Jacksonville Personal Injury Blog

After it was revealed in an analysis of 42 clinical trials in May 2007 that patients taking Avandia to treat Type 2 diabetes faced a 43% greater risk of having a heart attack, concern spread relating to the failure of manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline and the FDA to properly warn consumers about its cardiac risks. Based on a recent report, Avandia is now considered to pose more risk than Actos and a study revealed that senior citizens are the group most at risk of suffering from heart failure and death as a result of using Avandia. According to the article, in analyzing almost 40,000 records of patients 66-years-old and above, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre researchers in Toronto found that for every 93 patients given Avandia as opposed to Actos, there would be one additional cardiovascular event or death each year.

Even though new warning stating the specific risks of myocardial ischemia was added to Avandia’s boxed warning information in November 2007, other serious risks have been brought to the surface, such as liver failure. A Consumer advocacy group, Public Citizen, published the research that revealed Avandia’s risk of liver toxicity and noted that its risks “far outweigh its benefits.” And as skilled Jacksonville, Florida Avandia lawyers, we couldn’t agree more. It is utterly tragic when medication that is supposed to help treat a serious disease or ailment ends up making a condition worse or creating new health problems for an innocent patient to endure.

Continue reading " The Many Dangers of Avandia: Study Reveals Heightened Risk for the Elderly " »

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Posted In: Defective Drug , Health & Information , Law & Information , Personal Injury , Pharmaceutical Litigation , Product Liability

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It sounds like a comedy skit, except it is not funny. A man was driving his motorcycle naked on I-75 in Marion County early Tuesday morning. A Marion County deputy was driving when he stopped the naked man, a 45-year-old, at a red light. There were no answers to the question why he was naked but the deputy did get an answer from his breathalyzer test – a blood alcohol level above .08. The man was legally drunk. This was not a surprise.

The motorcyclist was charged with what was his fifth DUI. Jail records showed he was later released on $20,000 bail.

The U.S. is the most lenient nation when it comes to DUI. In Europe, many countries say if you drink, you don’t drive. The general standard for DUI there is 0.05 BAC. Caught over the limit, you are cited and your car is towed. You can lose your license and go to jail for a first offense.

In Dubai, for example, drinking and driving brings you a six month jail sentence. No questions asked. No exceptions. Zero alcohol tolerance.

Zero tolerance means different things in different places. It is illegal in every state for someone under the age of 21 to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages. 46 states, including Florida, have established lower blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) for young drivers. That’s because the federal government reports nearly one-third of all deaths of 15-to-20 year olds result from motor vehicle crashes and one third of them are alcohol-related. In Florida it is .02 for those under the age of 21 driving a vehicle under the state’s “Zero Tolerance” policy.
In Florida an “Enhances Penalty” will be brought if the driver has a BAC particularly high, typically .15 to .20. DUI offenders with a BAC at or above those levels can expect to face additional jail time.

Florida’s “Implied Consent” laws mean that someone driving who is suspected of DUI must submit to some form of a chemical test such as breath, blood or urine testing. If they refuse? They can lose their license usually for six months to a year.

Continue reading " Naked Motorcyclist – 5th DUI " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Drunk Driving Accident , Motorcycle Accident , Personal Injury

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Located in Northeast Clay County, the city of Orange Park is just south of Jacksonville, Florida. Orange Park’s name derives from the aspirations of its founders to inhabit a fruit-producing industry, but these hopes of crops were ruined in what is referred to as the Great Freeze of 1894-95. Nevertheless, in its growth as an abundant and welcoming community, Orange Park displayed a population of approximately 9,043 in July 2008. Although having a smaller population than some of its neighboring cities, Orange Park residents utilize public transportation and personal autos to a great degree. As a result, Orange Park is susceptible to its share of auto accidents involving buses and pedestrians as an unfortunate result of negligent driving, dangerous road conditions, and even defective auto parts.

Bus passengers put their trust in drivers and companies to ensure that no harm befalls them while traveling via bus. When bus accidents inflict injury on passengers in Orange Park, the skilled Orange Park bus accident attorneys at Farah and Farah can help injured victims receive compensation to help pay for medical treatment, hospital bills, pain and suffering, and loss of wages.

In addition to bus accidents, pedestrian accidents in the streets of Orange Park are ill-fated occurrences that can cause children, the elderly, and adults of all ages to suffer serious injuries and even wrongful death. If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, whether it involved a bus, truck, or other auto, the experienced Orange Park pedestrian accident lawyers at Farah and Farah can assist you. For more information on how we may be able to help you hold negligent parties responsible for your bus or pedestrian accident injury in Orange Park, contact Farah and Farah at our Orange Park office today:

(904) 264-0700
1534 Kingsley Avenue
Orange Park, Florida 32073

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Bus Accident , Pedestrian Accidents , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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Millions of customers of Cisco’s three gas stations along the Georgia border with North Florida have been defrauded in a multi-million dollar scheme. Now a federal grand jury has indicted the owner, a Camden County businessman, and his family members.

From 1995 through March 2008, the family is accused of deliberately miscalibrating the fuel pumps giving consumers less fuel than they paid for. Millions of dollars were lost by cheating customers; at least $7 million total said the Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Newman in announcing the 17-count indictment.

The stations were located along I-95. Besides the one in Camden County, another was a truck stop in St. Marys, and one in Kingsland, Georgia that all catered to traffic between Florida and Georgia. The stations were reported to be very popular and always busy.

All three stations are now closed.

