Five Safest Car Brands to Purchase Based on 2012 Crash Reporting

Don’t look now, but your car is quickly becoming smarter than you. And that’s a good thing.

Forbes.com auto expert and author Jim Gorzelany compiled a list of the safest cars and why they are the safest. Hint: Safest equals smartest. And on the road, it isn’t only the quick that can avoid auto accidents, — it’s the smartest. Sometimes, reflexes don’t respond as well as you need them to in an emergency. Never fear. There’s a car that can take over that side of your brain.

“All the cars in our Safest Cars list either come standard with or offer as optional equipment three systems which are fast becoming available in mainstream models, namely blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems and collision warning and avoidance systems,” writes Gorzelany.

The Five Safest Cars for 2012:

• Volvo S60, S80 & XC60
• Audi A6
• Infiniti: M37, M56 & EX35
• BMW 5 Series
• Mercedes E & M Class

Here’s why: Broken down, each car model offers the driver a bit of advanced brainpower. For example, blind-spot warning utilizes a set of sensors/cameras that detect other cars just to the side and rear of a vehicle and alerts the driver to their otherwise unseen presence. Lane departure warning helps keep inattentive drivers from inadvertently veering into another lane of traffic and causing a collision, which the National Traffic Safety Administration says accounts for 17 percent of all vehicle crashes.

Collision warning and avoidance are another smart system that works with an advanced version of cruise control, using sonar sensors to maintain both a set speed and distance from the nearest car. If the sensors determine the vehicle is closing in on another car or other obstruction in its path too quickly – say the driver is busy opening the coffee lid or texting and isn’t paying attention – it will engage audible and visual alerts, tension to the safety belts and pre-prime the brakes to full force in anticipation of an emergency stop.

There are countless other safety features that qualify these cars as the safest cars on the road, which can help you to avoid auto accidents all together. If you are looking for a safe car for yourself, your wife or your kids, these five are proven to be the safest cars on the road for 2012. When it comes to your reflexes versus your cars’ reflexes, sometimes it’s helpful to have both headed in the right direction.

What if I’m Hit by an Uninsured Motorist?

Being involved in an auto accident in Fort Lauderdale is one of life’s most stressful experiences, doubly so if the person who hits you is an uninsured motorist. Without the proper coverage it is much harder to recoup damages, medical expenses and lost wages.

This is a particularly poignant scenario in the state of Florida, which requires drivers to possess only two forms of coverage on their automobile policy: personal injury protection and property damage coverage. Most drivers overlook another critical form of coverage called uninsured motorist coverage.

According to a recent study from Insurance Research Council (IRC), about one in six drivers are driving with no insurance whatsoever. In 2007, Florida was one of the five states with the highest uninsured driver estimates.

It is important to note that Florida is a partial ‘no-fault’ state when it comes to motor vehicle insurance and auto accidents. Personal Injury Protection coverage comes into play to cover the costs of an individual who is injured in an auto accident — whether they are at fault for the crash or not. Unfortunately, PIP coverage in Florida is limited to $10,000. Because of this, there may be cases when benefits will not cover complete losses.

Personal health insurance only covers a portion of damages in a serious automobile accident. Even if your medical expenses are covered by your health insurance, if you do not possess uninsured motorist coverage, you will be unable to recover fully on your auto accident settlement.

If you are involved in an auto accident in Fort Lauderdale with someone who is driving without insurance, with someone who has insurance that does not cover all of the medical expenses, or in a hit and run case, having uninsured motorist coverage will cover all medical expenses and future earnings. Also hiring a Florida personal injury attorney right away will help to prevent you from being taken advantage of by the insurance company.

The owner of the uninsured motorist policy must pay a monthly premium to the insurance company to obtain this coverage. If an accident does occur, the insurance company would pay the difference between what the uninsured driver compensates and what the injured driver is entitled to.

If you need any information on uninsured motorist coverage or intend to claim under this coverage, you should contact an experienced Ft Lauderdale personal injury lawyer, to help you sift through the legalities and paperwork so you are properly compensated for damages.

The accident you were just in has caught you by surprise – don’t let its aftermath leave you dazed as well.

The Damage a Spinal Cord Injury Leaves Behind

A spinal cord injury is the result of a sudden or traumatic event that fractures or dislocates the vertebrae. The damage is caused by bone fragments, disc material or ligament bruises that tear the spinal cord and produce the injury. The spinal cord can be compared to a computerized central server in charge of sending signals up & down from the brain to the rest of the body. Depending on where the injury is located, a damaging spinal cord can cause chronic back pain, paraplegia and even tetraplegia.

Spinal cord injuries most often happen as a result of a traumatic event typically after auto accidents, sports injuries and slip and falls. These injuries need to be treated immediately by qualified professionals who can evaluate it and decide the appropriate treatment that needs to take place. Treatments are usually long and many require a combination of surgery and months or a lifetime of physical therapy. These events are not only hard on the patient but also on their families and peers.

