Accident Attorney During Coronavirus Crisis
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | South Florida Accident Attorneys | ,

What to do if You are Injured During the Coronavirus Crisis

Help is Here and the System Will Continue to Work

Recent weeks have taken us all into what might be called uncharted waters because we have never experienced anything quite like this. The first thing we will say is that panic will only make every situation worse, and it’s best to slow down and try to remain calm. We will get through this together.

Most people are staying home and that’s best, but many of us still have to venture out to shop for food or go to jobs that have been deemed to be essential. People who go out in their automobiles are doing so in an environment that is populated with other people who are likely on edge and not focused on the road and other cars.

It’s a recipe for accidents.

If you are in an accident on the road, or perhaps in a store or on some other property, remember that our first responders, the police and paramedics are still there for us. The first thing to do after any accident is to make sure any injured people are attended to immediately.

Next, get some advice from someone who can calmly assess the situation and make sure your rights are protected and your responsibilities are understood: an experienced and qualified injury attorney.

Our civil justice system is still in place, and it will continue to work for people who are injured.

If you have questions about some type of injury or harm that happened to you or a loved one and you’re not sure how to proceed, you do not have to come to one of our offices. We can arrange a free, virtual consultation online if you call (954) 356-0006. We monitor our phone lines 24/7 and will respond to you promptly.

Package Delivery Service Negligence and Liability
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Are Amazon Deliveries Dangerous? South Florida Accident Attorneys Lazarus and Lazarus

Package Delivery Service Negligence and Liability

“Are you aware that rushing toward a goal is a sublimated death wish? It’s no coincidence we call them deadlines.”
― Tom Robbins, Author

Package Delivery NegligenceEveryone is in a hurry. When we’re hungry we want our food fast and we want the products we purchase online to arrive on our door step just as fast. While Amazon and other big internet retailers are not quite as prompt as the pizza companies, they are trying to match them. Soon drones will drop packages on our front yards.

Online ordering is great, but are the delivery times unrealistic and do they risk our safety?

In 1973 Domino’s launched a “30 minutes or it’s free” ad campaign and it worked until lawsuits were initiated by people who were injured by delivery drivers rushing to get pies to people in an unrealistic time frame. The company continued the program for twenty years until 1993 when this happened, as reported by the Chicago Tribune: A St. Louis jury reached the same conclusion last week in the case of Jean Kinder, who was hit by a Domino’s delivery driver in 1989. The jurors ordered Domino’s to pay her $750,000 in actual damages and $78 million in punitive damages.

Today the rush is on for package delivery and Amazon leads the charge to get products delivered to customers fast. Reports are coming in about workers being injured in regional sorting facilities and drivers rushing through traffic to make deadlines.

An NBC News investigation revealed:

Some people who deliver Amazon packages have been involved in deadly wrecks. In September, ProPublica and The New York Times reported in a joint investigation that they had found more than 60 crashes since June 2015 involving Amazon delivery contractors that resulted in serious injuries, including 10 deaths. They said the tally was likely a fraction of the crashes because many people don’t sue.

The same NBC report quoted a former delivery contractor: “You don’t take your lunch break. You don’t use the bathroom. … There were guys peeing in bottles in the van,” Rowe said, adding that he did the same. “You speed. You run stop signs in a neighborhood. …You start conditioning yourself to just go as fast as possible.”

While companies may ignore proper safety procedures and precautions in the interest of higher profits, that does not limit their liability when one of their drivers causes a serious accident. Florida law is very clear about victims having the right to sue for their injuries and damages.

Companies who hire independent contractors to do their deliveries in an effort to shirk responsibility should be held accountable for damages.

If you are involved in any accident you should make sure your rights are protected. An experienced traffic accident law firm will see that the negligent individual or company is held responsible and will fight for your rights to receive justice. The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has earned a solid reputation for handling these types of cases and we can be reached by calling (954) 356-0006 seven days a week.

Personal Injury Attorneys South Florida 20
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | South Florida Accident Attorneys |

What to do After a Motor Vehicle Accident – South Florida Accident Attorneys

Personal Injury Attorneys South Florida

If you want to live a long and healthy life, there are many steps you can take, one of which is to move to Monaco. The tiny principality nestled in along the French Riviera has the highest life expectancy in the world at 89.52 years. Here in the United States we can expect to live to 78.7 years of age, but of course it doesn’t really matter where you live if you have poor habits related to your health and safety. Good genes are what doctors tell us is the number one factor in a long life, followed by healthy choices on diet and exercise.

Statistics do tell us a lot about what is likely to happen in our lives and that even applies to motor vehicle accidents. According to statistics from the Insurance Institute, the average American driver to be involved in a motor vehicle crash every 18 years. Of course some people will never be in an accident and others will manage to crash their car many times, but those are the current numbers. Safe drivers who obey the speed limit and drivers who do not text or drive drunk have much better chances of avoiding accidents.

