Miami Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Car Accident Lawyer Investigates Wrong-Way Wrecks in Miami: How Common Are They?

January 11, 2016 | Wolfson & Leon

In the last days of December, five people were killed in a wrong-way wreck on I-95, drawing attention to the danger of wrong-way collisions on Miami roads. NBC Miami notes that, according to one FDOT study, between the years of 2009 and 2013, 280 wrong-way crashes have killed 75 people on Florida highways.

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Yet, why do wrong-way crashes take place and what can drivers do to prevent them? It is unclear why the woman responsible for the accident in late December was driving on the wrong way in the northbound express lanes of I-95.

The National Transportation Safety Board recently released a special investigative report on wrong-way driving. According to the report, alcohol and drug use are main contributing factors to wrong-way driving accidents. According to the report, more than half, and as many as one-third of wrong-way accidents involved drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol. Older drivers were also found to be more likely to be involved in wrong-way driving collisions. Drivers over 70 years of age were more likely to be in these accidents than right-way fatal driving collisions.

Miami Car Accident Attorney Discusses Ways to Stay Safe While Viewing Christmas Displays This Holiday Season

December 29, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

‘Tis the season for eggnog, fruitcake, and driving around Miami to view the incredible holiday light displays. Yet, if you plan to drive to explore the festive displays this Christmas season, before you leave home, take some steps to keep yourself safe while driving. The displays can be distracting for the person behind the wheel and no one wants to get into an accident during the holidays. The Miami Herald recently published a list of the most stunning holiday light displays in the city. With the kids off school and many people taking time off, there’s no better time than to head out and get into the spirit by looking at these painstakingly constructed displays.

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Here are some driving tips to consider before you enjoy the holiday cheer:

Don’t drink and drive. It goes without saying, but drinking and driving is dangerous and leads to many preventable deaths and injuries each year. According to MADD, over 600 people are killed by drunk drivers every year. The cost of drunk driving fatalities is about $3.5 billion annually. These numbers don’t factor in the emotional and psychological toll that these accidents exact on victims. Lives and families are shattered by drunk drivers. Prevent a tragedy.

JUROR SAFETY AND IDENTITY THEFT

December 21, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

A mistrial was declared in Broward Circuit Court when several jurors voiced concerns about their personal safety from a criminal defendant and his supporters. The jurors were also worried about identity theft because of their personal information being in the public record. The jurors’ fears and concerns, while rare, were indeed valid.

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The mistrial was declared on the second day of trial because the defendant could not be assured of a fair and impartial jury. The defendant had been charged with second-degree murder for shooting someone outside a Davie, Florida pool hall. Jury selection lasted two day and 180 potential jurors were interviewed before selecting eight jurors for the trial. On day two of the trial, one female juror asked a question that ultimately caused a mistrial. She asked Broward Circuit Judge Jeffery Levenson if her personal information, such as her name and address, was part of the public record that could be viewed by anyone. Later other jurors told the judge that they were also concerned with whether their personal information was secure from not only identity thieves but from the defendant and his supporters. The mistrial was declared and the trial was reset for early 2016.

This incident involves two issues – juror safety and identity theft. As for juror safety, jurors’ identities are generally known to everyone. Usually, a juror will not be asked about their race, religion or sexual preference. They will be asked about what neighborhood or city they live and work in. They can be asked about marital status, family members and even what magazines or websites they like. Jurors can be asked to sit for a criminal or civil case. In general, jurors are not anonymous except in rare high profile criminal cases. In most criminal cases, potential jurors are concerned about their safety from the defendant and his/her supporters but that issue is usually handled in jury selection. Juror safety concerns are almost exclusively reserved to criminal trials because of the nature of the proceedings. The defendant is charged with a crime, often a violent one, and as a result is in danger of losing their life or liberty. Juror safety concerns in criminal trials is of paramount importance to the judge, the lawyers and to the system itself.