Fort Lauderdale auto accidents take place everyday. Personal injury protection in Florida is a mandatory part of auto-insurance and covers up to certain amount on injuries whether you are at fault or not.

If you or someone you know suffers from a spinal cord injury contact a Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorney to help you fight for the money you deserve from your insurance company to cover the costs associated with a spinal cord injury.

No matter the cause of the injury, medical and legal help will get you and your family’s life on back track, to overcome this difficult situation through your diagnosis, treatment and the recovery stage.

If you believe you’ve suffered a personal injury in Fort Lauderdale or need representation because of a spinal cord injury, contact the Florida Injury Law Group to speak to a Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorney.

The Mall May Cause a Slip & Fall: Be Careful of These Places

How many places can you think of where you may be going faster than usual and not paying attention to your surroundings? During the holiday season it is common for our minds to be rushing with thoughts of all we need to accomplish while out shopping for friends and family.

It’s inevitable — at some point, you won’t be looking in front of you — you may be distracted by a sign or a certain product display or a colorful new fashion that catches your eye. You could be thinking about work or all of the things on your to-do list, and where you’ve been and where you’re going ends up sending you in so many directions; you suddenly end up on the floor and wonder how it happened.

It could have happened because you were distracted or because there wasn’t proper signage of the wet floor you walked through. No matter what the cause: whether you were injured at Galleria Mall, or experienced an injury in the parking lot at Sawgrass Mills Mall, or get a Boca Town Center Mall injury, or experience a slip and fall at Publix, it is important to keep an eye on your surroundings, pay attention to the signage on the floors and be careful of the places that are prone to causing accidents.

Places Prone to Slip and Falls

1. Food Court: Publix, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Winn Dixie are all popular places for spills and wet floors. Sometimes the store doesn’t know they are there or haven’t properly cautioned the area after the cleanup — leading to a slip and fall by customers. Walk carefully and look for wet spots on the floor.
2. Parking Lots: A common place for accidents to happen. It’s easy to trip over parking bumpers when cutting through the parking lot, which can lead to serious injuries like a broken leg, arm, or spinal injury.
3. Public Bathrooms: It’s easy to experience injuries in public bathrooms because these floors are often wet & slippery. Tissue and other materials discarded on the floor can also cause hazards.
4. Elevators: Elevators can jerk you when you least expect or leave a space you’re not expecting when they bring you to your floor. Pay close attention when getting on and off the elevator to ensure you don’t trip over the gap.
5. Escalators: These present problems in getting on and off; distractions, crowds of people or balancing an overload of shopping bags can set you off balance and make you trip.

As a personal injury attorney in Fort Lauderdale, I have seen many areas where people need to stay alert — it’s never a bad idea to take a moment during outings to collect yourself and look around. Know where the potential hazards lie and you’ll have a better and safer time when you venture out into the world.

Stay safe this season and if you find yourself injured in an accident of any kind we are here to serve you and help you put your life back together.

Three Places Prone to Slip & Falls

It’s a world of hazards out there. How do we do it? How do we go about our business, as busy as we are, and manage to avoid all of the things that can take us down? Who hasn’t walked on a sidewalk and tripped at least once on uneven concrete slabs? Who hasn’t skidded at least once on a slippery surface?

Somehow we manage to get through most days without tripping and falling but on occasion, the inanimate objects in our lives can sneak up on us and do us harm. The times when you’re the busiest is when you should take extra precautions, even in the familiar and comfortable places you visit every day. Whether on your own property — or at grandma’s house — you need to be cautious to avoid serious injury.

Remember these places next time you’re busy and rushed

• Grocery or Department Stores: You’ve been in the store a million times, shopping for groceries or looking for just the right outfit to wear for a party. You know that sign cautioning you to be careful and watch for the slippery surface? Listen to it. And when there’s no sign, be cautious of fixtures not placed correctly or hangers sticking out or boxes thrown around haphazardly. In the grocery store there’s always the possibly that an orange has made its way onto the floor, waiting for someone to trip over it.
• Uneven Surfaces: Back to the sidewalks. There perhaps is no other place begging for serious injury than an uneven walkway, which seems to rise up when you lease expect.
• Ramps: Depending on the grade, a ramp can be difficult to negotiate, whether you’re going up or down.

To avoid injury, be mindful of your surroundings. But if an accident should happen, be sure to consult a Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney. You may not be able to avoid the slip and fall, but through a personal injury attorney from the Florida Injury Law Group who knows the ins and outs of physical injury cases, you’ll be able to get the money deserved for your injuries so you can get back to health as quickly as possible.

If you believe you’ve suffered a personal injury in Fort Lauderdale or need representation because of a slip and fall injury in a store or parking lot contact the Florida Injury Law Group to speak to a Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorney.

