South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

Patty Benne, 30, of Weston, FL was involved in a Bicycle Accident on the evening of November 15. Benne was traveling on her bicycle from west to east across Royal Palm Blvd in Weston, when her bike hit an uneven piece of the bike path; Benne was ejected from the bike and thrown onto the curb. Patty was rushed to Memorial Regional with minor injuries; luckily she was wearing a helmet.

According to the U.S. Office of Health, Safety & Security, the six most common causes of bicycle accidents are:
(1) Bicyclist traveling on the wrong side of the road;
(2) Vehicle makes an unsafe turn;
(3) Bicyclist traveling into the path of a vehicle from a driveway or sidewalk;
(4) Auto driver opening door while bicycle passes;
(5) Bicyclist weaving or leaving the edge of the road/bike lane.

With the weather in South Florida being perfect for bike riding many people use their bikes as a means of transportation or for training. In my practice as a personal injury attorney in Fort Lauderdale and its environs; Weston Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Pompano and Coral Springs, I have represented many victims of traumatic head and body injuries sustained from bicycle incidents. Just as the use of a seat belt is a critical safety tool when operating or riding in an automobile, so is the use of a bicycle helmet. Invest in a helmet.

Always seek legal counsel from an experienced south Florida Personal Injury Attorney should you become the victim of a bicycle accident to know your rights. Cohn, Smith & Cohn offers free, confidential case evaluations, so you risk nothing by telling us about your case and learning more about our experience. To set up a meeting, call us today at (954) 522 4600.

Choosing the right attorney to represent you is always an issue, as there all those advertisements out daily on the radio and television, encouraging you to choose them. As an experienced Fort Lauderdale accident attorney I've represented victims of all types of accidents from bicycle to motor cyclist to motor vehicle and truck and sometimes just because the attorney tells you they can handle your case it does not mean that they have the knowledge and experience to do so.

Take for instance truck accidents, these types of cases are significantly different than the average motor vehicle accident case. For starters, there are usually several parties involved other than the driver. From the corporate entities that own the tractor/truck portion of the rig and the trailer portion. There may also be lease agreements between parties that may determine who is the responsible party, and what insurance is primary. Safety inspections by state and federal regulatory authorities along with licensing requirements specific for truck/tractor trailers are all required for commercial drivers, as these trucks sometimes carry hazardous or heavy materials daily on the roadways, should they not be maintained properly. They must undergo regular inspections from these regulatory authorities and their own company's due diligence inspections. Therefore it is extremely important to hire an attorney who is experienced and knowledgeable to know where to locate this information and be able to use it when representing you when filing your claim.

Some questions you should ask your attorney before retaining him for your case: how many truck accident injury cases they have handled, have they ever gone to trial, and the results. Once you have sat with your prospective attorney and discussed your case with him you should be able to determine whether he has the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure you get the best result. All this information considered, should you or a loved one be a victim of a truck accident you should always seek legal counsel from an experienced truck accident attorney to ensure that you receive the proper compensation for your damages.

Cohn, Smith & Cohn can help. At a free consultation, our dedicated attorneys can go over your case with you and explain your legal rights and options. We have more than three decades of experience helping people who’ve been seriously injured on Florida roads, including those with very serious injuries. We know all of the common tricks insurance companies use to avoid paying what they owe, and we will use that knowledge to cut through the tricks to get you the best possible compensation for your injuries. Contact us at 954-431-8100 or 305-624-9186 to set up a free consultation.

South Florida is considered a growing state and Broward County’s population is growing by leaps and bounds. As you will see across the county there are neighborhoods being built in and around the county, and with these new neighborhoods being built there is the need for schools for the families that will be residing in these neighborhoods.

Recently out in Weston an elementary school student received serious injuries from a hit and run accident. The student apparently ran out of the school yard through an unattended gate right into the street just before his morning line up. Paramedics and police was called out to the scene of the hit and run, he sustained injuries serious enough to be hospitalized. He suffered a broken leg and internal injuries he was hospitalized for a week.

His parents sought legal counsel from a Fort Lauderdale attorney who is experienced in this type of accident injury. They were able to provide the attorney record of the injuries that their son sustained, pictures of the injury and pictures of the immediate area where the hit and run accident occurred. They also provided all the medical bills for the injuries that their son sustained. As I stated earlier there are schools and neighborhoods being built all over Broward County and drivers have to practice their due diligence when driving on the streets and highways, especially through school zones.

