Fort Lauderdale injury lawyer

February 2, 2016

Uber Lawsuit Filed As Miami Considers Driver Screenings

It was just a few short months ago that Uber was granted permission to operate once again in Broward County, after commissioners caved and eased regulations for this and similar ride-sharing services. The public fought hard to bring the service back, flooding local leaders with email, snail mail and voice mail messages. Mayor Tim Ryan called the issue, “The millstone around our collective necks.”

Meanwhile, Palm Beach County leaders put the brakes on any decision until this spring, and Miami-Dade is weighing regulatory proposals now. But there is another side to this coin: Lack of driver and vehicle regulation could put the public at higher risk for injury.

This is what is being alleged in a wrongful death lawsuit against Uber following a December 27th fiery crash in Miami. According to The Miami Herald, 20-year-old Pablo Sanchez Jr., a pharmacy student, had contacted an Uber ride using the app on his cell phone. He was looking for a ride for himself and five friends from downtown Miami to his parents’ home 30 miles away in Country Walk. A driver picked them up and they were almost there when the driver allegedly turned left into oncoming traffic. The Uber driver’s sport utility vehicle burst into flames. The driver got out, as did all of Sanchez’s friends. However, he was trapped and died inside. Continue reading

January 20, 2016

Rick Ross Florida Trip-and-Fall Lawsuit Dismissed

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

A circuit judge has dismissed the Florida premises liability lawsuit against rapper Rick Ross and his mother for injuries suffered a Miami home the two co-own.

Although news reports do not detail exactly why the judge dismissed the claim, we do know that Ross had described the allegations as “vague.”

The alleged victim stated the incident occurred in December 2011 at a residence owned by Ross and his mother. Victim stated there was iron hardware that was left at ground level. Specifically, there was a rail on the ground connected to an iron rail at the rear of the property. Continue reading

January 12, 2016

Fort Lauderdale Aims High With Vision Zero

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

It seems like an impossible notion:

A full year in Fort Lauderdale with no one killed while crossing the street or riding a bicycle or driving a car. It seems like such a distant reality from the one we are in, where this city is No. 2 in the nation for its pedestrian fatality rate and No. 5 in the nation for its overall traffic fatality rate.

Still, it’s a dream the city’s transportation manager Debbie Griner insists is achievable. Griner recently told The Sun-Sentinel that their offices are committed to changing the perception that such incidents are simply “accidents,” facts of life over which people have no control. Rather, she says, these are incidents that can be avoided. Every single person who lives, works or visits this area has an opportunity to prevent traffic deaths, and Griner believes city leaders can empower them to do so. Continue reading

January 3, 2016

Bicycle Accident Questions Posed on Driver Safety Tests

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Just a handful of months ago, a 5-year-old boy on a bicycle in Boise, ID was seriously injured when he was struck and dragged by a minivan as he crossed at an intersection. The boy was wearing a helmet, but his injuries were life-threatening.

That prompted the Idaho Department of Transportation to take decisive action on the issue of bicycle safety in that state. Now, new drivers are going to have to educate themselves on proper interactions with bicyclists as they navigate roads throughout the state. Driver’s education curriculum will be updated to meet the criteria that will ask new motorists on license exams about things like right of way, minimum distance and blind spots.

While bicycle-related questions were always within the pool of possible queries motorists could be asked, it wasn’t a given and a fair number of tests lacked any bicycle safety questions at all. Then this little boy was nearly killed. Continue reading

December 24, 2015

Holiday Home Fires Are Rising Concern for Florida Fire Officials

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

The quintessential winter holiday is all about family, elaborate home-cooked meals, hot cocoa, a white wonderland of snow outside and a toasty fire inside. But there are many dangers associated with all that cooking, Christmas lighting, dried pine needles, candles and more. Here in South Florida, we may still have the central air blasting in late December, but that doesn’t mean we’re free of holiday fire hazard risks.

The American Red Cross reports some 47,000 fires occur during winter holidays nationally, causing some 500 deaths, 2,200 injuries and costing nearly $555 million in property damage. Some fast facts:

On average, 1 in every 22 home fires started by a Christmas tree end in death;
An average of 40 fires daily during the holidays are caused by children playing;
Fires started by candles are four times more likely to occur in winter than during any other season.

A number of fire departments across Florida have been working to drive home the importance of Christmas tree protection, candle safety, working smoke detection systems and how important it is to keep matches and lighters out of reach of children on long holiday breaks. Continue reading