3 Ways To Practice Safe Boating

While safety should be your first priority when you go out on the water — sadly, it is often the last —taking a back seat to the fun and thrills of being on the ocean or lake. Who wants to get bogged down with safety issues when it’s a free day without no work and all play?

The thing is, boating safety in Fort Lauderdale should always play a role during boating excursions. Not considering all the ways in which a boating accident can occur, it will also take away your fun … for good.

According to Florida’s Boating and Safety Education Program — boating accidents are most often caused by operator-error, such as carelessness and inattentiveness, navigation rule violations, poor choices during bad weather, inexperience and alcohol consumption.

So do yourself and your passengers a favor — remember these three safety tips before you head out on a boating trip:

• Always Wear a Life Jacket – Yes, it will give you tan lines, but it will save your life and the lives of passengers should an accident occur. Nine out of 10 drowning victims may have survived a capsizing or fall overboard had they been wearing a life jacket.
• Take a Boating Safety Course – Formal boating education will prevent you from being another statistic and will teach you all the necessary basics of seamanship that you’ll need before you start that engine. Especially if you will be driving the boat, it is very important to understand all of the rules of the water.
• Boat Sober – Save that beer for when you’re back on land. Using alcohol is even more dangerous on the water because the marine environment accelerates impairment. In boating deaths attributed to alcohol use, over half of the victims capsized the boat or fell overboard. Another reason to stay sober — boating while intoxicated (BUI), is illegal.

Boating is one of the best ways to enjoy the climate in South Florida. To keep your day on the water safe and sound, practice safe boating in Fort Lauderdale. The Florida Injury Law Group can assist you with a Ft Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney if you have been in a boating accident.

You wouldn’t drive on the interstate with a beer in your hand — and you shouldn’t on your boat, either.

Staying Safe During Holiday Traffic

On an average day, 41% of auto accident deaths are related to alcohol. Unfortunately, this already alarming number increases by over 10% during the holiday season. Alcohol related fatalities become more the rule than the exception during seasonal holidays.

From holiday parties to evenings with the family — where a drink might seem needed totake the edge off — tis’ the season to imbibe in some eggnog or a few glasses of wine. During this time of year, however, it is crucial to watch what you drink and how much you drink. It’s a good time of year to designate a driver when you know you will be enjoying a few holiday cocktails.

There are simple tips and measures you can take to ensure that you and your family enjoy a safe and happy holiday — whether you plan to be on the road on vacation or simply staying close to home.

• Monitor Alcohol Consumption: This is easier said than done when the eggnog and rum breaks out around you. However, monitoring the number of cups you throw back is important to keeping you, your loved ones and everyone else on the road safe. If you want to have more than one or two spread over a few hours — find someone else to drive home or stay the night where you are. It’s better than waking up the next day in a jail cell or even worse finding out that you took away someone’s Christmas this year.
• Be Aware of Others: Sometimes you are not the one you need to worry about when driving on the road — it could be the drivers around you. Watch for signs of drunk driving, when on the interstate drive in the middle lanes when possible to avoid those who are merging lanes and those who think they are on a speedway. Look twice before crossing the road or switching lanes and most of all look for those on motorcycles.
• Be Alert: At all times. Don’t let your family distract you from driving. Keep both hands on the wheel and both eyes paying attention to the road. If you are travelling by car for a long period of time it’s advisable to have someone as your backup driver, but if you are the only one that can drive, stop frequently and schedule a couple of hours for sleep.

Drunk driving accidents in Fort Lauderdale are increasingly common during the holidays. It’s your responsibility to protect yourself and your family. Although it may not be you that causes a fatality this holiday season — you may not even drink — you must watch out for those that do and report suspicious or hazardous driving.

If you or your loved ones become a victim of drunk driving in Ft Lauderdale, hire a Florida Injury Law Group personal injury attorney to help you with your case. It is common to sustain injuries from accidents that involve drinking and driving — having a Ft. Lauderdale auto accident and personal injury attorney on your side is crucial to getting the settlement you deserve for your pain and suffering.

Stay Alive! Don’t Drink & Drive!

Avoid These Holiday Parking Lot Hazards

The holiday season can be a hectic time of year — you’re moving faster, your kids are moving faster, holiday signs and symbols vie for your attention everywhere and your head spins with the to-do lists. The top priority on your to-do list is probably buying presents for all of your family and friends, which means a trip to the local mall. Whether you’re at the Galleria Mall, the Sawgrass Mills Mall or the Boca Town Center Mall, the driving gets tricky as you compete for spaces with everyone else in South Florida.

It’s not just the malls that precipitate careful maneuvering. Parking lots at hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and even vacation rentals offer their own challenges, from inadequate maintenance to defective property conditions. Negligent security claims during the holidays are also on the increase; you may slip and fall at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale or find yourself injured at a Fort Lauderdale Hotel during all of the hustle and bustle.

So the last thing you need to deal with is a busy parking lot. Well, get out your laptop and make room on your couch, because cars are coming in to store lots by the dozens between now and the season’s end, and unless you stay indoors until New Year’s Eve you will need to drive around these potential hazards as carefully as possible.