Whether you have personally been injured or harmed in a pedestrian accident or whether you are the relative of someone killed as the result of a pedestrian accident caused by a negligent driver, you should seek legal assistance as soon as possible. A qualified and experienced lawyer in this field can work to get compensation for harm, injuries, distress, medical costs, loss of earnings, and any other damages or expenses that result from the pedestrian accident.

Contact Cohn, Smith & Cohn today for a free evaluation of your case. We have more than 35 years of experience successfully pursuing personal injury lawsuits in the State of Florida, and we are dedicated to getting you the fullest possible compensation for your injuries. At a free consultation, our dedicated attorneys will discuss all of your rights and options with you, to help you determine your best course of action. Because there's no further obligation to you, there's no harm in speaking to us. Contact us online or call us at 954-431-8100 or 305-624-9186 to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options.

In my previous blog I touched what you should do should you be injured on someone else's property, seek immediate medical attention; then contact a Personal Injury Attorney to know your rights. Now, I will list a few things that you should NOT do should you be injured on someone else’s property, they are:

• Do not provide any statements to the property owner;
• Do not sign any statements or incident reports;
• Do not say anything that would imply fault on your part.

Depending on where you may have been injured, Personal Injury Attorney’s have found that in many cases, if you suffered the injury on public property the property owner will file a premises liability accident report, and a claims adjuster will contact you to get more information about your injuries. Again, do not give a statement to anyone that contacts you. First, consult with a personal injury attorney that specializes in premises liability cases and will be able to advise you accordingly. Many adjusters are trained to try and persuade you to settle the claim immediately and sign a release, talk to a lawyer first.

Always seek counsel from an experienced Personal Injury Attorney to ensure that your rights as the victim are protected and that you receive the proper compensation.

If you or someone you love is a victim of a slip and fall injury in Florida, you should contact Cohn, Smith & Cohn to set up a free, confidential consultation, you can call our main office at (954) 431-8100

Martha and Tom Divia, and elderly couple living in Pembroke Pines, had a recurring engagement of visiting their friends Lori and Jake John at their condominium in an Over 55 community in Sunrise Lakes every first Saturday of the month to play bridge. This Saturday was no different than any other even though a thunder storm had passed through the Sunrise Lakes neighborhood earlier that day. As the couple was walking up to the front door of their neighbor’s home, Tom slipped and fell on the wet walkway leading up to the front door and suffered an injury.

Paramedics were called to the scene and Tom was taken to the hospital for observation, luckily he was not seriously injured just minor bruises. If you are injured on someone else’s property you should seek medical attention as soon as possible since the severity of injuries may not always apparent. After seeking medical attention you should contact an experienced Personal Injury Attorney to know your rights should you decide to file a claim against the owner of the property or the management company.

If you are the victim of any type of personal injury, you should call Cohn, Smith & Cohn today for a free evaluation of your case. We have more than 35 years of experience successfully pursuing personal injury lawsuits in the State of Florida, and we are dedicated to getting you the fullest possible compensation for your injuries. At a free consultation, our dedicated attorneys will discuss all of your rights and options with you, to help you determine your best course of action. Because there's no further obligation to you, there's no harm in speaking to us. If you or a loved one was injured, contact us online or call us at 954-431-8100 or 305-624-9186 to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options.

On Saturday 29th January, Mrs. Jameson suffered severe and permanent personal injuries when the back yard deck of a house she was visiting collapsed from under her. The house – a foreclosed property in downtown Fort Lauderdale had been listed for sale on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Website and had been examined by HUD inspectors’ prior to Mrs. Jameson’s, visit. They overlooked or ignored the signs of the rotten wood flooring on the back yard deck.

In the collapse, Mrs. Jameson, who was considering purchasing the vacant property had climbed the back steps to the deck to look in the windows, when the floor collapsed. Paramedics were called to the house as she received injuries severe enough for her to be hospitalized. The hospital report from her attending physician states that Mrs. Jameson suffered a mangled foot and a fracture of the ankle from the collapse of the floor. She underwent five surgeries to repair the damage, but was still left with a very restricted range of motion and would require rehabilitation.

