South Florida Injury Law Firm Attorneys Broward Palm Beach Case Review

How to Prove Fault as a Motorcyclist in an Accident

August 25, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Motorcycle Accidents

It’s no secret that motorcyclists typically suffer far more serious injuries than car occupants when they’re involved in a multi-vehicle collision. Without safety features like air bags and a crumple zone, motorcyclists are incredibly vulnerable and may face an expensive and lengthy recovery if they survive the accident. Because of this, any motorcyclist who was injured by a negligent driver should hold that driver responsible and seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other associated costs.

Of course, getting that much-needed compensation isn’t as easy as just pointing a finger at the car driver and saying that they were the one who caused the accident. In a civil case, the plaintiff is responsible for proving that the defendant is at fault. To make things even more challenging, jury members may be biased against motorcyclists and may be less likely to award the same kind of settlement that they would award to a car driver in a two-car accident.

This does not mean that you should give up on the idea of recovering compensation as a motorcyclist in an auto accident. It does, however, mean that you should work closely with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer to gather the kind of concrete evidence necessary to prove your case. Below are a few types of evidence that can help your cause.

Police Report

If a police officer arrived at the scene of your accident, he or she most likely filled out an accident report. This report may contain valuable evidence for your case, especially if the police officer actually witnessed the accident and issued a citation to the driver. Even if they didn’t cite the driver, they may have noted that negligent behavior caused the accident and that you were injured and needed medical attention after the accident.

Witness Testimony

Witness testimony can be problematic because human memory is fallible, and there’s no way to know that an accident played out exactly the way an eyewitness described it. However, if your motorcycle accident occurred in a crowded area and multiple people saw it happen, it may be worth having credible witnesses testify that the car driver was at fault. The most reliable witnesses are people who saw the entire accident (rather than people who heard the impact and saw the aftermath) and were not distracted by other factors (such as a young child that they were holding or the need to maneuver their own vehicle away from the accident).

Damage to Motorcycle

In certain cases, the type of damage that your motorcycle incurs may clearly show how the driver hit you and prove that they are at fault. For example, if a car rear-ended you, the back of your motorcycle and the front of the car would experience the most damage. This would paint a pretty clear picture of what happened and show that the driver was liable, since rear-end collisions are almost always the fault of the second vehicle.

Your personal injury lawyer may be able to uncover additional types of evidence that could prove fault, such as footage from a traffic camera or a doctor’s testimony showing that your injury was caused by a certain type of impact. Every case is unique, and it’s important not to leave any stone unturned when the compensation that you need in order to get back on your feet is at stake.

About the Author:

Jeffrey Braxton is a trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale who has devoted his 22-year career to the practice of personal injury law. As lead trial attorney for The South Florida Injury Law Firm, Jeff has litigated thousands of cases and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of attorneys who have resolved cases in excess of one million dollars.

New Seat Belt Tech Could Curb Drowsy Driving Accidents

August 18, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Auto Accidents

From automatic braking systems to electronic stability control, automobile technology continues to evolve to better protect drivers and vehicle occupants. Now, one new innovation may help prevent people from driving while drowsy—something that is a well-documented risk factor in serious and sometimes fatal crashes.

Harken, a publicly and privately funded European consortium, recently announced in a press release that they have developed a seat belt sensor designed to help wake drivers up if they begin falling asleep at the wheel. The sensor system was made by weaving fibers and yarns with electrical properties into the shoulder belt and seat pad of a car. When a driver is sitting in the seat and wearing their seat belt, the sensors will measure their heart rate and breathing rate. Because both respiration and heart rate slow down when a person is asleep or about to fall asleep, the sensors will be able to identify when a driver is at risk for falling asleep and needs to pull over.

Boca Raton Child Injury & Accident Lawyer

Hot Car Deaths Are Preventable

August 11, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Children Injuries & Accidents

As we reach the hottest part of the summer, it’s essential that parents avoid leaving their children alone in the car, even for just a short while. Children are even more susceptible to heat stroke than adults, and it’s never okay for a child to be left inside a vehicle on a hot day.