Sometimes spaces aren’t striped correctly or someone has edged over into the next spot as they’ve parked their vehicle. Or a shopping cart is taking up half the space and you didn’t see it until you were halfway in and there’s another car behind you.
The list of what could go wrong goes on and on.

To save you physically from these holiday hazards — which, no doubt, can also save you mentally — here are some tips for staying safe during the holiday shopping season, whether you’re parking your car or wading through lines of moving vehicles as you head into your favorite stores:

• Don’t get distracted by your children, friends or cell phone. When you’re walking on the main thoroughfare to get from your spot to the store’s entrance, pay extra attention all around you.
• Don’t walk in between cars where thieves can hide. Get your keys in your hands before leaving the building (or whenever you exit your vehicle). Remember to hold tightly to your shopping bags, keep your wallet or purse in front of you and held tightly.
• Don’t park near bus stops or high traffic areas

The key is to avoid mishaps or injuries at the Galleria Mall, the Sawgrass Mills or Boca Town Center Mall or any hotel or restaurant that you visit during the holidays. Enjoy the season — and stay safe while you do it.

If you are injured at Saw Grass Mills or any other mall during the Holidays – be sure to contact a Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney in order to ensure your injuries don’t get the best of you. A Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney from the Florida Injury Law Group can advise you of your rights and help you get the money you need to resolve your injuries and get your life back to normal after the holidays.

National Bike Month: Ride to Stay Fit and Productive

Bicycles are a passion with children and a very healthy mode of transportation for adults.

In my childhood days, I remember pestering my parents to buy me a bike as soon as I knew what a bike was. I took the bike and started riding on the wrong side of the road without a helmet and sustained minor injuries. For a month, going near the bike was taboo and I kept looking at it with a sense of longing.

If bicycles were the only mode of transportation, there would be very minor accidents where people would escape with a few bumps and bruises. Most minor injuries can be avoided if cyclists wear helmets and adhere to all traffic rules.

National Bike Month

Although more than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, lack of knowledge and incentive has deterred many from commuting by bike. Hundreds of U.S. cities have been successful in increasing bicycle commuters by offering enticements on Bike to Work Day. Since 1956, May has been recognized as National Bike Month. The third week in May is designated Bike to Work Week and the third Friday of May is Bike to Work Day.

Here are a few compelling reasons to ride you bike more:

• Help the Environment: The bicycle is the vehicle of the future. It has a competitive edge in urban transit: it’s efficient, it’s economical, it’s healthy, it’s ecological and it’s fashionable and fun! Often overlooked and underrated, the bicycle is the simplest and most pleasurable way to get healthier while saving our environment and reconnecting with our community in a positive way.
• Improve Your Health: Over 66% of the U.S. adult population is overweight and 32% of us are obese, costing our nation $68 billion in health care and personal costs annually. Statistics on the lack of physical activity among children are also alarming. Most children are driven to school in cars or buses and one child out of every four is overweight.
• Save Money: Bicycle commuting saves on parking fees, parking tickets, fuel costs, auto maintenance costs and transit fares. In some large urban areas, it is possible to save over $200 per month on parking alone. A new bicycle and cycling gear pays for itself in a few months. Cyclists can meet all of their transportation needs with a combination of bicycling, transit and an occasional cab or rented car — all much cheaper than owning a car. Since the biggest costs of automobile ownership are paid up front (insurance and car payments), some people can free up about 25 percent of their income by getting rid of their car or their second car.

Important Safety Reminders

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines, all bicyclists should wear properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride. A helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash.

Bicyclists are considered vehicle operators and are required to obey the same rules of the road as other vehicle operators, including obeying traffic signs, signals and lane markings. When cycling in the street, cyclists must ride in the same direction as traffic.

Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists. Be courteous — allow at least three feet clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road, look for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space, and yield to cyclists at intersections and as directed by signs and signals. Be especially watchful for cyclists when making turns, either left or right.

Bicyclists should increase their visibility to drivers by wearing fluorescent or brightly colored clothing during the day, dawn, and dusk. To be noticed when riding at night, use a front light and a red reflector or flashing rear light, and use retro-reflective tape or markings on equipment or clothing.

Florida Among Top 3 States for Bicycle Fatalities

Florida is rated third in bicycle deaths, according to 2008 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Riding without a helmet or riding under the influence of alcohol are the primary reasons for bicycle fatalities. Alcohol involvement — either for the driver or the pedalcyclist — was reported in more than one-third (37%) of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedalcyclist fatalities in 2008.

