Well, summer has come and gone for another year – ALMOST!! We still have Labor Day weekend to survive and part of me really does mean survive. Not only surviving entertaining our kids’ insatiable needs for non-stop action but surviving the roads and waterways of North Florida this weekend. Lots of people will be making that last trip to the beach, last venture in the boat either fishing, skiing, sunning or sailing, quick vacation down to see Mickey and friends or whatever else they can sneak in before we officially close the book on summer. Our family will be doing the same scheduled in between the other obligatory functions like horse show and swim practice.

It all adds up for lots of potential fun and fellowship with friends and family. Don’t forget to keep safety in the forefront of your mind. Safety for yourself, family friends and others. Slow down, look twice, be patient, don’t drink and drive – all those terms come to mind!

Enjoy your weekend, be safe and here’s to another fun filled summer in the books. Best part about summer ending – football starts!!

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For those of you with kids this is good news. Schedules become more manageable, vacation has come and gone and life settles down just a bit. Ahhh!

Not so fast, any relief gained by knowing where our kids are and when they have to be there is offset by those annoying yellow school buses and those darn school zones we all have to commute through. What is there about a bus or a slow speed zone that gets us all so aggravated? In reality, the amount of time added to our drives by stopping for a loading/unloading bus  is minuscule. A car accident will cause you much more delay and aggravation – ruining your day or someone elses day.

Slow down and take a deep breath. Allow a few extra minutes for that bus or school zone. Also, traffic on the roads will increase dramatically with moms and dads taking their kids to school. Worse yet, there will be a dramatic increase in new inexperienced drivers taking the family car to school for the first time.

Be attentive and patient! Traffic will settle down in a week or so. Try not to be the one who causes a car accident or becomes a victim of a car accident.

www.harrellandharrell.com

One of out trial attorneys, David Black, was kind enough to submit this article after completing a jury trial last week in Green Cove Springs, FL.  David and his team achieved a great result for our client. Here’s his submission:

Last week a jury in Clay County awarded my client $176,000.00 for injuries that were caused by a car accident.   The credit for this win belongs to my client.   In the news these days, it’s common for media outlets to bash attorneys and victims of car accidents for filing frivolous lawsuits.   However, last week a jury validated my client’s claims and justified awarding her damages to compensate her for the injuries that have caused her life to take a turn for the worse.   The reason my client deserves all the credit, is because she told the truth and her honesty convinced the jury she was significantly injured.   When I ask people, ”What is a frivolous lawsuit?”   The usual answer I get is, ”It’s when someone asks for compensation that they don’t deserve.”   You see in a personal injury lawsuit from a car accident, a victim’s credibility is always attacked.   The reason is to determine if the victim deserves compensation.    Well, in this case, my client was stopped in traffic when she was rear ended by a speeding car.   The impact broke her driver’s seat and caused her injuries.   She treated with doctors for over five years and required invasive medical procedures to help her live with her pain.   Her doctors testified that she will live with pain for the rest of her life.   My client deserved every penny that was awarded to her from the verdict.   She was able to testify to all of the aspects of her life that have changed for the worse due to her accident.   By telling the truth she was able to convince a jury of her peers that she should be compensated.   So with personal injury lawsuits if you want a jury to believe you and award you compensation for your injuries, honesty is the best policy.

If you’d like to speak with David or anyone else here at Harrell & Harrell, PA, please contact us.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

Have you had the misfortune of being involved in a car accident recently? Even though it hasn’t rained much this spring, there have been no lack of auto accidents on the roads in and around Jacksonville. Gas prices seem to be keeping some people off the roads but thankfully the high price of gasoline is starting to ease also. I do like my quicker drive to work but paying $60 for a tank of gas even in my Ford Fusion is getting old.

What should you do if you are involved in a car crash? There are so many things to consider and I know most of you don’t want to commit that kind of stuff to memory. Give us a call regardless of the facts of your accident or the extent of your injuries so we can help answer those questions. Yes there is still such a thing as FREE advice. Of course we would love to make you a client. Avoid the unnecessary referral services and consider using a local and highly respected law firm to handle your personal injury case.

If we can be of assistance, feel free to contact us! Your FREE consultation won’t cost you a thing and it is always confidential.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

Stumbled across this page provided by Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. School will be out soon and more young drivers will be out on the road for summer fun. Gas prices may slow that down a bit but not completely. Please share these tips with your kids and help keep us all safer on Florida’s roads and highways by reducing car accidents and personal injury. I imagine all these tips will work for us grown ups also.

www.harrellandharrell.com

Guess what? Toyota is recalling another 2 million vehicles for accelerator issues. They are really getting good at recalling cars. I won’t bore you with my version of the story so here’s a link .

If you’ve been injured by a faulty / recalled product, give us a call or send us an e-mail .

www.harrellandharrell.com

Have you recently been in a car accident? Injured or not, people have lots of unanswered questions about what to do and how to do it. There are lots of backyard cross the fence experts out there that help foster all the bad information about car accidents, injuries, insurance companies and attorneys.

Most folks have no understanding of the basic Florida auto insurance requirements and what their coverages do and for whom. Try explaining to a parent of a grown child still living at home why their own auto insurance has to pay for their child’s medical bills after the child gets in a car accident while riding with a buddy.

Regardless of fault, there are certain questions we ask people to help determine who is going to pay the injured person’s medical bills and lost wages. You should hear the feedback I have heard over the years. Some people get irate, some are still confused even after I have tried to explain it until I am blue in the face while others just say OK!

If you have questions concerning your car accident or auto insurance, call us or send an e-mail through our website. I promise to try to answer all your questions and you won’t even get to see me turn blue.

Give us a call

General Motors will recall over 303,000 Chevrolet Impalas for a problem with the front seat belts.  The seat belt webbing on certain 2009-2010 Impalas may not have been properly secured to the belt pretensioner anchor, which is located near the door. The seatbelt may not properly protect an occupant of  the car involved in a crash;therefore, the occupants may suffer serious personal injury as a result of a car accident. Dealers will inspect both front seat belts and reinstall the anchors, if necessary. The recall will begin late October.

For more information, contact Chevrolet at 800-630-2438.

Please contact us if you think you were injured as a result of this problem or any other Jacksonville car accident.

Who pays your medical bills when you are injured in a Florida car accident?

Most people don’t know that answer until after they are the victim of another driver’s carelessness. They call the at-fault insurance company only to be told to pound sand or some similar response. Then they call an attorney because they are frustrated with the first answer. Sometimes I can sense additional frustration when we ask them for the name of their automobile insurance company and attempt to explain Florida’s No-Fault law. Who does pay your medical bills?

Here’s a copy of an answer to that question which is posted on our website.

Florida is a “no fault insurance” state. Therefore, your own car insurance, under its Personal Injury Protection (PIP) provisions required under Florida law, is the primary or first to pay medical expenses.

Although PIP benefits can vary from policy to policy, typically 80% of your medical expenses up to $10,000 are paid by PIP. The “no fault” concept is designed to make sure your medical bills are quickly paid and a car accident victim does not have to spend time and money fighting over who was at fault for the car accident to get legitimate medical bills paid. These payments by your insurance company DO NOT affect your premiums.

If PIP benefits are used up, various types of health insurance and other programs may then assume responsibility for your medical expenses.

Please feel free to contact us for answers to many other questions you may have regarding your car accident or injuries suffered in your car accident.

www.harrellandharrell.com