Category: <span>South Florida Accident Attorneys</span>

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Americans love their cars. We each drive an average of 13,450 miles per year, that’s over 1000 miles per month. Of course many drivers put many more miles on their car and many drive less, but even when mass transportation is readily available people still love the independence and freedom of owning and driving their own car, truck, or motorcycle.

Naturally, the more you drive the more likely you are to have an accident, and cautious drivers do have fewer accidents than careless ones, but statistics say each one of us will have 4 accidents in our lifetimes, or one every 17.9 years.

A minor fender bender may ruin your day, but a serious accident may cause permanent injuries or loss-of-life. High-speed collisions are extremely violent events, with devastating damage to victim’s bodies. Many people also suffer from immediate and delayed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a very debilitating condition that often makes it difficult for people to return to normal life.

What to do Immediately After a Serious Accident

• Before you attempt to move and get out of your vehicle, assess yourself. If you feel that you cannot move, don’t push it because you may do further damage. As long as it is safe, remain in the car until paramedics or police can help you.
• Check your passengers and make sure someone has called 911.
• Do not offer information that is not asked for but do cooperate with authorities. Make no statements until you feel you feel you are capable of doing so.
• Try to have someone record the scene with photographs and get the names of witnesses.
• Call an attorney who specializes in vehicle crash cases.

How to Gain Confidence After a Serious Collision

Don’t rush to get behind the wheel again. It is totally normal to be apprehensive about driving after being in a serious crash, and you should rely on other ways to get around until you are completely sure you can handle it. We have worked with people who literally never regained the desire or the emotional stability and confidence to drive again. There is nothing wrong with these feelings.

Important: Talk to a professional counselor who treats victims of traumatic events.

Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorneys Since 1992

The advantage of working with a qualified accident attorney is that you will receive guidance to receive the proper physical, emotional, and financial help necessary to return you to the life you had before the accident. Your attorney should make sure that your immediate needs are taken care of as well as potential long-term care and financial requirements. The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has been helping victims get the help they need since 1992, and they understand what it takes to recover. A confidential consultation can be arranged by calling (954) 356-0006 or click here to send an email directly to Mr. Gary Lazarus.

We love to see and share good news, especially when it deals with an important issue like safety and savings. The Sun Sentinel reported recently that vehicle accidents in Florida decreased 0.6% state-wide and fatal accidents decreased 2.2% which is even better news. In south Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties) the total crashes declined 2.2% while fatal accidents went down only 0.9%, but still a decrease of any amount is good news.

It seems reasonable to hope that insurance rates will go down because accident rates have gone down, and here’s more good news: They are going down! The largest provider of private auto insurance in Florida, State Farm, is lowering rates 5.1% which is a pretty significant number.

Because most people are inclined to pay their monthly bills and not really shop around for better prices, this might be a good time to do an auto insurance check-up. Ask yourself some questions and then ask your insurance company the same questions:

• Do I have enough coverage?
• Am I covered if someone with no insurance hits me?
• Do I have enough coverage for medical bills if I am seriously injured?
• Is my whole family covered?
• Will you pay for a new car if mine is destroyed?
• Am I covered in another state?
• Am I covered for damage from a storm?

Then do some shopping around, and see if you can get a better price for the coverage you need.

Another thing to think about regarding the lower number of accidents:

There are 15 million licensed drivers in Florida and there were 400,000 accidents in the state last year. If you do the math, there was one accident for every 37 drivers.

The nice thing is that you can make those numbers better if you follow some common sense rules:

Never Text and Drive. It is estimated that as many as 30% of all accidents involve some type of inside-the-car distraction.

Never Drink and Drive. Many accidents also involve impaired drivers.

South Florida Accident Attorneys

We’re very pleased with the latest accident statistics because the injuries we see happening to people are absolutely heartbreaking and many times they could have been prevented. Our goal, for people injured due to someone else’s carelessness is to return them to the life they had before the incident. We are painstaking in our efforts to see that justice is delivered to injured people, and every client gets our promise to work hard until we get results. You may reach us by calling (954) 356-0006, and thank you.

Many people who are not familiar with the way our legal system works think they can sue anyone for anything. In a broad sense, that is theoretically true because the 7th Amendment to the Constitution says you can, but in the real world it doesn’t make sense for an individual to pursue a case that has no chance of winning.

There are stories of frivolous lawsuits in the news from time to time and certainly no reasonable person wants to be involved in a court case that is not justified. But a real injury sustained in any type of accident should be evaluated medically and then the circumstances should be reviewed by an expert. Time is of the essence in these cases because critical evidence, people’s recollections, and other factors change over time.

The right to free speech, to a fast and fair trial when charged with a crime, the right to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and the right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment are contained in the 1st, 6th, 4th, and 8th amendments and most people are familiar with them. The 7th amendment says “In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law” and this very important amendment allows individuals to sue when they believe they have been injured or harmed physically or financially.

