Articles Posted in Personal Injury

If you have sustained a Florida personal injury in a car accident, Florida pedestrian accident, bicycle accident, or any other accident, you will likely want to speak to a Florida personal injury attorney about your injuries. A qualified personal injury attorney can help investigate your accident, can help offer legal insights about your case, and can help advise you of your rights, so that you can make an informed decision about your case. If you decide to pursue a lawsuit, a good Florida personal injury attorney can represent you and can help ensure that you get the best possible settlement for your claim in order to cover lost income, medical bills, and other costs associated with your accident.

Many victims, when they contact a Florida personal injury attorney, feel a lot of pressure to make their case seem as strong as possible. In many cases, they don’t wish to admit any possible fault or any way that they may have caused an accident. In some cases, they assume that an attorney will be unwilling to work with someone who is not obviously injured. For this reason, some people feel pressure to be dishonest with their personal injury attorney.

This can be an expensive mistake. It is vital to be completely honest with a personal injury attorney, even if you feel doing so may affect your case. A good personal injury attorney will be hiring investigators as well as other experts to look into your accident, as well, so any dishonesty on your part will be quickly discovered. You will likely feel more embarrassed when you dishonesty is discovered than if you were simply honest right from the beginning.

As well, your dishonesty may not even be necessary. For example, details about your medical conditions, activities, financial situation and other details you worry about disclosing may simply not matter to your case. The role of your Florida personal injury attorney is to help you as much as possible, and this is only possible if you are completely honest with your attorney.

Further, being dishonest or lying to your personal injury attorney can affect your relationship with your attorney as well as your communication with your attorney. If you’re dishonest, your injury attorney has no way of knowing what you are really thinking and what is really going on. Just like anyone else, an attorney will be wary about any dishonesty and may decide to terminate your relationship, leaving you with no legal representation at a time when you really need a good attorney.

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All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are intended to be used for recreation and off-road driving. However, a recent series of ATV accidents in Florida has led to concerns about the ways that ATVs are used incorrectly. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission, ATVs are designed to be used by a single driver and in off-road conditions. Consumers need to wear a helmet as well to help prevent brain injuries.

In recent Florida car accidents involving ATVs, however, teens were driving ATVs without safety equipment and on paved roads. In a few of the accidents, multiple passengers were crammed into the ATVs. In September, four teens were driving an ATV along a paved road when they were involved in a Florida truck accident when the ATV collided with a pickup truck. In July, two teens were in a fatal accident when their ATV collided with an SUV on a paved road.

ATVs are not meant to replace cars, but the recent accidents suggest that some teens are using the vehicles as cars. According to manufacturers, however, ATVs are designed so that the driver shifts their weight in order to adjust to different terrains. When multiple passengers are present, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the driver has far less control. ATVs are banned on Florida’s paved roads. This is because ATVs do not perform well on paved roads, as they are designed for uneven surfaces.

Alcohol plays a big role at many late summer parties and at many dinners; unfortunately, it is also a contributing factor in many Florida truck accidents, traffic accidents, boating accidents, and personal injuries. Florida drunk driving accidents still claim too many lives, and accidents of all types are related to alcohol use:

1) Heat-related incidents. Alcohol is a diuretic and can dehydrate you. As well, it can impact your judgment and can make it harder for you to tell when you may be displaying signs of heat exhaustion. It is important to stay hydrated, remain in the shade, and avoid excessive alcohol consumption on hot days.

2) Drunk driving accidents. Florida drunk driving accidents claim many lives but are very preventable. If you know you will be drinking, make plans ahead of time for getting home. Designate a driver or leave some money in your wallet for a taxi or for public transportation. There are simply no excuses for drunk driving.

Each year, thousands of Florida eye injuries occur as a result of fires, sports injuries, accidents, and Florida car accidents. In fact, eye injuries are among the most difficult and common Florida personal injuries. Eye injuries can occur when chemicals or foreign matter enter the eye in most cases. Most Florida eye injuries take place in the home, workplace, or while playing sports.

Many Florida workers compensation claims, for example, are made due to eye injuries sustained at work. If you work near any eye hazards, speak with an industrial hygienist or your supervisors to find out which eye protection could be best for you. If you wear contacts or eye glasses, you will need to be especially careful. Contact lenses provide no protection and can still allow eyes to be injured by dust, gases, vapors, fumes, and other hazards. If you need corrective lenses, you will need eye protection which contains prescription lenses or you will need eye protection which fits over your prescription glasses.

In the workplace, there are several types of eye protection. For jobs with low risk of eye injuries, you can choose spectacles that have side-shields. Goggles are available for riskier jobs and provide more protection. When selecting eye protection, look for eyewear that is flexible enough to allow for a customized fit. As well, look for eye protection that covers a larger area and offers protection at the sides, top, and bottom as well as over part of your face. If you work near sparks or other dangers that are high risk, look for hooded ventilation, which protects the entire face area as well as the eye area. Helmets and face shields designed for welding offer the highest protection against eye injuries for the riskiest jobs.

Many of Florida’s minor injuries never lead to a hospital visit. However, at this time of year, minor injuries can still hurt and ruin a holiday. Here are some tips for dealing with the most common minor injuries this summer:

1) Treat minor Florida burns without the butter. Although butter is sometimes touted as a home remedy for burns, butter can add bacteria to the affected area. Most doctors agree that if it is a minor burn, run cold water over the affected area for at least ten minutes, then use an antibiotic ointment from your pharmacy. If the burn hurts, use a cloth bandage and a dry, cold compress, like a bag of frozen vegetables. If you cannot feel the area at all or if the burn seems severe or covers a large area, visit an emergency room. You may have a more serious burn injury.

