Neck Injury Personal Injury Attorney
| Gary T. Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized

Injuries Resulting From Low-Impact Collisions

Low Impact does not Mean Low Injury

You may remember from science class in school that there were some very smart people throughout history who gave thought to things we “normal” people don’t think about. One such person was Sir Isaac Newton, and his theories about gravity, motion, and optics profoundly impacted the study of physics and are involved in our daily life.

Your elbow bumps a cup of coffee on your desk, and it falls to the floor. We don’t think about it, but Newton’s observations and theories of gravity and motion explain exactly what happened and why.

You’re sitting in your car at a red light and someone strikes you from behind. The laws of physics are involved here as your body is thrust forward, you experience sudden stress to your neck, shoulders, hips and head.

Newton looked at simple occurrences in life and reasoned that there must be a way to calculate the forces of nature using scientific methods. In the case of a moving object striking an object at rest, he reasoned correctly that two factors are important to determine the force (F) of the impact, and those are speed, or acceleration (a) and the weight, or mass (m) of the moving object.

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Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorneys
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS | , ,

Delays and Misdiagnoses of Accident Injuries Because of Covid-19 Pandemic

Broward County Injury Attorneys – Automobile, Motorcycle, Truck Accidents

Immediate Proper Treatment is Essential for Long Term Recovery

One of the most common issues victims of accidents face is receiving the right diagnosis immediately after the injury. Proper assessment and treatment is not only essential, an error by a physician can make the injury worse.

Medical resources are stressed to say the least and this is causing many other illnesses and injuries to be demoted or reclassified as non-urgent.

It’s important to remember that with trauma resulting from automobile, truck, or motorcycle accidents, the actual injuries may be hidden and not manifest as serious for a few hours or days after the actual event. A sore neck may be a muscle strain or it may involve serious injury to the spine. An ache in the belly may be from a bruise or it may involve internal bleeding. Don’t guess or play Dr. Google and search the internet for answers.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Injuries Should Never be Delayed

It seems certain that Covid-19 is not going to abate any time soon even though there is optimism about vaccine distribution.

Victims need and deserve accurate, prompt medical care.

How Can You Make Sure You’re Getting the Assessment and Treatment you Deserve?

One of the advantages of having a qualified accident injury attorney on your side is that one of our primary duties is to make sure your personal well-being is first and foremost. We have been helping victims recover from accidents physically, mentally, and financially since 1992 and our record for results is excellent. Please feel free to review our client reviews at AVVO, the leading source for attorney information. We’re here to help, so if you have questions we’re available 7 days a week at (954) 356-0006.

Click Here to get the latest Covid-19 Information from Broward.org

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus | Broward County Automobile, Truck, and Motorcycle Accident Attorneys | 954-356-0006

| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS | ,

Florida PIP May be Going Away

This is a busy legislative session in Tallahassee, and one of the issues being considered will effect every Florida driver. The $10,000 “no-fault”Florida PIP Florida PIP requirement that has been in place for many years may be ending in favor of new requirements for $25,000 bodily injury and $50,000 per incident coverage.

When you consider the enormous increase in medical expenses over the years, $10,000 really doesn’t cover much if a victim has sustained serious injuries. Florida’s PIP law has long been blamed for insurance fraud. It’s been revised several times since 2000 to try to curb “bad faith claims.” But those reforms have also restricted coverage. Florida PIP was created in 1971 as a way to reduce lawsuits over traffic lawsuits.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS | ,

Tips to Avoid Being in a Rear End Accident

 

rear end accident attorneys

Two horrible rear-end vehicle accidents in Florida ended the young lives of four young women recently, leaving family and friends searching for answers about how and why these tragedies occurred. Two women from the University of Florida were killed when their car was rear ended in Okeechobee County on March 5th, and two Weston women who were students at FSU were killed on the Florida Turnpike last week, also in a rear end accident.

Most people think there’s nothing you can do to avoid, prevent, or escape a driver who comes up behind you and doesn’t stop. The reasons for these accidents may involve driver impairment (drugs or alcohol) or distracted drivers (texting) or any number of other reasons, but there are some things you can do as a sober, responsible driver to lower your chances of being hit from behind.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS | , ,

Traffic Fatalities – The Most Dangerous States for Driving (We’re #12)

Most people who have lived in or traveled to several states have an opinion on the state with the worst drivers. “Boy, those New York drivers are the worst,” I’ve heard several people exclaim over the traffic fatalitiesyears. Or, “Don’t go to Florida, they are terrible” is another. Of course we live here, so we have to drive in Florida. What are the numbers on serious, fatal accidents?