The issue of leaving children unattended in vehicles has gained more attention this summer after the horrifying case of Cooper Harris, a 22-month old boy who died after his father allegedly forgot he was in the car on the way to work. Police are still investigating the circumstances of the boy’s death, and the father is currently facing murder and child cruelty charges.

Whether Harris’ death was intentional or truly an accident, it is far from being the only case of a child perishing in an overheated vehicle. An average of 38 children have died in a hot car every year since 1998, and almost a third of those children snuck into the car without their caregiver knowing, while about half became trapped in the car because their caregiver forgot they were there.

There is no good excuse for a child dying in a hot car, and all parents and caregivers should take safety precautions to make sure their child is not accidentally trapped in a car this summer.

Safety Tips to Help Prevent Hot Car Deaths

Make a habit of keeping your car doors locked and keeping keys out of reach at home. When you’re parked at home, lock your doors and hide your keys somewhere that your child cannot get to them and use them to sneak into the vehicle.

Teach your child that the car is not an appropriate play area. Talk to your kids about what is and what isn’t an appropriate place for play. Let them know that it’s never okay to hide in the car.

Always check the entire vehicle before leaving. While it might seem unlikely to you that your child could have quietly snuck into the car before you drove away, you should make a habit of checking the whole car before you park and leave for an extended period.

Remind yourself when a child is in the car. If dropping your child off is not a normal part of your routine, find a way to remind yourself that the child is in your car, such as putting a Post-It note on the dashboard or placing an item that you’ll need for the day, such as a purse or briefcase, in the back seat.

Remember that cracking the windows or parking in shade is not a safety measure. A child’s body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult’s, and heat stroke deaths have occurred even when the car was parked out of the sun and had the windows cracked. Heat stroke can also occur in temperatures as low as 57 degrees, so it’s not safe to leave your child in the car even on a cooler day.

Get help if you see a child left alone in a car. If you spot an unattended child in a parked car, call 911 immediately. If the child is in distress, get them out as soon as possible. They will need to be cooled using cold water but should not be placed in extremely cold temperatures, such as an ice bath.

This summer, let’s all work together to prevent more hot car deaths. This type of accident is entirely avoidable if we take some basic safety precautions and seek help whenever we see a child left alone in a car.

About the Author:

Jeffrey Braxton is a trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale who has devoted his 22-year career to the practice of personal injury law. As lead trial attorney for The South Florida Injury Law Firm, Jeff has litigated thousands of cases and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of attorneys who have resolved cases in excess of one million dollars.

How Safe Is Your Office Workplace?

August 5, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Work Related Injuries

If you have a desk job, you probably don’t go into work every morning worrying about being injured. You go to the same office every day and have a routine down, so what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, settling into that sense of complacency may actually put you at greater risk for being involved in a workplace accident. When you work in the same place and do the same things on a day-to-day basis, it becomes easier to miss the signs of a potential accident hazard.

According to the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, there were 4,628 deaths on-the-job in 2012, and an average of 10.9 worker illnesses and injuries per 100 workers in 2011. While about 19% of these accidents occurred in the construction industry, workplace accidents can happen anywhere, even in a seemingly safe office.

Whether you’ve been tasked with risk management in your office or you just want to take it upon yourself to make your office a safer place, there are steps you can take to identify potential hazards and minimize the odds of someone experiencing a serious accident. Here are a few things you can do.

Ask Coworkers and Other Building Employees If They’ve Noticed Any Hazards

To start out, you should ask around your office to see if anyone else has noticed any potential hazards. It can be easy to miss a potential danger when you’re looking on your own, but asking around gives you more sets of eyes to spot problems. For example, maybe you never notice the uneven steps at your building’s back entrance because you always go in the front, but another coworker typically parks in back and has tripped on those steps several times. When you get coworkers to help you identify risks, you’ll get a more thorough understanding of what needs to change in your building.

