We plan on rolling out some major changes to our website shortly after we do some beta testing on the new site. It should make our site more user friendly and readable. They say the transition will be seamless – we’ll see!

Harrell & Harrell is proud to serve the people of Jacksonville and the surrounding North Florida area. Please contact us about any questions you may have concerning your car accident, trucking accident, boat accident or any other type of personal injury matter. We are also glad to speak with you about your Social Security Disability questions. We can be reached at (904)251-1111 or (800)251-1111 if you are not in the local calling area. For those of you who like the convenience of the Internet, feel free to use our online form.

We are your local team of Jacksonville trial lawyers.

www.harrellandharrell.com

Here’s a link to a lengthy NY Times article that attorney Charlie Douglas forwarded to me. His comment to me was that it was absolutely horrifying and I would agree after reading the recent article.

With advances in modern technology comes some unknown risk but to know that the risks have been knowingly hidden from the public is flat out wrong and immoral.

Call or e-mail us with your personal injury questions. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.

www.harrellandharrell.com

Do you own one of these cars or trucks? Add the 2010 Toyota Prius to the list for bad brakes

• 2009-2010 RAV4

• 2009-2010 Corolla

• 2009-2010 Matrix

• 2005-2010 Avalon

• 2007-2010 Camry

• 2010 Highlander

• 2007-2010 Tundra

• 2008-2010 Sequoia

If so, contact Toyota because they just recalled 2.3 million of them for “isolated incidents of the accelerator sticking”.

That could be bad news! Check it out before you wind up the victim of a car accident or just a scary white knuckle ride.

If we can help, please contact us at 800-251-1111

www.harrellandharrell.com

I haven’t read through the report yet but I thought I would share the link to the media release from the Florida Insurance Commissioner’s website. The release has a link to a PDF version of the annual report.

Call Harrell & Harrell, PA with your questions about workers’ compensation benefits and on-the-job injuries.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

I can’t count the number of times a potential client has called and told me they had full coverage for car insurance only to find out they had the bare bones State of Florida required coverage PIP & PD or as most people say PIP and liability. They just have no idea what that means in reality and are shocked when they learn what it does or doesn’t do.

Sadly, most people don’t learn anything about their auto insurance until AFTER they have been injured in a car accident and they call an attorney.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to learn what you have or worse yet – DON’T have on your auto insurance policy. Call Harrell and Harrell for your free consultation or submit your questions through our website at www.harrellandharrell.com

We would be glad to explain what your insurance company or agent has never taken the time to explain or you have just never bothered listening to the details. Some insurance quotes are cheaper for a reason – less valuable coverage!

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

Kudos to Mark Papa, a social security attorney who works for Harrell & Harrell in our Mandarin/Southside office, for feeding me with great blog information regarding the SSA and your Social Security benefits.

The article by Senior Editor Jason White at msnbc.com sums it up very nicely.  Aging baby boomers and the struggling economy are driving up Social Security claims to staggering levels. According to Jason’s statistics he quotes from the SSA, new claims for disability benefits rose nearly 17 percent in fiscal year 2009 and disability filings are projected to rise another 10 percent in fiscal 2010. Add that to the already 12 million Americans who receive disability benefits at a total cost of $161 billion in fiscal 2009.

Wow!

Read the article because Jason sums it up better than I ever could and then call Mark Papa at (904)251-1111 to schedule your free consultation. If you are outside of the Jacksonville area, feel free to use our toll free number or submit your information on our “Do I Have a Case” form.

www.harrellandharrell.com

Car accident – Who you gonna call?

Ghostbusters? Ask Gary? Ask Dave? What happened to Ask Kobe?

They come and they go like ships passing in the night. Some have flashy spokespeople and cute sayings that catch your attention, some have catchy phone numbers but what are they really?  Who will you wind up with and do they really care about you or just the auto insurance you come in with?

Most are just referral middleman out to make the almighty dollar off of your tragic experience. Some are medical clinics while some are actual attorneys that practice on the other end of the state and will fly in to make you their client but will they fly back when you have other questions and concerns?

 Don’t make things worse – call an experienced local Jacksonville trial attorney that has a name you can trust and the resources to represent you against the mega insurance companies – they aren’t your good neighbor and definitely don’t want you in good hands. That boils things down to a handful of local Jacksonville lawyers that are truly out to represent the people of Jacksonville.

The smaller personal injury firms or solo practitioners of Jacksonville warn you against going to the bigger law firms like Harrell & Harrell, PA by claiming we will treat you as just another number. We do not and will not treat our clients that way. We have a large staff and have designed our operating systems to focus primarily on auto accident injury claims so we can give our clients, YOU, the personal touch they expect. We understand that your injury claim is your ONLY claim whether it is big or small. Personal injury is what we do – it’s that simple.  They may also claim that you may never see the attorney or lawyer that is handling your file because we are so big. Again untrue, our experienced and caring attorneys and their staff are available to you from start to finish and sometimes beyond. They are just a call or e-mail away 24 hours a day.