Cisco is out of the state but expected to turn himself into the FBI Friday. The charges include wire and mail fraud, conspiracy and criminal trademark infringement for selling a substitute to BP gasoline. This was a joint investigation by the FBI, the IRS, Georgia bureau of Investigation and local police departments.

Continue reading " Cisco Indicted in Fuel Fraud " »

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Posted In: Fraud Victims

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At the beginning of summer there seemed to be a rash of accidents involving children being hit by cars, usually SUVs that no one could see around.

Well it has happened again, this time in Glen St. Mary, Florida. A little boy was run over by the family SUV being used to pull a trailer when nobody was paying attention. Luckily, the child survived this auto accident in Florida.

One-year-olds generally cannot walk on their own very well, and the story doesn’t say how he got near the car wheel. The little boy had been left in a small wading pool in a play area in the front of his house while the father was busy working filling holes in the yard in the 17800 block of Pleasant Trail Road. A sixteen-year-old neighbor was told to move the SUV forward and that is when they heard the child scream after the right rear tire rolled over him.

Luckily, the boy is in stable condition after being flown to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. Our prayers go out to this little guy who obviously has had a tough time. Why was he left alone without supervision in a small swimming pool? Anyone can drown in a cup of water or less. And it now turns out that the 16 year-old neighbor did not have a driver’s license.

Charges are possible pending a further investigation. The Department of Children and Families should consider they are dong the family a favor if they cite them as well. This story could have easily had a different conclusion.

Kids and Cars, a nonprofit group made up of concerned parents, maintains a national database that tracks deaths and injuries to children left unattended near or in vehicles. No federal agency is collecting such data so a nonprofit has taken over that job.

Continue reading " One-Year-Old Hit by SUV In Front Yard " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury

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Avandia is the drug many residents of Florida are discussing lately, which is used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Some users have found the cure has caused more problems than the original disease.

Heart failure can be a deadly result of taking the oral diabetes medicine, made by GlaxoSmithKline. Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, has been found to contribute to heart attack or failure, according to a six-year study on Avandia. 6.9 percent of the patients taking the drug died or were hospitalized.

A new study from the British Medical Journal (BMJ), published in August 2009, concludes that the drug has no advantage over competitor, Actos, and is more likely to trigger heart failure and death.

The drug came under the eye of the Food and Drug Administration, which in 2007, pressured Glaxo to make a more explicit “black box” warning about the heart risks. The FDA has also required more controlled trials and testing for Avandia, but that comes too late for patients who have been taking it to control their Type 2 diabetes.

Continue reading " Avandia – The News Keeps Getting Worse " »

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Posted In: Defective Drug , Health & Information , Personal Injury , Pharmaceutical Litigation , Product Liability

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St. Augustine is often called the “nation’s oldest city” for being home to the oldest port in the continental U.S. The population in St. Augustine was estimated to be 12,157 in 2004. Known for its classic architecture, lovely beaches, and museums that depict life of the early Spanish explorers who settled in the area, St. Augustine is quite a popular tourist spot in Northern Florida. With so many tourists in addition to many residents utilizing public transportation and personal automobiles, auto accidents in St. Augustine involving pedestrians and buses are an unfortunate consequence of negligent driving.

Bus accidents in St. Augustine may be caused by driver negligence, defective bus parts, dangerous road conditions, improper driver training, and many other factors. Bus passengers put their trust in drivers and companies to ensure that no harm befalls them on their travels. When bus accidents inflict injury on passengers in St. Augustine, the experienced St. Augustine bus accident lawyers at Farah and Farah can help injured victims receive compensation to help pay for medical treatment, hospital bills, pain and suffering, and loss of wages.

In addition to bus accidents, pedestrian accidents in the streets of St. Augustine are unfortunate events that afflict the well-being of children, the elderly, and adults of all ages. When drivers fail to adhere to speed limits near pedestrian crosswalks, they put innocent pedestrians at risk of suffering severe injuries and even wrongful death. Pedestrian injuries are some of the most catastrophic consequences of auto collisions due to a pedestrian’s vulnerable exposure to hitting concrete, a part of a vehicle, or any other object on the road or sidewalk.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, whether it involved a bus, truck, or other auto, the experienced St. Augustine pedestrian accident lawyers at Farah and Farah can assist you. For more information on how we may be able to help you hold negligent parties responsible for your bus or pedestrian accident injury, contact the St. Augustine personal injury law firm of Farah and Farah today:

(904) 797-7977
1301 Plantation Island Drive
Suite 206A
St. Augustine, Florida 32080

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Bus Accident , Pedestrian Accidents , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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A wreck on I-75 shut down part of the highway this week after concentrated chlorine spilled over the highway. Jacksonville firefighters wore hazmat, or hazardous materials suits to clean-up the chlorine and other toxic materials. Because the city has two major interstates running through the downtown area, this sort of truck accident in Jacksonville is likely to occur, and there is very little the city can do to protect itself.

In this case, the tractor trailer overturned on I-75 in Hamilton County near CR - 132. It then struck a tree and that’s when the industrial strength chlorine spilled, forcing the evacuation of the area for nine hours.

The oldest hazardous material team in the U.S. is located in Jacksonville and they prepare for the inevitable. There are a few things you can do to help as a citizen.

If you see a truck carrying hazardous materials, keep a safe distance from the truck. Ever since September 11th, a driver trying to obtain hazardous materials endorsement on a state-issued commercial driver’s license must pass a strict security threat assessment to meet the requirements of the USA Patriot Act. Their criminal history, legal status and background check is all reviewed.

