Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

If Your Teen is Moving to College This Year, Practice Moving Truck Safety

Published on: August 7, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

If you have a recent high school grad in your household moving on to college this year, you may be making plans to help your child move into their dorm room or college apartment. Unfortunately, moving truck accidents in Miami and other cities can easily happen during a move to college. To help prevent this from happening to your family, follow these simple tips:

1) Consider hiring professional movers rather than renting a moving truck.

Renting a truck may seem like a budget friendly option, but do-it-yourself moving does come with certain risks. Investigative reports have found that some moving truck rental companies do not maintain their fleets in a responsible manner. In addition, someone who is experienced with driving a passenger car may find the added blind spots and added size of a large truck overwhelming. You may increase your chances of being in a traffic accident in Miami or at your destination by driving a truck that you are not used to.

2) Keep moving costs low by combining moves.

Many people choose to rent a moving truck rather than hire movers because of cost concerns. If this is true for you, you may be able to afford movers by keeping your costs low. For example, have your child take only the absolute minimum when they move – this should be easy since most dorm rooms only have limited space for possessions anyway. In addition, if two or three students are moving to the same college, they can pool their possessions and use one moving company together to enjoy a discount.

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Is Inadequate Security A Concern at Your Child’s School?

Published on: August 7, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Whether your child attends college or goes to a high school or grammar school, of course you expect your child school to be provided with a good level of safety as well as an education. However, child injuries in Homestead and other communities often occur at school. As you start preparing for back-to-school, ask yourself these questions to see how your child’s school measures when it comes to safety:

1) Is there good control of entrances, with gatekeepers in place?

One problem with inadequate security in Homestead and other Florida schools often stems from the fact that just anyone can stroll into a campus or into school buildings. At high schools and schools teaching younger children, especially, it is important that when a stranger enters the campus or school, they do so near an office where gatekeepers such as administrative assistants can evaluate the reason for a visit. Obviously, it is more difficult to control who enters a college campus, but there should still be security and entrances in place to offer some security.

2) Does the school have a policy for dealing with campus dangers?

The school should have a written policy for dealing with school violence, fires, and other disasters.

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College Injuries: How to Prevent Them

Published on: August 5, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

At this time of year, high school graduates are looking forward to moving onto campus and starting their college careers. It can be a nerve-racking time for parents. Unfortunately, sports injuries in Miami and other types of injuries are quite common on college campuses both in the city and across the state. To keep your child safe or, you will want to:

1) Make sure your child has a cell phone with emergency numbers on it.

Emergency numbers should include the police, friends, and campus security. Unfortunately, assault and sexual assault on Miami and Florida campuses are all too common. Your child should be able to quickly contact someone in an emergency in the event that they do become a target.

2) Do a quick check of dorm room security.

Dorm rooms can be targets for theft and in some cases become the sites for assault. When dropping your child off at school, check to see what policies are in place to control the flow of visitors and residents into the building. Make sure that the buildings and doors are secure and that other safety systems are in place.

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The Facts of a Trucking Life Could Contribute to Fatigued Driving

Published on: August 5, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Many laws have been passed over the past twenty years to address the issue of fatigue driving and truck accidents. However, what these laws do not address is the fact that truck driving as a job creates some risk factors that contribute to fatigued driving in Homestead and other communities. For example, truck drivers need to contend with:

1) Deadline-focused work. Truck drivers need to deliver their cargo by a specific time, and sometimes deadlines are tight.

In some cases, drivers may have a financial incentive to get to their destination on time or may even be worried about their jobs if they fail to make deadlines (no matter how unreasonable those deadlines are). If truck drivers are keeping an eye on the clock, they may not take the time to rest properly and may push themselves to keep going, even when they are tired.

2) Changing shift work. Some studies have shown that shift work can lead to fatigued driving and car collisions.

