Pasco Law Blog

The week of February 22 through February 26 finds the attorneys at Lucas, Green & Magazine in trial.   The past several months have been very busy for our attorneys and support staff as they have been preparing for this trial week.  Our attorneys are currently  prepared to try five (5) cases in Pasco, Pinellas and Martin County.  With our Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial attorneys and our team approach to trying cases, our firm is prepared for this very busy trial week.  At Lucas, Green & Magazine our trial experienced attorneys work together by discussing and planning the best presentation of our client’s case for the courtroom.  Although they often find “great minds think alike,” sometimes round-tabling accident cases may bring a new perspective and fresh ideas.  At Lucas, Green & Magazine we know each client is different and each case is different.  The attorneys you meet at our firm, and the staff that handle your claims will always keep your best interest at heart.

Thanks to the persistence of our assistant office administrator, Andrea Mastracchio, our firm has been collecting aluminum soda tabs for Shriners Hospital.  The following is an email received in response to our contribution to their cause:

Dear Andrea,

A heartfelt thanks to you and the Pasco Law Group on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children for collecting tabs to benefit the kids receiving medical care and rehabilitation at our hospital in Tampa. Your extraordinary efforts will ensure that Shriners Hospitals for Children is able to continue Changing the World Through Caring for Kids at our 22 hospitals throughout North America.

 Alicia Argiz-Lyons
Corporate Director of Public Relations
Shriners International Headquarters
(813) 281-8161 Fax (813) 281-8496

When you or a loved one are involved in an accident of any type, whether it be an automobile or a slip and fall, most people are shocked, startled and confused. It is very important to try to focus and think clearly when the incident happens. Although this can sometimes be difficult, if we are educated and prepared, hopefully we can try to calmly review the situation and be proactive.

When the accident is a Slip and Fall, it is important to inspect the area where you or your loved one fell, and try to determine what caused you or your loved one to fall.

Make sure to write down the names, addresses and phone numbers of anyone in the vicinity where the incident occurred - both those who saw the fall, and others who were there after the incident. The individuals will likely be needed as witnesses on the victim’s behalf. Even if someone did not see the fall, he or she could, if necessary, describe your pain and the conditions of the floor, lighting, or other hazard immediately after the fall.

If the incident occurred in a store or place of business, speak with the manager or supervisor on duty, and have them make a record of the incident, being sure to get a copy of anything prepared. If anyone (especially an employee, supervisor or manager) makes a comment suggesting that this has occurred before, or that they were aware of the condition before the fall, obtain this person’s name and job title. Make sure to get the name, address and phone number of anyone else who heard him or her make the statement.

Have someone take photographs of the area as soon as possible, so a record is made. Dangerous conditions have a way of changing if the property owner thinks that you might file a claim for injuries.

If you slip on any substance on the floor, obtain a sample of the substance if possible.

After receiving appropriate initial medical treatment, contact an attorney with experience in handling claims for personal injury resulting from slip and fall accidents.

If you’re a passenger who has sustained injuries in an automobile accident, you are entitled to receive compensation for your injuries. As a passenger, you may have a claim against both the driver of the vehicle in which you were riding as well as the drivers of any other vehicles (or any other negligent party) involved in the collision.

A passenger is generally not considered to be at fault or partially at fault in an auto accident unless he or she does something that specifically causes the accident such as distract the driver. If you have been injured as a passenger in a vehicle involved in a collision, an attorney at Pasco LawGroup can help you file a claim and get monetary compensation for your injuries.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an automobile accident contact Pasco Law Group at 1-800-4-INJURY.

The Law Office of Lucas, Green & Magazine is assisting the Joshua House in the collection of back to school supplies for foster children in need.  Items that can be donated include: notebooks, crayons, colored pencils, rulers, scissors, highlighters, notebook paper (college rule), scientific calculators,  5-subject notebooks, mechanical pencils, pocket dictionaries, erasers, glue/glue sticks and backpacks.  Donations need to be dropped by our office by Wednesday, August 5, 2009.  Monetary Donations are accepted.  Please make your checks payable to “Friends of Joshua House Foundation” write “School Supplies” on the memo line and mail to:  Friends of Joshua House Foundation, Inc., PO Box 26333, Tampa, FL 33623.

