Blog - CGWC

Whether you are driving your personal car, riding your motorcycle, bicycling, or walking your dog on a city street, there is no denying the fact that Florida roadways are dangerous. In 2006, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were over 250,000 traffic accidents in Florida involving over 350,000 drivers. That was an average of over 700 automobile accidents per day! There were over 3,300 deaths and over 214,000 injuries in those accidents. Over 7,700 pedestrians were injured and over 500 pedestrians were killed. Over 4,200 bicyclists were injured and over 120 were killed. Over 7,900 motorcyclists were injured and over 500 motorcyclists were killed. These aren't just statistics. These are human beings. Fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, and friends, from all walks of life. Lives changed in the blink of an eye. So, be careful out there and don't become another addition to these awful statistics. If you are injured, contact the experienced automobile accident attorneys at CGWC.

Once again, CGWC partner, Nathan P. Carter, was quoted in another in a series of articles in the New York Times regarding the abuses of nursing home residents by nursing homes operated in complicated schemes by private equity firms designed to avoid liability in civil court for the injuries and deaths caused by neglect, abuse and malpractice by their management and caregivers.

These private equity firms, often owned by politically connected power brokers from all over the country, use complex corporate structures in which assets are placed in limited liability companies or other corporate entities which are separated from the companies that hold state issued licenses to operate the facilities in states all over the country, including Florida. By structuring the operation of long term care facilities in this fashion, the licensees, which hold few if any assets of the operations, are essentially judgment proof, and the entities with the assets and revenues contend they are shielded from responsibility, since they are "merely creditors" of the licensees, leaving injured victims of abuse and their families no practical legal recourse in civil court.

In fact, these companies are engaged as partners in joint ventures to operate the nursing homes while escaping financial responsibility for injuries and death caused by their malfeasance. The United States Congress is investigating the operation of nursing homes by private equity firms, concerned that the business structure leaves nursing home residents without the ability to fight for their rights in civil courts. Mr. Carter was quoted in the article after being contacted by the Times for comment. Mr. Carter is one of the most experienced nursing home abuse attorneys in the country, is often asked to speak to attorneys at continuing legal education seminars on nursing home neglect, and is author of numerous articles in professional publications on nursing home abuse, neglect, and negligence.

According to a panel of outside experts gathered by the Food and Drug Administration to assess medicines used to treat common colds and coughs in children, the over the counter medicines just don't work. That's right. There is no evidence that they work! What's more, there is enough risk of harm to children, that children under 6 years of age should never be given these over the counter medicines.

These medicines have been used by decades and billions of doses have been given by parents to their children over the years. The drug companies who sell these products have spent billions of dollars marketing many different brands for a long, long time. The findings are not binding on the FDA or manufacturers, but the conclusions of the panel of experts will hopefully lead, at at minimum, to regulations requiring warnings or instructions on labels in the future. Until then, be careful what you put in your and your children's bodies. Just because a product is on the market, that doesn't mean it's safe. Far from it.

After the killer hurricane season of 2005, Allstate Insurance Company pulled back from insuring many risky areas, such as coastal homes and now expects to make record breaking profits in excess of $ 5 billion.

Criticism from consumer groups has been harsh. The Consumer Federation of America says Allstate has reaped these profits by price-gouging. Even Alabama Senator Trent Lott has been critical of the company's self-interested policies and business strategy.

Allstate increased homeowners insurance premium rates by double digits during the two years after Hurricane Katrina. Big increases in premiums continue in coastal states. In some states, such as Florida, Allstate has simply refused to renew policies insuring some coastal homes, focusing on more risk free inland homes for the sake of profit, leaving some longtime customers without Allstate policies.

Yet, Allstate and other insurers have fought tooth and nail to not only protect this business strategy against intervention by state governments, but to also continue to battle to restrict the rights of policy holders by seeking insurance and "tort" reform that benefits their company but leaves consumers and state governments exposed to financial losses formerly borne by the insurance industry for profit. Reforms such as their fight to refuse to renew or extend automobile no-fault coverage in Florida which leaves hospital emergency rooms and taxpayers exposed to bear the loss of unpaid hospital bills of accident victims who have no health insurance. Are you really in good hands?

In 1997 the nonprofit Web Marketing Association was founded to foster high standards for internet marketing and website development. The Web Marketing Association's staff is made up of volunteers of professionals in internet website design, internet marketing and online advertising. The Web Marketing Association produces the WebAward Competition annually. The WebAwards is in its 11th year of recognizing the best websites in 96 industries, and WebAwards is the premier annual website award competition.

The Web Marketing Association recently announced the winners of the 2007 WebAward Competition and the CGWC website was named "outstanding website" in the legal industry. There were only four total winners in that category worldwide and only 32 legal websites worldwide were awarded 2007 WebAwards. The CGWC website was also named an "Official Honoree" of the Webby Awards earlier this year, so this is the second major worldwide website award received by "The Florida Firm" this year. CGWC's website is designed, optimized and marketed by Page 1 Solutions, an internet marketing subsidiary of Network Affiliates, Inc. Page 1 and Network Affiliates have been providing superior advertising and marketing for legal, cosmetic surgical and dental practices for over 25 years.

On January 1, 2008, Florida's no-fault automobile insurance law will be back. On Friday the Florida Legislature submitted which re-enacts a version of the decades old Florida Motor Vehicle No Fault Law. The new law renews many of the old provisions Florida drivers are accustomed to, such as $ 10,000 in medical and wage loss benefits, known as personal injury protection (PIP) benefits which are available to an injured driver (and his/her passengers) from his own insurance company regardless of fault. Under the new law, physicians are generally limited to payments on a fee schedule that is 200% of Medicare's rates. Hospitals emergency rooms can be paid 75% of their bill. In order for clinics to be paid, they must be owned by physicians or specialists.

For the next three months, however, no "no-fault" coverage is required. Drivers should either choose an insurance company that is offering voluntary "no fault" coverage if renewing a policy before January 1, 2008, or they should buy a policy with plenty of medical payments coverage, a voluntary medical benefit that has been on the market for decades for an additional premium. Governor Crist is expected to sign the new bill into law this week.