If you sustain damage to your property, insurance companies have an obligation to respond in a timely manner. Unfortunately, our past experience has found that many insurance companies often leave their policyholders stranded for days despite numerous requests to speak with an adjuster. It is important to document your efforts to speak with your insurance company. Every time you speak with an insurance company representative regarding a hurricane claim, write down the name and ID number of the person with whom you spoke. If you feel the insurance company is not being fair, hire a lawyer to assist you in handling your claim.

Additionally, many insurance companies hire engineers whose opinions are intended to support the insurance companies’ interests in not paying your claim. Protect yourself using video and photographs to document the damage to your property caused by the hurricane.

I recently represented a construction worker who was struck from behind by a falling 480-foot communication tower. The accident happened when the tower’s supporting guy wire was caught by a moving piece of heavy machinery. The tower owner knew about the situation, but took no action.

My client’s injuries from this construction accident included fractures to the skull, face, ribs and leg; a large scalp laceration and spinal fractures. ER doctors feared he would not survive the night. He spent nine weeks in the hospital and today is permanently and totally disabled.

When construction companies refuse to enforce safety measures, putting their workers at risk, they must be held responsible for the financial losses of the workers they injure and provide for the future financial protection of these injured workers and their families.

In Orlando last year, 525 car accidents were linked to red-light running. The city is installing 10 red light cameras at seven intersections around the city and come Sept. 1 will begin fining red light runners $125 for the first two offenses, then $250 for subsequent ones.

Drivers who run red lights cause car accidents that result in preventable death and injury to others. I commend the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running for its efforts to prevent these types of car accidents.

Florida’s road can be a dangerous place, making it more important than ever to purchase as much uninsured motorist protection insurance coverage (UM) as possible, including the option of purchasing stacked coverage. Many people do not appreciate the significance of UM coverage until they are involved in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver. Without UM coverage, there is no way to recover for the loss.

Medical errors cost Americans nearly $9 billion from 2004 to 2006 and resulted in 238,337 potentially preventable deaths among hospitalized patients, according to HealthGrades’ analysis of Medicare records. “There can be enormous quality differences from one hospital to another, and one doctor to another, and this guide will point readers to the best care, wherever they live,” according to author Dr. Samantha Collier who also is HealthGrades’ chief medical officer.

Dr. Collier offers several ways to avoid becoming the victim of medical errors while hospitalized. Know your daily treatment plan and be prepared when the doctor arrives, ask nurses or doctors to address you by name to prevent them from giving you someone else’s medication, and have a family member or friend act as your advocate to help direct your care and keep track of your treatment plan.

The overwhelming number of motorcyclists involved in solo crashes did not follow the basic but important rules of riding, according to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation which advocates that motorcyclists receive training and licensure, wear protective gear, ride unimpaired and within their limits, and be lifelong learners by taking refresher riding courses.

To find a local Basic Rider Course sponsor or teacher in your area, visit http://motorcycles.hsmv.state.fl.us or call (850) 488-3286.

Florida led the nation in boating fatalities last year, according to statistics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This is the 16th time in 20 years that Florida has topped the list, prompting the Commission to approve a plan for mandatory boater education requirements phased in over the next 11 years, according to the Associated Press.

Last year, 70 percent of all boating accidents involved operators with no formal safety education; for fatalities, that number was 85 percent, the AP reported, adding that state officials believe mandatory education could reduce the number of fatalities by as much as 25 percent.

Boating safety is no accident. Please read our firm newsletter that addresses the importance of practicing watercraft safety and provides information on local boating courses is available from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Our firm has seen a significant increase in elder abuse cases since the Florida legislature passed nursing home protections in response to the industry’s claims that frivolous lawsuits were rampant during the 1990s and early this decade. However, during this same period, we also saw a steady decrease in the number of cases involving elder abuse.

DCF has called for increased training of investigators and greater vigilance by neighbors and family. DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth attributes the increasing abuse to a struggling economy when tempers flare and predators seek out the elderly for financial gain.

From my perspective, the increasing reports of elder abuse and neglect have occurred because there is limited financial consequence for the nursing home industry due to the protections passed by the Florida legislature. Coincidence or not?

In response, this year’s NHTSA “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign, which began on May 19, will focus on nighttime seat belt use when the odds of being killed in a car crash are three times greater.

Too often, our practice sees the catastrophic results when unbelted drivers and occupants are involved in car crashes. The lesson learned from the vast majority of these cases is that serious injury and death can be avoided by making seat belt use a habit for both drivers and passengers.

“Seat belt use among young drivers and occupants is not what it should be, especially at night when the risk of dying in a crash triples,” said NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason. “Clearly, we need to do more to make people of all ages understand that – whether traveling by car, SUV or truck – a seat belt is the best way to stay alive, day or night.”

I commend the Orlando Sentinel for this article and particularly reporter Anika Myers Palm’s reference to flood insurance.

After the tough hurricane season Florida endured in 2004, the insurance industry successfully lobbied for legislation that provides more protection for itself than it does for homeowners. For instance, insurance companies now have less of a burden to provide coverage for damage resulting from a flood. As a result, the door is open for self-interested insurance companies to claim that damage was caused by flood as opposed to wind driven rain.

As such, I highly recommend that homeowners purchase flood insurance even if they don’t live in a flood zone.