Traffic Fatalities – The Numbers

Florida is number 12. That’s not the twelfth best, it’s the twelfth worst. The worst 12 states as far as fatal accidents for 2015 are listed in the table to the right. Overall, there were 35,092 traffic fatalities nationwide in 2015.

Why Wyoming has such a high rate of fatal accidents is hard to figure, so we Googled it and found this from the Casper Star Tribune – “Nearly twice as many people have died on Wyoming highways this year compared with 2013, and increases in oil field traffic and drunken driving may be to blame.”

Back to Florida. County-by-county, the rural counties in Florida have experienced higher rates of fatal accidents per person, and the worst 10 counties are:

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| Gary T. Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized | ,

Holidays Aren’t Happy for the Victims of Drunk Drivers – Broward County Accident Attorneys

While everyone should always be aware of the danger of driving while impaired, the holidays are statistically the time when drunk driving accidents are most likely to occur. Lazarus and Lazarus, Broward county accident attorneys urge everyone to be especially alert and careful during this and all holiday seasons.

broward county accident attorneysSummer holidays like the 4th of July bring out the worst in people, and winter holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Eve are also high on the list for serious injury accidents with impaired driving the cause.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the times of year when most DUI arrests and accidents happen are:

Memorial Day weekend sees more than 400 traffic fatalities most years. Over Labor Day weekend, the NSC notes that more than 400 traffic fatalities and more than 42,000 serious injuries occurred. In between the two dates is a stretch known as the “100 deadliest days for teens,” when more teens have too much free time and are more likely to engage in unsafe behaviors.

The 4th of July is known as the most dangerous holiday for people on the roads. More than 100 people died in traffic accidents over the 4th of July holiday this year.

Thanksgiving weekend, which includes “Blackout Wednesday” is the most traveled time of year, and therefore the number of accidents goes up proportionately. DUI arrests and accidents are also traditionally high, and extra caution should be observed.

Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and in-between has actually observed a slight reduction in DUI arrests, injuries, and fatal accidents possibly due to the fact that enforcement has been so concentrated on these holidays for many years. Alternatives to driving drunk like free cab rides may also be responsible for the decreases.

Broward County accident attorneys Lazarus and Lazarus have been representing victims of drunk driving accidents for over 20 years.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, here are some sobering stats regarding drunk driving accidents:

• In 2014, 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

• Of the 1,070 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2014, 209 (19%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

• Of the 209 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2014, over half (116) were riding in the vehicle with the alcohol-impaired driver.

• In 2014, over 1.1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s one percent of the 121 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

• Drugs other than alcohol (legal and illegal) are involved in about 16% of motor vehicle crashes.

• Marijuana use is increasing and 13% of nighttime, weekend drivers have marijuana in their system.

• Marijuana users were about 25% more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers with no evidence of marijuana use, however other factors – such as age and gender – may account for the broward county accident attorneysincreased crash risk among marijuana users.

Broward County Accident Attorneys – The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus

Florida had over 61,000 DUI arrests in 2015, second only to Texas and California in the U.S.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus is committed to providing superior representation to victims of drunk driving accidents. We specialize in helping victims deal with their injuries, their expenses, and their recovery. Your rights under the law and getting you compensation for your losses are our primary concern.

You may reach out to us any time by calling 954-356-0006 and asking for a confidential consultation.

 

florida accident attorney
| Gary T. Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized | , ,

Planning a Winter Road Trip up North? Be Prepared! Florida Accident Attorneys

Floridians Should Check Vehicles for Winter Weather and Insurance

People who live in Florida most likely live here because of the weather. We hate snow.

But every year the holidays entice many Floridians to embark on road trips to the north for family holiday gatherings. It’s usually a wonderful experience, but please take a few minutes to think about some common-sense tips.

If You’re Driving Your Own Car

florida accident attorneysTake your car to your favorite repair shop and ask them to check it for winter travel. Your engine coolant and wiper fluid may freeze up north.

Double check your insurance, make sure it’s paid up and everything is up-to-date. Driving on unfamiliar roads can sometimes lead to accidents and you don’t want to be uninsured.

Different states have varying car insurance minimums. So if you start your holiday road trip in Florida, which only requires $5,000 of property damage liability, and $10,000 worth of PIP, and get into an accident in New York, where minimums are about $50,000 greater, you would be under-insured to cover a New York driver’s damages. Luckily, car insurance companies usually recognize you shouldn’t be penalized for having the legal limit in one state, and crashing in another with higher limits. Thus, so long as you were not intoxicated or conducting any other policy disqualifying behavior, your company will likely bump your limits up to the state’s in which you crashed. To be safe, call and verify.