On July 1, 2009, the seatbelt law in the State of Florida changed. Floridalaw has required drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seatbelts, however on July 1, 2009 the law changed so that you can be stopped just for not wearing your seatbelt. The law used to be that if you were stopped for another traffic violation, you could also be sited with a “no seatbelt” violation on top of the original charge.

The Florida Primary Seat Belt Law makes it a primary charge not to be wearing a seat belt while driving.  Drivers not wearing their seat belts may know that it’s not the safest of practices. They may even be aware that not wearing a seatbelt is against the law.

However, now law enforcement officers can pull over drivers and their passengers for not being buckled up.  With this change, there real is no excuse not to wear your seat belt. Drivers who get caught face a $30 statewide fine, plus an added county penalty.

Since 2005, law enforcement officers have been able to pull over a vehicle if any occupant under the age of 18 was not wearing a seat belt.  The change now is that the law applies to the driver of the car and the front-seat passenger regardless of age, and still applies to passengers in the back seat under 18.  There are no warnings.”

When you or a loved one are injured in an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall or other accident, it is important that you take care of your injuries and receive proper medical care.    Your recovery is the most important thing.  The hiring of a personal injury attorney can assist you in your recovery by taking the stress of dealing with insurance companies and other issues associated with a personal injury by allowing the attorney to assist in the handling your claim.  But when choosing an attorney, it is important that you choose an experienced attorney. 

To assist the public in making an educated decision when seeking and choosing a personal injury attorney, the Supreme Court of Florida directed the Florida Bar Association to offer a “Board Certification” program for Florida Bar members.   In order to be recognized as a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, not only must the attorney pass rigorous written examinations, but the attorney must also show documented evidence that they have actually practiced law inside the Courtroom and have taken cases to trial.  Less less than 2% of  lawyers that are members of  The Florida Bar, are Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyers.  Civil trial law includes personal injury, wrongful death and medical malpractice.

The Law Offices of Lucas, Green & Magazine have two attorneys on staff that are Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyers; partner Jim Magazine and associate attorney Steve Haskins.  Attorney Jim Magazine is also a member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.  http://www.milliondollaradvocates.com/  This prestigious group of trial lawyers is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements.  Fewer than one percent (1%) of U.S. lawyers are members.

If you or someone you love are in need of a personal injury attorney, please contact our office at 1-800-4-INJURY or 727-849-5353. 

If you believe your insurance company has acted in bad faith in denying your personal injury claim, you need a personal injury attorney experienced in insurance bad faith claims throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. The attorneys and staff at Lucas, Green & Magazine have extensive experience representing Florida clients whose insurers have wrongfully denied their claims. Insurance companies may be guilty of acting in bad faith when they fail to honor the terms of their insurance contracts. They have a duty to fairly represent the interests of their customers. If you feel your insurance company has breached this duty, you should have an experienced insurance bad faith attorney on your side.

A bad faith claim may arise from every type of insurance, including automobile insurance. Each year, insurance companies deny Florida customers billions of dollars in insurance claims, knowing that most customers will do little or nothing about it. Don’t let your insurance company cheat you out of money you are owed! Contact the insurance bad faith attorneys at Lucas, Green & Magazine today at 1-800-4-INJURY for a free consultation. We serve Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough Counties and the greater Tampa Bay area.

