Fort Lauderdale Injury Lawyer Blawg

A recent article appearing in the Sun Sentinel outlines the near fourteen (14) year battle for Eric Brody and his family to finally receive a portion of the damages he was awarded for having suffered severe injuries as a result of an automobile accident with a Broward Sheriff 's officer. The Broward deputy was speeding and collided with the car that Eric Brody was in. While the jury awarded $30.7 million, Florida Statute Section 768.28 (The Sovereign Immunity Statute) limited the amount that the Sheriff's Office (or its insurers) were obligated, to pay to the amount of $100,00 per claimant at the time of the incident, without necessitating the need to appeal to the Florida's Legislature for a "Claim's Bill" to receive anything above $100,000 of the award.

The article in the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel states that "Florida law, however protects government agencies from paying damages in excess of $200,00 (which is the current limitation amount), but what the article neglects to point out is that if the Broward Sheriff's office had obtained liability insurance for the incident (which they apparently had in effect at the time), this legislation was protecting an insurance company (or possibly several of them) and not the Broward Sheriff's Office or the interests of Broward County and Florida citizens. While the law has been recently amended to increase the governmental entity's obligation to each claimant from $100,000-$200,000, without the need of obtaining a "Claim's Bill", the law is still seriously antiquated and continues to protect the interests of the insurance industry over the needs of victims or the residents of Broward County, and Florida.

Continue reading "Brain Damaged Victim In Accident With Broward County Sheriff's Officer To Finally Receive Compensation" »

As noted in a recent CNBC report, Fort Lauderdale, FL was ranked as one of the most dangerous dangerous city for driving in America. Although other cities had a higher total number of fatalities, no city had a higher total fatality rate per 100,000 person population. Obviously this news is quite alarming and troublesome for the residents of the South Florida area. As a Plantation Car Accident Lawyer, I wanted to discuss this report so that people that live in our area are aware of the everyday driving danger. Hopefully if people are aware of how statistically dangerous it is out there, they will exercise more caution while driving in the future.

According to the report, which you can also find at the Sun-Sentinel, the total fatality rate per 100,000 person population for Fort Lauderdale, FL is 22.39. Additionally, throughout the year there were 41 total fatalities, and 24.4% of those fatalities were pedestrians. From the perspective of a Plantation Accident Attorney, these numbers are simply way too high. People simply must be more careful when they are driving. This includes among many other things, staying alert, keeping a safe distance from the car in front of you, and not texting while driving.

It is also worth mentioning that Orlando, FL was number two on the list and in total, four cities in Florida made the list. As a Plantation Car Accident Attorney, my hope is that people see this report and become concerned enough about what is going on out there to drive in an almost overly cautious manner. People also need to be more aware of pedestrians on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk while driving in order to seriously reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities. All in all, hopefully the residents of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area can begin to drive more carefully and make driving safer for everyone.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Plantation, FL car accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Starting on August 14th, the new total lead content law for children's products will go into effect. As a result of this change, products such as children's toys will be affected. As of August 14th, the maximum amount of lead in these types of products will be limited to 100 parts per million. These new stipulations are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). From the perspective of a Plantation Products Liability Injury Attorney, I am always in favor of any legislation that improves product safety. The only question mark was whether this would be detrimental to these businesses' respective bottom lines.

However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 3-2 that there was insufficient evidence that children's products manufacturers could not meet these new standards and remain at a competitive price point. These lead limitations have been a work in process since the CPSIA was passed in 2008. The legally permissible amount of lead per parts per million has been decreasing over time as outlined in the initial legislation. As a Plantation Injury Lawyer, I hope that this can continue to reduce the amount of injuries that children suffer from unsafe products. Yet as I mentioned, it is a difficult balance because we don't want to hinder a manufacturer's ability to produce a product at a marketable price point.