The attorneys and staff at Harrell & Harrell, PA  also understand that word of mouth advertising is much more effective and affordable so our primarily goal is to handle every injury claim that comes into our office to the best of our ability so you leave our office knowing you made the right choice in the beginning.

Hopefully you will refer us a friend, family member or co-worker when they are injured and need an experienced trial lawyer.

Don’t leave it to chance – Contact Harrell & Harrell today for your free consultation.

(904)251-1111

(800)251-1111

www.harrellandharrell.com

None of us ever want to be the victim of an auto accident or the cause of an auto accident. In my 15 years of working at Harrell & Harrell, two common accident scenarios always come to mind and both are easily avoidable.

#1     Picture this – it’s 5 pm and time to go home after a long day’s work. Everyday you do the same thing – walk to your car – get in – buckle up - and head for home but first you have to turn out of the parking lot. Do you always look both ways when you are simply turning right onto the road? 99.9 % (I made that stat up) of the time there won’t be a car coming that way but what about the pedestrian, jogger or bicyclist on the sidewalk. I can’t count the number of times I have heard this story. Always look both ways and if you see someone approaching on the sidewalk make sure they see you. As an avid cyclist and runner, I never cross in front of someone unless I have eye contact with them but not everyone adheres to that idea. Some even assume they have the right of way. They may be right but the vehicle normally wins the battle.

#2   The second scenario could be presented in the same way but picture having to turn out across 2 or 3 lanes of rush hour traffic plus a busy turn lane to go left out of your parking lot. There are cars stopped in traffic when that good samaritan trying to help you out gives “the deadly wave” to go ahead and cross in front of him. Go ahead and assume everyone else is out to hit you! You wouldn’t believe the number of callers that honestly felt that it must be clear to go all the way out to the turn lane. What if the 3rd lane isn’t stopped? What if the center turn lane becomes a convenient although illegal lane of travel for someone to make it that last quarter mile to the red light? Wham-mo! Whether you cause the accident or not it usually results in some sort of injury.

The holidays bring a lot more traffic, a wee bit more stress and maybe even a little less patience as we prepare for the fun. Take that extra few seconds to look both ways and ensure you won’t be the next  injured victim of a careless auto accident or the cause of something tragic.

     Whether injured by a co-worker or a liable third-party, the effects can be devastating and your right and responsibilites vary greatly.  Avoid being the victim of another mistake by contacting us to discuss your legal options.

     As the economy worsens and employers  attempt to raise production with less manpower, corners will be cut and seemingly innocent oversights will occur resulting in more dangerous work sites and conditions. Don’t become the innocent injured victim.  Stay aware of your surroundings and make sure to voice your concerns to the appropriate people so catastrophic personal injury can be avoided.

       The National Safety Council published some of the most common safety violations so far in 2009. Scaffolding remains the most problematic area.  Whether you are working on the most basic makeshift scaffolds to high-end commercially produced products – safety awareness should be job one. A good discussion of this data can be found at “The Safety Blog“.

     If you, your loved one, family member or co-worker find yourself injured on the job due to just plain dumb luck or the carelessness of another – call Harrell & Harrell to arrange for a free consultation or just visit our website and submit a “Do I Have A Case” form. Either way someone will address your concerns so you can just focus on getting better.

Driver distraction caused the deaths of nearly 6,000 people and the injuries of 500,000 people last year according to new government reports on auto safety. There is a correlation of using mobile devices while driving. This includes texting while driving and talking on the cell.

Transportation officials recently released a report that showed driver distraction being involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008. The Transportation report shows that 515,000 people were injured and 5,870 people were killed last year, with driver distraction being involved in the accident.

The Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, government officials, safety advocates, researchers and lawmakers came together last month to discuss ways of setting new restrictions on texting and using devices while driving. Young adults involved in car accidents  where they were texting while driving were also involved in the safety discussions. New data supports that 16 percent of all under-20 drivers involved in fatal car accidents were distracted while driving.

Every day, people text and drive, even in places where it’s outlawed. According to Secretary LaHood “We feel a very strong obligation to point to incidents where people have been killed or where serious injury has occurred.”

Earlier this year, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that collision risks were 23 times greater when drivers of heavy trucks texted while driving. Dialing a cell phone and using or reaching for an electronic device increased risk of collision about six times in cars and trucks. The popular magazine Car and Driver released a report that showed texting and driving to be more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. This report obviously has caused a lot of controversy and discussions among safety advocates.

Some groups want tough laws on the distractions and are asking for restrictions on talking and texting by drivers of tractor trailers, motor coaches and large vans.

Automobile Manufacturers and the Governors Highway Safety Association are on the same page in support of restrictions for texting while driving. Surprisingly, 11 automakers have come together on a united front with the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers to support this important issue of auto safety and the use of handheld devices.

The Cellular Telephone Industry Association (CTIA) believes that education and enforcement are critical to changing the behavior of drivers. A series of Public Service Announcements warning teen drivers of the dangers on distracted driving will be paid for by the National Safety Council and CTIA in an effort to promote safe driving.

Please be cautious while driving.  Nothing is more important than your life and the lives of others.