Robert Lemon and Hilary Michalak were riding their tandem bicycle in the morning hours of September 2, 2013 when they were struck from behind by a motorist driving a pickup truck. The offending driver left the scene of the crash without rendering any care or aid to the cyclists and the couple was eventually discovered …
Interest in traumatic brain injuries has been on the rise for the past few years. Awareness has been raised by head injuries to high-profile professional athletes such as hockey player Sidney Crosby and snowboarder Kevin Pearce, as well as to Tampa high school football player Sean McNamee. Sporting events which lead to head injuries are …
There are many forms of brain bleeds, all of which are very serious and require immediate medical attention. Brain bleeds can range from an aneurysm to an epidural hematoma, and all of them can be deadly. Some common signs of potential brain bleeds are sudden extreme headache, double vision, loss of hearing or balance, or …
Picture a pleasant, sunny summer day. You’re sitting on your front porch, drinking iced tea and watching your son ride his bicycle down the street. He suddenly loses his balance and rides his bike right into the side of a parked car. What’s a parent to do? Obviously, first of all you’ll want to make …
For many individuals seeking medical treatment following a motor vehicle accident, there’s plenty of stress to go around: keeping up with appointments, nagging discomfort, confusing insurance paperwork, rising medical bills, time off work, and the length of time for settlement to happen. The average injury victim knows very little about how their insurance works regarding …
Memorial Day signals the official beginning of summer for many Americans, time to plan picnics and take the cover off the swimming pool. The month of May is National Water Safety Month, a good time to complete annual pool maintenance and to remind children of important pool safety rules. Visitors to Florida often assume that …
Do you know what your employer’s policy is regarding sexual harassment? Unfortunately most people don’t know what it is, until they need to file a claim against someone who has assaulted them. You may love your job and be a terrific employee, but it’s also important to have an employer who respects all of their …
Clearwater, Florida injury attorney, discusses whether attorneys who are associated with 411-Pain or 1-800-Ask Gary possess any special qualities or abilities that their counterparts who have opted not to join a lawyer referral service fail to have. Do you benefit by calling a lawyer referral service when you can simply call an actual attorney in …
Victims of sexual assault in Florida are more numerous than most people would believe. Each year, more than 200,000 people are victims of sexual assault in the United States, and in Florida alone a sexual assault is reported to police every 42 minutes, according to the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. As many as one …
As spring season kicks in and gives way to summer, thousands of Floridians will likely take a cruise as their chosen vacation. Lately the news has been abound with cruise ship news ranging from norovirus outbreaks, engine failure, personal injury onboard and ashore, and disasters such as the sinking of the Costa Concordia in 2012. …
When you are a customer shopping in a store, or you are renting an apartment from a landlord, you expect that the store or your apartment and the areas around the place where you live to be kept in a safe condition that will prevent you from being injured. In fact, Florida law requires that …
Beginning in October 2013, the State of Florida made it illegal to send and read text messages while driving, and while AAA called this law’s adoption “a good step” , the possible effectiveness of the law has been questioned by others. The reality is that the law is a step in the right direction with …
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to share this information about what to do if you are sexually assaulted at work. Did you know that a sexual assault occurs every two minutes in the United States? Every two minutes. On average, there are 237,868 victims each year; that number has …
By now most of the PIP industry is familiar with the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling in Geico v. Virtual Imaging, 2013 WL 333385 (Fla. 2013). Last July, our state’s highest court held among other things, that insurers must unambiguously elect the Medicare fee schedule payment methodology in their policy language if that is how the …
The Florida Supreme Court Declares the Cap on Damages in Medical Malpractices Cases Unconstitutional Thursday, March 13, 2014, was a victorious day for those who have suffered as the result of medical malpractice, members of the plaintiff’s bar, and those who believe in equal protection of the law. March 13, 2014 marked the Florida Supreme …
Rear-end crashes are among the most common auto accidents that we see in our Clearwater Personal Injury practice. I can’t say with certainty but in most circumstances, absent an intentional act of stopping short, if you are rear-ended chances are you are a victim. The most frequent types of rear-end collision occur while the victim is stationary …
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that over 3 million people are injured each year in vehicle accidents across the country The type and severity of injuries suffered by drivers and passengers involved in a car accident depend several factors, such as: Was it a low-speed collision or a high-speed crash? Did the person’s car …
By now the industry knows that massage therapy services are not reimbursable under Florida PIP Insurance, regardless of who performs them. However, manual therapy (CPT CODE 97140) modalities are routinely denied by Progressive insurance company on the basis of being massage therapy. Progressive is misguided because manual therapy is not the same as massage therapy …
In the plethora of paperwork that medical providers have PIP patients fill out at the initial visit, none is more important and often misunderstood as the assignment of benefits, or AOB. The AOB functions as the authority for medical provider to get paid PIP benefits but also to file a PIP suit against the insurance …
As the weather starts to heat up, there are more and more motorcycles on the road, especially here in Florida. Motorcyclists appear in boisterous, colorful packs on the highways, exchanging their unique hand signals with one another, enjoying the feel of the sun on their backs, breathing in the spring air, feeling every curve in …
Most people have heard of the term “slipped” or “ruptured” discs. When people say this, they are actually describing a herniated disc, which is a common source of pain in the neck, lower back, arms and legs. Herniated discs can often occur after a vehicular collision. The word “herniate” (say: her-nee-ate) means to bulge or …
Many women suffer through the inconvenience and discomfort of an annual screening mammogram, believing that it guarantees early detection and treatment of breast cancer. According to BreastCancer.org, in 2013 over 200,000 women were expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer, and nearly 40,000 would die of the disease. Now a recent study published by the …
The amended Florida PIP Statute found under 627.736 and 627.732 (which expressly defines Emergency Medical Condition in Florida), has left many physicians in the dark as to what truly constitutes such a condition. Fla. Stat. 627.732 expressly defines an “Emergency medical condition” (hereinafter referred to as “EMC”) means a medical condition manifesting itself by acute …
Well it’s 2014 and by now most medical providers, including MRI facilities, are well acclimated to the emergency medical condition clauses of Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law; acclimated but still sufficiently confused. To-recap, the relevant provisions of the No-Fault statute state as follows: 3. Reimbursement for services and care provided in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph …
