A San Francisco company remains under investigation for the deaths of five women who suffered fatal burn injuries last week as they were trapped in a burning limousine.
A group of chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists have filed the first of numerous anticipated lawsuits over Florida’s recently overhauled personal injury protection (PIP) law. Nearly eight months after the PIP law passed, auto insurers have not yet reduced any premiums. In fact, State Farm recently proposed increasing the PIP portion of its insurance by 22 percent, but it is willing to settle for a mere 7.9 percent increase.
The fundamental purpose of insurance is to provide a safety net to support its policyholder in dire times. Whether it is financial protection following a natural disaster, auto accident, or life-threatening illness, Americans turn to insurance companies to ease their stress and help them rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, most hard-working individuals and their families in the United States are insured by massive conglomerates that strive to undercut policyholders at every opportunity, raise premiums without warning, deny claims whenever possible, and effectively betray the trust and fiduary duties owed to their insureds.
Gregory Perenich, a partner at PERENICH The Law Firm, and his associate, Jowita Wysocka, have been invited to speak at an upcoming Clearwater Bar Association lunch seminar hosted by the Civil Practice Section. The one-hour seminar is titled “Highlights of the New PIP Law” and will begin at 12:00 noon on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at the Clearwater Grand Hotel, 20967 US Hwy 19 N, Clearwater, Florida.
A recent article by Car and Driver magazine examines a disturbing yet growing trend that is one of the leading causes of car accidents, injuries, and automobile deaths in Florida and throughout the country. Until Florida’s lawmakers and leaders come to appreciate the immense risk of injury and death to thousands of Floridians caused by texting and driving, all drivers should remain ever vigilant and cautious on the roads.
In light of the statistics and inordinately high numbers of auto accidents and pedestrian deaths caused by reckless drivers throughout the Tampa Bay area, the public is well served by the recent efforts by Tampa and St. Petersburg to make major intersections safer by installing cameras. Another way to dramatically reduce traffic congestion as well as improve the safety of Tampa Bay area roads and highways is through public transit, particularly in the form of light rail.
As the 4th of July approaches, most families are busy preparing plans for Independence Day weekend. Unfortunately, so too are car crashes and other highway vehicle accidents.
On average, nearly 250,000 traffic accidents occur in Florida every year, resulting in nearly 3,000 fatalities, according to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. Each of these tragic motor vehicle crashes is terrible in its own respect, but the case of David Belniak sent ripples of shock throughout the Tampa Bay, Florida area and surrounding counties. On June 12, 2012, the jury determined that Mr. McWilliams was not at fault in the crash and awarded a total of $14 million to the relatives of the victims Belniak in compensatory damages. The parties later reached a settlement of $1 million in punitive damages.
A jury in Palm Beach County, Florida recently awarded a motorcyclist $38 million for injuries and damages sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
Rather than accepting a settlement payout of no more than $1,000 by participating in a class action lawsuit against Honda, a California woman has opted out of the lawsuit. Instead, Heather Peters is suing Honda individually in small claims court, where she may recover up to $10,000.