Walk around and Look for Common Tripping Hazards

The most common types of general industry workplace accidents are slips, trips, and falls, so take the time to walk around your workplace and check for potential tripping or slipping hazards. Divide your building into different areas and look for these common risk factors:

Outdoors: wet grass, moss, mud, or piles of leaves built-up around walkways; cracks or hard-to-see uneven sections on a walkway; holes or potholes in the parking lot or on walkways
Entrance: slippery door mats or mats that do not lie flush with the floor; puddles of water or piles of debris that workers may have tracked in; hard-to-see cables on the ground
Stairs: hard-to-see or damaged edge of stairs, inconsistent height and tread of steps; loose handrails
Office: tripping hazards such as power cords, open drawers, boxes, or other office equipment; burnt out lights that make it difficult to see tripping hazards; loose tiles, carpet, or other flooring material

Look at History of Accidents in the Building

If you have access to files on workplace accidents in your building, you should review these documents to identify any potential accident factors you may have missed. In some cases, the cause of the accident may have already been remedied (for example, if someone fell and hurt themselves on uneven pavement, the building may have either fixed the walkway or painted the uneven area to make it more visible), but in some cases, you may discover that the cause is still a potential danger that needs to be taken care of.

Talk to Your Employer or Building Manager

There are some accident risk factors that you and your coworkers will be able to resolve fairly easily on your own. For example, you should make it a policy to immediately clean up any spills, keep cables away from busy walkways, and always close low drawers when they’re not in use. However, there may also be some structural risk factors that cannot be as easily resolved. To take care of these bigger problems, talk to your employer or the building manager. If the property owner is aware of a potential accident risk, they have to take care of it or risk being held liable in the event of an injury.

If the building manager or property owner fails to make repairs even after they’ve been alerted to the problem and you or one of your coworkers suffers an injury as a result, the best thing you can do is talk to a personal injury attorney and take legal action. By holding the property owner responsible, you can get them to repair the dangerous area, potentially saving others from experiencing the same type of accident.

About the Author:

Boca Raton Child Injury and Accident Lawyer

How to Keep Your Kids Safe at a Public Playground

July 28, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Children Injuries & Accidents

Play is an essential part of the development for children, and what better place for kids to play, explore, and interact with other kids than a public playground? Unfortunately, not all playgrounds have equipment that is appropriate for children of all ages, and if your city’s parks department doesn’t keep up with maintenance, or if a playground equipment manufacturer releases a defective or dangerous product, your child could be at risk for injury.

Over 200,000 children age 14 and younger are taken to the emergency room every year due to serious playground injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Injuries can result from a number of different accidents, including:

• Falling from climbing equipment
• Falling from a swing
• Entangling of clothes or hair in equipment
• Being cut by sharp and potentially rusty equipment
• Head entrapment (e.g. becoming stuck between two vertical bars)
• Tripping over suspended components (e.g. ropes or cables)
• Limbs being caught under moving component, such as a seesaw

The CDC classifies 45% of playground injuries as severe, including fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations, and amputations. No parent wants their child to ever experience such a horrible injury, but most parents still want their children to be able to play as they grow up. So how do you let your kids enjoy public playgrounds while keeping them safe at the same time?

6 Tips to Prevent Playground Accidents

While some accidents are unpreventable and may be the fault of the equipment manufacturer, playground designer, or parks department, many accidents can be prevented. Here are 6 tips you should follow when you take your kids to a public playground:

1)Always supervise your children—and always make sure that they have a clear line of sight to see where you are, as well.

2) Don’t go down slides with your child in your lap. A 2009 study revealed a link between tibia fractures in children and going down a slide with an adult, because children’s legs can become stuck or twisted while they and their parent keep moving down the slide. If your child isn’t old enough to go down a slide by themselves, direct them to more age-appropriate equipment.

3) Look out for playgrounds with rough surfaces. Steer clear of playgrounds built on asphalt, concrete, gravel, or hard-packed soil. The safest surfaces are mulch, shredded rubber, or wood chips.

4) Keep kids away from any equipment where their head or a limb could become entrapped. These might include vertical bars on climbing equipment, merry-go-rounds, or partial openings in a playground fortress.

5) Watch out for tripping hazards. In addition to suspended equipment components, like ropes or a low balance beam, these might include natural elements like tree roots or rocks.

6) Inform the parks department or an appropriate local office about potential hazards. If you see something potentially dangerous on a playground, such as rusty equipment or a tripping hazard in a high-traffic area, speak up! Let either the parks department or whatever local office is in charge of the park in your area know about the problem. This way, they can hopefully remedy it before someone gets seriously hurt.