MORE CONFESSIONS OF AN INSURANCE DEFENSE TRIAL ATTORNEY

December 16, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

We are pleased to bring back, by popular demand, our anonymous insurance defense trial attorney for more “confessions”. These pieces inform and instruct clients and litigants on areas that Defense Lawyer’s capitilize on. To prepare and protect you, our clients. Because we only represent victims. Today’s topic is preparation and what every injured person can do to avoid inadvertently sabotaging their own case. While your personal injury lawyer is responsible to guard your best interests and to achieve justice, the attorney cannot do it alone. You are partners with different responsibilities. Your main responsibility is to avoid common mistakes that could end up destroying your case in front of a jury. According to our insurance defense attorney here are a few basic things to avoid:

GO TO ALL OF YOUR DOCTOR AND THERAPY APPOINTMENTS

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In teaching young attorneys how to try cases, much of the instruction centers on preparation. An important aspect of Trial Prep are timelines of events such as litigation and medical treatment. If you are able to look at the timelines individually and collectively you will often see a different picture. This view is analogous to viewing art in a museum. Look from a distance. Then walk up close for another look. Then finally return to the distant view and with the knowledge of the detailed view you will see a “third” view of the art.

#MarraigeEquality and #LoveWins The Impact on Your Personal Injury And Wrongful Death Cases

December 16, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

In 2015, same-sex marriage was celebrated on Twitter with the hashtags #MarriageEquality and #LoveWins. Twitter released the top trending topics for 2015 recently and these very same hashtags consistently landed in the top 5 globally. Now you may wonder what this has to do with your personal injury lawyer. In fact, it could be very significant if you suffer personal injuries as a result of the negligence of another.

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As background, understand that Florida law provides that the spouse of an injured person may be entitled to money damages. An unmarried dependent can also sue for damages including a permanent loss of services, comfort, companionship and society when their natural or adoptive parent suffer a significant permanent injury as the result of someone’s negligence.

These types of damages are usually referred to as loss of consortium. In English, this basically means the loss of comfort and companionship the spouse suffers because of the injuries caused by another’s negligence. Examples include having to do more chores, going to the doctor with the spouse, not being able to enjoy the same activities the couple did before the injury, and even intimacy.

CONFESSIONS OF AN INSURANCE DEFENSE TRIAL ATTORNEY

December 16, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.” Sun Tzu

We represent people who were injured or killed due to the negligence of another person or company. Often times, fighting for justice involves going to trial. That is why it is important to know how to represent injured people, but to also know thy enemy – the defense attorney. That is why we bring to you the “Confessions of an Insurance Defense Trial Attorney”. The following actually took place in a South Florida courtroom and provides a unique insight into the mind of a defense attorney who chooses to remain anonymous.

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The first trial witness was the plaintiff’s treating physician. He was a young orthopedic surgeon who was educated at Harvard and never missed an opportunity to let everyone know. His self-confidence knew no bounds. It wasn’t hard to imagine his mom always telling him, since birth, that he was the smartest and the best. Although he was about six feet tall, he looked like he never missed a meal and as a result, he couldn’t button his white lab coat if he wanted to.

DOES THE DEFENDANT HAVE INSURANCE?

December 16, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

In a Miami-Dade jury trial, the jury will very likely want to know the answer to the following question: “Does this defendant have insurance and if so, how much?” The answer is that most defendants in personal injury trials have insurance. But that will never be disclosed in trial because of Florida law. Now, is that entirely fair? We don’t think so. And the law used to be different. But it changed as we discuss below.

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In products liability cases, defendants usually include retailers and manufacturers. Those defendants usually have insurance. In medical malpractice cases, the defendant doctors and hospital either have insurance or are self-insured. In premises liability cases, the defendant property owner is almost always have some type of insurance. But the law does not allow for the insurance company to be mentioned in trial.

