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The Florida state government wants to encourage people to be active and to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather by rollerblading, skateboarding, mountain biking, or engaging in other recreational activities. However, the government seemed to notice that there were becoming fewer and fewer places to partake in these activities because landowners were prohibiting people from engaging in these recreational activities on their land, due to the liability they may face if someone is injured.

The Florida Legislature’s solution was to pass Florida Statute 316.0085, which provides immunity to certain landowners who open up their property for the public’s use. While there are other recreational use statutes in Florida, this particular statute pertains to rollerblading, skateboarding, mountain biking, and paintballing.

The statute provides broad immunity to government landowners, stating that no government entity or public employee can be held liable for injuries sustained by someone who is rollerblading, skateboarding, mountain biking, or paintballing on government property. At first glance, it would seem that anyone who is injured while engaging in any of those activities would not be able to seek compensation for their injuries; however, that is not necessarily the case.

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Now that Hurricane Irma has come and gone, it’s time for Florida to start the rebuilding process. While the wrath of Irma may not have been what many news outlets claimed it would be, the storm was still severe, displacing hundreds of thousands and leaving millions of Floridians without power.

Florida nursing homes were also affected by the storm, as well as the subsequent power outages. In fact, according to a recent news report, one nursing home is currently facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the surviving loved one of a resident who died in the aftermath of the storm.

According to the report, the plaintiff in the case is the daughter of a 94-year-old woman who was a resident in a South Florida nursing home where eight residents died after the nursing home was left without power while Irma passed. The plaintiff claims that the nursing home’s failure to prepare for the power outage showed “negligence and reckless indifference” toward the residents it was charged to protect.

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The technology being used in vehicles is evolving quickly, and self-driving cars have started to hit the roads in increasing numbers. These cars present new risks and new legal issues that can complicate the issue of liability in Florida car crashes. For example, there is the question of who is controlling the car in a self-driving car—the driver or the self-driving system?

Generally, existing laws only consider the driver for liability purposes, but in some cases, a manufacturer may be to blame. As self-driving cars continue to expand, many are pushing for legislative changes that consider the use of automated cars. Until then, it may be up to the courts to sort out the legal issues.

Investigation Finds Tesla Automated Car to Blame in 2016 Fatal Florida Crash

Accident investigators determined that Tesla’s autopilot system contributed to a 2016 Florida crash. According to one news source, in May 2016, a former Navy SEAL died after his Model S hit a truck that was crossing the highway in front of him. The accident victim was driving at 74 miles per hour when the truck made a left turn. The driver apparently did not try to brake or steer the car to get out of the way, and investigators later determined that the car had been on autopilot.

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Earlier this month, a Florida appellate court issued a written opinion in a Florida medical malpractice case that required the court to determine if the plaintiff’s case was timely under the applicable statute of limitations. Ultimately, the court concluded that the plaintiff’s case was properly filed within the applicable statute of limitations, and a lower court’s finding to the contrary was reversed. As a result, the plaintiff’s case will be permitted to proceed toward trial or settlement negotiations.

The Facts of the Case

The plaintiff was a patient of the defendant radiologist. In 2008, the plaintiff underwent a mammogram, and the defendant interpreted the results. Despite finding a nodule that he knew at the time was likely to be cancerous, the defendant did not inform the plaintiff or her primary care doctor.

Later that year, the defendant’s office called the plaintiff, requesting she come in for a follow-up. Again, no mention was made of the nodule and the possibility that it was cancerous. It was not until 2010, following a subsequent mammogram, that the plaintiff realized she had breast cancer. By that time, the cancer had metastasized and spread to her bones. The plaintiff’s breast cancer was successfully treated with chemotherapy, but the metastatic cancer in her bones continued to progress.

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As Hurricane Irma approaches we encourage our friends and clients to prepare for the storm and wish for everyone’s safety.

Following are some important numbers to keep with you during and after the storm:

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:

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Hurricane Irma continues to threaten Florida in the upcoming days. As many of us run around trying to get our home and families ready for the storm, it’s equally important to have your hurricane insurance matters in order.

This is the time to review your policy and prepare in case you need to file a claim. Following are some important reminders:

•Take still pictures or videos of your house and personal belongings to insure there is no doubt as to what you owned before the storm.

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When a driver is involved in a South Florida car accident, they are required by law to remain at the scene of the accident and exchange their driver’s license and insurance information with the other drivers involved. In accidents in which another person was seriously injured, a motorist may also have a duty to call 911 to ensure that the injured party receives timely medical treatment. A Florida hit-and-run accident results when a driver fails to remain on the scene and fulfill these duties.

By some estimates, hit-and-run accidents account for nearly 25% of all Florida car accidents. Through public awareness campaigns and the implementation of a strict set of criminal punishments for hit-and-run drivers, Florida lawmakers have made significant steps to curb hit-and-run accidents. However, the fact remains that instances of hit-and-run accidents still are high.

