Miami Accident Lawyer Blog

April 25, 2016

Club Extacy Strip Club Shooting; Negligent Security Claim should be investigated says leading Miami Personal Injury Law Firm, Gerson and Schwartz, PA

A Miami strip club turned into a deadly crime scene after shots were fired in a parking lot of Club Extacy Gentleman’s club located at 728 NW 79th St in Miami, Florida. According to reports, at least two people were struck by the gun fire. One person was fatally wounded and the other, one Courtney Yarborough was rushed to Jackson Memorial hospital in critical condition. Leading Miami Personal injury lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz, PA are looking into the details about the case because the firm specializes representing crime victims and family members of crime victims for the criminal acts of third parties. The firms has represented numerous victims of violence including victims seriously injured at night clubs and other commercial businesses throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

Regardless of whether or not there is an arrest, there may be a negligent security claim pursued on behalf of the victims family members. Under Florida law, property owners have a legal obligation to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. Property owners and landlords must provide reasonable safety and security measures for the protection of their guests, and tenants. What is reasonable under the circumstances will depend on a number of factors such as whether or not there was a history of violence on this property. The fact that this incident occurred in a strip club may imply that private security guards and detailed security patrol procedures were necessary in order to provide a safe premises.What the security plan or procedures in existence remain unclear. However, it appears that this not the first time there has been the potential for violence on the premises before this past weekend.

Under Florida law, property owners and business operators, such as the club Extacy operators may be liable if they fail to undertake reasonable security measures. In this case, it appears that a fight may have begun inside the club earlier that evening and was what initiated some of the violence. There are multiple legal theories of legal liability to hold others financially accountable for what transpired. Gerson & Schwartz, PA has over 45 years representing injury victims and their families. For more information, contact Gerson & Schwartz, PA today at 305-371-6000 or email info@gslawusa.com

April 22, 2016

Social Guests and Premises Liability in Florida

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Whether it is at July 4th parties, graduation parties, summer parties, or parties in general, if you live in Florida, please beware that you may be held liable if someone is injured on your property. A social guest, if injured in your house, may sue you if he or she is injured due to your lack of reasonable care. Though this concept may seem complex at first, this post aims at clarifying Florida’s premises law.

If you or a loved one are injured on the property of another, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. To increase your chances of compensation, it is imperative that you hire an attorney for your case. The Miami personal injury at Gerson & Schwartz PA lawyers are here to help. Our lawyers have provided high quality legal representation to injured people in Florida for over 40 years. We are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and helping them get back on their feet. For a FREE consultation, call (305) 371-6000 or contact us online.

Florida’s Premises Liability Laws

April 15, 2016

Florida’s Dram Shop Law

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

If you are a bartender, or if you own a bar, there is an important law that you should be aware of: Florida’s dram shop law. This law was recently argued in a Florida court following a fatal car accident. Terry Dinkins of Water Park, the owner of Acme Comic Superstore, caused said accident. The night of the accident he visited a bar for an event hosted by Acme. He then drove away from the bar with a blood-alcohol level of 0.20, and began driving in the wrong direction down State Road 436. Mr Dinkins then collided head-on with a gray Nissan. Sylvia Barajas and Brandi Cole, passengers of the Nissan, were killed on impact. Three civil lawsuits followed, one being against the bar. This lawsuit alleges that the bar was negligent under Florida’s dram shop law. This post will define Florida’s dram shop law and hopefully provide some clarity.

How the Dram Shop Law Works in Florida

Upfront, various states have dram shop laws that allow injured people to seek compensation from a third party, such as a bar or a host at a social gathering, if that third party provided alcohol to someone who then caused an alcohol related accident. Florida’s dram shop law differs from other states’ dram shop laws. In Florida, per Florida Statute Section 768.125, if an individual willfully and unlawfully provides alcohol to a minor under 21 years of age or knowingly provides alcohol to a person habitually addicted to alcohol, that person, or bar, may be held liable for any injuries caused by the minor or the person who is habitually addicted.

April 8, 2016

Pedestrian Accidents

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

The weather is drastically warming as we approach the summer. At the same time, more and more people are spending time enjoying outdoor activities. With this, it is important to take caution as accidents, sometimes fatal accidents, can occur when least expected. Recently, in Winter Park, Florida, a van slammed into a man who was walking down a sidewalk near the intersection of 436 and Aloma Avenue. The van knocked the man to the ground and kept rolling until it slammed into a sign and then a fire hydrant. The van then flipped over onto its roof. One witness reports that the victim saved his girlfriend from being hit by pushing her out of the way. The victim suffered from a broken leg and a head injury.

If you or someone you love has suffered injury at the fault of another person, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. To increase your chances of compensation, it is imperative that you hire an attorney for your case. The Miami personal injury at Gerson & Schwartz PA lawyers are here to help. Our lawyers have provided high quality legal representation to injured people in Florida for over 40 years. We are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and helping them get back on their feet. For a FREE consultation, call (305) 371-6000 or contact us online.

Florida’s Relevant Law

April 1, 2016

Baseball Games and Assumption of Risk

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Play ball! The weather is finally warming and baseball season is back. With all the excitement that baseball games bring, there are certain legal issues that you should be aware of, such as the “assumption of risk.” This applies to the players as well as the fans. For example, a woman was recently injured while observing a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. She was enjoying the game when suddenly a foul ball powerfully struck her in between her eyebrows. She saw the ball heading in her direction but it was traveling too fast for her to react. The significant blow to her forehead caused her to bleed profusely. Nearby fans provided her with aid and two individuals gave the woman t-shirts to wrap around her head to try and stop the bleeding. Five weeks earlier, another fan was seriously injured when he was struck by pieces of a shattered baseball bat.