If You’re Renting a Car

If you rent a car, you need some sort of rental car insurance. Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, and the others all offer different options. Rental companies offer a Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), Supplemental Liability Coverage (SLC), Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) and Personal Effects Coverage (PEC). Of those four, you may only really need the first two. You pay for the LDW, about $9 to $20 per day, which essentially says the rental company will cover any damage that happens to the car. If you have collision insurance on your policy however, you may opt out of the coverage. If you have a credit card as well, you may charge the entire rental to the card, and your card provider will sometimes cover the LDW at no charge to you.

Once again, call and verify with your own insurance company what will be covered and what won’t should something happen if you have an accident in a rental car in another state.

SNOW!

Floridians aren’t accustomed to driving in the snow. It’s another world. Just remember to reduce speed, or get off the road if you feel the least bit uncomfortable driving on icy roads. Listen to advisories on the radio, and follow them.

Here’s a story with a video offering some safety tips for driving in the snow from the American Automobile Association: CLICK HERE

Lazarus and Lazarus – Florida Accident Attorneys

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus cares about your safety. Every day we meet with people who have been involved in serious accidents, and we know that many times the incidents were preventable. We think it is our obligation to inform all Florida drivers to observe traffic laws, don’t misuse your cell phone when behind the wheel, and never drink and drive.

If you or a loved one does need an accident attorney in the future, we would be happy to arrange a confidential consultation if you call us at 954-356-0006. Protecting y­­our rights are our primary concern.

Fort Lauderdale Accident Lawyer
| lazaruslaw-2 | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized | , ,

What Does Florida PIP Insurance Cover? What Isn’t Covered?

Many People are Unaware What “Basic Coverage” Means

Fort Lauderdale Accident LawyerI recently had a conversation with young woman who was working at Starbuck’s. She was forlorn because of an auto accident she had on the way to work and said that her car would be in the shop for several days. She wondered aloud about getting a rental car while she was without her car, and I told her it would depend on her insurance. She said “I have PIP.”

I didn’t want to tell her that she would likely be getting a ride to work for a while because she was having a bad day already, but PIP coverage does not provide rental cars for drivers while their cars are being repaired. In fact PIP does not cover repairs. PIP stands for “personal injury protection” and covers medical expenses.

So many drivers are unaware of the facts as they pertain to auto insurance, we would like to help with some basic facts.

The 2016 Florida Statutes, Chapter 627, Section 736 is titled: Required personal injury protection benefits; exclusions; priority; claims – and you may read the section by clicking here.

Some basic information about PIP:

·         If you are a resident of Florida and you own a motor vehicle, you are required to purchase PIP. If you are a resident of Florida and own a motor vehicle, you are required to purchase PIP.  You are covered by PIP if you are the named insured.  You, the insured, are covered by PIP while driving your vehicle or when a passenger in another’s vehicle.  You are also covered while outside a motor vehicle if struck and injured by a motor vehicle.

·         Resident relatives who live with you, the insured, may be covered by your PIP benefits while they are driving your car, as passengers in your or another’s car, and while pedestrians if struck and injured by a motor vehicle.

·         Others who are injured while driving your insured motor vehicle or who are injured while a passenger in your insured motor vehicle or who are injured as a pedestrian when struck by your insured motor vehicle may be covered by your PIP.

·         If you or your insured relatives living with you are injured while outside Florida, and are in your insured motor vehicle, you and your insured relatives are covered under PIP as long as the injury occurs within the United States, its territories or possessions, or in Canada.

It is prudent to visit with an insurance agent and take the time to discuss exactly what you expect from your automobile insurance before you buy it. Benefits like towing, repair, and rental cars are certainly worthwhile but they cost more.

PIP usually covers $10,000 of medical expenses and many injuries sustained in accidents exceed that amount.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has been helping Floridians injured in automobile, truck, and motorcycle accidents for more than 20 years as qualified accident attorneys. We are committed to provide everyone with the information you need to stay as safe as possible, and to have the information you need to make informed decisions.

We are available to meet with you if you’ve been involved in an accident, and you may contact us by calling 954-356-0006 to arrange a free consultation.
Click here to view our contact page where you may request that we contact you online.
Accident Damage Florida
| Gary T. Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized | , , ,

Documenting Injuries and Damage After a Motor Vehicle Accident

Early Photos and Witness Statements Help to Substantiate Your Case

The immediate reaction after a serious motor vehicle accident is often “oh no, what am I going to do?” There is usually confusion, phone calls to family and friends, and a general feeling of disbelief and bewilderment.

