Florida Injury And Accident Lawyer Blog

Changes Are Coming Soon

2008-09-08T11:52:50Z

If you are an avid reader of the Florida Injury and Accident Lawyer Blog or if you are not, get ready for some major changes to be coming your way. Our blog is having some touch up work being performed, kind of like a tune-up and a new coat of paint for the car. We might even throw in a couple of cool features for you.

But, we are gonna need your patients while this little bit of magic takes place. Remember, we are attorneys not computer dudes.

]]> This post was submitted by Carmen Dellutri, Esq., founder of The Dellutri Law Group, P.A. Currently, the firm has offices in Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, and Naples and has expansion plans for Sarasota. Mr. Dellutri also sits on the Board of American Board of Certification. Mr. Dellutri is also one of the founders of the Bankruptcy Law Network, Debt Law Network, Credit Law Network, and Mortgage Law Network. Mr. Dellutri also writes for the firm's bankruptcy blog.

Dellutri Law Group Opens New Office For Personal Injury Clients

2008-08-30T15:24:55Z

The Dellutri Law Group, P.A. is proud to announce the re-location of it's Naples office. The new office is located at the Fountain Park Center. The Fountain Park Center is located near the intersection of Vanderbilt Road and Airport Pulling Road. the address is: 7935 Airport Pulling Road, Suite 200, Naples, Florida 34109. Our Naples phone number 239-403-3011 and fax number 239-939-0588 will remain the same. The new location will help us serve our personal injury, bankruptcy and consumer law clients.

]]> If you are heading north on Airport Pulling road, the Fountain Park Center is located approximately 1.5 miles North of Barron Collier High School, and the office will be on the left hand side. The building is behind the Calistoga Bakery and Cafe. Our offices are on the second floor of the building, just take the elevator or stairs up, and the receptionist will greet you.

If you are heading South on Airport Pulling Road, the Fountain Park Center is located just South the intersection of Vanderbilt Road and Airport Pulling Road on the right hand side. We are down the strip mall from Stonewood restaurant.

This post is submitted by Carmen Dellutri, Esq. The Dellutri Law Group, P.A. has offices in Naples, Fort Myers, and Port Charlotte.

How You Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Case

2008-07-19T18:31:12Z

When a victim in a personal injury case make a claim against an insurance company, it seems that the victim is the one on trial because he or she is making a claim for his or her injuries. While this may seem impractical to most people, those of us in this industry understand why this happens, and we deal with it. Trust me, we don't like it either. However, the one thing we don't enjoy is when a client become his own worst enemy. It has happened to every personal injury attorney. My first client who killed his case came into my office on a Monday morning telling me how much pain he was in. I believed him. The next day, he was on the cover of the Newspaper giving an interview in his work-out clothes and discussing his work-out regime. He wasn't a client after that. Although this is an extreme example of how someone can hurt their own cases, there are other ways, more subtle ways.

For example, personal Injury cases open the books to the victims previous medical conditions which may have some relationship to the damages being alleged by the victim in this action. Let's say you had a prior neck surgery as a result of an old football or cheerleading injury. As a claimant, you must be open and honest with your attorney and disclose all of your previous medical issues. It is better to be open and honest, rather than trying to hide the previous neck surgery. It will come out sooner or later, and then you look like the bad guy or girl. Trust me, the insurance company is looking for anyway not to pay you the value of your case. Therefore, you don't need to give them additional ammunition. If you have something that embarasses you, we can deal with it, just let us know.

This is just an example of one of the ways in which you can hurt your case. Other examples include: Giving recorded statements to the insurance company, Completing insurance forms without your attorney reviewing same, etc.

]]> If the insurance company asks you to give a statement, either verbal, written or recorded, please call us or another personal injury attorney first and seek their advice. As a policy, once we are retained, our clients do not speak to the other side's insurance company or it's representative without our being present.

Likewise, as a policy, we prefer that our clients do not complete any forms for the insurance companies without our review prior to the forms being forwarded to the insurance company.

