Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorneys
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorneys | , ,

Choosing a Lawyer for Your Injury Case – Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorneys Lazarus and Lazarus

Statistics allow us to know a lot about our world, and they can help us make decisions about our lives. For example, did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers. Quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%. We hope we just convinced some people to quit!

You should also take care of your heart because the number one cause of death in Florida is heart disease. Eat right, exercise, and you’ll make those who love you happy by lowering your risk of heart issues.

After heart disease, cancer is the number two killer of Floridians, but most people have no idea what ranks number three. It’s unintentional injuries, and that includes traffic accidents (car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian) as well as industrial accidents, slips and falls, and a large number of other mishaps that injure and kill thousands of people in Florida every year. Obviously you can reduce your risks for accidents by taking reasonable safety precautions, but the truth is that anyone can be the victim of someone else’s negligence and be hurt, sometimes severely.

What do You Do When You’re Injured in Florida?

Fortunately our United States Constitution, specifically the 7th Amendment, permits citizens to seek restitution in a court of law. The first thing most people do when they are seeking justice is hire an attorney, and there are many to choose from. What do you do, where do you go, or who you going to call?

Here are some tips we suggest for everyone so they can make the best choice:

In most personal injury cases, time is of the essence, which means you’ll want to move fast. The reason for expediency is that most injury cases involve witnesses, and people’s memories are clearest immediately after an incident. It’s also important to preserve evidence in the form of photographs by other means as appropriate. Therefore, as quickly as possible make a list of three to five attorneys and set appointments with each. You’ll want to ask each attorney what kind of results to expect and you’ll want to ask about qualifications. How many injury cases have they handled? How long have they been dealing with accidents similar to yours?

It’s also important to ask what kind of results your potential attorney has achieved for other clients. What kind of statements are available online from previous clients? Will your attorney have the time to speak to you if you pick up the phone and call?

Fort Lauderdale Injury AttorneysClarify Attorney Fees. Most injury attorneys offer a free consultation, but it’s important to be crystal clear about what you may be charged for right from the start.

As with any decision, your gut feeling will play a role in your decision, but try to balance feelings and facts and then make a decision.

Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorneys – Lazarus and Lazarus

If we meet to discuss your case we want you to know that everything we discuss is completely confidential. In Florida, the attorney-client privilege is governed by Section 90.502 of the Florida Statutes. We will clearly explain what the options are for your specific situation, and we’ll tell you what to expect.

To reach our law office you should call (954) 356-0006 7 days a week. We place the highest priority on responding to calls for help so if we don’t answer, we will respond to your message immediately. If you choose another attorney we will wish you the best possible outcome.

| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS

Pedestrians Beware During High Season Traffic – South Florida Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

You don’t hear the term used as often as days gone by, but “high season” for many decades in south Florida was that time of year when it seemed that half the license plates you would see on cars were from northern states and Canada. Traffic on our roads was almost impossible to get through, especially near the beach. Our roads are so crowded year-round that most people don’t even recognize when the tourists come and when they leave because they’re always here, but generally speaking November thru April are the busy months.

When you add more tourist drivers to the mix who are trying to find places they’ve never been and are driving on unfamiliar roads, you can figure out what’s going to happen: more accidents.

USA Today says:

U.S. pedestrian deaths totaled nearly 6,000 in 2017 for the second straight year amid mounting signs that walkers and drivers are dangerously distracted, according to a new study.

Although reasons for the recent rise have not been scientifically determined, experts suspect that smartphones and marijuana use are key factors in the deadly trend.

We urge people to never text and drive but apparently it is getting more and more dangerous to text and walk.

Also, follow these important safety rules for pedestrians:

  • Only cross at the crosswalks.
  • Watch for the white “walk” sign or symbol.
  • Never assume that traffic sees you and that it is automatically safe because the sign says “walk” – LOOK IN ALL DIRECTIONS to make sure.
  • At night, wear bright colors and reflective material if possible.
  • Don’t walk in the roadway, stay up on the sidewalk.

Drivers: Look out for pedestrians. One of the most common accidents involving cars and pedestrians is when a car or truck is making a right turn and the pedestrian steps off into the driver’s blind spot. It’s best to hesitate, make eye contact between the driver and pedestrian, and make sure both understand who is going to wait and who is going to go. Remember, there is no reason to hurry. Slow down, look all directions, and proceed cautiously through all pedestrian crosswalks.

We have handles some truly tragic accidents where pedestrians were hit by vehicles, and we hope we never see another one. But if you are involved in a pedestrian-related accident as a driver or as the pedestrian, you do have rights under the law. Call us at 954-356-0006 and we’ll make sure the accident is thoroughly investigated and your rights are protected.

Fact: VISIT FLORIDA estimates that a record 116.5 million visitors traveled to Florida in 2017, an increase of 3.6 percent over last year. This number breaks down to 102.3 million domestic visitors, 10.7 million overseas visitors and 3.5 million Canadian visitors coming to the Sunshine State.

| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Prescription Errors

Medication Errors Happen in Hospitals as Well as Pharmacies

Have you ever tried to pronounce the names of some prescription medications? They’re not only hard to say, many of them are spelled similarly and yet their applications and effects can be completely different. Errors in medications happen thousands of times all across country, usually because of a mix-up at a pharmacy, but they also happen in hospitals and clinics.

Take the case of a patient in Tennessee who was treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center being treated for a subdural hematoma in December 2017. The patient was improving with treatment and was supposed to receive an injection of a sedative called Versed, a standard anti-anxiety medication. The precise events that unfolded are not completely clear yet, but it seems that the nurse who administered the injection used an electronic prescribing cabinet and actually gave the patient a syringe containing vecuronium. Vecuronium is one drug that is often used to cause death in prisoners sentenced to be executed by lethal injection.

Hospital Medication ErrorsThe patient at Vanderbilt hospital died, and the investigation centers not only on the mix-up with the medication but also on a possible cover-up after the fact.

It’s obvious to anyone who has ever visited a hospital that they are very hectic places. Hundreds of patients, dozens of doctors, thousands of drugs, tests, and treatments, and yet somehow all the elements seem to come together in a controlled chaos to heal most people and send them back to their normal lives. Hospitals have procedures in place to check and double-check medications, but a mistake can have dangerous or fatal consequences, as described above.

Studies have shown that of all the situations where errors in pharmaceutical medications may occur, it is at the time of patient discharge that most mistakes are made.

When sent home from the hospital it is common to leave with several new prescriptions from more than one physician, or physician’s assistant. When this happens you may wonder about the directions for these new medications, and you’ll possibly not be clear about your current ones. This is the time to stop and ask for help!

Fact: After discharge, medication errors are the leading cause of patient adverse events.

Everyone should keep a current list of all medications, including non-prescription, along with dosages, and then set aside time to ask their doctor and pharmacist if everything lines up properly with what is best for their situation. Make sure there aren’t any potential adverse reactions or side effects which may cause harm.

If you have possibly been harmed because of a mistake with medications, you have rights. Medical negligence and malpractice are serious issues and need to be handled by skilled and experienced professionals who know what steps to take. Call us at (954) 356-0006 for a free and confidential consultation.