If Your Child is Injured, Make Sure They Get the Medical Attention They Need

If your child is injured on a playground despite your best prevention efforts, your priority should be to get him or her the medical attention that he or she needs. Once you’ve gotten proper treatment, you need to consider who or what caused the accident. If the accident was the fault of a negligent city department, manufacturer, or designer, contact a personal injury attorney in order to fight for compensation and make sure playgrounds are safer for the children who may visit them in the future.

Swimming Pool Drains Pose Major Danger to Children

July 14, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Children Injuries & Accidents Swimming Pool Accidents

Do you have a backyard pool that has been on your property for years? Do you know if that pool uses a drain system? If so, you may need to add some new safety features to keep your family safe this summer.

Many older pools, both public and residential, were built with drains because pool designers originally believed drains were necessary to keep water circulating and reduce contamination. However, the suction created by these drains can exert 500 or more pounds of pressure if a person or object becomes stuck in them, making it almost impossible to lift someone who is trapped against one of these underwater drains.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 83 reported swimming pool drain accidents between 1999 and 2008, including 11 deaths. This number is most likely a low estimate, as medical records and the police don’t always report the specific cause of drowning deaths. Whatever the exact number, it’s clear that the majority of accident victims are children who do not recognize the potential dangers of swimming pool drains.

Pool Designers Moving Away from Drains, but Older Pools Still a Problem

In recent years, swimming pool designers have looked at computational fluid dynamics using computer simulations of pools and have discovered that pools without drains are no less effective than pools with drains when it comes to circulating the water. This knowledge, paired with reports of horrific child drowning accidents, has led many designers to eliminate drains altogether from modern pools. Those public pools that were already built with drains are now required to use special rounded drain covers that don’t create suction.

Unfortunately, regulations on residential pools vary from state to state, and removing unsafe drains is not always a requirement. In Florida, people who have residential pools are only required to have one of several specifically outlined safety features, and some of those safety features are not necessarily enough to prevent a drowning accident (it is possible for a child to fall through a swimming pool cover, for example).

If you own a swimming pool, it is up to you to take the proper precautions to prevent drain-related and other drowning accidents.

5 Tips to Keep Your Pool Safe

If kids are going to be using your pool this summer, keep the following safety tips in mind: (It’s a good idea to follow these tips whether your pool has drains or not.)

1. Always supervise children. Never leave children without adult supervision in a pool, even if they have taken swimming lessons and appear to be competent swimmers (swimming abilities will not help if they become stuck on a drain).

2. Add a safety fence. Create some kind of barrier that completely surrounds your pool and that kids cannot easily climb over.

3. Update your pool’s safety features. If your pool currently has flat drain covers that create suction, upgrade to the kind of domed pool covers that public pools now use. You should also consider investing in a safety vacuum release system, which will cause pool drains to stop creating suction if a person or object becomes stuck in them.

4. Warn kids about drain dangers. Even if your pool already has domed covers and a safety vacuum release system, caution your kids to stay clear of the drain. They should also avoid wearing jewelry or baggy clothing and should put long hair in a bun or ponytail to prevent themselves from getting caught on any of the pool’s features.

5. Don’t try to lift a child straight off a pool drain. Because traditional pool drains have such powerful suction, it is impossible to pull a stuck child straight off the pool drain. If your child does become stuck, you will need to wedge your fingers or arm in between the child and the drain to break the suction, and then you will have to roll the child away from the drain.

If you take the proper precautions and know what to do in the event of an emergency, there’s no reason why you and your family can’t enjoy your backyard pool this summer.

About the Author:

Prescription Drug Liability Lawyer Boca Raton

How to Help Prevent Prescription Drug Errors in Boca Raton

July 8, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Prescription Drugs

From drug companies to doctors to nurses to pharmacists, many people play a role in handling your prescription before it gets to you. As trustworthy as most of these individuals are, the fact is that accidents can – and do – still happen. Sometimes, somewhere along the line, mistakes can be made with your prescription that could cause you injury.

As frightening as it may be to think about, medication errors occur far more often than any of us would like, and sometimes they can be catastrophic. In Boca Raton, if an error made with your prescription results in you becoming sick or injured, you should always contact a lawyer to discuss your options and plan a course of action.