Hazardous materials can cause death, serious injury and long-lasting health effects. From industrial plants to dry cleaning establishments, hazardous materials are shipped, stored, or used at an estimated 4.5 million facilities in the U.S., according to the state of Florida.

Continue reading " Chemical Trucks In Jacksonville and Their Danger " »

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Posted In: Health & Information , Personal Injury

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Located 30 miles north of Florida, Brunswick occupies part of southeastern Georgia. Nicknamed “the shrimp capital of the world,” Brunswick owes much of its reputation to being the main center of Georgia’s crab and shrimp industries. As the twelfth-largest metropolitan area in the state of Georgia, Brunswick had an estimated metropolitan population of 101,792 in 2007 with a city proper population of 16,235. Considering that Brunswick, Georgia residents and visitors highly depend on bus transportation in addition to the use of other modes of public and personal transport, bus accidents are just as likely to occur as in any major metropolitan area.

As is the case in most large cities that utilize buses, bus accidents have been known to occur due to defective bus parts, driver inattention or carelessness, improper driver training, and much more. Whatever the cause of your bus accident injury, the skilled Brunswick, Georgia bus accident attorneys at Farah and Farah can help. We have assisted many injured victims of bus accidents receive compensation to help pay for hospital bills, treatment, pain and suffering, and even loss of wages.

In addition to bus accidents, pedestrian accidents within Brunswick’s streets are unfortunate occurrences that plague the well-being of children, the elderly, and adults of all ages. When drivers fail to adhere to speed limits near pedestrian crosswalks, they put innocent pedestrians at risk of suffering severe injuries and even wrongful death. Pedestrian injuries are some of the most catastrophic consequences of auto collisions due to a pedestrian’s vulnerable exposure to hitting concrete, a part of a vehicle, or any other object on the road or sidewalk.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, whether it involved a bus, truck, or other auto, the experienced Brunswick pedestrian accident lawyers at Farah and Farah can assist you. For more information on how we may be able to help you hold negligent parties responsible for your bus or pedestrian accident injury, contact the Brunswick personal injury law firm of Farah and Farah today:

(912) 466-8896
4216 Coral Park Drive
Suite 107
Brunswick, GA 31520


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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Bus Accident , Pedestrian Accidents , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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This mother is lucky her child wasn’t killed. Hopefully she has learned a lesson. A two-year-old was thrown from an SUV today in a single-vehicle wreck in St. Johns County.

It’s not known if the 24-year-old driver is the 2-year-old’s mother, but they have the same last name. The driver, of Elkton, Florida, was driving near Cowpen Branch Road down Florida 207. Riding in the vehicle was a 5-year-old and the 2-year-old who was not properly restrained in her child seat.

Just before 9:15 a.m., the driver started to drift onto the shoulder of the road. She overcorrected and as is typical with SUVs, any sudden turn of the wheel can send the vehicle out of control. Often they roll. In this case, the SUV slid into a ditch and overturned. The 2-year-old was ejected from the vehicle during the SUV rollover accident in Jacksonville, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 2-year-old was the only one who suffered injuries and not surprisingly, she was the only one who was not properly restrained, according to law enforcement. She was taken to Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, but her injuries are not reported to be life-threatening, the FHP said.

Florida law says you must have all children restrained in the proper seat for their age. The 2-year-old needed to be positioned in the back seat, in a five-point harness with the car seat securely held by the seat belts. An older child, approximately ages 5 through 7 can usually be transitioned to a booster seat, depending on their size. A shoulder belt should be used on a child when it actually hits their shoulder and not their neck. Children should never be allowed to put a shoulder strap under their arm.

Continue reading " Two-Year-Old Thrown from Vehicle " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury , Rollover Accident

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A 16-year-old female and a number of other teens had attended a birthday party for a fellow friend who was turning 19. The party lasted until the early morning hours of July 27.

For some reason, the teens decided to leave the party house. That’s when the 19-year-old got behind the wheel of his pickup truck to drive everyone home. Since there were six kids and only three seats in the cab, three of the teens decided to ride in the bed of the pickup.

But according to police, the 19-year-old was driving recklessly and too fast in the 13000 block of Bartram Park Boulevard in Mandarin, just south of Jacksonville and Old St. Augustine Road. Traveling at twice the 40 mph speed limit, the pickup flipped, and rolled several times, throwing the 16-year-old girl and two others riding in the bed out of the vehicle.

The 16-year-old, a student at Lee High School, was pronounced dead at the scene of the auto accident in Jacksonville. Four other teens were seriously injured. Law enforcement said the truck appeared to have rolled over her. Another young woman was in critical condition.

Now the young male driver has been charged with vehicular homicide. He turned himself into the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office on Wednesday and was later released on $10,000 bail.
This month, if the deceased teen were still alive, she would have turned 17. Her family said that they would still celebrate her birthday and that she is still in their hearts.

Our hearts go out to the family of this young woman as well as the injured teen who was in ICU. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Continue reading " Teen Driver Facing Vehicular Homicide Charges for 16-Year-Old's Death " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury , Rollover Accident , Truck Accident , Wrongful Death

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They are sold in Wal-Mart for as little as $29. But you may get more than surround sound from this DVD player. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a second recall for the Durabrand DVD player after Wal-Mart received 14 reports that the inexpensive players can overheat and burst into flames.

The CPSC has now recalled a total of 4.2 million of the players. So far, no one has been injured, but when one player overheated it caused property damage, according to CNN.
Consumers can return the players to Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Wal-Mart is also providing a number at (800) 925-6278 or asks consumers to visit their Web site at http://walmartstores.com/.