It will take some time to see how this new limit affects product testing costs once those regulations change later this year as well. As a Plantation Products Liability Injury Lawyer, it goes without saying how important it is to prevent children from being exposed to unhealthy amounts of lead. Ultimately, that is the goal of this entire process and only time will tell if the new lead standards can help reduce the number of injuries, and hopefully the new lead content law accomplishes just that.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, Florida that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Plantation, Florida product liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Last week, the CPSC announced a potentially very dangerous recall of Disney pogo sticks made by Bravo sports. The products were recalled because the bottom tips can ware out prematurely and the handles can pose laceration hazards. In total, approximately 159,000 units are being recalled. As a Plantation Products Liability Injury Lawyer, this recall is troubling to read about since it affects young children. As I've mentioned before, these types of recalls are some of the most worrisome since we try so hard to prevent our children from being exposed to any type of injury risk.

According to the CPSC Disney pogo sticks recall release, there have already been some injuries. There were 82 reports of the bottom tip wearing out and five children have been injured. As a Plantation Injury Lawyer, it's always painful to hear about people's injuries, but when children are involved, it's even worse. According to the CPSC release, one 9 year old girl suffered a skull fracture, and another girl needed to get stitches. Clearly, these types of injuries are incredibly serious and troubling. These injuries are due to the fact that the rubber bottom tips on the bottom of the pogo sticks are defective.

Unfortunately, this the second Bravo Sports pogo stick recall this year. The company already recalled 169,000 pogo sticks back in March. The fact that over 325,000 pogo sticks have been recalled by Bravo Sports this year alone is certainly disconcerting. As a Plantation Products Liability Injury Lawyer, I'm curious as to why Bravo Sports didn't inspect the rest of its product line more carefully after the March recall. Although many of the Disney pogo sticks might have already been sold, had the company hypothetically found out about these defective parts months ago, perhaps these little girls would not have suffered these horrific injuries. All in all, this is a very serious product recall and it deserves every parent's attention.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, Florida that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Plantation, Florida product liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Earlier today, it was announced that Uvex Funride Ski Helmets have been recalled. The company initiated the recall because it was found that the helmets might not function as well as intended, which could pose a risk for head injuries. In total, about 800 of the Uvex Funride Ski Helmets are being recalled. As a Weston Product Liability Accident Lawyer, I think that this recall is important, since head injuries are among the most severe injuries imaginable. We trust a helmet to protect our head and brain from traumatic injury, and if this product isn't functioning properly, then recalling it is the only option.

According to the CPSC Uvex Funride Ski Helmet Recall Release, "The helmet provides insufficient shock absorption and resistance to penetration, posing a head injury hazard." Clearly, if someone were to fall while skiing, the ability of the helmet to absorb the majority of the impact to the head is critical. From the perspective of a Weston Injury Attorney, the company is doing the right thing by admitting the potential defect. While it might cost them financially in the short run, the potential injuries that could result from this defective product could be quite traumatic.

The company said that it discovered the defect during internal quality control inspections. The company also issued a statement on its Uvex recall page. Fortunately, there haven't been any injuries associated with this product defect. As a Weston Product Liability Injury Lawyer, I think that as long as the approximately 800 owners of this product find out about the recall before next ski season, then any head injuries should be able to be avoided. Thus, since it is the summer time now, the company should have a good chance of being able to spread the word about the recall before owners of the helmets begin to ski again next season.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Weston product liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

It was just announced today that Target has issued a recall of children's lamps. In total, the company is recalling about 13,000 units. The Circo Children's Task Lamps are being recalled due to laceration and fire hazards. As a Fort Lauderdale Product Liability Injury Lawyer, I'd say that a move like this is necessary, especially since children are the primary users of the product. Exposing thousands of children to a potentially dangerous product is simply wrong, which is why this recall needed to happen.

According to the CPSC Target Children's Task Lamps Recall Release, the lamps can overheat, which in turn may cause the adhesive inside the lamp socket to melt and move towards the bulb area. From there, the cooled glue can make the light bulb difficult to remove, which is where the laceration risk stems from. Additionally, the melted flammable glue can get on the electrical components, which then can pose a fire hazard to consumers. Clearly, this is a complex process that most consumers wouldn't be expecting. From the perspective of a Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorney, this is exactly why the recall is necessary. It doesn't seem reasonable for a consumer to assume that this complex process would occur, leaving them susceptible to harmful consequences.