Victims of hit-and-run accidents may be able to obtain financial compensation for their injuries, regardless of whether the hit-and-run driver was located by police. This can be done through the uninsured-driver provision of a motorist’s car insurance policy. However, not all claims are accepted, and even when a claim is accepted, the amount offered by the insurance company may not fully compensate an accident victim for their injuries. In these cases, an accident victim should seek the assistance of a dedicated South Florida personal injury attorney.

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Often at the heart of Florida personal injury claims is the issue of who is at fault for an accident. This is especially true when there are several parties involved, or when a party claims that a victim was partly at fault. For example, even in a situation in which one driver is at fault for failing to obey traffic laws, another driver may be at fault for driving too fast to respond appropriately.

Comparative Negligence in Personal Injury Claims

In 1973, the Florida Supreme Court established the rule of comparative negligence in all tort cases. Comparative negligence considers the fault of the plaintiff in determining the plaintiff’s compensation. Under Florida’s pure comparative negligence standard, the plaintiff’s total damages award will be reduced by their own percentage of fault. For example, if a jury determines the defendant was 70% at fault, and the plaintiff was 30% at fault, the plaintiff will receive 70% of their damages.

If there are multiple defendants, a jury can assign each party a percentage of fault. Even if a jury finds a plaintiff was mostly at fault, the plaintiff can still recover compensation. The idea behind comparative negligence is that often multiple parties are at fault, and thus, each party should share in the blame. Now, Florida Statute 768.81(2) states that any contributory fault chargeable to the claimant is reduced according to the amount awarded for an injury attributable to the claimant’s contributory fault, but this does not bar recovery.

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Despite the millions of dollars spent by the federal and state governments on drunk driving prevention programs, as well as the harsh criminal penalties that drunk drivers face when convicted, Florida drunk driving accidents are still commonplace. In fact, Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that there are nearly 800 drunk driving deaths in Florida each year. This represents over a quarter of all traffic fatalities. Sadly, this number represents a 15% increase over previous years.

Drunk drivers place the safety of everyone on the road in jeopardy when they get behind the wheel. In too many cases, South Florida drunk drivers cause otherwise preventable traffic accidents that result in serious injuries or death.

Due to the prevalence of drunk driving and the danger that drunk driving presents, Florida lawmakers have enacted several laws that the victims of a South Florida drunk driving accident can use to seek compensation for their injuries. For example, under Florida law, the fact that a driver was intoxicated at the time of an accident can be evidence of that driver’s negligence in a subsequent South Florida personal injury lawsuit. Additionally, under the state’s Dram Shop Act, some accident victims may be able to hold the establishment that served the drunk driver responsible for their injuries as well as the driver.

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All drivers have a duty to operate their motor vehicles in Florida in a careful and prudent manner under the circumstances. This duty extends to everyone, including to police officers driving police cars, whether or not they are responding to an emergency and whether or not the emergency lights are activated. A police officer’s failure to take the necessary precautions when operating a patrol car may result in the officer, the department, or the city being liable for a victim’s injuries through a South Florida personal injury lawsuit.

Duty of Reasonable Care

To establish a negligence claim, a plaintiff must prove that a defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care, that the defendant breached that duty, that the breach of that duty caused the plaintiff’s damages, and that the plaintiff has quantifiable damages. A defendant’s “duty of care” in favor of a plaintiff can arise from four sources:  state laws and regulations, judicial interpretations of laws or regulations, other judicial decisions, or a duty arising out of the specific facts of the case.

Police officers must drive carefully and prudently while operating police vehicles, even when responding to emergencies. In fact, if a police officer is driving in a more dangerous situation, like driving through red lights, the officer may have a heightened duty because, as the risk of harm grows to others, a driver’s duty of care is heightened. Police officers owe a duty to exercise reasonable care in carrying out their duties, including a duty to protect innocent bystanders if their police duties create a foreseeable zone of risk. For example, police officers in Florida have been found to have a duty when police were engaged in a high-speed chase and killed innocent motorists, as well as when police were chasing someone on foot and injured a pedestrian. Florida courts have also determined that police do not have to have a person “in custody” to owe the person a duty of care.

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Contact Information
Plantation Office
8211 W Broward Blvd #460
Plantation, FL 33324
Phone: (954) 653-9969
Coral Gables Office
2332 Galiano St, 2nd Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: (305) 259-7100
West Palm Beach Office
777 S Flagler Dr, #800
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (561) 275-1010
Hollywood Office
450 N Park Rd, #803
Hollywood, FL 33021
Phone: (954) 653-9969

Toll Free: (800) 753-5529 Fax: (954) 653-9979

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