South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog

There's no doubt in Florida we have a fair share of attorneys, especially personal injury attorneys. So, how does one go about choosing a good attorney for their potential accident case. To start, when choosing a personal injury attorney there are several factors you may want to consider. For example, if a friend or relative has referred you to a personel injury attorney, then you will most likely benefit from that recommendation. Otherwise, if you need to locate an attorney on your own, you may find yourself in a vast universe of who to choose and how to go about choosing them.

With that being said, there are a few things to keep in mind; Firstly if possible do your research online. This will give you great insight to the firm you are considering. Most attorney websites, if not all will list the backgrounds of the firm's attorneys, their level of experience, and a list of settlements they have received.

However, as everyone is aware, there are many times than not that during an accident things are confusing and hectic and research is not an option. In situations like this the individual involved in the accident will typically make the call to the first phone number available to him or her. This is ok to do keeping in mind that you can always do your research after you have retained the law firm to represent you. If you decide that the firm you chose on impulse is not a good fit, you can cancel your agreement with the firm within 72 hours of your signing with them and not incur any fees. You want to locate an attorney that is going to have your best interests at heart and is going to communicate with you on a regular basis. But every client should beware; Just like in any business, it's important to keep in mind that there are many personal injury attorney scams out there, unaccredited lawyers and other schemers who try to extort large amounts of money from people or companies to make themselves rich.

If time permits a person involved in an accident could contact the local Bar Association in their area. The Bar association will maintain a list of responsible attorneys and will be able to recommend a good personal injury attorney to you. If you think you will have trouble paying attorneys fees, you may want to investigate the free legal aid clinics in your area. Legal aid clinics will help file a law suit on your behalf and will often work pro bono, or free of charge, if they think the case is justified.

More importantly make sure that the personal injury attorney you choose has your best interest and he or she listens to your needs.

For several years now, the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners have been advocating the installations of cameras at intersections to protect the public. The Sheriff's office also supports the idea, and so does the Florida Legislature, or at least they seem to in theory for now. Without the support of statewide legislation, Palm Beach County has decided to take matters into their own hands by developing it's own ordinance.

The determination coming from the Board of County Commissioners is that running a red light is a major issue and needs to take priority in order to provide safety, efficiency, and proper use of the county roads and to effectively reduce the significant dangers presented to motorist and pedestrians by drivers who run red lights everyday.

In 2006, there were approximately 8,000 crashes in Palm Beach County of which many of the crashes were results of people running red lights.

According to the County, there have been ten to twenty cameras in unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County.

But what about crashes that result from drivers trying to avoid being photographed by the red light cameras? "Rigorous studies clearly show red-light cameras don’t work,” said lead author Barbara Langland-Orban, professor and chair of health policy and management at the USF College of Public Health. “Instead, they increase crashes and injuries as drivers attempt to abruptly stop at camera intersections.”

There are some individuals who claim that this is in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution because it undermines an individuals basic rights.

On the other hand, the Department of Transportation and the Insurance Institutue of Highway Safety seem to agree for drivers who insist on running red lights it is definately worthy of having Big Brother's intervention in an attempt to save lives. Statistics show that approximately 800 Americans are killed each year as a result of drivers running red lights.