We caution our clients about preparing job applications or any type of application wherein you will be making statements about their physical condition.

We urge our clients to always put their best foot forward and use their common sense after being injured in an accident. We want our clients to recover as quickly as possible, but we understand that some injuries are permanent.

This post is submitted by Carmen Dellutri, Esq., and he is a Board Certified Attorney and founder of The Dellutri Law Group, P.A. The firm has offices in Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Naples. Mr. Dellutri is also a founding member of the Bankruptcy Law Network, Debt Law Network, Mortgage Law Network and Credit Law Network. He also writes a Bankruptcy Blog. Mr. Dellutri also sits on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Certification.

What To Do If You Are In A Car Accident In Florida.

2007-12-04T10:17:08Z

As a personal injury attorney, I see the devastation that follows a car accident each and every day. Think about it, you are driving along without a care in the world, all things seem to be going your way, and then Wham, another driver was not paying attention, and you wake up in the hospital. Who is going to pay your bills? Who is going to fix your car? These and other questions are normally asked when a client contacts us for the first time. The most important things to remember after you are in a car accident are:

]]> 1. Keep your wits about you - Call 911 to report the accident and any injuries. In the State of Florida, you are required to have a crash report completed if the crash results in death, bodily injury or damage to property of at least $500.00. With the way cars are built today and the price of auto parts being what it is, very rarely will you be involved in a fender bender which will result in less than $500.00 in damages. So, if you are in doubt, it is a good policy to notify your law enforcement officials immediately.

2. Secure the area - You do not want to have secondary injuries or property damage. If the cars are in a position where they can be hit again, move them to a safer location. Turn off the ignitions of all cars involved in the accident. DO NOT move anyone who was injured in the accident, unless they are in imminent danger, leave that decision to the paramedics or other health care professionals. If you have any blankets, jackets or other garments, try to keep all injured parties warm.

3. Cooperate with the Police - You do not want to be involved in any other post-accident altercations with the other party, the accident is traumatic enough. Please do not argue with the other party. If they were at fault, they are already under a tremendous amount of stress, especially if they injured someone. If someone begins yelling and screaming at them, the situation will escalate and get out of hand quickly. Remain calm and tell the police exactly what happened in as much detail as you can recall.

4. Driver's Information Exchange - Again, please don't discuss who was at fault in the accident, but do exchange information with the other driver or drivers. Please exchange, your driver's license information, insurance information and registration information. You will need to provide this information to your insurance company when you report the claim.

5. Collect Witness Information - Witnesses play a key role in proving liability. Even if the other driver admits to the police that he or she was at fault, you may still have to prove the matter later. Accordingly, please gather the names, home addresses and phone numbers and work addresses and phone numbers of all witnesses. Even if they didn't see the accident, but came on the scene later, they may still recall some key information to your case.

6. Medical Attention - If you need medical attention, please seek the attention you need. You may wish to go to the emergency room, or you may have some other means of seeking medical attention. Please do so, for your own piece of mind. If you have a prior injury, make an appointment with the medical provider, as soon as possible, who either was or is treating you for the prior condition.

7. Photographs - We highly advise you to keep a disposable camera in the glove compartment just in case an accident happens. Photograph the damages to both vehicles (even damage that couldn't have happened in this accident) as well as skid marks or other physical evidence of how the accident happened. Additionally, please photograph any physical injuries that you sustained.

8. Protect Yourself - You are under an obligation to cooperate with your insurance company, but as you and I know, insurance companies do not always have your best interests at heart. Remember, if insurance companies treated people fairly and honestly, I wouldn't have a job. You are under no such obligation to cooperate with the other person's insurance company. Accordingly, you should seriously consider speaking with a lawyer prior to giving a statement to either insurance company.

9. Contact Us As Soon As Possible - Put our experience to work for you. We can help you on the road to recovery. No-one likes to think about car accidents, but when that day comes, isn't it nice to know that you have someone with answers to the tough questions, who is looking out for your interests, and is willing to protect your legal rights. You do not want to settle your claim for less than its full value. Call us at 239-939-0900.