Harrell and Harrell's Personal Injury law blog

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Posts Tagged auto accident

Things to Do After An Auto Accident

Mar 16

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Personal Injury, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death | Comments off

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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Hit and run car accidents

Feb 26

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Personal Injury, Truck Accidents | Comments off

According to data provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Duval County ranks third in the State of Florida when it comes to hit and run car accidents even though our population is only seventh in the state. I have heard countless sad stories of accidents that have turned peoples lives upside down. Although you never know if you will be involved in a hit and run accident, you can rest assured if you know more of what your insurance policy actually covers. Make your agent or the insurance company explain what each type of coverage does before you just pick the lowest quote or just blindlessly renew your policy you have had for years.

I can’t recall the number of times people call thinking they have great coverage only to find out they have the bare minimum coverage allowed by Florida law.

If you can’t get your agent to explain the ins and outs of auto insurance, call us at Harrell & Harrell, PA. We would be glad to explain it to you BEFORE you have a car accident.

Don’t settle for less than you deserve!

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Motorcycle safety

Feb 25

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Personal Injury | Comments off

With our recent warm spell this weekend, I was quickly reminded of the number of motorcycles that share our North Florida roads. My kids and I actually had a contest to see who could count the most as we drove around town. Now that the weather has turned cold again I am pretty sure that some of the less avid bikers may put the hog back in the garage. The cold won’t last long (or at least I hope not) and they will all be out in full force enjoying our fabulous spring time weather.

Just as motorists look out for other motorists, we should always look out for others sharing the roadways – motorcyclists and cyclists alike. Check that blind-spot carefully and maintain traffic awareness at all times. The roads aren’t getting any less crowded but we can keep them safe by practicing safe driving. Be patient – I’d rather be 2 minutes late for something than be involved in a traffic accident and potentially injure someone or be injured myself.

LOOK TWICE – SAVE A LIFE

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Big Toyota recall

Jan 21

Posted by admin in Aviation Law, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Traumatic Brain Injury, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death | Comments off

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

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Full coverage auto insurance

Jan 5

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, General Law, Personal Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Truck Accidents, Workers' Compensation, Wrongful Death | Comments off

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!

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Big traffic accident

Dec 22

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, General Law, Personal Injury, Truck Accidents, Workers' Compensation, Wrongful Death | Comments off

Two semi trucks collided while travelling south on Interstate 95 this morning leaving one of the drivers dead. The truck accident happened just south of the St John’s County / Flagler County line.  Traffic is a mess on 95 and on US 1 near 95.  Only reason I know about the traffic is that my wife is stuck in it trying to get down to Orlando.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the truck driver and his/her family. Just a reminder of how quickly our lives can change. Please be careful on the roads as everyone starts to travel to family and friends for the holidays.

www.harrellandharrell.com

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Don’t become a statistic – look twice before crossing

Dec 10

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, General Law, Personal Injury, Truck Accidents, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death | Comments off

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

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Car Accident – Who you gonna call?

Nov 24

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Traumatic Brain Injury, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death | Comments off

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

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Need to apply for Social Security?

Nov 23

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, Boating Accidents, Disability Denial, General Law, Personal Injury, Social Security Denial | Comments off

Start now because it may take a while. The government does try to make it easy to get the ball rolling whether it be for disability or retirement. Check out the link at the end of the post to apply online.

If you are denied for disability benefits for whatever reason, contact us , within sixty days of the denial letter’s date or you may have to start the process again.  Jacksonville handles most of the claims for the North Florida area.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to call the personal injury lawyers at Harrell and Harrell, PA .

Here’s the link to apply online:

http://www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability/

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Common auto accident scenarios

Nov 20

Posted by admin in Auto Accidents, General Law, Personal Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Truck Accidents, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death | Comments off

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.

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