But we hope that you are never in this situation. To protect yourself and ensure that you do not fall victim to prescription drug errors, the FDA has compiled a list of steps that consumers can take to ensure their safety. Below, we have put together a number of tips to help you avoid prescription drug errors.

Know Your Prescriptions

Too often, patients either don’t realize or regularly forget which drugs they are taking. This can be an easy mistake to make, especially for patients who are taking multiple prescriptions. But it’s extremely important for you to be aware of the drugs you’re taking and to crosscheck with your doctors and pharmacists regularly to make sure that everyone involved is on the same page. To help you remember, make a list of all the medications and supplements you’re taking and keep it in your wallet.

Don’t Forget That Supplements Count as Meds, Too

Even if they’re completely natural (or at least claim to be), many supplements are unregulated, and their effects are not entirely known. When taken with prescriptions, they can cause effects that you may not anticipate. It’s important to remember which supplements you’re taking and mention them to your doctor anytime you discuss your medications.

Read Labels and Follow Directions Every Time

When you receive any prescription for the first time, read all the labels and directions so that you know exactly what the medication is, what its effects are, and how it’s meant to be taken. Beyond that, it’s also a good idea to read the labels of every prescription each time you take it. You may have two completely different medications that look almost identical, so be sure to double-check whenever you take your medications to avoid potentially dangerous mistakes.

Check Every Prescription You Pick Up

By the time you pick up your medication, you probably won’t have a copy of the script that your doctor sent in, either because you gave it to the pharmacist or because your doctor sent it in electronically. However, you can obtain a copy of the script either by asking the pharmacist for one or by printing one yourself using your doctor’s online practice portal. Know which prescription you are supposed to be getting right down to the milligram measurement and compare it to what you end up receiving from the pharmacy. It’s also a good idea to have a conversation with your pharmacist every time you pick up a prescription to make sure you fully understand the medication.

If You Suspect Something Is Wrong, Speak Up

If something seems off to you, say something. Pharmacists are there to answer your questions, and it’s always better to speak up now than to pay a steep price for medication errors later. There might be a completely valid reason as to why your medication dosage increased or why you’ve suddenly been given a new brand of the same medication. Pharmacists should always tell you when changes like these show up, but in case they don’t, it’s imperative for you to ask them if you notice that something is wrong or different.

Keep in mind that the people filling your prescriptions are human and they make mistakes. So it never hurts to double-check, especially when it comes to something as important and potentially dangerous as prescription drugs. It’s always in your best interest to stay aware of your prescriptions and understand their effects.

However, doctors, pharmacists, and drug companies should always be responsible for keeping patients safe from prescription drug errors, and they should be held accountable if they make a mistake that ends up harming you. If something does go wrong and neither you nor the medical professionals working with you catch it in time, call The South Florida Injury Law Firm, your personal injury lawyers in Boca Raton, to discuss your options.

Staying Safe While Riding Your Motorcycle in the Rain

July 1, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Motorcycle Accidents

You’re on the road when the blue skies suddenly become overcast and rain starts to fall. First it’s a few drops at a time, but eventually it becomes a torrential downpour. This can be daunting enough when you’re in a car, with a roof over your head and your windshield wipers working at maximum speed, but it’s even worse when you’re on a motorcycle.

Inclement weather is one of the leading causes of motorcycle accidents. Regardless of your level of experience, it’s best to avoid riding your motorcycle in the rain, because rain creates all kinds of hazardous conditions for motorcyclists. You may trust your skills and ability to handle the vehicle when the skies are clear, but you may not be prepared for riding in bad weather. However, there may be some situations (especially in Florida) where you get caught in the rain, or you need to ride in the rain to get from Point A to Point B. In those particular cases, follow these safety tips to avoid injury.

6 Tips for Riding in the Rain

1. Be smooth. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation says that one of the most important things to remember when riding in the rain is to have smooth control. Be easy on your throttle and brakes, but balance your grip at the same time. Don’t accelerate on turns; wait until you’ve completed the turn to speed up.