Last August, 1.5 million of the silver DVD players were recalled in the first phase. Now the government has expanded the recall to include the pink and purple models. They were made in China and sold to consumers in the U.S. between January 2006 and July 2009.

Look for the following UPC codes and model numbers:

Silver: UPC 1799901002, Model No. 1002
Pink: UPC 1799934100, Model No. 1002 PINK
Purple: UPC 1799932100, Model No. 1002 PUR

Continue reading " Exploding DVD Player Recall " »

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Product Liability

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This is a story that is quite controversial in Jacksonville and raises some interesting issues.
When a DUI crash injures the driver permanently, confining him to a life in a wheelchair, should he be charged with DUI? And although it shouldn’t matter, the person in question happens to be the son of a Chief Judge.

The 25-year-old driver was driving toward Jacksonville Beach last December, when he tried to exit off J. Turner Butler Boulevard onto the Marsh Landing Parkway exit. The young man flipped his truck and he was ejected from the vehicle. He was taken by life-flight to the hospital and spent months clinging to life. No one knew if he had permanent brain damage.

Police say his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit at .203 at the time of the crash. A beer can was found at the scene, next to his wallet, but finding a beer can on the side of the road is not an unusual occurrence.

Now his attorney says the state attorney’s office is following some bad advice in charging this young driver. A prominent DUI attorney in Jacksonville representing the accused says he can’t understand why someone, now a paraplegic for the rest of his life would still face charges.
Not wanting to look like she is giving the judge’s son a pass, the prosecutor waited until the young man got out of the hospital to file charges. “She is not going to prosecute someone solely because of who they are,” said her office.

The accused in this incident is pleading not guilty.

Our condolences go out to the judge and his family for this tragic turn of events.

Continue reading " Chief Judge's Son, Paralyzed, Now Charged with DUI " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Brain Injury , Personal Injury , brain injury

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Located in Putnam County, Palatka had a reported population of 10,804 in July 2007 and has seen a 7.5% increase in population since 2000. Palatka is 6.96 square miles in size, and has a population density of only 1553 people per square mile, relatively low in comparison to other cities that are comparable in size. Within the busy regions of Palatka, many residents and visitors pass through a variety of establishments such as private homes, hospitals, department stores, and many other businesses and buildings. When property owners of such locations are negligent and fail to take necessary steps towards keeping their premises safe and hazard-free, incidents such as slip and fall accidents can take place in which those who suffer injury may require legal assistance from a skilled Palatka slip and fall accident lawyer.

Businesses and property owners must do everything possible regarding their premises to inspect, repair, warn, and maintain any dangerous or threatening conditions. Being injured on another’s premises can result in steep medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other expenses associated with your injury that a skilled premises liability attorney can help you receive compensation for. At Farah and Farah, we have been assisting those injured due to unsafe conditions on another person’s premises receive the compensation they deserve so that they can seek the proper medical care they need without becoming financially unstable.

Property owners are responsible for any safety hazards on their premises that could cause harm to guests or customers. The dedicated and experienced Palatka slip and fall attorneys at Farah and Farah may be able to hold the business owner responsible for neglecting to uphold his or her premises in a reasonable safe condition for the welfare of all customers. For a free consultation regarding your premises liability or slip and fall accident case, contact Farah and Farah today at our Palatka office:

(386) 328-2889417
St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, Florida 32177

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability , Slip and Fall Accident

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All eyes in the investigation into what caused a Ford Explorer to roll several times and kill four teens, are now focused on a possibly defective tire.

On the last day of school in June, one young man and eight friends got into his girlfriend’s family Ford, a 1997 Explorer SUV. On the way to the beach, a tire blew. Among all of the teens, this young man was the only one wearing his seat belt. The attorney, who represents four of the families involved, told the judge that the Cooper Tire was defective because it had been in the shop two weeks earlier.

He said Dale Earnhardt Jr. could have been driving the vehicle. Once a tire blows, keeping a Ford Explorer on the road, especially the notoriously unstable cars made before Ford added stability control would have been impossible.

The tire company has faced seven federal product liability and personal injury lawsuits since 1997 and in July, a Florida appeals court upheld a $1.5 million jury verdict against the company after a blowout on I-10 killed a man.

At an exhibition football game at Ed White High School, the four teens were remembered in a moment of silence. Our hearts go out to the parents of the children, who clearly had a tough time attending the game, but were grateful that their children are remembered.

The 15-year-old young man who was driving is facing four counts of driving without a license in the deaths of all four of his friends, who were killed when his SUV wrecked. This teen is also facing four counts of driving without a license causing serious bodily injury, and careless driving. That is a total of nine counts, eight of which are felonies. He is on home detention. For now, another high school, football practice, and church are the only activities he is allowed.
In an exclusive interview with the Florida Times Union after he was charged, the young man says he felt the left rear tire separate causing the car to pull strongly to the right then roll after it drifted into the grass off the right emergency lane.

Continue reading " Teen Faces 9 Charges in Fatal Wreck " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Auto Product Liability , Personal Injury , Rollover Accident , Wrongful Death

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A man lost control on a motorcycle early Thursday morning on the State Road 312 bridge in St. Augustine, according to police.

He was reportedly racing a car on the well-traveled bridge when he lost control around 1 a.m. But this time the rider was lucky. He was flown to Shands Medical Center in Jacksonville and had a possible broken arm and leg. No word on whether he was wearing a helmet.

Charges may be pending against the motorcyclist. There is no word on what happened to the car he was racing. This was the third crash on the SR-312 bridge this week.