Here is something interesting that probably contributes to the fact that women outlive men:

Many more men than women die each year in motor vehicle crashes. Men typically drive more miles than women and more often engage in risky driving practices including not using safety belts, driving while impaired by alcohol, and speeding. – Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

So, while you don’t want to live your life in a state of fear, wondering when you’re going to have a car crash, you do want to exercise caution and good judgement behind the wheel so you will be one the ones to defy the odds. And you’ll want to be prepared in case an accident does happen, so it’s not a major event. What are the things to do if you’re in an accident?

  1. Never leave the scene of an accident, even if it is minor. Florida law says you must stay and at least give your name and insurance information. If there are any injuries or major damage it must be reported. Don’t make the situation worse by leaving, do the right thing. Call the police.
  2. Make sure anyone injured is safe and out of danger, call the police and paramedics.
  3. Protect the scene and don’t move your vehicle unless it’s causing a safety issue or you are directed to by the police.
  4. Don’t volunteer information to others except for your name and insurance information. Answer questions from the police but don’t offer information they don’t ask for. Be truthful.
  5. Take pictures and get the names and contact information of witnesses.
  6. Write down anything you think is important, do not trust it to memory. Note the time of everything that happened.
  7. Don’t post on social media about the incident.
  8. Don’t admit guilt about anything. Sometimes in the heat of the moment people want to say something they realize later is not accurate. Stay calm and quiet.
  9. If you think you may be hurt, call a personal injury attorney right away. Remember that many injuries don’t immediately show on the surface, especially spinal and muscle injuries. Often people go home after an accident thinking they are fine but wake up the next morning in serious pain. Be safe, call an attorney and explain your situation.
  10. Even after some time has passed, do not talk about the accident or post on social media.
  11. Resist making quick decisions if you are offered a settlement from an insurance company. There is no hurry, take your time and get advice from an experienced attorney.

We hope you are a safe and careful driver and you have a long, peaceful and prosperous life. Expect every day to be a great one, but be prepared for life’s little trials and tribulations, and keep our phone number handy if you ever do need our help or advice. Lazarus Law Firm (954) 356-0006

 

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

Safe Cars: Check Your Car for Recalls – South Florida Accident Attorneys

We preach safety first on this website because we would rather meet you at the beach or a south Florida sporting event than as new client whosouth florida accident attorneys has been in a car accident. We believe that almost all accidents are avoidable, and driving a safe car is a very big step in that direction.

You may not know that as many as 1 in 4 cars on the road right now has a safety recall that has not been fixed yet. What can you do?

When you go to the dealer, they will run your vehicle identification number (VIN) in the computer and the service adviser should let you know if there are any outstanding recalls. But if your car is older and you don’t get to the dealership, you might want to run your VIN through the safercar.gov site, powered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. You can find your car’s VIN on your title, registration, or insurance card.

Two recalls that were very noteworthy because of the incredibly severe safety hazards they covered were:

  1. In 1969, owners of V-8-powered General Motors cars began experiencing a small problem. The rubber parts in their vehicles’ engine mounts would give out, causing the engine to come free, twist upward and pull open the throttle, resulting in rapid acceleration. It would often disable brake assistance, making it harder to stop the car.
  2. The famous Ford Pinto exploding gas tank recall. The 1978 recall of Ford’s popular compact Pinto model came after a public outcry and months of legal wrangling between Ford and the government. At issue was the lack of reinforcement between the Pinto’s fuel tank and the bolts in its rear differential. Critics alleged that this design flaw made the gas tank susceptible to becoming pierced by the bolts and catching fire in a rear-end collision.

Another area of concern is child car seats. These crucial pieces of equipment are often recalled and you can look for any safety bulletins at a special online webpage powered by Parents.com.

Please check both the resources above for any car or car seat recalls, and make a proactive decision to have your car inspected regularly for safety. Brakes, lights, air bags, the whole car. Please wear your seat belt always, and never text while driving.

South Florida Accident Attorneys

Lazarus and Lazarus represents people who have been hurt in accidents all over the state of Florida. We work diligently until our clients receive the maximum compensation allowed by law for their pain and suffering, injuries, medical bills, lost time from work, and other damages. Call us at 954-356-0006 so we can have a discussion about your situation.

 

| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | South Florida Car Accident Attorney |

Don’t Gamble on the Road – South Florida Car Accident Lawyer

south florida car accident lawyerPlaying the odds means taking a risk. If you open a box of standard playing cards and remove the jokers, there will be 52 cards. If your goal is to pull out the 4 of diamonds and you randomly pull out a card, your odds of picking that card are 1 in 52. There’s really nothing you can do to change those odds, they are what they are.

What are the odds you will be involved in a car accident, and can you do anything about those odds?

According to Forbes Magazine, statistics from the Insurance Institute predict the average driver will file a report about a collision every 17.9 years. Now, I know people who have had several accidents in one year! Are they incredibly unlucky? Probably not, the word might be careless.

Causes of Crashes

Some of the top causes for auto accidents are:

Faulty Equipment – This includes bald tires, worn brakes, inoperable wipers, broken tail and headlights.

Solution: Have your car inspected often. When you have your oil changed, ask the technician to check the car for safety issues. If he will will charge a little extra for a thorough check-up, please pay it. The peace-of-mind and your safety are worth it.

Read more “Don’t Gamble on the Road – South Florida Car Accident Lawyer”

| 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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