To date, according to the CPSC report, there have been "six reports of glue on the lamp socket melting and migrating into the bulb area of the socket." Fortunately, there haven't been any injuries reported. As a Fort Lauderdale Product Liability Injury Attorney, what still worries me is the number of potentially dangerous lamps that need to be recalled. Nearly 13,000 lamps, and thus, nearly 13,000 children are potentially at risk for injury. Hopefully anyone who reads this post can pass the information along to any parents that they know, just in case they might have purchased this product. The full list and descriptions of the recalled units can be found via the CPSC Recall link above.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, Florida that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Fort Lauderdale, Florida product liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Just a few weeks ago, a jury found the University of Central Florida Athletics Association negligent in the Ereck Plancher, wrongful death lawsuit. The jury awarded $10 million to the family who brought the wrongful death lawsuit. For those who don't know, Ereck Plancher died during football conditioning workouts in 2008 while a member of the University of Central Florida football team. As a Fort Lauderdale Wrongful Death Lawyer, I have unfortunately heard about and read about similar stories to this one. The lawsuit alleges that Plancher died from organ damage brought on by the nature of the training workouts, which in turn caused his red blood cells to warp.

His red blood cells warped because he had sickle cell anemia. One of the bigger issues in the case was the allegation that the university knew about Plancher's condition because he had previously undergone medical tests for the university. The plaintiffs alleged that the university never informed Plancher, or his his parents, whereas the University of Central Florida Athletics Association argued that he signed medical wavers. From the perspective of a Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney, and as a parent, that is a very terrifying thing to hear. If true, I cannot imagine any parent who wouldn't be outraged if they weren't informed of an issue like this. In the end, the family countered that he had to sign the waivers out of fear of losing his football scholarship.

This particular tragedy is very relevant to us in South Florida, since many children in our community attend the University of Central Florida. As a Fort Lauderdale Wrongful Death Lawyer, I think that, especially in the Florida heat, it seems apparent that there needed to be better safety precautions in place. This is one of those lawsuits where there truly are no winners. This wrongful death outcome seems like it could have, and should have, been avoided.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Fort Lauderdale wrongful deaths. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal last week, approximately 1,000 DePuy hip replacement lawsuits have already been filed. These lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts against Johnson & Johnson alleging that there are defective components causing the hip replacement failures. As a Weston Medical Malpractice Lawyer, it seems logical to reason that even more lawsuits will be filed against Johnson & Johnson, assuming that additional hip replacements continue to fail. The Wall Street Journal reports that Johnson & Johnson added $570 million to its liability fund last year in anticipation of these DePuy hip replacement lawsuits.

However, some estimates in the Wall Street Journal article have the total cost of the lawsuits for Johnson & Johnson at over $1 billion. From the perspective of a Weston Injury Lawyer, part of what could cause Johnson & Johnson to be found liable is the widespread assumption that it knew about the problems with the product and anticipated that many would fail. As many people know, in August of last year, 90,000 DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Systems and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Systems were recalled.

The manufacturer acknowledged the findings that 12% to 13% of the hip replacements would fail within five years. Readers of this blog will remember a post on a DePuy hip replacement failure report, which purported that ultimately nearly half of the hip replacements would fail within six years. From the perspective of a Weston Medical Malpractice Attorney, I will be very interested in seeing how these cases progress, and to what degree Johnson & Johnson is ultimately found liable. As with many other high dollar volume lawsuits, I expect this issue to stay in the news for quite some time.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Weston, FL medical malpractice. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Just yesterday, Mizuno USA announced the recall of some of its baseball and softball gloves. The Mizuno gloves were recalled because some might contain a variety of molds. In total, nearly 131,000 baseball and softball gloves are being recalled. As a Pembroke Pines Product Liability Attorney, I think the timing of this recall is one of the biggest issues for Mizuno. It is the middle of summer and the middle of the MLB season, a time when a lot of children are outside playing or playing in organized leagues. This is not the time of year to have bad publicity because of a product recall.

According to the CPSC Mizuno USA Baseball and Softball Gloves Recall Release, the molds that were found in some of the gloves "could cause respiratory or other infections in individuals with chronic health problems, or in individuals who have impaired immune systems." The gloves that are being recalled are the Supreme Series and Ballpark Pro. Fortunately, no injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall. As a Pembroke Pines Accident Lawyer, I think that the large number of gloves that need to be recalled could unfortunately still pose an injury risk. It is very difficult to alert 131,000 people of an issue that they aren't expecting to hear about.

