Car seat laws improved but need to go further in Florida to protect more of our children

Schools across the state of Florida are letting out for summer break this coming week. That means that the summer driving season is upon us, where families will be driving around the state of Florida and to much more far-flung places around the country to visit relatives, friends and the multitude of tourist attractions that this great country of ours has to offer. Now is the perfect time to remind all of you who will be traveling this summer Florida’s most up-to-date car seat and restraint laws for children.

 

The most recent changes went into effect about a year and a half ago, on January 1^st, 2015. Here is a quick refresher of the series of requirements, as stated in the 2015 Florida Statutes:

• Children through the age of 3 must be secured in a federally-approved car restraint seat.
• Children through the ages of 4 and 5 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat. Which one depends upon their size.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.613.html

 

These additions to the state law increased requirements up through the age of 5. Before the beginning of last year, car seat requirements for children in the state of Florida only covered up through the age of 3. Although this is certainly an improvement, a number of child safety advocates continue to lobby for Florida state politicians to bring our laws in line with other states or to the standards recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ that children by restrained in a booster seat until they are at least 4 feet, 9 inches (57 inches) tall.

 

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital child advocacy supervisor Bevin Maynard was quoted as saying by the Tampa Bay Times that the magic number “is not weight or age. It is height.”

 

She has had quite a bit of experience working with children and their families when a child has been seriously injured in an automobile accident. She knows that statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration state that the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 5 and 14 in the United States is improper restraint when in a traffic accident.

 

Some information for this blog post including the quote from Bevin Maynard was shared from the following article:  http://www.tbo.com/news/politics/new-florida-car-seat-law-takes-effect-jan-1-20141221/

 

If your child or the child of someone you know is injured in an auto accident you probably need a lot of comfort, in addition to expert legal advice on what to do. Call us at Slinkman, Slinkman & Wynne, P.A. We offer a free initial consultation, and we will try to help you through this very difficult and emotional time. Our phone number is (561) 686-3400.

At Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne, we know that car accidents unfortunately happen all the time. We help our clients and their children obtain payment to cover hospital and other medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more, if the situation warrants it.

If you want to learn more about how we can help you in a situation where someone you love has been in an auto accident, then go to this page on our website: http://www.sswlawfl.com/areas-of-practice/auto-accident/. We also specialize in Slip and Fall accidents, Wrongful Death & Serious Injury, Medical Malpractice, Defective Products, Premises Liability, Boating Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents and many other types of legal situations where injury or death has occurred.

Our main office is in Jupiter, Florida at 1015 W. Indiantown Road, Suite 101A. We have litigated cases in Palm Beach County and throughout the state of Florida.

 

Required personal injury protection benefits in Florida – what they mean to you as a Florida resident

Most people who live here in Florida are aware that the state has a series of laws called the Florida Statutes that are “a permanent collection of state laws organized by subject area into a code made up of titles, chapters, parts, and sections. The Florida Statutes are updated annually by laws that create, amend, transfer, or repeal statutory material.”

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=View%20Statutes&Submenu=1&Tab=statutes

Included amongst the 2015 Florida Statutes is an entire section on Insurance: Title XXXVII, Chapters 624 through 651. Chapter 627 of this section covers Insurance Rates and Contracts. 627.736 refers to “Required personal injury protection benefits; exclusions; priority; claims”

At Slinkman, Slinkman & Wynne, P.A. we realize that most Florida residents reading this blog do not want to read through the rather complicated and long-winded statutes that discuss insurance requirements. You want to know what they are and how they affect you and your loved ones, in plain English.

Since the last changes to the statutes in 2012 & 2013, Florida drivers have been required to carry the following minimum insurances:

• $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) benefits, and
• $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) benefits.

Florida does not, however, require drivers to have bodily injury liability (BIL) benefits (which pay the costs of others’ injuries if a crash occurs). Most other states do require you to have BIL benefits in your insurance coverage. All auto insurance policies must be purchased from insurers licensed to do business in Florida. Driving without insurance in Florida is illegal, and a driver may have his or her license suspended if caught driving without at least the minimum required insurance. To get a license reinstated, a driver has to show proof of insurance on every vehicle owned in the state of Florida, and must pay a fine of up to $500 per violation.