Aftermath of Bicycle Accidents

In collisions involving a bicycle and motor vehicles or a fixed object, bicyclist injuries are more likely to be permanent, catastrophic or fatal. Traumatic head injury and spinal cord injuries occur at a higher rate, and broken bones and road rash can be severe, disabling injuries. Since Florida is a comparative negligence state — if you are partially at fault, you can still collect damages, but the award is reduced by the percentage of your comparative fault. For example if you are 15 percent at fault, you would only receive 85 percent of the damages determined by a jury.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyer or your insurance agent to discuss your insurance policy’s protection in the event of a serious crash.

What Doctors Don’t Want You to Know About Medical Malpractice

If you are dealing with a medical issue following a recent hospital stay or doctor visit, chances are that medical personnel may have neglected to carry out their duty to the fullest degree. Suspicions of negligence, however, and proving such negligence, are two different things. Finding out whether a medical malpractice case is valid requires breaking down the facts of each case to determine whether significant injury did occur to the patient — and whether medical staff performed in a substandard way.

When we enter a hospital or doctor’s office we go in trusting that the professionals will perform their duty to the highest degree possible. It is within this realm that the medical community is obliged to carry out its mission — as their actions directly affect the health and well being of patients. If you are not certain that you’ve been given the best care possible, consider these scenarios that doctors and medical staff will not readily impart to you:

• If medical practitioners did not obtain consent prior to providing medical care — and that care leads to complications — it is the doctor’s responsibility to inform the patient of any negative side effects and outcomes of procedures and medications.
• A misdiagnosis is also grounds for a malpractice case, whether the doctor gave a wrong diagnosis — which could be life threatening — or missed diagnosing certain illnesses.
• Anesthesia is another source of malpractice cases, as improper use or doses of anesthesia can be life threatening. Cases of improper administration of anesthesia are reported every year.
• A medication prescribed improperly can lead to a patient suffering or death. If a patient’s health is compromised from an improper dose of medication or from taking the wrong medication, the case could be one of medical malpractice.
• Medical malpractice may also come into play during childbirth, if damage occurs to the mother or new child. Babies, in particular, are vulnerable to numerous medical complications.

So what can you do if you feel you have been a victim of medical malpractice? Consult a Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorney for advice. It’s not what the doctor tells you — but what he won’t tell you — that can sometimes do you the most harm.

Four Signs Your Loved One Might Be Being Abused

It’s an incredibly difficult fact of life that most of us will eventually face — placing an elderly loved one in a nursing home. And it’s even more painful facing the prospect that your loved could be abused in the nursing home.

You feel certain you would catch the signs of abuse, but sometimes these signs can be subtle. If you feel your loved one has experienced an elevated number of ailments, that’s a red flag. According to the Nursing Home Abuse Center’s website, these issues can occur because of a lack of appropriate care, neglect or can simply result from the declining physical state that accompanies old age. So how can you tell what’s going on?

Signs Your Loved One Might Be Being Abused

• Falls: The most frequent and potentially severe cause of injury in the elderly is a fall that results in a bone fracture. Making sure that the elderly resident is observed regularly will prevent the fall from turning into something more serious. In a facility without proper observation, it is possible that a resident could lie on the floor for hours, exacerbating any additional trauma they may have experienced due to the fall.
• Bedsores: A bedsore results from pressure that is unrelieved and persists for hours and even days, which means that appropriate attention is not being given to the resident. A patient who spends extended periods of time in bed is subject to bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers.
• Dehydration: Dehydration can be lethal and is a result of poor care or dementia that prevents the individual from responding to normal bodily needs. Maintaining a rigid schedule and assuring that staff regularly addresses the dietary and hydration needs of the resident can help you to avoid this issue.
• Malnutrition: In a nursing home facility without nutritional plans for its residents, malnutrition is a real danger. Improper nutrition can result in the kind of weakness or fragility of bones that results in falls and fractures, as well as creating a compromised immune system. Every patient should be evaluated regularly to make sure that all of his or her nutritional needs are being met.

If you suspect some form of nursing home abuse is taking place with your loved one, document every conversation and incident and then discuss the situation with a personal injury attorney from the Florida Injury Law Group. Nursing home abuse in Fort Lauderdale should not be tolerated and you owe it to your loved one to make certain they receive the best care possible.

Complications That Can Result from A Birth Injury

There’s no moment more exiting for parents than the birth of their child — a magical and happy moment as they welcome a new addition to their family. But childbirth is a very delicate process and sometimes it can cause injuries that will affect your baby for a lifetime.

Complications caused by negligence or lack of professional attention include:

1. Childbirth Fractures: Can be caused by a delivery in awkward positions or due to birch births, where the fetus is not turned and the legs come out before the head. These injuries are not uncommon and cause pain to the newborn.
2. Facial Paralysis: Is the loss of controllable muscle movement in an infants face, usually caused by pressure at the moment of delivery or by a long labor.
3. Brain Damage (Hypoxia): Is caused by the infant’s lack of oxygen during long periods of time during the birth. It decreases the blood pressure, oxygen levels, and heart rate. It is the most common cause of irreversible neurological or cellular damage in newborns.
4. Shoulder Dystocia: Shoulder dystocia occurs when an infant’s shoulder becomes caught on its mother’s pubic bone during a vaginal delivery. It’s a common injury and in most cases is preventable, but it can cause the clavicle bone or upper arm bone to break.
5. Erb’s Palsy or Klumpke’s Palsy: Cause by an injury on the brachial plexus nerve bundle, it affects both mobility and sensation on the arms. In some case it can also cause arm weakness and even paralysis. These injuries are often a mix of birth presentation (birch birth) and improper deliver techniques.