For those who think they might have purchased these products, they were sold at Walmart and Target from April 2010 until May 2011. From the perspective of Pembroke Pines Injury Attorney, I think that as long as no one gets hurt from this recall, that Mizuno should be able to move on from this without taking too big of a financial hit. Obviously, the cost of recalling and refunding 131,00 gloves is expensive, but the costs of a potential personal injury lawsuit would be much, much greater.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Pembroke Pines products liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Last week, 300,000 Hamilton Beach toasters were recalled because of a potential fire hazard. The reason for the recall is that the heating element in the recalled Hamilton Beach toasters can stay energized when something is placed in the toaster, potentially igniting the contents or other things around the toaster. As a Fort Lauderdale Products Liability Injury Attorney, I can say that any product recall that poses a fire hazard needs to be taken very seriously because of the potentially dangerous consequences. Fortunately, there haven't been any injuries reported.

According to the CPSC Hamilton Beach Toasters Recall Release, there have been three reports of the toasters causing minor damage to consumer's kitchens. The fact that there have only been three reports of minor damage and no reported injuries is great news. However, as a Fort Lauderdale Accident Lawyer, the large quantity of units that needs to be recalled still worries me. The fact that there are 300,000 potentially defective units that could pose a fire hazard is troubling.

Moreover, this is a product that consumers probably use with great frequency, if not daily. If someone is unaware of the product recall and continues to use their toaster daily, then the chances of the toaster igniting the contents might increase. That is why whenever you hear of a product recall it is important to pass along the word to friends and family, just in case they might own the defective, and potentially dangerous product.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Fort Lauderdale products liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Just yesterday, Johnson & Johnson announced a recall of Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets. In total, 60,912 bottles were recalled. The recall was announced after the company received reports of an "offensive odor". As readers of this blog will remember, Johnson & Johnson recalled Topamax in April because of a similar odor issue. As a Pembroke Pines Products Liability Injury Lawyer, I felt that it was important to bring this recall to my readers' attention since so many of us take Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets with regularity. Obviously this musty odor is not what we expect from our medication and it clearly falls short of the expectations that we have from Johnson & Johnson to deliver a quality product.

According to the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets Recall Announcement, no injuries have been associated with this latest product recall. This is great news and hopefully all of the pills can be recalled without anyone suffering harm. The odor that consumers are noting is a chemical known as 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, or TBA for short. This chemical is actually a by-product of a chemical used to treat shipping pallets. As a Pembroke Pines Injury Attorney, I think that it is worth nothing that Johnson & Johnson has been having numerous recalls linked to TBA and unexpected odors. Clearly this is an issue for the company that they need to resolve immediately.

For those who would like to check if their bottle of Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets is one of those recalled, be sure to visit the Tylenol Recall Announcement link above. By visiting that website you will be able to compare your lot number with the lot number that was recalled. As a Pembroke Pines Injury Lawyer, and as a consumer, I truly hope that Johnson & Johnson can resolve this TBA issue once and for all, because there just simply have been too many recalls linked to this issue already.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Pembroke Pines products liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Earlier this month, the family of a woman from Boca Raton filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Toyota. The woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning and the lawsuit alleges that the wrongful death stems from problems with Toyota's keyless ignition. The lawsuit claims that after the woman's Lexus failed to shut off in the garage, carbon monoxide gas entered her townhome through the ventilation system, allegedly leading to her death and to her boyfriend suffering serious injuries. As a Fort Lauderdale Wrongful Death Lawyer, I feel that it is important to note that the plaintiffs are also suing the woman's apartment complex over the aforementioned ventilation system.

The lawsuit is alleging that the car should have some monitor to detect when someone has failed to shut off the car via the keyless ignition. As a Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney, I am very curious to see how this case will be resolved. If Toyota is found liable, this could be one of the first of many lawsuits related to keyless ignition systems. It will also be interesting to see if car companies respond with a monitoring system that would shut off keyless ignition vehicles that are left running for an extended period of time.