Our entire personal injury staff and attorneys recently attended a seminar on bad faith practices in order to become even more educated on this area of law.  Our attorneys are experienced trial attorneys. Attorneys Jim Magazine and Steve Haskins are both Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyers.  They have trial experience with insurance bad faith claims.   Attorney Jim Magazine is a memberof the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Our New Port Richey personal injury attorneys represent people injured in all kinds of accidents, including motorcycle accidents, automobile collisions, slip and fall accidents, and animal attacks. Our law firm has a well earned reputation for providing aggressive and high quality service to accident victims, and we know injury and insurance law, including bad faith claims. If you or a loved one are a victim of a personal injury please contact New Port Richey personal injury attorneys at our office 727/849-5353, 1-800-4-INJURY or by email at Jeff@pascolawgroup.com for a free consultation.

Motorcycles are becoming an ever-more popular mode of transportation not only in Pasco County, but all over the the United States. With the economic changes and challeges we are facing not only in Pasco County but all over, more and more people are opting for this economical form of transportation.  However, the increase in the popularity of motorcycles inevitably leads to an increase in motorcycle accidents. Even if you don’t drive a motorcycle, you know how difficult a motorcycle is to see on the highways and surface streets around the Pasco, New Port Richey area. You’ll notice that motorcycles always have their headlights on.  If this wasn’t required by law, motorcyclists would want to make themselves as visible as possible in the New Port Richey, Port Richey and all of Pasco County, because it is such a beautiful place to ride.  Per vehicle mile traveled in 2004, motorcyclists were about 34 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured. While motorcycles made up slightly more than 2 percent of all registered vehicles in the U.S., motorcyclists account for 10 percent of total traffic deaths. Pasco Law Group offers aggressive, professional representation to motorcycle accident victims. 

If you or a loved one are injured in a motorcycle accident in Pasco County or the Tampa Bay area, please contact a New Port Richey Personal Injury attorney for a free consultation so we can put our resources to work for you. Our New Port Richey Personal Injury Attorneys represent people injured in all types of accidents, including motorcycle accidents, automobile collisions, slip and fall accidents, animal attacks. Our law firm has a well-earned reputation for providing aggressive and high quality representation to accident victims, and we know injury law. Please contact our firm at 727/849-5353 or 1-800-4-INJURY

The Pasco County law firm, Lucas, Green & Magazine take pleasure in announcing that attorney Tracy Ramirez has joined our firm as an associate personal injury attorney. Tracy is originally from Dundee, Illinois. She moved to Florida after graduating from law school. She received her Juris Doctor in 1994 from the University of Illinois, College of Law, located in Champaign-Urbana, Illnois. Tracy has been licensed to practice law in Florida since 1994. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Georgetown University located in Washington, D.C. in 1991.

Tracy has more than fourteen (14) years of personal injury and wrongful death civil litigation experience. Tracy has considerable experience in the areas of automobile liability, animal liability, premises liability and products liability. Tracy has had numerous civil jury trials. In addition to representing hundreds of individuals, Tracy has represented small and large corporations, governmental entities, and insurance companies. Tracy’s comprehensive case handling permits her to provide the highest standard of legal representation to her clients.

Tracy is also very active in the community. Tracy is currently the President of the Georgetown University Alumni Association of Tampa Bay. She is also on the Board of Directors for Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida, Inc. In addition to being a Board Member, she is pro bono legal counsel for Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida, Inc. Tracy is also very active in the equestrian community. She is a member of South Creek Foxhounds Hunt Club, which is based in Pasco County and is the proud owner of a nine year old Elite Hanoverian Mare.

Tracy is a welcome additional to our New Port Richey personal injury firm.  Her years of experience handling personal injury cases makes her a great asset.  Our New Port Richery personal injury attorneys represent people injured in all kinds of accidents, including motorcycle accidents, automobile collisions, slip and fall accidents, and animal attacks.  Our Pasco Law Group also handles medical malpractice and wrongful death claims.  Our law firm has a well earned reputation from providing aggressive and high quality service to accident victims, and we know injury and insurance law.  If you or a loved one are a victim of a personal injury please contact New Port Richery personal injury attorney Tracy Ramirez at our office 727/849-5353 or by email at TracyR@pascolawgroup.com.