These are just the basic rules of insurance as they are presently constituted here in Florida. Our Board Certified lawyers from Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne are the right lawyers to get you the best settlement that you deserve based upon your unique set of circumstances when you have been involved in an automobile accident.  We will find out what coverage you and all of the motorists involved in the accident have – making sure to ask all of the right questions of all companies and interested parties in your case.

If a person you care about gets hurt or killed in a car, motorcycle or boating accident, or you simply have a question about a potential personal injury situation that you have not yet had answered, please call us at Slinkman, Slinkman & Wynne, P.A. We offer a free initial consultation, and our phone number is (561) 686-3400.

At Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne, we understand that motor vehicle accidents happen every day. We also understand that not everyone has the minimum insurance coverage required under the current state statutes.

We help our clients obtain payment to cover hospital and other medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more, if the situation warrants it. If you want to learn more about how we can help you in a situation where someone you love has been in an accident, then go to this page on our website: http://sswlawfl.com/areas-of-practice/accidents-serious-injury/. We also specialize in Wrongful Death & Serious Injury, Medical Malpractice, Defective Products, and many other types of legal situations where injury or death has occurred.

Whether you are in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Stuart, West Palm Beach or any other city in the state of Florida, you need to find and hire a law firm that has the level of knowledge and experience that will get you the financial results you deserve, while also working with you throughout your case until some type of resolution has been reached. With over four decades of experience, that firm is Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne.

Contact us directly at (561) 686-3400, or via email at info@sswlawfl.com.

 

Yes, you only have a limited time to bring a Defective Products lawsuit in Florida

People do get hurt every day while using the machines, appliances, equipment and even toys that assist us as we live our lives on a daily basis. Sometimes these injuries are 100% due to user error, or alterations made to the products leading to accidents because of improper usage. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a defective product is partially or fully to blame for you or your loved one getting injured, or even dying.

The law of product liability is the area of law that deals with the liability of the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of a product for injuries resulting from that product. This includes the manufacturer of component parts of the product, an assembling manufacturer, the wholesaler, the retail store or other ultimate seller of the product, and any other party in the distributive chain, regardless of whether you actually purchased the item yourself.

One of the most important aspects of product liability cases is the statute of limitations as stated in Title VIII, Chapter 95 of the 2015 Florida Statutes. Contained within the list of 17 different actionable events described under the FOUR YEARS Section of Chapter 95.11 are the following two items:

• An action founded on negligence.

and

• An action for injury to a person founded on the design, manufacture, distribution, or sale of personal property that is not permanently incorporated in an improvement to real property, including fixtures.

Go here to read the entire Chapter 95.11 (Section 11) of the 2015 Florida Statutes: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0095/Sections/0095.11.html

This means according to the most recent Florida Statutes you have up to FOUR YEARS to file most defective product claims.  This may seem like a long time, but four years can go by in a blink of an eye; particularly if you or a loved one has suffered significant injuries or even death from a defective product or some other type of manufacturer or retailer negligence.

Instead of trying to figure out how to get some type of settlement out of the manufacturer or their high-powered, expensive lawyers who are paid to keep as much money from you as possible, come to Slinkman, Slinkman & Wynne, P.A. We are a law firm who has well over four decades of experience helping our clients receive the maximum amount of compensation they deserve for injuries, medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering due to defective products.

At Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne, P.A., we know that any product may cause injury or death. Even if the defect is not due to any negligence on the part of the manufacturer, the manufacturer can be held responsible for any damage caused by the defective product. The retailer may also be viewed are partially responsible for having canned and sold the defective product. A claim can even be brought against the person or company that was involved in producing or distributing the defective product.

If you want to learn more about how to go about hiring the right attorneys for you in a situation where you have been injured by a defective product, then go to http://sswlawfl.com/areas-of-practice/defective-products/. We also specialize in Accident & Serious Injury, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, Auto Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Boating Accidents and many other types of legal situations where injury or death has occurred.

Whether you are in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Stuart, West Palm Beach or any other location throughout the state of Florida, you need to find and hire a law firm that has the level of knowledge and experience that will yield you maximum results, while also working with you throughout your particular situation until it is resolved. With over four decades of experience, that firm is Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne.

Our main office is located in south Florida in Jupiter at 1015 W. Indiantown Road, Suite 101A. You can contact us directly at (561) 686-3400, or via email at info@sswlawfl.com. Contact us today for a FREE initial consultation.