I know that another lawsuit of this nature was filed in November 2010. The woman in that lawsuit is also suing Toyota after suffering brain damage. As a Fort Lauderdale Accident Lawyer, it will be interesting to see how the two courts in two different states rule in these two cases. As I mentioned, these two cases could set the precedent for many cases to come as more and more cars transition to a keyless ignition system.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Fort Lauderdale wrongful deaths. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Last week, Endo Pharmaceuticals and the FDA announced the recall of two lots of Endocet. Endocet is a painkiller and the recall was announced after discovering that certain bottles might contain a higher dosage of acetaminophen than what the product is indicated to contain. As stated, the recall affects two lots of 100 count bottles of the painkiller. As a Plantation Products Liability Injury Attorney, I am happy to report that there haven't been any injuries associated with this recall. That is very fortunate news because this incident could have caused some serious consequences.

According to the FDA Endocet Recall Release, the tablets that contain the higher dosage of acetaminophen could cause liver toxicity or even liver damage for certain people based on their alcoholic consumption or other medications that they take. As a Plantation Accident Lawyer, I can say that Endo Pharmaceuticals is very fortunate that no one suffered injury as a direct result of the defective drugs. As mentioned, the symptoms that one could suffer are quite severe and any injuries could pose a significant legal problem for the company.

Fortunately, the total number of bottles being recalled isn't tremendously large, otherwise the likelihood of someone becoming ill would dramatically increase. Hopefully everyone who takes this medication becomes aware of the recall and those who have the defective tablets find out about the mistake prior to consumption. As a Plantation Injury Lawyer, I just wanted to do my part to alert those who might take this medication about this recent Endocet recall.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Plantation products liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

On June 16, Big Lots announced the recall of its metal futon bunk beds. The recall stems from the death of a 3 year-old from Iowa, which was caused by the defective bunk beds. In total, approximately 30,000 Big Lots metal futon bunk beds are being recalled. As a Fort Lauderdale Products Liability Injury Attorney, and as a parent, it goes without saying just how horrific this incident is. It is always devastating when a defective product causes serious harm, but the damage is even more heatbreaking in a case like this where the product is believed to have caused the death of a little boy.

According to the CPSC Big Lots Bunk Beds Recall Release, the products pose an injury risk because "Children behind the futon or in the ladder area of the bunk bed can get entrapped when the futon and its metal frame are lowered from the seated to the flat position." Unfortunately, this is how the aforementioned little boy died. As a Fort Lauderdale Accident Lawyer, I can say that a recall such as this one is one of the most frightening, since it involves young children being exposed to a serious injury risk. Anytime children are at risk for injury, the issue immediately becomes much more worrisome.

The recalled units were sold at Big Lots from January 2009 until April 2010, which is why the total number of units being recalled is so large. As a Fort Lauderdale Injury Lawyer, I know that alerting 30,000 parents about this safety issue is going to be a difficult task. One can only hope that the word spreads quickly and that any other potential accidents related to this issue can be prevented by the recall.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Fort Lauderdale products liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.

Just yesterday, it was announced that approximately 900,000 bottles of Rugby Children's Pain and Fever Concentrated Drops were recalled. This is a nationwide recall for the defective units sold across the country since 2009. The recall was initiated because of inadequate child-resistant packaging. As a Fort Lauderdale Products Liability Injury Lawyer, I am pleased to report that there haven't been any injuries associated with the non-child-resistant units.

According to the CPSC Rugby Children's Pain and Fever Concentrated Drops Recall Release, the product is sold as a bottle and dropper package with a screw-on cap. The issue is with the dropper since it is not child-resistant and it can be used instead of the cap. As a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Lawyer, I can say that this presents an issue because if the dropper is used as the cap, a child could unscrew it. Obviously this presents a significant risk of injury for children, which is why this recall is necessary.

The recalled product contains acetaminophen and in accordance with the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, all products that contain acetaminophen must have child-resistant packaging. Thus, since the dropper is not child-resistant, the 900,000 bottles had to be recalled. Hopefully parents can keep these products out of their child's reach and hopefully this recall can be completed injury-free.

The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, FL that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Fort Lauderdale products liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.