There are many complications that can happen during childbirth, but medical professionals should be able to assist you and be aware of any possible problems and issues that arise during labor and the birth of your child.

In some cases these injuries occur from malpractice or improper methods used for the delivery. In the event the complication is a result of medical malpractice, you and your family will need representation from a Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney.

It’s a devastating event when your newborn is injured during birth. A capable personal injury attorney from the Florida Injury Law Group will find the cause of the complication and will fight with you to receive the money you deserve to cover the costs of the injury, even though that doesn’t take the place of your new baby being scarred for life.

How Long Should My Child Avoid the Front Seat?

The best way to keep your school-age child safe in the car is by using a booster seat and seat belts. But at some point they will outgrow this special seat and be able to sit in a regular car seat. This will be a growth milestone for your child — and a safety nightmare for you.

And that begs the next question: how long should my child avoid the front seat?

The answer depends on your child’s size and age, as well as the kind of vehicle you drive. Florida law requires children under 5 years old to be properly restrained no matter where they are seated in the vehicle. Children through age 3 must be secured in a separate carrier, such as a booster seat, or in a vehicle manufacturer’s integrated child safety seat. For children ages 4-5, a separate carrier, an integrated child safety seat or a safety belt may be used. If a safety belt does not fit the child correctly, a booster seat should be used to correctly position the lap and shoulder belts once they outgrow forward facing child safety seats — generally at about 40 pounds and 4 years old.

In general, children aren’t able to make the switch until they’re at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and can pass a five-step test, typically between ages 8 and 10, which considers the following:

1. Whether the child sits all the way back against the car’s seat
2. Whether the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the seat
3. Whether the lap belt rests naturally below the child’s belly
4. Whether the shoulder belt is centered across the child’s shoulder and chest
5. Whether the child can stay seated like this for the whole trip

A booster seat is put in place in addition to seat belts to protect a child. In the event of a car accident in Florida or an automobile collision a seat belt that does not properly fit the child can actually cause more harm if the child is riding in a regular seat, without the booster.

Children may protest the booster, feeling they are big enough to ride as the adults do. Talk to your child about how special he/she is to have a special seat and find a booster seat that is as comfortable for them as possible. If you have any questions, consult with a Fort Lauderdale attorney experienced in Florida auto accident and personal injury laws.

And always remember: Never move your child to a regular car seat until their physical growth makes it a safe scenario.

Baby Product Recalls: Staying Informed

With new items appearing daily on the market, how does one keep up with old ones, as well as new ones? Below are some tips to help you keep your children safe by staying informed with product recalls.

• News Feed Alerts: Set up your email and RSS feed to alert you of all baby recalls
• Google it: Checking for a specific product? Google will bring up everything related
• Kindle it: Subscribe for your kindle but check to see who charges and who does not
• Utilize Facebook & Twitter: ‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ baby recall bloggers and posters
• Smartphone Applications: There are now recall apps for iPhone, Android and Facebook

Designed and developed by parents of young children, Recalls Plus will monitor recalls on your children’s items. You can browse the nationwide list of recalls reported by top government agencies and it will also send alerts when a related recall relates to one of the products or food allergens you have listed. Features of the Recalls Plus app include Checklists by Age, Add Any Product and Track Foods.

Websites & Blogs: Add yourself to specific newsletters from product recall sites.

Recalls From The U.S. Government:

https://www.recalls.gov
https://www.usa.gov/mobile-apps
https://www.fda.gov
https://www.cpsc.gov
https://www.usrecallnews.com

Mommy Bloggers and Parenting Websites:

www.parenting.com
http://www.babyzone.com
https://www.parents.com
www.parentsociety.com
https://www.socialmoms.com
https://www.babycenter.com/
https://www.mommyblogexpert.com

How To Keep Your Baby Safe

A parent’s main concern is and always should be keeping their baby safe. It is frightening to discover that an item purchased for your baby turns out to be a defective or dangerous product that has been recalled.

The last way anyone wants to find out about a product recall is because of an accident — so staying informed and up-to-date on recalls is very important for parents.

The first way to stay informed is to immediately send in the warranty and product information card that is included in the package of all new items you purchase. If the card is filled out and the product is recalled, you will immediately be contacted by the manufacturer. If you do not fill out this information, there is no way for the manufacturer to know that you own the item. The second way to make sure you stay current with baby product recalls is by checking recall notices and online information.

Did you know that most stores that sell baby supplies post product recalls on their websites?

