What is my Case Worth?
Eighty percent of the 7,000 swimming pool drowning deaths that occur each year happen in backyard spas or pools. This figure does not include the number of swimming pool and spa poisonings, because sometimes owners overuse toxic cleaning chemicals, like chlorine and bromine. This figure also does not include the number of serious swimming pool [...]
Although most all states passed seat belt laws with practically no opposition or fanfare, other vehicular safety laws have stirred more controversy, and motorcycle helmet laws are a good example. While there is little or no evidence on point, many riders, and some safety advocates, believe that motorcycle helmets are basically a wash. While they [...]
Scientists once believed that young children could recuperate rather quickly from brain injuries, but the evidence now indicates otherwise. A study from the Monash University School of Psychological Sciences concluded that even moderate brain injuries among children caused anxiety, depression and other symptoms more than a decade after the trauma occurred. These effects are well-chronicled [...]
A West Palm Beach woman lost her appeal against a condominium company; she had sued for damages following a slip-and-fall in a retail area. In Arp v. Waterway East Association, the victim slipped on a loose pavement stone in a shopping center parking lot about 11:00 one night. At trial, the victim testified that she [...]
After several years of declining numbers, the death toll among Florida motorcycle riders went up 30 percent in 2015. Moreover, although they account for only 3 percent of the traffic, motorcycle riders make up 20 percent of roadway fatalities in Florida. Victims who survive face an average of $84,000 in medical expenses. Miami-Dade County had [...]
Largely because it is such a powerful and widely-available drug, alcohol is a contributing factor in about a third of the fatal car crashes in Florida. What legal recourse do these victims have in civil court? Alcohol is a depressant that slows reaction time, so impaired drivers take longer to react to approaching hazards. Alcohol [...]
Lawmakers in both the State House and Senate are considering measures that would enhance the penalties for texting while driving and also make it easier for officers to pull over motorists in these situations. Both Senate Bill 144 and House Bill 69 designate texting while driving as a primary offense, so officers may pull over [...]
Each year, medical misdiagnosis results in over 40,000 deaths per year. That’s essentially the same figure as breast cancer fatalities. Overall, misdiagnosis may affect up to 20 percent of all medical cases, a number that far exceeds surgical mistakes and medication errors. Despite these statistics, doctors have done little or nothing to stem the rising [...]
The government estimates that drowsy drivers cause about 72,000 serious injury crashes a year, and that number may be underreported. Much like alcohol, fatigue slows reaction time, inhibits concentration, and impairs judgment ability. All these things significantly increase the risk of a serious car crash. In fact, driving after eighteen hours without sleep is like [...]
According to one prominent study, about a third of motorcycle crashes happen when the motorist makes an unprotected turn in traffic and steers directly into a rider’s path. Typically, that maneuver is a U-turn, an unprotected left turn across traffic, or a sudden lane change. SMIDSY (sorry, mate, I didn’t see you) crashes might be [...]