In 2000, when Florida eliminated the legal requirement that motorcycle riders wear helmets, if they are over the age of 21 and carry at least $10,000 in medical insurance, motorcycle fatalities increased by 81 percent. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports there was a 40 percent increase in the number of injured motorcyclists admitted to hospitals.
If you think this doesn’t affect you, think again.

The average head injury treatment was more than $45,000 a decade ago and head-brain-skull injury treatment averaged more than $428,000. By the years 2001 and 2002, those numbers had increased to more than $610,000. Fast-forward seven years and you can see how the cost of treating injuries following a motorcycle accident is an unnecessary burden on society.

Continue reading " Racing Motorcyclist Loses Control in St. Augustine " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Brain Injury , Motorcycle Accident , Personal Injury , brain injury

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Amelia Island is situated off of Florida’s magnificent coast with a population of around 68,347 people amidst an area amounting to 18.2 square miles. Known as the “Isle of Eight Flags,” it is the venue for numerous festivals that annually draw tourist attention, such as the Amelia Island Jazz Festival, the Amelia Island Film Festival, the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Amelia Island’s principle economic industry is tourism, with attractions ranging from sailing to camping. With so many people passing through private homes, hospitals, department stores, and numerous other public facilities, and when property owners are negligent and fail to maintain a safe premises, serious injury can occur. When such unfortunate and serious injuries take place, an individual who suffers from an accident on someone else’s property can seek legal assistance from a skilled Amelia Island premises liability lawyer.

Businesses and property owners must do everything possible regarding their premises to warn, repair, inspect, and maintain any dangerous or hazardous conditions. Property owners are responsible for any safety hazards on their premises that could cause harm to guests or customers. Being injured on another’s premises can result in steep medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other expenses associated with your injury. In the most serious of cases, a slip and fall accident or other premises incident can result in wrongful death, in which the decedent’s family may be able to seek compensation.

At Farah and Farah, our dedicated and experienced Amelia Island slip and fall attorneys may be able to hold the business owner responsible for neglecting to uphold his or her premises in a reasonable safe condition for the welfare of all customers or visitors. For a free consultation regarding your premises liability or slip and fall accident case, contact Farah and Farah today at our Amelia Island office:

(904) 261-4440
501 Centre St.
Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability , Slip and Fall Accident

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The New Chrysler has reversed itself from its previous stand of refusing to accept any auto product liability lawsuits resulting from the 30 million vehicles still on the road. The automaker has agreed to cover product liability claims that result after the company emerged from bankruptcy protection on June 10.

In a company letter sent to Congress last Friday, Chrysler says that future car accident victims, who believe their injuries resulted from a defective, seat belt, roof, side air bag, or any other auto part, will be able to sue the new company. However, 300 or so claims that were pending before Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy will not be covered.

Victims like a man who lost both legs after an accident in a defective Chrysler and filed before the company declared bankruptcy, will not be able to have their day in court. Instead they will become a creditor and stand in line to receive assets from a bankrupt company.

There are about 300 individuals who had Chrysler lawsuits pending and about 1,500 more with pending claims against General Motors which also declared bankruptcy and wiped out their cases. You can read about their cases in a special report prepared by the Center for Justice & Democracy – Victim Cases Wiped Out. (http://centerjd.org/archives/press/2009/GM-Chrysler%20Victim%20Stories.pdf)

Chrysler is known to have collapsing seat backs that in a collision, collapse backwards into rear passengers. The defect exists in over 10 million vehicles model years 1990 to 2009.
Since 1994, Chrysler has produced over two million Grand Cherokee SUVs with roofs that tend to buckle or cave in, resulting in traumatic head injuries and paralysis.

Continue reading " Chrysler Accepts Liability for Future Accidents in Defective Cars " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Auto Product Liability , Law & Information , Personal Injury , Product Liability

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With school now underway, parents of teenage and younger girls might want to know about a new report that points to high school cheerleading as the leading cause of catastrophic high school sports injuries.

The report is released by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. High school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all catastrophic sports injuries among high school females over the past 25 years.

That number was at 55 percent in last year’s study. Researchers believe the actual number of injuries was being underreported.

What kind of injuries? Unlike the past, cheerleaders of today resemble Olympic athletes complete with floor routines involving back flips, pyramids, and flying stunts in the air. If these activities are not taught with a competent coach, traumatic injuries will continue to be a growing part of cheerleading.

In college, cheerleading accounted for 66.7 percent of all female sports catastrophic injuries, up from 59.4 percent.

The medical journal, Pediatrics, published the breakdown in 2006:

• Strains/sprains: 52.4 percent


• Soft tissue injuries: 18.4 percent


• Fractures/dislocations: 16.4 percent


• Lacerations/avulsions: 3.8 percent


• Concussions/closed head injuries: 3.5 percent


• Other: 5.5 percent

Continue reading " Most Dangerous Sport for Girls: Cheerleading " »

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Posted In: Brain Injury , Personal Injury , brain injury

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The Florida Highway Patrol reports that two people were injured last Wednesday when a pickup truck driver lost control of his vehicle and rolled, landing on its roof. According to FHP, a 21-year-old man was driving on SR A1A around 1:19 a.m. at the intersection of Grandview Road near St. Augustine Beach.

The driver was taken to Shands Jacksonville with serious injuries after being thrown from the pickup and through a privacy fence. His passenger, also a 21-year-old male, was trapped in the truck and taken to Flagler Hospital.

A blood alcohol test will be conducted and charges could be filed depending on the result. We wish these young men the best for a speedy recovery. The responding officers did a great job in getting the second man out of the vehicle and to the hospital.

