Insurance Company Settlement
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Insurance Company Settlements | , ,

Accident Injury Case: Settlement or Trial – Fort Lauderdale Attorneys Lazarus and Lazarus

There are a lot of injuries occurring on South Florida roads every year due to crashes and one day you may involved in one yourself so you should be prepared with some facts.

How many crashes?

In 2017:
Florida Traffic Crashes

As you can see from the info-graphic, South Florida contributes more than our fair share to the dilemma of crashes and injuries to the statewide statistics.

What happens when people are injured in serious crashes? They are often transported to a hospital and the process of physical healing begins. But the trauma of a serious crash often necessitates professional assistance to recover mentally, emotionally, and financially.

If you have never been in a serious crash you probably won’t understand just how serious the overall damage can be.

Insurance companies are usually involved after a crash, and after paying premiums faithfully for many years people depend on them for financial help. Sometimes that help comes and sometimes it does not, but often it is insufficient to truly replace what was lost and to cover all the bills that must be paid for a full recovery.

That is where an experienced attorney can really help. An attorney who is committed to your total recovery will be able to make sure you receive the help needed not only for immediate expenses but for possible long-term therapy, doctor visits, follow-up surgery or other procedures, and prescription medication.

It’s always a good idea to ask for professional advice before signing a settlement agreement. Some insurance companies simply will not do what is right and pay the amount that is fair. When that happens we are fully prepared to move all the way to a trial, a right that is guaranteed to every citizen by our United States Constitution.

Insurance companies often count on the fact that many people will settle for a quick offer of money, but victims may not understand that their case is actually worth a substantially larger settlement due to the severity of the circumstances. As attorneys who have represented hundreds of crash victims over the past 27 years, we understand how to approach discussions and negotiations with insurance companies. And we know how to get results.

We invite you to read our reviews online and see what our clients have to say about our ability to help people in distress. We our proud of our reputation and would be happy to speak with you confidentially about your situation. Call us at (954) 356-0006 to schedule a free consultation.

Florida Truck Accident Attorney
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Truck Accident Attorney |

Large Truck Collisions – Florida Truck Accident Attorney

We would all like to live a nice, long, healthy life and pass away from “natural causes” after a few hundred years. The truth is, most people who pass away early die from unnatural causes like car accidents, homicide, poisoning, and all kinds of other scary things that, with some care and thought, might be avoided.

We constantly stress the need for safety on the road, and it’s for a very good reason. It’s dangerous out there!

Trucks are the foundation for our society’s delivery of food and other products, but in 2015, 1 in 10 highway deaths nationwide were the result of a crash that involved a large truck. Of the 3,852 people who died in truck crashes that year, only 16 percent were truck occupants. The rest were other drivers, passengers in those drivers’ vehicles, or pedestrians.

In Florida, the number of traffic fatalities overall increased 17.8 percent between 2014 and 2015. The number that involved commercial motor vehicles jumped 20.7 percent (232 to 280) during that same time.

So what’s the plan? Be careful all the time, but be really attentive when you’re near a big truck. Remember that trucks have something called “blind spots.” Truck drivers have areas where they can’t see other traffic, even with their mirrors. If you watch videos on YouTube that show real accidents, you may notice that a lot of them involve big trucks. Often, a car is passing a truck and the truck moves over into the car’s lane, causing a horrendous accident. This may be because the car is in the truck driver’s blind spot. See the diagram below and be aware of them. They can’t see you when you’re in the red zones.

Everyone is in a big hurry today, and often they feel the need to pass anyone and everyone ahead of them. First of all, try to slow it down, and second, be very careful going through the blind spots. Watch carefully and if the truck driver seems to moving over, drop back! You will never win a battle with a big truck.

Florida Truck Accident Attorney – Fort Lauderdale

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has been representing people involved in big truck accidents for over 20 years. We understand the complex issues that come up regarding ownership, insurance, and the accident investigation procedures with truck accidents. Call us at 954-356-0006 if you have questions, and thank you.

florida truck accident attorney

 

| Gary T. Lazarus | 0 Comments | TRACTOR TRAILOR ACCIDENTS, Uncategorized | ,

Cars and Trucks – Is it Time for a Separation? Florida Truck Accident Attorney

More Safety-Focused Rules and Separation Highway Projects may be Necessary

The relationship between cars and trucks may be compared to children: “get along and play nice, or we’ll have to separate you.”