Truck drivers may be at risk because they may need to drive at different times of the day, even at night, when roadway crashes are more common. Drivers of bid rigs and tractor trailers may also need to work different shifts throughout the month, which creates an additional risk as drivers get used to a new schedule.

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Summertime Can Mean More Visits to the Hospital: Here’s How to Prevent Errors and Medical Malpractice Claims in Hollywood or Your Florida Hometown

Published on: July 31, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Summertime can be a busy time for hospitals and emergency rooms. There tend to be more car accidents in Hollywood and other communities, especially during long weekends and holidays. Since children are home for the summer, there are also more child injuries and swimming pool injuries in Hollywood and surrounding communities. Summertime activities can also mean a higher risk of burn injuries and fireworks injuries during this time of the year.

Unfortunately, an influx of patients can overwhelm health care workers and can create situations where injury and medical malpractice claims can occur. To prevent this, you will want to:

1) Prevent injury where possible.

The best way to avoid a medical malpractice claim in Hollywood or a negative medical experience in your community is to stay out of hospitals and emergency rooms in the first place. Even though most emergency departments are staffed by caring professionals, they are still high-stress environments where misdiagnosis and error can occur. Be proactive with your health and use common sense to avoid injury in the first place.

2) If you need to visit a doctor, visit the right facility.

Does your injury require a visit to a clinic, your regular general practitioner, a specialist, or an emergency room? Going to the right person can help you avoid delays with treatment and can ensure a better outcome.

Emergency Room Negligence

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What Businesses Can Do to Prevent Delivery Truck Collisions in Hollywood and Other Florida Communities

Published on: July 31, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Local businesses in Hollywood and across Florida rely on delivery trucks to bring in inventory, distribute products, and deliver items to customers. While big rigs, tractor trailers, and delivery vans help the economy, they also pose a serious challenge for businesses. No business wants a truck carrying their products to be involved in a serious crash. Fortunately, there are things that businesses can do to prevent this from happening:

1) Hire the right trucking company.

Businesses vote with their dollars, just like customers do. When hiring a truck carrier or delivery service, business owners have every right to choose a truck carrier with an excellent safety record. This not only can protect a company legally, but it can reduce the risk of a trucking accident. Before hiring a truck carrier or entrusting company products with a trucking company, ask questions. What is the company’s safety record? Which drivers will be delivering the products? What screening processes are in place to select and hire the right drivers?

2) Create a written policy for truck safety.

Preventing traffic crashes in Hollywood or your city is not just luck. Having a plan ensures that delivery drivers and others working for your company understand what they need to do in order to drive safely. Your written plan for your truck drivers may include a “no cell phone use while driving” rule or may require drivers to get additional training before starting work.

How safe are your delivery trucks?

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What Can be Done to Prevent Medical and Pharmaceutical Negligence

Published on: July 29, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Medication is meant to make patients better, but unfortunately medical malpractice in Miami and other Florida cities as well as medication error can conspire to cause accidental overdoses, dangerous drug interactions, and allergic reactions. In some cases, drug manufacturers are to blame for releasing dangerous drugs to Miami and Florida patients. In many cases, medication problems are preventable and could be prevented if we could:

1) Ensure better information distribution.

Many patients are overwhelmed with information. They may not be given much information about a new medication from a doctor but may be given pages of technical drug information from the pharmacy. Some of the information may be difficult to understand and some may be contradictory. Some information is issued by drug manufacturers and some by pharmacies, which means it may contradict itself or be written in technical language that is difficult to understand.

2) Create better communication between patients, doctors, and pharmacies.

Sometimes, pharmacy negligence cases in Miami and other Florida communities occur because there is a breakdown in communication. Doctors may misinterpret information that patients give them, resulting in misdiagnosis and other issues. In some Miami area hospitals and clinics, patient care is in the hands of many medical experts and there may be miscommunication between individuals or even incorrect information entered into a patient’s chart. Sometimes, the pharmacy cannot read a doctor’s prescription or a doctor enters incorrect information into a prescription. Clearer and more transparent communication between all parties could reduce instances of medication error and misdiagnosis.