Imagine sitting in your car at a red light, and a careless driver crashes into you from behind causing you to be injured. The driver gets a ticket, but then says, “too bad for you” and goes home. Without the 7th Amendment you might have some help from your insurance company but would have no recourse to pursue real justice including compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and time lost from work, or the ability to earn future wages.

The bottom line is, if you’re in an accident, you suffered damages to your vehicle or your property, you may have been injured, and you are experiencing a negative impact on your ability to carry out your normal routine, stop tossing everything around in your head and call a qualified attorney. We have seen too many situations where someone hesitates because they don’t understand the system and they fail to act.

South Florida Accident Attorneys – Personal Injury Cases

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has successfully represented hundreds of victims over the past 25 years, working hard to see that all their rights are preserved and defended. We will not stop until every effort is made to get our clients the maximum compensation for their injuries as permitted by law. We can be reached 7 days a week at 954-356-0006.

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Do you know how many constitutional amendments there are? It’s a good idea to be familiar with all your rights! Click here to read the Constitution, Articles and Amendments.

Many people think of a right hook as a type of punch in boxing, one that was particularly effective when delivered by Muhammad Ali, possibly the greatest boxer of all time.

There is another right hook, and it’s a very dangerous and all-too-common accident usually between a motor vehicle and a bicycle. It’s an accident that most drivers don’t see coming because the bike often sneaks up behind them in their “blind spot” where it’s difficult to see moving objects.

Here’s how a “right hook” bicycle vs. car accident often occurs:

A right hook bicycle accident happens when a driver attempts to make a right hand turn at an intersection or at a driveway and does so in front of an oncoming bicyclist. Most often, the driver of the car passes the bicyclist on the left and believes he or she can turn her vehicle before the cyclist will arrive at the same point. However, drivers are often poor judges of how fast a cyclist is riding and therefore they underestimate a cyclist’s speed, leading to a situation where a rider can collide with the passenger side of a car as the car turns.

The nature of the impact in a right hook accident means that a rider will often be thrown from his bike and may land on the car itself, on the pavement, or on another surface in the area. Injuries happen regularly in these collisions and the majority of the injuries will require medical treatment for a victim to recover. In many instances, an accident of this type can be so severe that it may be fatal.

If you are driving and you see a bicyclist on the right paralleling your course, never assume you have a clear path unless you confirm the bicycle is either way behind you or has stopped or has already negotiated the turn and is clear. You won’t see it coming, but you may cause a very serious accident.

There is often disagreements between drivers and bicyclists as to who has the right of way. Be smart, avoid problems, and just yield. It’s not worth a serious accident just to get your way. Remember, cars have a LOT more steel and a lot more weight than a bike.

The following information is a portion of a Statewide Analysis of Bicycle Crashes from the Florida Department of Transportation:

Drivers were at-fault in 45.7% of the crashes, while bicyclists were at-fault in 30.2% of the crashes.

Signalized intersections experienced a greater proportion of bicycle crashes compared to non-signalized locations.

The most common causes of bicycle vs. motor vehicle crashes:

Motorist turns right while bicyclist is crossing the street
Motorist turns left facing bicyclist
Bicyclist rides out at intersection
Motorist drives out at stop sign

South Florida Accident Attorneys

If you are in an accident that involves a bicycle, please reach out to us at 954-356-0006. We will examine the details and evidence, then advise you as to the best course of action. We always work hard to make sure the rights of our client are protected.

If you are involved in an accident, you may find yourself trying to decipher the contents of an accident report a few days later, or as they are now called, a “Florida Traffic Crash Report.”

If you feel confused reading the report, don’t feel alone. They were designed for the purpose of inputting data so that statistics can be accumulated and hopefully help analysts understand what’s going on out there on our roads and highways.

You may receive a “long-form” or a “short-form” report, or you may be given an “exchange of driver information” form, but they all have one thing in common: they’re hard to figure out.

It would be impractical for us to explain the entire report and what each section means, so we’re going to ask you to give us a call if you get a Florida Traffic Crash Report after being involved in an accident, and we’ll help you out. We can’t even begin to count all the crash reports we have reviewed over the years, but it is a lot.

These reports are actually very serious documents and should be thoroughly reviewed and analyzed because they may contain information that is crucial to your accident, and if you are injured, to your potential case for compensation.

South Florida Accident Attorneys

We are Florida accident and personal injury attorneys, representing victims of automobile, truck, and motorcycle accidents for well over 20 years. We know what to look for on crash reports and how to follow up to get the information that isn’t on the report.

Please feel free to call us and set up a confidential consultation to review any and all documents related to your accident, injuries, and medical records. We may be able to save you a lot of time and put you on the right track to getting the maximum compensation for your damages and injuries. We can be reached at 954-356-0006, and thank you.