Here’s a brief submission from one of our “intake officers” talking about the initial process of hiring a personal injury lawyer or just getting a free consultation to discuss your options. We try to make everyone feel comfortable by just clearly explaining your options, so don’t worry about high pressure sales (that’s not the point of the intake process)!

Most people are not as “sue happy” as you would think, and most only contact an auto accident lawyer after becoming frustrated with the insurance companies and the seemingly endless run-arounds they get. In my 25 plus years as a legal investigator I have dealt with countless numbers of clients who are skeptical of lawyers and doctors in general, and they only turn to a lawyer when they feel there is no other option.

My job in intake is the first step in making sure you don’t settle for less than you deserve. I make an effort to make sure new car accident clients are well informed during the initial conference. I try to put them at ease, make them feel comfortable and relaxed. Sometimes however, due to the physical pain they are enduring, this is difficult. It’s my obligation to explain the best I can how the insurance process works, how the medical bills are paid, who takes care of wage loss, who pays to fix a car, what the responsibility of the at fault person and that person’s insurance company is, and, of course, how long the process takes. 

Sometimes we have new auto accident clients who have involved other attorneys on previous cases, and I’m often told “I never got to meet a lawyer.” Meeting your lawyer happens quickly at Harrell and Harrell. I am usually able to walk down the hall and get your lawyer for a quick face-to-face. 

Statements I hear often are “I don’t want to sue the other person,” or “we are not sue happy people.” Well the good news for them is that most of the time we will only be making a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company, not the at-fault driver, and not necessarily even filing a law suit. We will be attempting to negotiate a fair and equitable settlement if at all possible. If that doesn’t work, then a law suit at some point might be needed. Be assured, however, that is always the client’s prerogative and choice.

Contact us if we can be of assistance with your personal injury claim.

The first moments following an auto accident can be extremely hectic and confusing. If you are involved in a collision, our auto accident attorneys advise you to take the following steps immediately to ensure that you protect your legal rights. Here are some recommendations as to what you should do following a car accident.

• Dial 911 – In Florida, a police report must be completed after all auto accidents if property damage exceeds $500 or if it involves an injury or death. Call 911 to report the accident and make sure to advise the 911 operator of any injuries.

• If possible, move your vehicle to the side of the road and turn off your ignition. Try to stand clear of the accident vehicles while calling for help to avoid injury in case the cars are hit again. If parties are injured, do not attempt to move them unless they are in immediate danger.

• Our Florida car accident attorneys always recommend that you avoid admitting fault or discussing fault with others involved in the collision. You should always try to avoid confrontation and cooperate fully with law enforcement and/or rescue personnel.

• Exchange information with all parties involved in the collision without discussing or admitting fault. Make sure to write down registration numbers, drivers license info, and insurance info.

• Check for witnesses to the auto accident - obtain witness contact information (including work and home phone numbers). Don’t assume the police will write down all the witness information.

• If you are experiencing any pain, seek immediate medical attention (even if you feel the injury is minor).

• Make sure to photograph your vehicle (before repairs are completed) and injuries sustained from the crash. If you have a camera available at the scene you may want to photograph the crash scene and vehicles involved in the collision.

Above all, protect your rights. You are not required to give statements to the other party’s insurance company. While you should cooperate with your own insurance company, you may want to consider consulting one of our Jacksonville auto accident attorneys before giving a statement.

Give us a call (800)251-1111 or fill out our convenient online form at www.harrellandharrell.com if we can be of any assistance or just answer a few questions.

Here’s a link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall notice concerning faulty tea kettles.

About 132,000 enameled steel tea kettles distributed by Copco, a division of Wilton Industries of Woodridge, IL have been recalled due to the possibility of the handle becoming loose and creating a burn hazard resulting in severe personal injuries and disfigurement. The recall involves Copco and Wild Life Tea Co. Bristol model and Martha Stewart Collection Enameled Steel Tea Kettles in various colors. The link above shows a picture of the recalled tea kettle and who to contact  concerning the product recall.

Contact us if we can be of any assistance.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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

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!

Having worked in the personal injury  field for close to 15 years, I wind up paying much more attention to potential hazards whether it be driving in Jacksonville traffic, going out to eat at a local restaurant or just doing some shopping. I have heard about every type of accidental injury story you can think of – some are much more believable than others. People need to be reminded of the need for taking that extra few seconds to make sure what they are about to do won’t result in an accident.

I ran across this Reuters news story this morning which reports that Florida is the most dangerous state for pedestrians. Guess what – Jacksonville and it’s many surrounding communities are ranked in the top four in the state.

I know I don’t want to be one of those accident statistics and assume neither do you. Obviously everyone needs to always look out for themselves but let’s not forget to look out for others. If you see a dangerous situation develop, be proactive by slowing down and warning others of the potential hazard. Next time it might be you trying to cross the street.

How many times have you told a business owner of a spill on the floor, straightened that rug at the entrance of your local grocery store, or picked up an item that fell on the floor? If you do it more often, so will others.

Enjoy the holidays and be careful!

Harrell and Harrell, PA

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