I wish we knew more information such as, what kind of car was involved. Was a cell phone found at the scene and had the driver been texting? Were the occupants wearing their seat belts? What speed were they traveling and what were the road conditions at the time?

We hope these young men pull through, but speeding or road conditions and any of the above, including alcohol consumption, just doesn’t mix with driving.

Florida had more than 22,000 alcohol related crashes with more than 1,100 alcohol related fatalities across the state in 2008. Additionally there were more than 15,700 alcohol related injuries. Labor Day weekend in Florida is reported to be among the deadliest for drivers. Last year 36 people lost their lives on Florida roads and alcohol contributed to 12 of those deaths.

Continue reading " Two Hurt in Single Vehicle Wreck " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Drunk Driving Accident , Law & Information , Personal Injury , Rollover Accident , Wrongful Death

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Jacksonville Beach, Florida, also known as “Jax Beach,” has a population of 21,849 people as of July 2007. Part of Duval County, Jacksonville Beach has a population density of about 993 people per square mile, and is more or less an extension of the city of Jacksonville. Considered to be a prime tourist spot, Jacksonville Beach is made up of a diverse crowd of locals and out-of-towners. These inhabitants traverse through various properties and developments such as private homes, restaurants, malls, hospitals, grocery stores, and many additional public places in which specific safety conditions and procedures may be neglected and create the risk of injury.

Accidents that take place on another person’s property as a result of the owner’s negligence to maintain a safe environment are more common that most people realize. A person who suffers from an accident on someone else’s property, whether the injury is mild, such as broken bones, or serious to the point of causing brain injury, an experienced Jacksonville Beach premises liability attorney can be of assistance.

It is the responsibility of property owners, whether at a home, public establishment, or business, to establish and preserve their premises so that it does not create hazards that put people in danger of being in a slip and fall accident or suffering from any other calamity. At Farah and Farah, our skilled Jacksonville Beach slip and fall accident lawyers may be able to help you hold the business or property owner responsible for financial expenses brought on by your injury that resulted from their negligence.

If you were injured because the property owner failed to repair, inspect, warn, or maintain any hazardous or dangerous condition, you may be able to receive compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, treatment, and other expenses relating to your injury. Contact Farah and Farah at our Jacksonville Beach office for a free consultation today:

(904) 249 2585
472 Osceola Avenue
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250


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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability , Slip and Fall Accident

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One person was killed and another is injured after a truck rolled on a bridge in St. Augustine early Thursday. The driver was thrown from the truck after it rolled a few times, St. Augustine police report. He was heading west on State Road 312 about 1: 40 in the morning. He died at the scene. The passenger was extricated from the vehicle, but his condition is unknown as is the cause of this accident is under investigation.

We are praying for the recovery of the passenger. At this point, we have no idea what caused the truck to roll. Was the driver texting or was alcohol involved? We also don’t know if seatbelts were worn, but if the driver was ejected, it is likely they were not being used. The truck was reported to be in pieces along the road.

Florida law requires everyone to be belted inside a vehicle. The truth is that everyone pays the price when someone is not buckled in. The cost of hospital care for the unbuckled driver is about 50 percent higher than for some wearing their seat belt. And it is Floridians who bear the brunt of these costs. The state estimates on the job crashes cost employers $22,000 a crash and $110,000 per injury due to lost productivity and higher insurance and medical costs.
If you are not convinced, the Florida Highway Patrol has a seat belt convincer that you can view at http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/misc/vehequip/SBConvincer.htm.

Continue reading " Driver Killed in St. Augustine When Pickup Truck Rolls " »

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The United States is serious about China taking some responsibility for the drywall problems that homeowners in Florida and elsewhere are facing. That was the message that Florida Sen. Bill Nelson brought to China in a recent trip there to determine the level of cooperation forthcoming from the country.

His trip was followed by a delegation from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), investigating hundreds of complaints from homeowners about the defective high-sulfur content drywall that is emitting a rotten-egg smell, making them sick, and corroding electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, HVAC systems, and appliances.

Sen. Nelson says he plans to make sure that the drywall issue is on the agenda when Chinese President Hu Jintao meets with President Obama this fall.

So far we know from the Environmental Protection Agency that the Chinese-made wallboard contains strontium ten times the level as American drywall and sulfur compounds as well as organic compounds that are generally found in acrylic paint. The wallboard was imported from China when the U.S. had a shortage after hurricanes from 2004 to 2006.

The CPSC says it has more than 850 reports of Chinese drywall problems, now including two new states, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. In all, 23 states are involved with Florida (658) and Louisiana (105) particularly hard hit. Many homeowners have decided to vacate their homes rather than live in what may be a dangerous environment from these product defects in Florida. Some folks report headaches, sinus and respiratory ailments, eye and skin irritations.

Continue reading " Sen. Nelson Looks to China for Cooperation on Drywall " »

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Posted In: Law & Information , Personal Injury , Product Liability

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As the largest city in Florida, Jacksonville boasts an estimated population of 799,875 as of 2006. Jacksonville is located on the banks of the St. Johns River about 340 miles north of Miami and 25 miles south of the Georgia Border, placing it in the First Coast Region of northeast Florida. The city of Jacksonville has a total area of 874.3 square miles, making it the largest city in land area in the United States. Drawn to its many attractions and beautiful city skyline by the water, approximately 2.8 million visitors stayed overnight touring Jacksonville in 2008. Jacksonville is not only home to the NFL Jaguars and a number of minor league teams, but also to two universities, the fourth largest community college in the country, and a four year college.

