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

Mistakes You May not Realize You’re Making with Your Car Claim

Published on: April 23, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Being seriously injured in a car crash in Tamarac or any South Florida community can be devastating. You may be in significant pain and you may have the stress of having to take time away from work. You may also need to fill out insurance forms, make claims, and deal with doctors’ appointments as well as health concerns.

In this type of situation, it is easy for mistakes to be made, especially if you are unfamiliar with the injury and claims process. Some of the most common mistakes that people make after a serious car accident and injury include:

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Should You Deal with Insurance Companies Yourself?

Published on: April 9, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Insurance companies may tell you that their insurance process is simple and easy. There are books out there that claim to tell you how you can file your own claim without going through an attorney. This has created a lot of confusion among plaintiffs, and left many to wonder whether they need legal advice or a Florida or Hollywood injury lawyer after a serious injury.

The simple answer is “yes.”

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DUI Checkpoints: How They Are Used to Keep Drunk Drivers off the Roads

Published on: March 12, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

DUI checkpoints are meant to help protect drivers from inebriated drivers in Miami and other cities. And there is reason to be concerned: According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), in 2014 there were 40,677 arrests for DUI in the state. Drunk drivers cause many more serious injuries, including career-ending head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other serious injuries that are permanent and affect a person’s quality of life for the rest of their life.

The idea behind DUI checkpoints is that police randomly stop drivers to see whether they should be further tested for inebriation. If a police officer stops a driver at a DUI checkpoint and the driver exhibits poor motor control or there is an odor of alcohol, the police can further investigate and administer field sobriety test to determine whether the driver is indeed under the influence.

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Driving Safely in Florida Fog

Published on: January 22, 2015 | By Flaxman Law Group

Motorists in Homestead and Florida have to deal with many types of weather, including sun, extreme wind, tropical rains, and more. One type of weather that can especially wreak havoc with driving is fog. When driving in fog, you will want to:

1) Stay as visible as possible.

Use blinkers and tail-lights as well as your low-beam headlights so that other drivers can see you. One of the biggest risks with fog is that it cuts reaction time dramatically. Other vehicles may not see you in time to avoid a rear-end crash or broadside collision. Staying visible is crucial in preventing these types of crashes.

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Sharing Hollywood and Florida Roads with Motorcycles

Published on: December 16, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Driving on Hollywood streets means that you have to share the road with others, including truck drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists. Unfortunately, many motorcycle crashes in Hollywood and other South Florida areas happen because drivers failed to see a motorcycle in time. To reduce the risk that this will happen to you, make sure that you:

1) Slow down and look for other users of the road.

Speeding is a big factor in many roadway accidents. Slowing down ensures that you have time and room to stop suddenly if you need to in order to avoid a collision. It is especially important to slow down at intersections; many intersection accidents in Hollywood and other cities happen because drivers are too impatient. Slowing down ensures that you can see other users of the road in time.

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When Car Accidents Become Water-Related Accidents

Published on: November 14, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Most car accidents involve injuries caused by impact. In an intersection collision in Miami or Florida, for example, the impact can push passengers forward into the dashboard or can cause passengers to be flung about the inside of the car, potentially causing head injuries, spinal cord trauma, and other serious injuries. In a car accident where the car is thrown into the water, however, passengers are at risk of drowning as well as all the other causes of injuries that can happen with a traffic accident.

Florida Has More Water-Related Traffic Fatalities

Unfortunately, Florida leads the nation when it comes to drownings caused by car collisions. Between 2008 and 2012, 49 people in the state have died due to car crash drownings. In comparison, Texas had 18 deaths in the same time period. That state was second in the nation when it comes to car crash drownings.

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Safety Tips for Rental Car Safety in Miami and Other Florida Cities

Published on: September 30, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Rental car accidents can mar your vacation, can cost you a lot of money, and can be frightening. Rental car collisions in Miami and other Florida cities are all too common, unfortunately. Unlike collisions with your regular car, these crashes can result in disputes with the rental company and usually involve all the stress of being in a car crash in an unfamiliar city.

If you are visiting Florida and need to rent a car, keep in mind that you may be at risk for a rental car crash for a few reasons:

You may be renting a car that is unfamiliar to you
You are generally in an unfamiliar area, making collisions more likely
You may be distracted by your vacation or the sites around you
The car may have been driven by many people before you and may have mechanical issues
Car rental lots can be located in remote areas, which can make driving out of them challenging

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Why is the Buckle-Up Message Not Reaching Drivers in Coral Springs and Florida?

Published on: September 26, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

In Florida, all drivers are required to buckle their seatbelts before driving. They are also required to ensure that any children in their car are correctly buckled up. An investigation by a Florida news station, however, has found that many drivers are not protecting themselves in the event of a car accident in Coral Springs or their community because they are not using their seat belts.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 13% of Florida drivers do not buckle up. That number is even higher among child passengers in South Florida. This is especially dangerous since statistics show that passengers correctly wearing seat belts are up to 45% less likely to be seriously injured in a roadway collision. In most traffic accidents, being thrown from the vehicle is what causes serious injury most often. In fact, statistics suggest that a passenger thrown from a vehicle has a 79% chance of sustaining fatal injuries.

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Melting Dashboards and Car Injuries in Pembroke Pines and Other Florida Communities

Published on: September 10, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

In April, the Consumer Watchdog launched an investigation into melting dashboards in some Toyota, Mazda, Dodge, Chrysler, Nissan, and other cars. Since that time, driver complaints about the apparent problem have quadrupled. According to customers, some cars have dashboards that overheat and melt. When they do, the dashboards develop a shiny and sticky surface that reflects on the windshield and affects visibility. Some motorists say that they cannot see pedestrians and other cars when this happens.

Accidents Related to the Dashboards

There have already been four car accidents reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) related to the melting windshields. One customer had a car accident in Pembroke Pines and claimed that the glare from the melting windshield led them to crash into an embankment. A motorist in Orlando also claimed that the glare also led to a collision. Two drivers in Miami also reported collisions related to the possible defect. So far, no fatalities and no burn injuries in Pembroke Pines or other communities have been linked to the dashboard issue.

In addition to the four accident-related complaints, there have been 514 dashboard-related complaints to the NHTSA since 1999. Many of these have been centered in warmer climate states, such as Florida, Texas, and California. Florida has the largest number of dashboard-related complaints overall (190 between 2004 and 2014 alone). Many of the complaints seem heat-related, with customers reporting that their dashboards are sticky or hard to clean. Some customers claim that the dashboards levae behind a residue on their hands on hot days.

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Does Marijuana Cause Car Collisions in Davie and Other Communities?

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

There are many research studies showing that drunk driving is dangerous and leads to car crashes. There are also studies showing that some drugs are dangerous and can cause collisions. The research about marijuana, however, seems to be less clear. Now that Florida residents are considering Amendment 2 and other states are considering legalizing medical marijuana or decriminalizing marijuana, the debate has gained new ground.

Opponents of Amendment 2 have stated that legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana would lead to drugged driving. According to one coalition, Don’t Let Florida Go To Pot, one fourth of all fatal motor vehicle collisions can be linked to marijuana. The statistic comes from a 2011 White House Office of National Drug Control Policy report based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The data is based on fatal accidents between 2005 and 2009. According to that research, there were approximately 127,000 fatal car accidents across 50 states between those years and about 78,000 motorists were tested for drugs in these collisions. The research at the time showed that drivers who tested positive for marijuana use increased between 2005 and 2009, rising from 22.6% to 26% before declining to 25.3% in 2009.

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