South Florida Personal Injury Attorney
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney

Large Law Firm or Small – Which is Best for You? Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorneys

Our society for many years has classified what people do to earn a living into jobs, trades, professions, and the learned professions. We found this definition for aSouth Florida Personal Injury Attorneys profession: a profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain.

Traditionally a “learned” profession is one of the three professions, theology, law, and medicine, usually associated with extensive learning or erudition; broadly or any profession in the preparation for or practice of which academic learning is held to play an important part.

Today, the professions requiring extensive advanced education most often have some type of organization that regulates and issues licenses to members. Doctors have the American Medical Association, attorneys have local, state, and national bar associations. Engineers, financial advisers, teachers, and many others all have a high level of responsibility and accountability.

In law, the bar is the legal profession as an institution. The term is a metonym for the line (or “bar”) that separates the parts of a courtroom reserved for spectators and those reserved for participants in a trial such as lawyers.

Any person who has a job and performs its duties with excellence over a long period of time can be thought of as being a professional. We have known professional tailors, painters, chefs, and bartenders.

The learned professions are different than most other other jobs in that they are held to a higher standard, that is they can be liable, negligent, or even guilty of malpractice if the circumstances warrant and there is evidence. They deal with matters where errors could have tragic consequences, financially or physically to structures, property, or human beings.

One thing that is common in most professions is that they are becoming more and more specialized every day. In the past if you were sick you went to a doctor and if you had a legal issue you visited an attorney. Today there are over ten different types of specialties in ophthalmology alone, and lawyers have branched out to be of service to people in dozens of very specific areas of law.

When something happens up and you need an attorney, you will have many choices. The largest law firm in the United States by number of attorneys is Baker & McKenezie in Chicago with over 4,200 and there are probably many legal situations where B&K would be the perfectly appropriate firm to call for help. There are many general practice firms, large and small, that handle personal injury cases, and they also handle criminal cases, bankruptcies, and family law. These firms are also qualified and capable of handling cases professionally and they perform very well for their clients.

South Florida Personal Injury AttorneysThe Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has filled a special space in the south Florida community for over 20 years. We are a small firm consisting of Gary and Arleen Lazarus with an excellent support team and we work with people who have been injured in any number of ways because of some incident or accident that was not their fault. In particular we have sought to help people injured in accidents, including those involving automobile, truck, and motorcycle crashes. We work with people injured in industrial accidents, and accidents on private or public property. We have also gained a tremendous amount of experience working with people hurt by pharmacy or pharmaceutical company errors. Certain types of medical malpractice also fall into our area of expertise.

Our smaller size allows us to focus on each client and their case with a level of personal service it is sometimes hard to find in a larger firm, and we are committed to keeping that service level in place. If you have been hurt due to someone else’s carelessness, we ask for the opportunity to meet with you and review our track record, our qualifications, and the testimonials from previous clients. Please call us at 954-356-0006 to arrange a confidential consultation, and thank you.

| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorneys

Driving Drowsy Can Be Deadly – Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorneys

Florida Highway Patrol troopers and rescue workers were amazed when a driver and his passengers survived a serious crash at a tollbooth on the Florida Turnpike recently. Early indications are that the driver fell asleep at the wheel and the vehicle plowed into some crash absorbers, narrowly missing a pay lane where a another vehicle was stopped. The story in the Miami Herald contains a video of the crash, but warns “the following video contains graphic content.”

How common are “asleep at the wheel” crashes? It’s difficult to ascertain whether a driver was nodding off before a crash because there are no medical tests to help, like there are for determining blood alcohol level. But a recent AAA study reveals that driver fatigue is a factor in 1 of 10 accidents, and the problem seems to be getting worse over time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 35 percent of American drivers sleep less than the recommended minimum of seven hours a night.

South Florida Accident LawyersSummer is the traditional time for long trips in the car to reach various vacation spots, so it’s a great time to prepare for a common sense schedule of drive time, rest time, meal time, and sleep time. It’s a good idea to drive during the time you are usually awake so you aren’t knocking your body’s internal clock out of whack. If you normally sleep at night, then sleep at night during your trip. Arrange to take turns with another driver if possible, and drive in 2-3 hour segments before taking rests.

Many drivers have a tendency to “push it” until they reach the next destination, but don’t do it. The minute you feel sleepy get off the road and rest.

The National Sleep Foundation says these are warning signs that you are getting fatigued and you should stop driving:

  1. Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eye lids.
  2. Daydreaming; wandering/disconnected thoughts.
  3. Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs.
  4. Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes.
  5. Trouble keeping your head up.
  6. Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip.
  7. Feeling restless and irritable.