In a region that attracts many visitors as well as new residents annually, various properties such as department stores, hospitals, private homes, and many other public places receive plenty of foot traffic in which certain safety precautions are overlooked and can cause injury. In such incidents, a person who suffers from an accident on someone else’s property can seek legal assistance from a skilled Jacksonville premises liability lawyer.

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Property owners are accountable for any safety dangers on their premises that could cause harm to guests or customers. At Farah and Farah, our dedicated and experienced Jacksonville slip and fall attorneys may be able to hold the business or property owner responsible for neglecting to uphold his or her premises in a reasonable safe condition for the welfare of all customers.

Owners of property must do everything possible regarding their premises to warn, repair, inspect, and maintain any dangerous or hazardous conditions. Being injured on another’s premises can result in steep medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other expenses associated with your injury. To find out more about what can be done regarding your injury caused by a negligent property owner, contact Farah & Farah at our Jacksonville office for a free consultation:

Phone: (904) 396-5555
10 West Adams Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability , Slip and Fall Accident

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An accident at the Jacksonville Port Authority led to a dramatic but successful rescue for one injured employee. The unidentified man was working on a 110 foot crane Monday night doing routine maintenance along with six other men, when he suffered a severe back injury. A safety line prevented him from falling to the ground.

In order to get him to the hospital, Jacksonville Fire-Rescue’s Urban Search and Rescue Unit loaded him into a supporting basket surrounded by ropes and had safely lower him to the ground. It was all caught on some dramatic video captured by Channel 4 in Jacksonville. The man dangled in the air for 90 minutes. Jacksonville Fire Rescue said they had trained for such an event including how to safely put a man on a board to lower him down and the effort came off smoothly.

The man is recovering at home after being hospitalized.

This is just the latest bad news for this JaxPort. Last week at the company’s Blount Island facility, a crane weighing almost a thousand tons fell into a row of other cranes. Two of the $6 million cranes are in pieces and a third was damaged. No one was injured in this incident, but certainly it had the potential. And luckily there was no cargo in the area. A structural engineer will have to determine what went wrong, however it should not go without saying that we are in hurricane season and these cranes need to be able to withstand at least tropical storm force winds.

Continue reading " Jax Port Employee Injured On the Job 110 Feet Up " »

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Workers' Compensation

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This is becoming a weekly report. Another older model Ford Explorer SUV has rolled over, this time killing a woman from North Florida. A 44-year-old woman from Hilliard was driving on County Road 108 near Amos White Road about 5:10 p.m. She suddenly swerved onto the right shoulder. It was raining at the time. The Florida Highway Patrol reports the SUV crossed a culvert and then overturned, hitting a tree in the process. The woman was taken to Shands Jacksonville where she was pronounced dead. The Florida Highway Patrol reports she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the SUV rollover accident in Jacksonville.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this woman for their loss. Our office offers our deepest sympathies to them as they go through this difficult time.

According to the Florida State Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Data, in the five years from 2003-7, Nassau County had 85 traffic crash deaths and the county has had significantly higher increases in traffic crashes, injuries and deaths than the Florida average. Also in that time period, more people were pulled over for driving with a suspended or revoked license or with a DUI in Nassau County than other counties in Florida.

At the same time there were fewer traffic citations given in Nassau County than in the rest of Florida.

We don’t have much information on how this accident happened. Was the driver distracted? Was she having a reaction to medication? Were the roads simply too slick to get control of the car? We also don’t know if there might be another driver at fault who caused her to go off the road or whether her car malfunctioned.

Continue reading " Hilliard Woman Killed in SUV Accident " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Auto Product Liability , Personal Injury , Rollover Accident , Wrongful Death

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Lake City is located in Columbia County, Florida and is known as the “Gateway To Florida.” With a population of about 12,000 and in a county whose population is on the rise (Columbia County has close to 68,000 inhabitants as of 2006), Lake City has become a popular tourist destination as well as a stop for those on route to Southern Florida. With such an expanse of visitors and residents passing through various private homes, shopping centers, hospitals, and many other public places, incidents of injury due to overlooked safety precautions are bound to occur from time to time. In such cases, a person who suffers from an accident on someone else’s property can seek legal assistance from a dedicated and skilled Lake City premises liability lawyer.

Businesses and property owners must do everything possible regarding their premises to warn, maintain, repair, and inspect any dangerous or hazardous conditions present. In the most severe accidents, a slip and fall accident or other premises incident can result in wrongful death, in which the decedent’s family has the right to seek compensation. Being injured on another’s premises can result in steep medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other expenses associated with your injury that a quality premises liability attorney can help you receive compensation for.

Property owners are responsible for any safety hazards on their premises that could cause harm to guests or customers. A far too common example is a homeowner with a pool who neglects to take necessary steps to protect children from drowning. Another unfortunate injury could result from a store with a wet floor that did not post a warning to shoppers. At Farah and Farah, our experienced Lake City slip and fall attorneys may be able to hold the business owner responsible for neglecting to uphold his or her premises in a reasonable safe condition for the welfare of all customers. For a free consultation regarding your premises liability or slip and fall accident case, contact Farah and Farah today at our Lake City Office:

Phone: (386) 754-7534

212 N. Marion Ave Suite 208

Lake City, FL 32055


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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability , Slip and Fall Accident

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What caused the driver of a gravel truck to crash into an SUV and overturn on I-295 is still unknown. The driver was taken to the hospital and there is no word on his condition, while the SUV driver was not hurt. The truck was reportedly leaking diesel fuel causing the road to be shut down for awhile on Thursday night.