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is a government agency that lists product recalls. On the USCPSC website you may search product recalls as well as report unsafe products.

If your child has been injured by a product immediately contact a Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney. Claims have to be filed in a very specific manner and filing them on your own may result in a dropped claim. Your attorney will make sure everything is filed properly. There are also legal time restraints as to how long you have before filing a claim, so don’t wait. Take immediate action.

It is crucial that you not only protect your legal rights, but, protect the rights and health of your child. Don’t waste time. Knowing and responding to a product recall can save the life of your child or another child. Safety first.

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Do you Know What to do After a Bike Accident?

When Ben, a high school, moved to South Florida three years ago, he started riding his bike to school. For the past couple of years, he never had anything more serious than a bruise on his knee when he fell while riding on the sidewalk.

He always felt safe on his bike, until one day when he was waiting to cross at an intersection. He pressed the button as he always did and the light turned red, When the walk sign appeared on the sign across the street he began forward motion on his bike to cross the street. Suddenly out of nowhere he was struck and laying on his back in the middle of the road. He didn’t remember exactly what happened but when he came to, he realized he had been hit by a car.

Stories like this one are rare, but they can happen. Situations like this are people’s biggest fear about using a bike as their main transportation. Now that Ben’s accident happened, what are the next steps?

1. Seek Medical Assistance: Even if you don’t feel injured it is important to seek medical assistance. Have a paramedic take you to the hospital. In the event you do sustain injuries this will give you the required proof that your injuries happened from the accident.
2. Don’t Move Anything from the Scene: Whether it’s your bike or other damaged property let the authorities look at the accident the way it happened. Also take pictures of the scene for proof of all damage that occurred at the scene.
3. Contact a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney: We understand the laws and will help you with legal claims so you can get the money you deserve for your injuries and for replacing your bike.

Don’t forget to get the driver’s insurance and personal information. The sooner you call a Ft Lauderdale personal injury attorney the sooner you will be able to seek legal advice of what you should and should not say in your statements. A personal injury attorney will also be able to properly document all injuries and treatments that will be required to show during future hearings.

Stay safe when riding your bicycle, take precautions when crossing intersections and if an accident does occur call a personal injury attorney from the Florida Law Injury Group who can help you get your life back on track.

Bikers Beware

It’s a fact of life: cars must share the road with bicycles and they in turn must share the road with cars. Both have a responsibility to keep each other safe. The driver of a car should not pass a cyclist as though they do not exist — while cyclists on heavily traveled roads should be mindful of cars. Each must watch out for the other.

A cyclist on the road is described as a vehicular cyclist, and is expected to travel within the roadway in accordance with the basic vehicular rules of the road. Vehicular cyclists should feel and act like vehicle drivers, even though they are not riding on the main roadway.

John Forester in Effective Cycling, explains the basic principles of cycling in traffic:

• Ride on the road, with the direction of traffic
• Yield to crossing traffic at junctions with larger roads
• Yield to traffic in any lane you are moving to, or when you are moving laterally on the road
• Position yourself correctly at junctions to turn – near the curb when turning off the road on the side you are on, near the center line when turning across to the other side, and in the center when going straight.
• Ride on a part of the road appropriate to your speed; typically, faster traffic is near the center line

According to Florida state law, bicyclists must ride as far to the right as practicable —NOT as far to the right as possible — but capable of being done safely within the means and circumstances present.

To avoid a Fort Lauderdale auto accident or a bicycle accident, be mindful of these rules for cyclists. While you want to enjoy riding your bike on the roads, should an accident occur, contact a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney.
Above all — stay safe and have fun!

Save Gas and Prevent Accidents with Your Tires

Your tires are four of the most important things on your vehicle — without them you go nowhere. If they are not properly maintained, you risk poor driving performance, paying out more for gasoline and being involved in an auto accident.

Three things you should know about your tires:

1. Pressure: is everything and knowing how to read it, gauge it, and pump it will save you many headaches out on the road. Read your car’s manual and educate yourself on the tires you buy for it and how much pressure you need in your tires to stay safe. Essentially, the more air you put in your tires, the better off you’ll be in terms of fuel efficiency. But each tire is only designed to handle a certain amount of pressure. Look at the sides of your tires to find out what the maximum PSI is for the tire.You can fill the tire up to the max, or just under, although most cars will have a recommended max pressure based on the weight of the vehicle itself, which is the safest measure to use. You will also lose 2% of your gas mileage for every 5 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure that you are below the manufacturers recommended pressure.
2. Balance: Make sure that your wheels are properly balanced and aligned. While this isn’t really something you can do at home without specialized equipment, your local auto repair shop can easily do this for you. Keeping everything aligned and balanced means that your tires will roll as freely as possible, helping you consume less gas. While there are a lot of things you can do to save money on gas, make sure you don’t neglect looking at improving your tires since they’re the only part of your vehicle that actually touches the road.
3. Size: Having the right size tire for your car affects gas mileage and helps to prevent an accident. Using steel belted tires can help you improve your gas mileage by up to 10%. And when you’re buying tires, try to find a tire that has a low rolling resistance. Wide tires and studded tires will both significantly lower your gas mileage.