2. Slow down. You should slow down in any kind of vehicle when the weather’s bad. On a motorcycle, slowing down will make it easier to stop suddenly if there’s a hazard in your path, and lower speed will decrease your lean angle on turns, making it less likely that your motorcycle will slip out from under you.

3. Leave several car lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you. It’s always a good idea to leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you so that you’ll have time to react if they suddenly swerve or slam on their brakes. This rule becomes even more important when the slick road will make it harder for you to come to a quick stop without sliding. Pay attention to the traffic in front and to the sides of you, so that you can quickly find an escape route if there’s an accident ahead of you.

4. Use engine brakes on corners. When taking tight turns, use your engine brakes by letting go of the clutch and letting your engine’s RPMs drop so that you naturally decelerate. This will reduce your likelihood of skidding.

5. Watch out for common rainy weather hazards. Keep an eye out for things such as deep puddles, potholes, manholes, railroad tracks, and oil spills, all of which can create extra slick surfaces in the rain and cause you to lose control of your motorcycle. Also, be careful at stop signs, toll booths, and parking lots, where oil leaking from stopped vehicles can create an especially slippery surface.

6. Get off the road if you feel unsafe. If it suddenly starts pouring and your traction and visibility are compromised to the point that you feel unsafe, find somewhere safe to pull over (ideally somewhere with a roof or overhang for you to stand under) and wait for the rain to die down. Trust your judgment; it’s never worth putting yourself in a risky situation just because you’ll be able to reach your destination a little faster.

About the Author:

How to Avoid a Highway Accident

June 24, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Auto Accidents

Getting into a car accident in a parking lot or residential area is bad enough, but getting into a crash on the highway is far worse. When vehicles are traveling at highway speeds (typically between 60 and 75 mph), any kind of accident has the potential to result in driver and passenger fatalities.

The most obvious way to avoid getting into a highway accident is to stay off the highway, but that’s just not feasible for most Floridians. With four primary interstate highways, eight auxiliary highways, and approximately 1,500 interstate miles, it’s tough to be a driver in our state without spending some time on these fast-paced roadways. Whether you’re commuting to work or driving across the state to visit relatives, chances are you’re going to get there by traveling on one of these high-speed roads.

Of course, for all the reports about highway accidents and the crashes you’ve likely driven by, millions of drivers travel on highways every day without getting into accidents. By focusing on the road, practicing defensive driving, and following traffic laws, you can help prevent most types of highway accidents. Let’s take a look at some of the most common kinds of highway accidents and then go over some tips to keep yourself and your loved ones out of these crashes.

Common Types of Highway Crashes

Speeding, distractions (such as phones), drowsy driving, and drunk driving are all leading causes of various types of highway crashes, including:

• Lane change accidents: Drivers who fail to check their mirrors and blind spot or forget to signal before changing lanes may swerve into the side of another vehicle traveling at high speeds, or cut a faster car off so suddenly that the car slams into their rear bumper. Drivers may also rear-end another vehicle if they switch lanes with another slower-moving car too close in front of them.

• Rear-end accidents: Although you hear more about rear-end accidents happening on city streets, this type of accident can occur on highways when traffic begins slowing and one or more drivers fail to notice a change in speed. Since these rear-end accidents typically occur at higher speeds, they can cause serious harm, including spinal cord injuries and brain trauma.

• Rollovers: Top-heavy vehicles such as trucks and SUVs are particularly at risk for rollover accidents on tight turns or in bad weather. When large vehicles lose control and roll over, they often cause vehicles behind them to get into an accident, as well.

• Head-on collisions: One of the worst types of highway accidents possible, head-on collisions may occur when a drunk, drowsy, or simply inattentive driver enters the highway the wrong way via an exit ramp, or when a driver falls asleep at the wheel and drifts across the median.

4 Tips to Stay Out of Highway Accidents

Based on the descriptions of the accidents above, some ways to reduce your risk of being in a highway accident should, hopefully, be obvious. You should never drive when you’ve been drinking, even if you don’t think you’re that intoxicated. You should also put your phone away to avoid distractions, and if you start feeling tired on a long drive, take the next exit and pull over somewhere safe to rest.