Then on Monday night, one person was taken to Shands Jacksonville in critical condition after a truck slid into a guardrail along the 15000 block of West Beaver Street. That truck crash in Jacksonville happened near the Winn-Dixie distribution center.

What is going on with truck accidents in our area?

Florida lawmakers want to ban texting while driving, though a bill has not yet made it through the legislature. Though we don’t know what happened in the two incidents above, truck accidents are becoming a regular occurrence in our area.

Continue reading " Concrete Truck Overturns after Crash - What is Going On? " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury , Truck Accident

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A 92-year-old man went up against Big Tobacco and he won.

Last Thursday, a Broward County, Florida jury decided to award him more than $5.3 million at the conclusion of a Florida tobacco lawsuit trial in which he claimed cigarettes caused his wife’s death in 1996. The man sued Philip Morris for causing his wife’s lung cancer. His wife was 73 when she died. In an earlier phase of the trial, the jury agreed that cigarettes killed her.

Many people fail to understand the attitude toward cigarettes when the deceased woman started smoking at the age of 16 in 1923. Doctors advised people to smoke to calm their nerves. The government gave cigarettes out to soldiers. Television commercials promoted cigarette smoking as cool and sophisticated. Howard Engle, a Miami Beach pediatrician, who led the class action lawsuit representing some 700,000 smokers, had been a tobacco-addict since the 1940s when cigarette companies gave medical students at the University of Wisconsin free cigarettes. He hated Big Tobacco and its strategies used to create lifetime users by creating addicts.

Howard Engle died this past July at the age of 89. He had suffered from smoking–related respiratory disease and lymphoma. His lawsuit yielded him a little over $13,000, but he was excited to eventually see 42,558 Floridians split $575 million that was distributed to those in the class.

The Engle lawsuit established for the first time that the industry lied and deceived the public about the dangers of cigarettes. So while people today are fully informed before they begin smoking, years ago people were coaxed into an addiction, which takes more than will-power to quit.

The woman in the above story smoked two packs of cigarettes a day before she died and she couldn’t quit. One night when watching the ‘Seven Dwarfs,” the seven tobacco executives, swear to Congress in 1994 that cigarettes were not linked to cancer, she told her husband, “If anything happens to me, sue them.” It was tough to believe back then that professional executives would lie to the public. But it was true. By that time, the industry knew cigarettes caused lung cancer.

Continue reading " Broward County Tobacco Win " »

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Posted In: Health & Information , Personal Injury , Tobacco Lawsuits , Wrongful Death

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Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville located in Northeast Clay County just south of Jacksonville, Florida. Rich in history and a thriving community, Orange Park has a great deal to offer. Clay County, which Orange Park is located in, is also a bustling region of Florida. With a population in excess of 180,000 and a very high population density, Orange Park experiences its share of premises liability incidents when properties such as hospitals, private homes, department stores, and many other well traversed places overlook necessary safety precautions that end up causing personal injury to an innocent visitor, patient, or customer. When such events take place, an injured victim who suffers from an accident on someone else’s property can seek legal counsel from an experienced Orange park premises liability lawyer.

Businesses and property owners must do everything possible regarding their premises to warn, inspect, repair, and maintain any hazardous or dangerous conditions. In the most serious of cases, a slip and fall accident or other premises incident can result in wrongful death, in which the decedent’s family may be able to seek compensation. Being injured on another’s premises can result in steep medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other expenses associated with your injury that a skilled premises liability attorney can help you receive compensation for.

Property owners are responsible for any safety hazards on their premises that could cause harm to guests or customers. A far too common example is a homeowner with a pool who neglects to take necessary steps to protect children from drowning. Another unfortunate injury could result from a store with a wet floor that did not post a warning to shoppers. At Farah and Farah, our dedicated and experienced Orange Park slip and fall attorneys may be able to hold the business owner responsible for neglecting to uphold his or her premises in a reasonable safe condition for the welfare of all customers. For a free consultation regarding your premises liability or slip and fall accident case, contact Farah and Farah today at our Orange Park office:

Phone: (904) 264-0700

1534 Kingsley Avenue

Orange Park, Florida 32073


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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability , Slip and Fall Accident

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The outcome of this crash could have been much worse.

A three-vehicle crash in Jacksonville has left the driver of a tractor-trailer uninjured even after his semi burst into flames, overturned, and slid into a pond. The tractor-trailer was traveling in the right lane of U.S. 1 when an SUV driven by a 21-year-old, who was trying to merge from I-295, lost control in the curve and hit the gas tank of the truck.

Once that happened, the tank burst into flames and the driver was forced to hit another vehicle, before hitting a concrete barrier and overturning. It only stopped when it landed in the water.

Thankfully no one died in this scenario, though it had every possibility. An experienced Jacksonville auto accident attorney would ask a number of questions, among them, what were the conditions of the road, and how fast was the driver traveling?

There are likely some liability questions to pursue as an experienced tractor-trailer driver, who was going the speed limit, should never be forced off the road.

The 33-year-old driver of Middleburg, amazingly escaped with non-life-threatening injuries. And the driver he hit also did not have any major injuries. The SUV driver was not injured either.
Had these drivers not been wearing their seat belts, there would be a different story to report here. Wearing your seat belt is now mandatory in Florida and you can be pulled over just for a seat belt offense. Previously, you had to be doing something else, and the failure to buckle up would be added on.

Continue reading " Three-Vehicle Crash Sends Tractor Trailer into a Pond " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury , Truck Accident

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