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Florida Injury Attorney Blawg

Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Loss of Consortium — Think Twice (or more) Before Making This Claim
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

Florida case has long allowed the spouse of an injured married partner to bring a cause of action for loss of consortium, and though derivative in the sense of being occasioned by injury to the spouse, it is a direct injury to the spouse who has lost the consortium. Busby v. Winn & Lovett Miami,…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Golf Carts, Low Speed Vehicles (LSV) and Florida Personal Injury Law
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

We represent a gentleman who was recently involved in a horrible crash while operating his Ford F-150 truck in a gated Lee County, Florida community. The operator of the other vehicle, which crossed into our client’s oncoming lane of traffic, died in the crash. Our client sustained significant personal injuries, including emotional distress. (For example,…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Important Differences Between the LHWCA and Florida Workers’ Compensation
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) and Florida’s Workers’ Compensation Act are statutory systems established to handle the provision of benefits to injured workers. The LHWC covers persons engaged in maritime employment, including any longshoreman or other person engaged in longshoring operations, and any harbor-worker including a ship repairman, shipbuilder, and ship-breaker. The…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Florida PIP Reimbursement Allowed Against Owner or Insurer of the Owner of a Commercial Motor Vehicle
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP), or “No-Fault,” is a type of Florida motor vehicle insurance available to a “named insured, relatives residing in the same household, persons operating the insured motor vehicle, passengers in the motor vehicle, and other persons struck by the motor vehicle and suffering bodily injury while not an occupant of a self-propelled…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Gap in Protection for Florida Uber Eats Bicycle Riders
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

We represent a hardworking young college student who was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle and left for dead by the side of the road while delivering for Uber Eats on his bicycle. He spent a week in Ryder Trauma Center, a leading catastrophic care facility, with life threatening injuries ranging from traumatic brain injury (TBI)…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Recent First DCA Ruling in a Workers’ Compensation Case May Open Floodgates for More Personal Injury Cases
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

Many experts believe that the First District Court of Appeal’s April 5, 2019 ruling in Sedgwick CMS v. Tamatha Valcourt-Williams will open the floodgates for more civil negligence lawsuits brought by employees against employers. Because of the immunity provisions of section 440.11, Florida Statutes, such lawsuits have always been exceedingly rare in Florida. Under the…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Florida Workers’ Compensation Immunity and the Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

With few exceptions, section 440.11, Florida Statutes grants immunity from tort liability to employers and the co-employees of Florida workers injured in the course and scope of their employment. In most cases, the doctrine precludes relief outside of the workers’ compensation system. Florida’s dangerous instrumentality doctrine is a common law doctrine which provides that the…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Avoiding the PIP Setoff/Offset in Florida Vehicle Crash Cases
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault insurance (“Personal Injury Protection” or “PIP”) is a form of medical insurance used for motor vehicle crashes. It is mandatory on vehicles registered in Florida. It covers owners, certain family members and passengers, and pedestrians. The typical policy limit is $10,000 reduced by deductibles ranging from $500 to $2,000. PIP does…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // Here We Go Again — Florida’s Workers’ Compensation Law Under Assault
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

Here’s a simple truth: An injured worker (also known as a “claimant”) proceeding “without the aid of competent counsel” is as “helpless as a turtle on its back,” Davis v. Keeto, Inc., 463 So.2d 368, 371 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985) (quoting Neylon v. Ford Motor Co., 27 N.J.Super. 511, 99 A.2d 664, 665 (Ct.App.Div.1953)). Because…

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Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A. // The Peculiar Matter of Split Sample (Specimen) Urine Collection in Florida Workers’ Compensation Cases
Jeffrey P. Gale, P.A.

Employers and their workers’ compensation insurance companies (E/C) relish the opportunity to deny benefits to employees injured on the job. One of the most powerful weapons in their ample arsenal is the section 440.09(3), Florida Statutes drug defense. It reads as follows: (3) Compensation is not payable if the injury was occasioned primarily by ……

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