In all, injuries to spectators do occur. What you should know is that sometimes you will be held to have assumed the risk of sustaining the injury. When this happens, you may be barred from any recovery. For this reason, to best protect your rights to compensation, it is imperative that you hire an attorney. The Miami personal injury lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz, PA are here to help. Our lawyers have provided high quality legal representation to injured people in Florida for over 40 years. We are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and helping them get back on their feet. For a FREE consultation, call (305) 371-6000 or contact us online.

Assumption of Risk

March 25, 2016

Social Guests and Premises Liability in Florida

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Whether it is July 4th parties, graduation parties, summer parties, or parties in general, if you live in Florida, please beware that you may be held liable if someone is injured on your property. A social guest, if injured in your house, may sue you if he or she is injured due to your lack of reasonable care. Though this concept may seem complex at first, this post aims at clarifying Florida’s premises law.

If you or a loved one are injured on the property of another, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. To increase your chances of compensation, it is imperative that you hire an attorney for your case. The Miami personal injury at Gerson & Schwartz PA lawyers are here to help. Our lawyers have provided high quality legal representation to injured people in Florida for over 40 years. We are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and helping them get back on their feet. For a FREE consultation, call (305) 371-6000 or contact us online.

Florida’s Premises Liability Laws

March 18, 2016

Bicycle Accidents in Florida and Safety Tips

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

With the spring and summer months quickly approaching, we can all expect to be spending more time outdoors. For some people, this means engaging in more outdoor activities such as bicycling. Accompanied with the increase in bicycling comes an increase in injuries. As a matter of fact, the state of Florida is the most lethal in the nation for bicyclists. In Florida on March 24, officers responded to a call pertaining to a traffic crash involving a Ford F-150 truck and a bicyclist. The truck driver was traveling east on Lafayette Street. The bicyclist was entering the roadway from the south side of Lafayette Street. The bicyclist tried to cross north. Unfortunately, the bicyclist, instead, traveled into the path of the oncoming truck. They collided and the bicyclist was thrown off of his bike. He was later pronounced dead. Again, bicyclist fatalities, occurring in Florida, are not uncommon. During last year, alone, more than 120 people killed while riding bicycles.

If you or your loved one was injured, or even killed, while riding a bicycle, and the accident was the fault of another person, it is imperative that you hire an attorney for your case. Doing so will help ensure that you are adequately compensated for your injury and loss. Luckily, the experienced Miami personal injury lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz PA are here to help! We know the law and will aggressively fight to protect your rights! We continue our more than 43-year tradition of representing injury victims and their families throughout Miami Dade, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, and other areas of South Florida.

The Lawsuit

March 11, 2016

Jet Skis and Accidents in Florida

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Riding jet skis has significantly increased in popularity over the years. This may be because they are substantially cheaper than boats. To many, it seems that jet skis are taking over Florida’s lakes, rivers and beaches. To many, however, jet skis are a major headache. Not only are they loud and numerous, but they are nearly twice as likely to be involved in an accident when compared to boats. Jet ski accidents tend to be tragic and even fatal, as riders have limited protection. In 2011, 44 people were killed on jet skis. 38 people were killed on jet skis in 2010.

Recently, in Florida, Miami Beach Fire Rescue transported a young woman to the hospital after she suffered a severe head injury. She was involved in a jet ski accident. Officials found that the jet ski she was riding on forcefully collided with another one, near 42nd Street. If you were involved in a jet ski accident, and it was the fault of another person, it is important that you retain an attorney to ensure that you are adequately compensated. The Miami personal injury attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz, PA are here to help. We continue our 43-year plus tradition of representing injury victims and their families throughout Miami Dade, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, and other areas of South Florida.

Jet Ski Regulations

March 4, 2016

Partial Fault for a Florida Automobile Accident

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Automobile accidents are prevalent here in Florida. As it turns out, automobile accidents are one of the leading causes of injury and death in Florida. Are you a victim of such an accident at the fault of another person? If so, are you hesitant on initiating a claim because you may have been partially at fault for the accident? True, this would be a huge problem in Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia because these states follow the “Contributory Negligence” rule. Per said rule, an injured person (“Plaintiff”) will not recover from the at-fault driver (“Defendant”) if Plaintiff was at fault to any degree. Fortunately, this rule does not apply in Florida.

It is critical that you hire an experienced attorney for your case. The personal injury and accident attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz PA are here to help. Our experience spans over 43 years with significant results at both the trial and appellate levels. We have successfully represented injured drivers and passengers in every imaginable automobile accident scenario.

Florida’s Pure Comparative Fault

February 26, 2016

Sexual Assault, Battery, and Molestation in Florida

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Today, the subject of childhood sexual abuse and molestation is of much attention. As a matter of fact, 28 to 33 percent of women and 12 to 18% of men were once victims of childhood or adolescent sexual abuse. Recently, a 32 year-old man, Jack Kelly, was arrested and charged with sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation. He allegedly sexually abused his 7-year-old daughter and admitted to inappropriately touching her more than 100 times. Officers discovered that he also sexually battered the girl at least twice.

If you or a loved one is a victim of such a horrendous crime, it is imperative that you hire an experienced attorney. Doing so will better your chances of adequate compensation. Such attorneys can be found at Gerson & Schwartz PA. We truly understand that being a victim of sexual assault, battery, and molestation is a traumatic and life changing event. We will fight effortlessly to get you or your loved one the compensation deserved.

Effects of this Crime