Archive for category Wrongful Death

Rampant abuse in nursing home

State authorities are closing a Jacksonville nursing home because of abusive conditions – a measure so rare that local authorities can’t remember it ever happening here.  This facility is one in which a known sex offender raped a comatose woman and inspection reports back to at least 2008 document out-of-control patients who became violent.  One recent AHCA report resulted in 257 deficiencies. But the final straw came during a February investigation, when it found some residents were hitting other residents, falling repeatedly and attempting to escape, including one resident that got as far as St. Johns County and another that attempted to climb the exterior fence. 

It is saddening and truly unfortunate to hear that such extraordinary measures are being taken to stop the ongoing abuse and neglect in a Jacksonville nursing home.  As a community, we need to work harder to immediately hold nursing homes responsible when there has been abuse or neglect.  It is often, sadly, the most vulnerable, that need our protection.  If you feel a loved one has been the victim of abuse or neglect in this or any other nursing home, please contact us…

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Swimming Pool Safety

I thought about this topic as I was cleaning the out the filters and skimmer in my pool early this morning.

How much thought do you put into swimming pool safety this time of year?

With a house full of little swimmers, it is constantly on my mind. With temperatures starting to climb into the 90′s here in Jacksonville, FL the pool temperature is steadily going up. My kids think it is because daddy has the heater running (little do they know) but that is for another article.

It only takes a moment for a child or adult to drown in even the slightest bit of water. We should all make sure our pool safety fences are in good condition and that the self-locking mechanism device on the gate  is operating properly. For those of you that have doors and windows equipped with alarms – check to see if they work just like you would for your smoke detector. You don’t want to find out after a swimming pool accident that it could have been easily avoided. Next, it’s time to consider swimming lessons for the little ones that have not developed gills yet. There are plenty of options out there from private to group lessons.

As far as the pool itself goes, you should have a qualified expert like your local pool company come out and  make sure your safety devices such as the pressure relief valve on the drains are working. Who knows what kind of creature could have called your pool equipment home over the winter months.

There are many other things to consider but one of the most important is to not swim alone or let a non-swimmer have access to your pool without qualified supervision. We have all heard horrific stories of how fast a drowning can occur – Don’t let it happen on your watch or in your pool!

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Drowning hazard for divers

Tabata USA in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled the TUSA RS-670 Regulators. Scuba divers should immediately stop using this product and return the regulator to Tabata or an authorized dealer for a free inspection and replacement. Spread the word to fellow divers and local dive shops to help prevent any mishaps or drowning deaths.

Here’s the link to the recall.

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Infants die in baby slings

The reports of three infants deaths have been brought to the attention of the  CPSC. The infants died due to suffocation in these baby slings produced by Infantino, LLC out of San Diego. Our condolences go out to those three families and any others that may have suffered the same loss.

Obviously, you should immediately stop use of these baby slings. The recall uses 4 months of age and younger wording but I would err on the side of caution and stop using it altogether. Over a million slings are being recalled in the United States and fifteen thousand in Canada.

Here’s the link to the CPSC / Infantino recall .

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Things to Do After An Auto Accident

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.

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Don’t sign away your rights

As corporations become more and more fearful of lawsuits stemming from their own negligence, they continue to try to protect themselves by making their customers and clients sign arbitration agreements as part of their contracts. These arbitration agreements eliminate the right for you to bring your case in front of a judge and jury if you’ve been injured due to a corporation’s negligence.

The Boston Herald recently did a story on nursing homes that take advantage of some of our most at-risk citizens by urging seniors to sign complex nursing home contracts with arbitration agreements tucked away inside. This means that the nursing home is less likely to pay for gross negligence or outright abuse of its patients because arbitration agreements almost always result in lower awards for victims and less legal fees for the facility.

Harrell & Harrell has experienced nursing home abuse lawyers in Jacksonville that can talk to you about your case if you or a loved one have been the victim of nursing home abuse. Please contact us by phone or send us an e-mail if you have any questions.

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Toyota recall

Do you get the feeling that there is still more breaking news to come regarding quality control at Toyota? Is this the classic story of a big corporation relying on their bean counters to tell them what is the most economical decision instead of the right decision?

Regardless of the answers to the questions – if you own a recalled Toyota make sure you are bringing it into your local dealership so any and all safety issues can be addressed. What a mess!

If we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to call one of our Jacksonville personal injury law offices at (800)251-1111 or contact us at your convenience on the internet.

Harrell & Harrell, PA – your Jacksonville injury team.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

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Crib recall due to infant deaths

I saw this on the news last night and also received an e-mail from theCrib label Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about the recent crib recall. Here’s the link to the recall. Three strangulations have been reported due to the faulty crib’s design. It urges parents to stop using the cribs immediately and do not attempt to fix them.

Please contact us by phone or send us an e-mail if you have any questions.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Harrell & Harrell Jacksonville Injury Lawyers

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 group_photo_smallInternet, feel free to use our online form.

We are your local team of Jacksonville trial lawyers.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Radiation treatment hazards

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

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