Here are 4 more tips to help you avoid highway accidents:

1. Leave plenty of room when changing lanes in front of a truck. The average tractor-trailer loaded with cargo and traveling 55 mph on a clear road takes at least 290 feet to come to a complete stop—and that’s the best case scenario. Trucks traveling in bad weather, with overloaded cargo, or with worn-out tires or brakes will take even longer to stop, and cars that pass trucks and then cut back in front of them too closely can easily cause accidents. Never pull in front of a tractor-trailer unless you can see the entire front of the truck in your rearview mirror.

2. Stay out of blind spots. Although drivers should be checking their blind spot by looking over their shoulder before changing lanes, you can’t guarantee that everyone will be that responsible. Either speed up or slow down to avoid traveling in another car’s or truck’s blind spot for a long period.

3. Go with the flow of traffic. Weaving in and out of lanes to go faster than the rest of traffic is incredibly dangerous, but going so slowly that you’re forcing everyone else on the road to go around you is also an issue. Do your best to keep up with the flow of traffic and never, under any circumstances, come to a complete stop in a lane with traffic flowing around you.

4. Use your turn signals. You can’t expect other drivers to read your mind—even if you think you have plenty of room to make a lane change or get onto an exit ramp, you should always signal your intentions so that you don’t take drivers around you by surprise.

Keep in mind that you’re in a powerful, fast-moving vehicle when you’re driving on the highway, so don’t take unnecessary risks that will endanger yourself and others. And if another driver endangers or injures you through their recklessness, seek proper medical attention and then contact an auto accident attorney as soon as possible.

About the Author:

Crane,construction Tower Crane Equipment Over Building Construct

Crane Accidents, a Leading Cause of Construction Fatalities

June 16, 2014

by South Florida Injury Law Firm Construction Accidents

With more and more people moving to urban areas and looking for central places to live and work, sometimes the only direction to go is up. High-rise buildings are, well, on the rise, and construction cranes are becoming a fixture along the skyline of major cities in Florida and around the country. Most of us pay these large pieces of machinery little mind… until we hear about a gruesome construction accident caused by a crane.

Crane accidents occur far more frequently than you might think. The website CraneAccidents.com tracks reports of crane accidents worldwide and has already documented 5 separate crane or trailer lift incidences, one involving a fatality and two involving electrocution on power lines, in the first week of June 2014 alone.

Common Types of Crane Accidents

It’s unsurprising that a heavy piece of machinery like a tower crane can do a lot of damage when something goes wrong. Tower cranes can have a maximum unsupported height of 265 feet and can extend even higher when tied to a building. Cranes can also lift up to 19.8 tons (39,690 pounds), a weight which can easily demolish buildings and kill bystanders if dropped.

Some relatively common types of crane accidents include:
• Construction workers falling: Construction workers sometimes use baskets attached to cranes to work on projects that require them to be at a great height, such as building a bridge. It’s possible for the bucket to become detached from the crane arm or for workers to fall out if they lean too far over the edge.

• Electrocution: If construction workers are using a crane to work on power lines, they risk being electrocuted and burnt if the crane comes into direct contact with the line.

• Crane overturning: Because cranes are so unwieldy, an operator or mechanical error may result in the crane overturning while it’s being moved.

• Crane slipping off road: As with any heavy vehicles, if the driver of a mobile crane begins to lose control and skid on the road, they may be unable to correct the error before sliding off the road and crashing.

• Crane collapsing: There are many different reasons a crane might collapse, including high winds, too much weight, or even a manufacturing error that results in the crane snapping at the base.

• Crane load dropping: In addition to causing a crane to collapse, overloading a crane may result in the load dropping, crushing any buildings or people below.

Both Construction Workers and Bystanders Are at Risk in Crane Accidents

While construction workers who spend a significant amount of time on or near a crane are obviously at the greatest risk for being injured or dying in a crane accident, individuals who are unassociated with the construction industry may be affected, as well. For example, in one of the worst crane accidents in modern history, a crane crashed into several buildings and a townhouse, killing seven people inside.

If you’ve been injured or have lost a loved one in a crane accident, contact an injury lawyer to learn what actions you can take. A personal injury attorney who has experience with construction accident cases will be able to help you determine who is at fault in your personal case. And, hopefully, by holding the negligent party responsible, you’ll be able to reduce the risk of future crane accidents.

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