A tire blowout at 65 miles an hour can force you to lose control of your car and cause a serious accident. A blowout will occur when a flat tire is so severely damaged that it loses all air pressure. This is one of the main causes of auto accidents.

The Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorneys at the Florida Injury Law Group have seen many cases in which people have incurred personal injury driving on substandard tires. You put gas in your car and change your oil regularly — so don’t neglect your tires. Check them regularly, too. With gas prices on the rise, you want all the help you can get in improving miles per gallon. Be kind to your tires and they’ll keep you safe on the road.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Entering the Interstate

Driving on an interstate highway requires a lot of attention and sometimes even some skill. When merging onto the interstate, some approaching cars follow the law and move over — though most are oblivious to the entering cars and remain in the outside lane instead of moving over.

In part, these oblivious drivers can cause horrible auto accidents — although other actions can lead to horrific car accidents, such as merging too slowly or too fast, merging into other cars or not paying attention to blind spots.

Enter At Your Own Risk:

• Accelerate as Your Merge – The merge channel is designed to let you merge onto an interstate safely — although the key is knowing how to use it properly. As soon as you enter the ramp, accelerate and use your blinker. Graduate your speed to match the vehicles that are already on the highway before moving into another lane. Without stopping. Wait for a free spot to open where you can fit your car comfortably into the space. Driving too slowly on the on ramp can cause an auto accident — while merging too fast can also cause an auto accident on I-95.

• Cross Over One Lane at a Time – Do not attempt to cross over four lanes of traffic all at once, even when the roads seem empty. Your car has blind spots that prevent you from seeing other cars when merging. Always be sure to use all mirrors before crossing and look over your shoulder just to make sure no one is there.

• Use Your Blinker – This tip cannot be stressed enough! Always use your blinkers! When changing lanes, merging or exiting — the use of blinkers are how other drivers know you are about to make a move. Your exit or entering may require them to make a move of some kind or they may hold off from merging lanes themselves if they see your blinker on. Not alerting other cars — by using your blinker — to your next move may cause an auto accident on I-95 that could have been avoided.

Fort Lauderdale auto accidents on I-95, I-595 and the turnpike are unfortunately an everyday event. Many involve multi-car collisions and trailer accidents due to the heavy traffic typically on these roads. It remains important that you are fully aware at all times of your surroundings on the interstate and remember that there are other drivers that depend on you to be safe too.

If you have been injured in an auto accident and are in need a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney, please contact us today. You can call and speak to one of our Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys for a free consultation at 888.954.3454 or fill out a contact form here.

Avoid Auto Accidents in Construction Zones

It’s usually a good thing when your state ranks among the top three in a category, such as one of the best places to live or having the best beaches in the world. Unfortunately, highway statistics also play a role in rankings; whether the accident rate is high, for example.

While Florida has the distinction of being tops for many good reasons, it is also among the top three staes for having the most roadway auto accidents in construction zones, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which rates states for the injuries caused to drivers as well as road workers under the heading of workplace safety and health. Florida shares this ranking with Texas and California.

“Roadway work zones are hazardous both for motorists who drive through the complex array of signs, barrels, and lane changes and for workers who build, repair, and maintain our nation’s streets, bridges, and highways,” states the CDC on its website. While the Federal Highway Administration reports fatal crashes in construction and maintenance work zones dropped from 716 in 2008 to 667 in 2009. Texas, Florida, and California ranked as the three states with the most motor vehicle crash fatalities in work zones.

Driver Safety Tips To Avoid An Auto Accident In a Construction Zone:

• Stay Alert: Expect anything to occur when entering a work zone
• Pay Close Attention: Signs and work zone flaggers save lives
• Turn on Your Headlights: Workers and other motorists must see you
• Don’t Tailgate: Unexpected stops frequently occur in work zones, keep 2 car lengths between you and the car in front of you
• Don’t Speed: Note the posted speed limits in and around the work zone and stick to them
• Keep Up With the Traffic Flow: Dedicate your full attention to the roadway and those traveling around you
• Don’t Change Lanes in the Work Zone: Any time saved just isn’t worth it
• Minimize Distractions: Avoid changing radio stations and using cell phones while driving in the work zone
• Expect the Unexpected: Keep an eye out for workers and their equipment
• Be Patient: Remember the work zone crew members are working to improve your future ride

Keep yourself safe when driving through a construction zone in Ft. Lauderdale and throughout Florida. Avoid an auto accident and injury to yourself and highway workers by staying alert and obeying the laws governing construction zones.

If you have any further questions or if you have been injured in an auto accident and would like to speak to one of our Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorneys, please call us or contact us here.