Journal, the lawsuit was filed in a small, rural Kentucky courthouse where many of the residents have been, or know people who have been, addicted to the drug. The claim alleges that the manufacturer misled doctors and pharmacists into believing that the drug was a less addictive and equally effective alternative to other pain medications. However, recent research has proven those assertions to be patently false.

Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee are three of the top five states for use of prescription pain medication, and Purdue Pharmaceuticals is claiming that they will not be able to receive a fair trial in Kentucky as a result. However, in a series of preliminary decisions, the presiding judge seems likely to require Purdue to take the case to trial in the rural Kentucky town.

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Just when it seemed like everyone was on the same page and had agreed that using a cell phone while driving was an unsafe and bad idea, a study was released arguing that driving while on the phone may not be as dangerous as once thought. More specifically, the study suggests that cell-phone bans are not as effective as they were once thought to be.

According to a report by Extreme Tech, a recent study looked at accident rates before and after a California cell-phone ban went into effect. The results may be surprising to some: “We find no evidence that the ban on hand-held cell phone use led to a reduction in traffic accidents.”

The study, of course, has its opposition. In fact, one study released by the University of California at Berkeley found that the exact opposite was true. However, the more recent study claims to take more factors into account, such as “weather, gasoline prices, number of drivers on the highway and traffic density, holidays, total miles driven, and ever-safer cars.”

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Have you recently been hurt on the job? Has your home been destroyed because of a robbery or accident? If so, then you may be eligible to receive a lump sum of cash for your losses. Personal injury is a sector of the law that protects citizens and workers who have been hurt because of another party’s negligence. Cecere Santana is a firm that represents such people. If you are unsure of where you stand in such a case, you can complete a short form for an immediate case evaluation. If there is any chance that you may win the case, then this trustworthy law firm will stand by your side.

Workers’ compensation is an insurance policy that was designed to protect injured workers. However, workers compensation only covers lost work wages until the worker recovers from the injury. If your employer was at fault for your work injury, then you may qualify for a personal injury case, and you can receive a substantial settlement as opposed to a portion of your work wages. Examples of employer-faulted injuries are situations in which the employers fail to fix faulty machinery or clean a mess that someone spilled on the floor. In such cases, the courts may construe your injury as their fault. 

Property litigation cases are cases that involve your home or someone else’s home. You could be eligible for assistance if someone causes damage to your home. You may also be eligible if you received an injury while you were visiting someone else’s home. To have your case examined, you must contact a reliable attorney today who can review the events that led up to your injury. The amount of compensation you can receive will depend on the nature of your injuries and your amount of fault in the case. 

Cecere Santana provides free injury consultation. You will not have to take a penny out of your pocket just to speak to someone about your qualifications. The lawyers at this firm are caring specialists who intend to see that the person or entity that has harmed you pays its rightful dues to you.

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To save money on auto insurance cost may seem impossible. Actually, there are several ways in which you can reduce your auto insurance payment, without sacrificing your coverage.

First, multiple car discounts are offered when a family insures all their vehicles with the same company. Also, if the family decides to purchase additional insurances, such as homeowner’s or life insurance, premiums may be reduced as well.

Consider buying the right amount of insurance. Auto insurance is designed to protect you in cases of major losses, a big accident or the theft of your car, for example. Having a higher deductible, or paying for minor losses yourself, could save you a lot of money in the long-run.

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In today’s society the word “whiplash” has the misnomer of people associating the term with minor neck ache. This is far from the truth.

A whiplash injury to the neck, also known as a person’s cervical spine, results from a sudden jolt or movement, and therefore this type of injury is common in rear-end automobile collisions.  As a person is rear-ended in a car accident, their head snaps back towards the impact initially, then forward towards the front of the car, in a violent jerking motion.

As the person’s head is violently propelled back and forth, injuries can occur to different areas of the cervical spine. These injuries can include bone fractures, and injuries to the cervical disks, ligaments, muscles and nerve roots of the spine.

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Source: Robert Duyos / Sun Sentinel

This past month in Broward County, there have been three cases in which good Samaritans have helped police find hit and run suspects.  David Chirla, a 17-year-old junior at Nova High, witnessed a crash in Davie, and immediately decided to make a U-turn to follow the hit and run driver. The chase ended at the suspect’s home, where Chirla parked his car behind the suspect’s to block him in until police arrived. The crash’s victim suffered minor injuries to her face and arm, and was taken to Memorial Hospital Pembroke. In another case, Carmen Gonzalez was watching when a driver struck a bicyclist near Fort Lauderdale. She followed the driver long enough to snap a photo of the vehicle, including the tag, with her cellphone. This information led detectives to Karen Goettert, who admitted to having struck the bicyclist. The crash victim is currently treating his injuries with a chiropractor. When Thomas Hanley witnessed a hit and run in Pompano Beach, which killed motorcyclist Benjamin Pirofsky, he chased after the intoxicated driver, urging her to return to the scene. When she refused, he led deputies to her home. Though police advise people to never put themselves in harm’s way, they acknowledge that they rely on the public’s help to solve cases.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an hit and run accident in South Florida, and have suffered injuries due to someone else’s fault or negligence, you are entitled to monetary compensation for pain and suffering damages, along with payment for out of pocket medical bills and lost wages. After an accident, it is important to speak with an attorney who can explain a person’s rights and guide them through the legal process. Contact Cecere Santana, PA for a free consultation with reference to your case.  We can meet you at your home, the hospital or one of our offices in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties—weekends and evenings are no exception. Toll Free: (800) 75 FL LAW

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