Happy New Year from all of us at Harrell and Harrell, PA. We hope 2012 is brighter and better than ever for everyone. Please be safe over this holiday weekend. Don’t drink and drive OR eat too much.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Happy New Year!!!!
Dec 30
Remembering Pearl Harbor
Dec 7
A picture is worth a thousand words – say a quick prayer for those who gave their lives for our freedom.
Just a quick note to alert everyone out there to this recall. The Rocketfish battery case sold exclusively at Best Buy can overheat while charging causing a serious risk of burn and/or fire hazard. 31,000 of them were sold in the United States along with another 1,000 in Canada.
Most people have no idea what kind of insurance they have until AFTER they get into an auto accident. Every state is different when it comes to required coverages for your automobile. Florida is considered a “NO-Fault” state because of our required coverage or lack thereof. People call us all day long and tell me until they are blue in the face that they have full coverage. The definition of full coverage varies greatly from caller to caller. Have you ever heard the saying – you can never have enough insurance? What kind of insurance should you have?
The answer to that question also varies tremendously. In my opinion, the most important coverage you can carry in Florida is UM or under/uninsured motorist coverage. How do you know if you carry any or enough of this coverage? Find out BEFORE you have a car accident. Call your insurance company or agent to have them clearly explain to you what type of coverage you have and then ask them what you don’t have. Run through different scenarios in your head to double check that you have not just the state mandated coverage but the coverage to give you and your family peace of mind in the event of an auto accident related injury. If you need some help, give us a call. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard almost every possible scenario you could dream up.
SAFE HALLOWEEN
Oct 13
Lacking blog inspiration this morning I decided to share an old article from the CDC on Halloween Safety. There are lots of good tips and safety advice in the brief article.
TRICK or TREAT?
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Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible. |
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Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult. |
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Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you. |
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Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat. |
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Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. |
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Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation. |
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Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible. |
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Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses. |
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Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe. |
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Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls. |
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Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook well. |
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Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Otherwise, stay outside. |
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Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes. |
John Deere Recall
Sep 15
John Deere announced two recalls today concerning certain lawn tractor models. One of the recalls relates to the blade brakes in which the brake can fail and allow the blades to take longer to spin to a stop – posing a laceration hazard.
The other recallis also on certain lawn tractor models in which the hardware holding the brake housing onto the transmission can fail and cause a loss of lawn tractor brakes.
Thankfully neither defect has lead to a personal injury. Hopefully we are helping to spread the word to prevent anyone from being injured.
Summer’s last hurrah
Sep 1
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!!
School is back in session
Aug 15
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.
Honesty – the best policy
Jul 21
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!
Our lead Social Security attorney, Mark Papa, just got out of a meeting with the Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) of the Jacksonville, FL Social Security hearing office. Here’s Mark’s summary of that meeting.
The Jacksonville Hearing Office is receiving 600 new cases per month (which, according to the Chief ALJ, means they are trying to adjudicate at least 600 cases a month, with our without a hearing);
The Jacksonville Hearing Office has 6,400 active cases currently (down from almost 12,000 active cases just 10 years ago, or so);
It is taking approximately 12 months, give or take, to have a hearing scheduled from the time that a claim is received in their office (i.e. after a Request for Hearing is filed);
The Federal fiscal year ends September 30, 2011 and right now, no one knows what Social Security’s budget will be, The rate at which the claims are processed and heard is directly related to staffing (both support staff and ALJs) at the hearing office, which is directly related to the budget.
Currently there are 13 ALJs housed at the Jacksonville Hearing Office.
If your claim was filed in Daytona Beach, Deland, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Lake City, Palatka, or St. Augustine, your claim will be heard by a Jacksonville ALJ.
If we can help you or someone you know answer questions about Social Security or represent you if you are denied, please get in contact with us right away.