Florida Truck Accident Attorney 4When a 2500 pound car impacts with an 80,000 pound tractor trailer truck it’s not a mystery as to which one will probably come out with more damage and injuries. According to the Institute for Highway Safety, in 2012 there were 3,514 deaths involving large trucks. Of these, 17 percent were truck occupants, 67 percent passenger auto occupants and 15 percent motorcycle and bicycle riders and pedestrians.

Separate lanes have been used around the country, but with limited success.

What’s been done to reduce car vs. truck accidents so far?

·         The US Department of Transportation has mandated drug testing for truck drivers.

·         Electronic monitoring has reduced driver fatigue by forcing rest-periods.

·         Background checks for truck drivers are more accurate thanks to advances in computer databases.

What is planned for the future?

·         Crash avoidance technology: There are now computer-operated cars, it’s only a matter of time for trucks.

·         More truck-only lanes: Georgia plans to build two lanes limited to trucks along 38 miles of Interstate 75, a heavily travelled freight corridor south of Atlanta. It will be the largest truck-only project in the nation and is expected to cost $2 billion. Hopefully the project will be complete in 2030. In Florida, highway officials have struggled to keep truck traffic on the Florida Turnpike, but with the expensive tolls charged they are mostly opting for I-95 which is very over-crowded.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus in Fort Lauderdale helps people who have been injured in truck accidents as qualified truck accident attorneys. We have devoted a large part of our practice to this very specialized area which requires extensive knowledge of the statutes and rules that apply to the trucking industry. We are pleased to be one of the leading truck accident attorneys in the greater Fort Lauderdale are serving Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

Please contact us any time at 954-356-0006 or click here to request an online contact. Thank you.

Edited by D. Lekov Cerxs

 

 

 

Florida Truck Accident Attorney
| lazaruslaw-2 | 0 Comments | TRACTOR TRAILOR ACCIDENTS, Truck Accidents, Uncategorized | , ,

Driverless Vehicles – Who is at Fault when they Crash?

Things that seemed technologically impossible years ago are now every-day commonalities as advances in science, computers, and engineering continue to grow.

No one would have believed that people would all be carrying portable phones and computers around with them, and the thought of driverless cars and trucks was a fantasy until just recently.

But the fantasy has become reality and prototypes of cars controlled by computers are now out on the road. Unfortunately, with every advancement there are sometimes very costly errors.

Florida Truck Accident AttorneyThe first reported death in a Tesla Model S crash while the Autopilot was activated has been shaking the Tesla and self-driving car community. The tragic accident happened May 7th in Florida, news outlets only learned of the event last week when Tesla revealed that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched preliminary evaluation in Tesla’s Autopilot system.

The investigation is in the very early stage, but it’s possible that the car’s forward facing camera, sensors, and radar interpreted the truck to actually be a bridge, and therefore “assumed” the car would be able to drive under it. What actually happened is the impact tore the roof off the car, and then it lost control. There is a possibility the driver of the car was watching a movie when the accident occurred.

This type of tragic incident is opening a whole new arena in the legal world, which is called robotics law.

Most advances in automobile technology such as seat belts, airbags, and anti-lock brakes were designed to improve safety but still relied on an action by the driver or passengers in order to function. Now the responsibility rests with a machine and it is very murky as to how this will affect court cases.

A division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates nearly all aspects of the trucking industry. How cars and trucks will deal with the infusion of driverless vehicles remains to be seen, as the legal profession also ponders and debates these issues over the next several years.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus specializes in accidents involving commercial trucks and has for over 20 years. It is a unique and complex area of the law where special regulations and guidelines apply, and both Gary and Arleen Lazarus are eminently qualified to handle these situations. Please call their Fort Lauderdale office at 954-356-0006 if you or someone you know has been involved in a serious truck-related accident.