It’s a very good idea to make a mental note – right now – that if the time comes and you are involved in an accident, you must try to do your best to remain calm. Cool heads rule in situations like this and if you want to come away from a bad situation with as little negative results as possible, you’ll want to try to calmly and accurately document everything right from the start.

Accident Injuries and Accident Damages

Using an acronym sometimes helps remember what to do in stressful situations, so you may want to remember POW:

  • Pictures
  • Observations
  • Witnesses

Pictures – Almost everyone on Earth carries a phone with a camera. Try to take pictures immediately after an accident as long as it doesn’t interfere with rendering aid or with law enforcement’s investigation. If you can’t do it, perhaps someone else can do it for you. Damage to vehicles, road conditions, conditions at the time of the accident. For example, if a stop sign was laying on the ground and that caused you to not see it, take a picture. By the next day it may be repaired and your story has no support.

Early pictures of injuries are important because once they are bandaged or casted by medical personnel it may be weeks before you have the opportunity again.

Observe – Some things you cannot record with a camera, but try to remember or write down other things you notice. Who was there? Did someone leave the scene? Anything that seems unusual, try to make a written note of the details.

Witnesses – If the police are involved they will look for and interview witnesses, but sometimes a witness will leave before the law enforcement arrives. Try to get the names and numbers of people who might be able to help, and do it nicely. Witnesses can be a very important asset later if they are needed.

None of these things should ever be done if they interfere in any way with medical personnel or with law enforcement. They are valuable pieces to puzzle which may be gradually pieced together during the course of building a case which might involve statements, depositions, evidentiary fact-finding, lab tests, expert witnesses etc.

Once again, cool heads come out ahead.

Finding a Qualified Florida Accident Attorney

Now, after the dust settles and you have time to visit with an attorney who specializes in auto, truck, and motorcycle accidents, that attorney will be able to calmly explain your rights and your options. The pictures, observations, and witness information you gathered will greatly affect his or her ability to get to the truth for you.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has been working with victims of serious vehicle accidents for over 23 years. They work with people across south Florida and they are familiar with all aspects of accidents, from dealing with insurance companies and doctors, to working with law enforcement.

Calling 954-356-0606 will put you in touch with Gary and Arleen Lazarus, two of the most caring, competent, and dedicated personal injury attorneys in Florida. After a confidential meeting you will have all options explained to you with no obligation whatsoever.

Florida Accident Attorney
| Gary T. Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized | , ,

Social Media and Accident Cases

Be Very Careful After an Accident – LOL may become an OMG

You’ve been in a car accident. You’re shaken up, but fortunately you’re not hurt badly. You think the same about the people in the other car.

The next day you share the details with everyone on social media. You post pictures from the scene, your thoughts about what happened, and you even comment about the nice-looking police officer who came to the accident. It all seems harmless and kind of funny.

Florida Accident AttorneyTwo days later you get word that someone in the other car is actually injured far more seriously than you thought, and you realize it might be better if some of the things you posted on the internet remained private. Quickly you delete everything you posted and you’re all in the clear. Right?

That’s not entirely accurate.

In today’s high-tech world not only are the images and text messages you deleted still somewhere on your computer or smart-phone, they’re on your friend’s devices as well. They’re also in a place known as “the cloud” which means they are now part of a virtual world where they can be accessed by almost anyone. Forever.

Electronically stored information, or ESI, is a very significant part of almost every legal case today. Nothing is ever really deleted, and through a process known as legal discovery your pictures, emails, and text messages can be recovered and used as evidence in a court of law. There are companies that specialize in extracting ESI and they are very proficient.

Everyone has a duty and a legal responsibility to be forthcoming and to tell the truth when speaking with a police officer or when giving statements under oath. However, no one has to publish potentially damaging evidence across the internet for the whole world to see.

There are real-life examples of people who doomed their court cases and settlements because of things they posted online. Insurance companies will do everything and anything they can to avoid paying damages and they will scour the internet trying to find something incriminating related to a victim who is completely innocent of any negligence in a personal injury case.

In the time gap between an accident and your first phone call to an attorney, it’s in your best interest to remain silent.

Securing the counsel of a qualified attorney after any accident is a very prudent decision. Your attorney can advise you on your rights as well as your responsibilities pertaining not only to your injuries and/or damages, but your right to not self-incriminate.

Personal Injury Experts

These are complex areas of law, and the Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus is very experienced with social media as it relates to personal injury cases. Calling 954-356-0006 immediately after you are involved in any accident or personal injury incident will put you in touch with Gary and Arleen Lazarus, who have been advising victims for over 23 years.