We are experienced motor vehicle accident attorneys in south Florida for over 20 years and we have worked with many victims of sleep-related serious crashes. Please call us if you have been involved in any car, truck, or motorcycle accident and you’re not sure about what you can do to take care of your injuries and damages. We’re available all the time by calling 954-356-0006.

Have a safe summer!

| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorneys, Uncategorized

Soft Tissue Injuries are Painful and Slow to Heal – Fort Lauderdale Accident Lawyers

If you were asked to name common injuries from automobile accidents, you would probably say cuts and broken bones. Those are common injuries and they are usually the first to be diagnosed when the victim of an accident is treated on the scene by paramedics or later at the hospital. But soft tissue injuries to muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments are really the most common, the most difficult to diagnose, and often the most painful and hard to treat.

A synonym for the word “soft” is “delicate.” These are areas of the body that are very sensitive to trauma. 

Soft tissue injuries include sprains, strains, bruises, and tendinitis. Under the category of sprains there are three levels:

Grade 1: Only some of the fibers in the ligament are torn, and the injured site is moderately painful and swollen. Function in the joint will be unaffected for the most part.
Grade 2: Many of the ligament fibers are torn, and pain and swelling is moderate. The functionality of the joint is compromised.
Grade 3: The soft tissue is completely torn, and functionality and strength on the joint is completely compromised. In most cases, surgery is needed to repair the damage.

Often soft tissue injuries do not become obvious until some time after the actual injury occurs, sometimes a few days or even a few weeks. Probably the most common and the most painful soft tissue injuries people experience after an auto accident are whiplash (neck) and other spinal injuries. If a car is jolted suddenly into movement, for example from being rear ended, the cervical (neck) spine can be seriously damaged.

How can a soft tissue injury be diagnosed and treated?

The science of medicine has become so specialized that going to a physician who doesn’t handle your specific issue may waste precious time and money. For example, years ago when you had an eye issue you went to an ophthalmologist. Today there are over 10 sub-specialties of ophthalmology including specialists for the retina, cornea, optic nerve, glaucoma, and cataracts. If you choose the wrong doctor, you will just be referred to another.

If you are involved in an auto accident and you feel fine at first, but later realize that “something just is not right” there is a good possibility you have some type of soft tissue injury. The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has been working with victims of car, truck, and motorcycle accidents for over 20 years and we have been fortunate to work with some of the finest doctors in the nation who happen to practice here in south Florida. We stand by our clients until they are connected to the medical specials who will truly improve their condition, heal their injuries, and lessen their pain.

Call us at 954-356-0006 if you have any questions, and thank you.

Florida Accident Attorneys - Wrong Way Crashes
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Florida Car Accident Attorneys

How to Avoid a Crash with a Wrong Way Driver – Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorneys

It’s hard to comprehend how a driver could get on a busy expressway and drive the wrong way for any period of time, but it happens. It happens far too often and while some measures to alert other drivers have been put in place, it’s prudent to understand what you can do to reduce your chances of being involved in a wrong-way accident.

Wrong-way crashes tend to be especially violent and cause very serious and often deadly injuries.

Warning devices — flashing beacons, solar-powered warning signs and vehicle-detection equipment — were installed on 10 ramps on the turnpike’s Homestead Extension between Miramar and Doral and on five ramps on the Sawgrass Expressway in Broward. If a motorist goes the wrong way or enters the roadway using an exit ramp and misses the flashing signs, a camera will send a picture of the vehicle to the FHP’s command center and to the Turnpike’s traffic management center in Pompano Beach. Traffic managers can then program overhead signs on the highway to alert motorists that a wrong-way driver is in the area. Officials estimate that in the first year of operation, 14 wrong-way crashes were prevented by the warning system.

How can you reduce the chance of being involved in a wrong-way crash?

The Florida Highway Patrol recommends drivers stay to the right when driving on a highway at night. Wrong-way drivers will likely think they should stay to the right, which for right-way drivers is the left. Stay alert, never text while driving, and if you see someone going the wrong way you should call 911 immediately. Also, if someone is coming at you from the wrong way, slow down carefully, and move to avoid the car while being careful not to hit cars beside you.

If you ever become distracted for some reason and miss a red “WRONG WAY” sign yourself, stop and move off the roadway carefully. Do not try to move forward to find an exit. Call FHP for assistance.

Obviously, many wrong-way drivers are impaired and you may think there is not much you can do about that. But every responsible citizen needs to make a commitment not to tolerate drunk driving. Insist friends leave their keys and call a taxi cab if they have been drinking. If you serve alcohol to someone visiting your home make sure they have a ride.

The Law Form of Lazarus and Lazarus has handled many serious crashes involving wrong-way drivers who crashed into oncoming traffic. We work hard for every client to make sure their medical and other needs are met and that they receive the maximum compensation for pain and suffering allowed by law. Call us at 954-356-0006 if you have any questions.