Medication Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility

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Concerns About Fatigued Driving in Fort Lauderdale and Other Cities Continue

Published on: July 29, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

A current debate about hours of service regulation rules is really a long-standing argument about how to best reduce the number of fatigued drivers on Fort Lauderdale roads and other roadways across the country. Earlier this year, new federal hours of service rules were passed which reduced the weekly hours long-haul truck drivers worked. The same changes also requires truck drivers to take nighttime rest breaks.

Some safety advocates say that the nighttime breaks are crucial to help prevent fatigued driving and resulting traffic crashes in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They point to research that has shown shift work can lead to sleep issues and greater fatigue when compared with work that allows employees to sleep during regular night hours.

Critics Slam New Hours of Service Rules

Opponents of the hours of service changes, however, say that the mandatory nighttime rest breaks put too many commercial truck drivers on the road during rush hour – an increase in traffic that could contribute to roadway accidents in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They also say that drivers should ultimately decide when they should rest.

Fatigued driving leads to traffic crashes

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If Your Teen Has a Summer Job, Talk to Them About Work Injuries

Published on: July 24, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Summer work can be a great experience for teens and young adults. It can help them earn money for school or other expenses and can help them build work experience and their resumes. A job can also help a teen develop skills and confidence.

Unfortunately, there is a darker side to summer jobs. Teens tend to be seasonal or part-time employees and studies have found that they can be especially at risk of work injury in Miami and other communities. There are a few reasons for this:

Teens may not be aware of the risks of their jobs
Young and seasonal workers may be more reluctant to speak up when they see dangerous conditions because they don’t want to lose their jobs
Teens may have fewer benefits and less training that permanent employees, making them more vulnerable to injury and more vulnerable once injury occurs

Teen Job Safety

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Preventing Waste Truck Collisions in Homestead and Other Florida Cities

Published on: July 24, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

There are far fewer school bus accidents in Homestead and other communities than car accidents. One reason for that is that most drivers are much more careful around school buses than around average cars. In fact, there are laws in place to ensure that drivers use extra caution around vehicles transporting school children.

Now, a new law may help prevent waste truck accidents in Homestead and other Florida cities by getting motorists to slow down and show more caution around waste and recycling trucks. The new Florida law covers waste and recycling trucks under the same law that covers emergency vehicles.

Across the country, more than 135,000 men and women work with waste and recycling trucks, keeping streets and communities clean. These workers are especially vulnerable to workplace accidents in Homestead and other communities across the country, and one of the big risks in this industry has to do with pedestrian accidents. Waste and recycling trucks make frequent stops and when they do, trucking collisions can occur. In addition, workers from these trucks need to approach the curb and cross the street in order to pick up items from the curb. This puts these workers at risk, especially if drivers around them are distracted or try to drive around a stopped waste or recycling truck. The new law aims to address this common cause of injury.

New Florida laws intended to prevent waste truck collisions

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Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

1) Consider hiring professional movers rather than renting a moving truck.

2) Keep moving costs low by combining moves.

1) Is there good control of entrances, with gatekeepers in place?

2) Does the school have a policy for dealing with campus dangers?

1) Make sure your child has a cell phone with emergency numbers on it.

2) Do a quick check of dorm room security.

1) Deadline-focused work. Truck drivers need to deliver their cargo by a specific time, and sometimes deadlines are tight.

2) Changing shift work. Some studies have shown that shift work can lead to fatigued driving and car collisions.

1) Prevent injury where possible.

2) If you need to visit a doctor, visit the right facility.

1) Hire the right trucking company.

2) Create a written policy for truck safety.

1) Ensure better information distribution.

2) Create better communication between patients, doctors, and pharmacies.

Critics Slam New Hours of Service Rules