There is an even more practical reason why it is safe to assume that the defendant in a personal injury trial has insurance. Personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee meaning they do not get paid a fee unless their client recovers. There can be no recovery unless the defendant has insurance or assets. Most people do not have assets and those who do often hide or transfer those assets so that they are “judgment proof” in the event the jury decides against them. So as a practical matter, it is safe to assume that an overwhelming number of defendants in personal injury trials do in fact have insurance.

“HOW TO GET OUT OF JURY DUTY IN MIAMI?”

December 16, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

jury You just got your summons for jury duty and your first thought might be “How do I get out of jury duty in Miami?” But if you really think about it, is that the right thing to do? What if you had a personal injury case that needed to be tried before a jury and no one showed up? What if you were the victim of a crime and were relying upon good intelligent jurors to weigh the evidence in your case against the Defendant? Or, even worse, what if you were a wrongly accused Defendant and you were innocent and needed smart jurors to see that?

Trial by jury is the cornerstone of our judicial system. We here at Wolfson & Leon are trial lawyers who represent people who suffered personal injuries due to the negligence of others. We consistently rely on the good citizens of Miami-Dade County to serve as jurors. We always encourage our clients, employees and attorneys to serve when called.

We also believe that everyone who is eligible should serve as a juror because we all count on each other to get through this life. One day you might be a juror. The next time you might be a plaintiff or a defendant and you will be counting on a jury to deliver justice. We all need each other and our system of justice counts on all of us.

YOUR PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER DISCUSSES THE DUI INJURIES IN MIAMI

December 16, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

The “DUI Season” starts the day before Thanksgiving and ends after New Year’s weekend. Unfortunately, good people get injured and even killed by individuals who drive while impaired by drugs and/or alcohol. If you are injured by a DUI driver, your personal injury lawyer has some facts you should know.

Thanksgiving Eve is known as “Black Wednesday” and is one of the busiest bar nights of the entire year. It even rivals St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve. It is also one of the single busiest nights for DUI related injuries and wrongful deaths. Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest travel period of the year and a majority of people travel by car. Driving Under the Influence is not solely restricted to alcohol but includes legal and illegal drugs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that in 2012 more than 10,000 people died in impaired driving crashes. That averages out to one death every 51 minutes.

Florida has Zero Tolerance for drivers under 21 who drive impaired. This means that any driver under 21 who has a blood alcohol level of .02 or higher will automatically have their driver’s license suspended for 6 months. The .02 limit is in place so that drivers under the legal drinking age cannot have a single drink and drive. And that’s the idea. The legal limit for drivers over the age of 21 is .08. Florida penalties for first conviction of DUI include:

Personal Injury Claims for Immigrants: What You Need to Know If You’ve Been Injured in Miami

December 3, 2015 | Wolfson & Leon

If you’ve been injured in Miami and you are an immigrant, your rights, responsibilities, and protections may be different than those afforded to citizens. While most people who have been injured seek recovery through personal injury claims, immigrants may have many factors to consider before they make the decision to pursue a lawsuit.

According to the Legal Intelligencer as many as 8 million illegal immigrants may be part of the labor force. These individuals often perform hard labor in dangerous industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. Because many workers in these industries fear deportation, they may not seek legal remedies when they are injured on the job. Immigrants who have been injured while driving also face similar challenges as they may fear taking their case to the civil court system. After all, what happens if they are asked about their legal status during a trial? Could they face deportation?

The issue is somewhat complex. In many cases, individuals who face deportation may be able to apply for parole or a stay of removal using recently-passed immigration protections. However, not all people qualify for these protections. Personal injury lawyers in Miami who are handling these individuals’ cases may sometimes refer these clients to immigration lawyers to ensure that they are protected. Attorney client confidentiality protects individuals who inform their attorney about their immigration status. Questions about immigrations status are best answered by immigration and naturalization attorneys. So, individuals who have suffered a personal injury either on the job or while driving may be wise to speak first to an immigration lawyer before they speak to a personal injury lawyer about receiving compensation for their injuries.