Bagen Law Blog

When you've been in an accident, or found yourself in a situation where another individual has caused harm, the matter can seem clear cut. Another person caused your injuries or injured someone you care for, and the law should support your claims. Unfortunately, pursuing a claim for these injuries often isn't so simple.

A personal injury attorney is your most powerful ally in these cases. These professionals have the training and experience needed to navigate the sometimes obscure legal procedures surrounding personal injury cases. If you've considered representing yourself in a proceeding, take a look at these ways a personal injury attorney can help you. It may surprise you how much work goes into preparing a successful case!

While the Florida “Stand Your Ground Law” has been in effect since 2005 there are still many questions about how far that law goes. A recent court finding challenges the application of the Florida stand your ground law to a civil action.

What Does This Mean?

The Florida Stand Your Ground Law is built on presumptions. Presumed force of violence against you in the commission of a crime is necessary to justify deadly force. Under older statutes, it was necessary to make every attempt to retreat or avoid deadly force. New laws allow for justified deadly force when your person or property is at risk during the commission of a violent crime.

All  too frequently  we  learn  of  deaths  and  injuries  on  I­75  involving careless,  illegal  u­turns  through  the  median.  As  recently  as  May  19, 2014,  several  children  were  severely  injured  on  I­75  near  Ocala, Florida, when a young Florida Highway Patrol officer made a sudden, unexpected u­turn through the median when he was driving north on I­75. Although law enforcement officials have the authority to make a u­-turn  on  the Interstate,  this  tragic  accident  highlights  the  high risk  of performing such  a  maneuver  on  the  interstate. Tragically,  instead of completing the u­turn successfully, the 20 year old FHP Trooper struck a  guard rail  and then  hit the front  of  a  2014 Nissan Altima,  carrying several children ages 3, 5, and 7. The 2014 Altima then hit two  other southbound cars including a 2011 Mercedes, as well as a tractor trailer. Unfortunately, this chain reaction injured three children who had to be life­flighted to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

Last Saturday Live Oak resident, Charles Holt, died from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident.  Holt, age 63, was participating in a charity event for The Lupus Foundation when he lost control of his 1982 Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Holt was not wearing a helmet.

Early Saturday morning, a single vehicle accident resulted in the death of a 20 year old woman from Silver Springs Shores.  Kendall Sidle’s vehicle veered off the road and onto the shoulder as she was traveling east on Southeast 110th Road.  After veering off the road for unknown reasons, Kendall overcorrected in an attempt to get back onto the road, and as her tires dug into the ground, her vehicle overturned and ejected her from the vehicle.  Kendall was not wearing her seatbelt.

Last Saturday, two people tragically lost their lives in an accident on Interstate 75 in Ocala, Florida while another died later that day.  At approximately 1:40 p.m., Chelsea Richard, a nine year veteran with Florida Highway Patrol, responded to the scene of a two car traffic crash on I-75. Richard called for a tow truck to remove the vehicles.  

A holiday weekend is the perfect time for a brief getaway. Since Memorial Day is the kick off to the summer season, it's a great time to get out on the boat. But unfortunately, fun and games can turn to tragedy in the blink of an eye. No one wants to think that they will ever experience that kind of tragedy first hand, but it can happen. Boating accidents can happen to anyone. If it does happen to you, you need to take the right steps to protecting yourself and getting the care and compensation that you deserve.

Courtney Sanders was on her way to work last Thursday morning when she decided to take “selfies” and post them to her Facebook page.  She then posted a status to Facebook saying “The happy song makes me HAPPY”. That statement was posted at 8:33 a.m. and at 8:34 a.m. operators received a 911 call stating that Courtney’s car had crossed the median and slammed into a truck causing it to strike a tree. Fortunately the driver of the truck was not seriously injured.