2) For nosebleeds, pinch your nose just below where your glasses sit. Hold the pinch for ten minutes and then check to see if the nosebleed has stopped. Frequent nosebleeds could be a symptom of something more serious and warrant a visit to your family doctor.

Florida sees a number of thunderstorms and serious weather disturbances each summer. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and other forms of extreme weather can be deadly. Each year, across the country, over two hundred people are killed by thunderstorms alone. In many cases, these fatalities are caused by flash flooding or lightning. In addition to the fatalities, some serious Florida head injuries and other types of injuries are caused by severe storms each year.

Florida thunderstorms can cause many types of injuries. Hail can cause head injuries as well as bruising during a thunderstorm. Driving through a serious storm can also easily lead to car accidents, due to the poor visibility that blinding rain can cause. Many Florida car accidents each year are caused by bad weather and by storms.

In addition to these risks, Florida thunderstorms can also lead to lightning strikes. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from a rainfall area, so even if you do not think that you are close to a storm, lightning can still affect you. Fast-moving thunderstorms, especially, tend to create surprising lightning strikes. Slow-moving Florida thunderstorms, on the other hand, have a different risk: flash flooding. Flash flooding occurs when dry creek beds or slow streams suddenly become filled with rushing water from a thunderstorm. Flash floods can cause a danger on roadways and can even carry people away. In addition, severe thunderstorms may also bring tornadoes as well as strong straight line winds. Both can damage buildings and trees, potentially causing injuries to those indoors.

Experts advise families that the summertime poses a special risk for seniors. Since Florida has a large population of seniors in Hollywood, Miami, and surrounding areas, friends and family of elderly persons need to be aware of the risks. One of the major risks is the heat itself. Some seniors take medication that makes it harder for their bodies to deal with the heat. In addition, Florida seniors on fixed incomes often cannot afford to make changes to their homes that would make their homes cooler. Decreased mobility can prevent the elderly from escaping their home to beat the heat. All these problems can lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and dehydration.

Florida’s weather does not help. With temperatures that can reach the 90s or even the 100s, the strong Florida summer creates an unusual level of warmth that can mean a real health risk. Emergency rooms in Miami, Hollywood, and other Florida communities prepare themselves each summer for an influx of patients with heat-related health problems. Experts advise that friends and family check on elderly loved ones more often in the summer, to check for signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Ensuring that an elderly loved one stays cool and drinks plenty of water can help prevent some heat-related illnesses.

In addition to heat-related illnesses, there are other risks for seniors in the summer as well. According to experts, incidents of food poisoning increase in the summer, as food takes less time to spoil in the heat. As well, dehydration is also a risk for seniors, who may not drink adequate amounts of water, especially if they have trouble remembering to drink or if they have mobility problems.

During Florida summers, emergency room visits tend to increase across the state, and in many cases emergency room doctors in Hollywood, Miami, and other Florida cities are busy with injuries that are preventable. Summertime risks seem to especially affect children. Each year, about half of fatal injuries across the country affecting children 14 and younger take place during the summer months. There are many things that caregivers can do to help reduce the possibility of injury:

1) Install window guards. Each year, Florida head injuries are caused when children fall from windows. Window screens can easily break under the weight of a child, which is why window guards are more effective – they limit the amount of space a window can open.

2) Use extra caution with fire pits and barbeques. These can stay hot for hours after they are no longer lit, and this means that they can cause serious burn injuries. Each year, many Florida injuries are caused by unsupervised grills, barbeques, bon fires, and fire pits. Make sure that children are steered clear of these hazards until the grills or fire pits are completely cooled.

At this time of year, many festivities include fireworks and many stores make fireworks available for purchase. While fireworks are a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July and other summertime holidays, however, they are also a cause of serious injuries to minors and children. Fireworks can cause burn injuries, skin lesions, broken bones, brain injuries, eye injuries, and other serious injuries.

Unfortunately, although many fireworks injuries are preventable, they still do occur far too frequently. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in 2007 alone, roughly 7,000 people were admitted to ERs due to fireworks-related injuries and about seven injuries related to fireworks proved fatal that year. About half of the serious fireworks-related injuries that year involved children under the age of 15.

According to the CPSC, 2007 was not an unusual year. Each year, thousands of people are seriously injured by fireworks and a large percentage of these victims are children. During most years, the CPSC reports an increase in fireworks-related injuries in the weeks surrounding July 4th. During this time of year, fireworks are often most available in stores and homes. Men and boys are more likely to be injured by fireworks than women and girls. As well, statistics have shown that people who are simply watching fireworks are less likely to be injured than those who are handling fireworks.

At this time of year, many Americans head to the cottage. Whether you own a vacation home or rent a cottage for a few days or a few weeks, having a home away from home provides a much-needed respite from ordinary life and from the urban summer. However, life at the cottage also means an increased risk of some injuries:

1) Drownings and water-related injuries. Many cottages are located near a lake and offer plenty of water sports opportunities. Many cottage-dwellers love to swim in the lakes near their homes and love to try their hand at boating. While these activities can be exhilarating, they can also increase the risk of boating accidents and water-related injuries, especially if you are not used to water sports. It’s important to keep in mind that lakes are very different than pools. Lakes have undertows, currents, changing weather conditions and risks such as wildlife and underwater plants – risks which simply do not exist with pools. It is vital to emphasize to your entire family the importance of using a buddy system when swimming. It is also useful to swim and play in lakes with lifeguards, where possible.

2) Injuries to minors and children. It is often much harder to supervise children and minors in cottage country. You can place a large fence and sturdy gate around your home swimming pool, but you cannot do the same with a large lake. It takes more effort to supervise children near a cottage, where conditions are less child-safe.