Articles Tagged with Wrongful Death

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Florida emergency vehicle accidentsWe all know that when an emergency vehicle approaches with its lights flashing and sirens blaring, other motorists should make way – and fast. But what if you cannot move quickly enough? What if you did not see the lights or hear the sirens before it was too late? What if there were no lights or sirens activated at all?  Over the years our law firm has received many calls regarding Florida emergency vehicle laws;  As our South Florida injury lawyers can explain, state law allows for legal accountability in Florida emergency vehicle accidents in some circumstances. Proving it will likely require an extensive investigation, expert witness testimony, and an experienced legal team.

According to the National Safety Council, emergency vehicle crashes – those involving police vehicles, ambulances or fire trucks – caused 168 U.S. deaths in 2018. Of those, less than half (48 percent) occurred while the authorized vehicles’ lights and sirens were in use. Most of those who died were either an occupant of non-emergency vehicles or pedestrians (69%). Police vehicles were involved in the most fatal crashes (64%), followed by ambulances (28%), and then fire trucks (8%). These numbers provide some insight but do not give us a full picture as non-fatal crashes are not included.

F.S. 316.072 allows emergency vehicle operators some leeway when it comes to traffic rules. For example, they can proceed past a red light or through a stop sign – but only after slowing down as necessary for safe operation. They can exceed the maximum speed limit – so long as the driver does not endanger life or property. They can also disregard regulations governing direction, movement, or turning – but only so long as life or property is not endangered. Many departments also have written policies that outline the caution their employees should use when responding to an emergency.

What the law makes clear is that while these first responders are tasked with critically important duties for which seconds count, they do not have free reign to drive recklessly on our roads or needlessly endanger others.

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Fort Myers Personal Injury Lawyer - Jeffrey R. GarvinFORT MYERS, Fla., October 3, 2012 – Florida Attorney Jeffrey R. Garvin of The Garvin Injury Law has been named 2013 “Lawyer of the Year” in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs for the Fort Myers / Naples metropolitan area.

Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is honored as “Lawyer of the Year,” according to Best Lawyers® and The Best Lawyers in America® (Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

Attorneys recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the exhaustive peer-review assessments conducted with thousands of leading lawyers each year, according to the Best Lawyers® website.

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Garvin is Proud to Join Prestigious Group of Young, Trial Lawyers in Florida

Top Young Fort Myers Car Accident LawyerFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-May16th, 2012-Fort Lauderdale, FL- The National Trial Lawyers Association has hand-selected 40 of the most accomplished young, trial lawyers throughout the state of Florida, and Leland Garvin, of Garvin Injury Law, has been included in this exclusive group.

The Top 40 Under 40 identifies individuals that exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership as a young trial lawyer. According to the association, “Selection is based on a thorough multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third-party research. The result is a credible, comprehensive and impressive list of young attorneys chosen to represent their state.”

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Each year, the Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (FLABOTA) presents the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award to one individual that has exemplified their selection criteria:  being an excellent advocate with a distinguished career, having a superb reputation of high ethics and fair play, and having achieved outstanding results for his or her clients. A lawyer can only receive the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award once in his or her career. Part of the esteemed award includes a $5,000.00 cash donation to the law school of the recipient’s choosing.

Trial Lawyer of the YearMembers of FLABOTA select the recipient of the award, and this year Jeff Garvin, of the Garvin Injury Law with offices in Fort Myers and Fort Lauderdale, received the once in a lifetime honor. Garvin chose his alma mater and Jennifer Zedalils of the University of Florida College of Law was on hand to receive the cash portion of the award.

The Garvin Injury Law focuses their practice on personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death law. Garvin was a charter member of the local FLABOTA Chapter and is the immediate past president of the statewide organization. Garvin has been recognized for taking aggressive measures to help stop legislative initiatives that threatened to harm the Florida court system and impair the independence of the judiciary.

Justia Lawyer Rating for Jeffrey R. Garvin
Florida Legal Elite 2016
Super Lawyers
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
The Best Lawyers in America
Martindale-Hubbell
American Association for Justice
Florida Justice Association
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