Mrs. Jameson’s family sought legal counsel from a Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorney and presented evidence including medical reports documenting all her injuries to assist in filing her claim.

Should you or a loved one become the victim of a slip and fall injury you should seek legal counsel from an experienced South Florida Personal Injury attorney to know your rights. Please feel free to contact us for your free legal consultation.

Personal injury can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. It can happen on the streets of Miami, in an office in Broward or in a night club in Palm Beach County. Accidents at work happen every day and some resulting injuries can be very serious. Unexpected and sudden events can happen throughout the work day at anytime so one must find him or herself prepared.

Industrial accidents can cause unfortunate and serious injuries or even death. Regardless of workers’ compensation, someone living in South Florida can incur thousands of dollars in medical bills and suffer wage losses due to an injury that occurred at the workplace. Whether you are a construction worker injured on scaffolding in South Florida, an accountant hurt at work in Coral Springs, an office administrator in Margate who slipped and fell at work, a manual laborer in Pembroke Pines who overexerted him or herself, an IT worker electrocuted by unsafe conditions at a Hollywood office, or someone who was in a car accident in Pompano Beach while on the clock making deliveries, your injuries may be serious and there is legal recourse for you.

The courts in Miami, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, hear countless cases arising in South Florida from people who suffer various work related injuries. If you have been injured while on the job, you should contact a South Florida personal injury lawyer immediately. Your employer might tell you that they will take care of the issue. They may tell you that involving a lawyer is not necessary. We see many cases where individuals never contact an attorney because they believe their employer has their best interests in mind. However, often enough this is not the case.

If you have been injured during work in South Florida, whether in Cooper City, Jupiter, Hialeah, West Palm Beach, or Hollywood, you should immediately contact a South Florida personal injury lawyer so you can find out what your rights are and what is in your best interests.

Basically a tort is an act that injures someone in some way, and for which the injured person may sue the wrongdoer for damages. It is different from criminal law in that a crime involves a duty to society, while a tort involves a duty owed to another individual.

In South Florida, torts happen every day. You hear news of people getting assaulted in Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, Miami Beach, Palm Beach, Davie, Jupiter. You hear about batteries that happened in Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Delray, Margate, Homestead, and Miramar. The truth of the matter is the world can be a dangerous place. People must act in a way that does not intentionally harm other people or interfere with their daily lives. However, when people break these rules and violate other people’s rights, tort law recognizes that there are consequences. If you feel that a tort has been committed against you, you should contact your South Florida criminal defense or personal injury attorney immediately. Another class of torts is products liability, when a manufacturer may be responsible for a defective product causing harm.If you have been injured by a product, the manufacturer, distributor or supplier can be held liable to pay for your damages.

Another large class of torts is negligence, where individuals who fail to do what a reasonably prudent person would ordinarily have done (or not done) under certain circumstances can be held liable for the repercussions of their actions. If you have been the victim of one of these torts in Plantation, Palmetto Bay, Tamarac, Tamiami, or Westchester, there is a legal remedy in place that says you should receive compensation for someone causing you harm or injury.

A South Florida personal injury lawyer has vast experience in the Courts in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach and they can help you find out what your rights are and get justice for someone else violating your rights.

We as South Floridians rely on manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to make and sell products that not only serve their intended purpose but are also safe for us to use. Whether we live in Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, or Cooper City, we want to rest assured that when we spend our hard earned money to buy a product, it will not be defective. When we go to a toy store in Margate and buy a new toy for our child or when we check out an electronics store in West Palm Beach to buy a new gadget for ourselves, we want to know that these purchases will not cause us, or more importantly, our children any harm.

However, defective and dangerous products have regularly caused serious injury and even death to people in South Florida. While we all must be careful in our lives and none of us would think to sue because we stubbed our toe with a toy left on the floor by our child, manufacturing and design defects in products or a product that fails to warn of danger can cause grave bodily harm.

If you have been seriously injured in any way by some kind of product you should immediately contact your South Florida personal injury attorney to find out what your rights are. Whether you were injured while using a drill to fix up your house in Hialeah, your car malfunctioned while driving in Fort Lauderdale, you were hurt while using a product in Margate that has been recently been recalled, were injured in any other way by a product you purchased for its intended use, you should contact your South Florida personal injury attorney immediately.