What is my Case Worth?
Due to a combination of factors, the average value of an animal attack claim has increased 90 percent since 2003. The per-claim average is especially high in the Sunshine State, mostly because Florida has such favorable first party and third party liability rules in this area. Florida has a limited strict liability law which applies [...]
Dangerous roadways and natural disasters cause a handful of car crashes. But human error causes about 93 percent of the car wrecks in Florida. Many of these incidents involve excessive speed, improper lookout, and/or driver inattention. There’s often an underlying cause as well, such as alcohol impairment or fatigue. Damages in car wreck cases often [...]
For as long as there have been negligence claims, insurance companies have tried to shift blame onto the victims. This trend began around 1900. As there were no federal safety standards at the time, many factories and cars were very dangerous. Defendants started calling job injuries and car crashes “accidents.” The word shifted focus away [...]
For various reasons, the days of close doctor-patient relationships are over, at least for the most part. Most doctors only listen to their patients for eleven seconds before they interrupt and redirect them. With such limited interaction, it is almost impossible for doctors to assess their patients’ symptoms and properly diagnose their conditions. Compounding matters, [...]
In Florida, human error causes over 90 percent of the car crashes. Momentary lapses cause a few of these wrecks. A few others happen because the driver was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the vast majority involve either negligence, which is a lack of ordinary care, or negligence per se, [...]
Theoretical legal responsibility is just one component of a Florida slip-and-fall claim. The victim/plaintiff must also establish knowledge. If the owner did not know about the condition, the owner is not liable for injury. Florida courts broadly interpret the res ipsa loquitur (“the thing speaks for itself”) doctrine. So, victims do not need to prove [...]
Today’s police officers and prosecutors have more tools than ever before with which to catch and convict “drunk drivers.” Yet alcohol is still directly responsible for about a third of the fatal car crashes in the Sunshine State. Alcohol is a depressant that causes unnatural relaxation by slowing motor skills. This substance also gives people [...]
In most premises liability cases, such as slip-and-fall injuries and swimming pool drownings, victim/plaintiffs must establish both negligence and knowledge in order to obtain compensation. But dog bite injuries work a little differently. Florida is one of the few states that has a strict liability law. But the Sunshine State’s law is rather unique, mostly [...]
Every year, car crashes seriously injure or disable over two million Americans. Nearly all of these incidents trigger some kind of legal proceeding. Contrary to the message in TV ads, the insurance company is not “on your side” in these proceedings. In fact, their lawyers use every means at their disposal to reduce or deny [...]
The Sunshine State has the highest number of uninsured drivers in the country. Over a fourth of Floridians have no auto insurance at all. Moreover, Florida has one of the lowest auto insurance minimum in the country. So, thousands of other drivers in the state are dangerously underinsured. When these individuals cause accidents, there may [...]
