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Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer
Contact Orlando injury lawyer Ed Normand and his accident law firm for any car accident, Disney World injury, Florida wrongful death lawsuit or other injury resulting from any sort of negligence.

• Insurance Institute Recommends Higher Legal Driving Age
  

  After reviewing years of statistics on traffic-related teen deaths, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is recommending that states raise the legal driving age to 17, or even 18. According to the IIHS, car crashes are the number one cause of deaths in teens and they feel increasing the age to 17 or 18 would save lives.

  The IIHS report points to statistics from the state of New Jersey where the driving age has been 17 for several years and the rate of 16 and 17 teenage deaths were 18 per 100,000. In neighboring Connecticut, where the minimum driving age is 16, the rate is 26 deaths per 100,000.

  "This is a tough sell," says Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research, "but it's an important enough issue to challenge the silence and at least consider changing the age at which we allow teenagers to get their licenses to drive. After all, graduated licensing has been successful ever since states began to adopt these programs more than a decade ago, and raising the licensing age is a logical next step to reduce driving by the riskiest motorists on the road, the youngest ones."

  According to the Washington Post:

  More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. Many industrialized countries in Europe and elsewhere have a driving age of 17 or 18.

  Many states have initiated strict graduated driver''s licenses which they believe are saving lives. Getting the state legislatures to increase the age to 17 will be difficult and it will be an uphill battle with most parents and the teenagers. Teenagers want their freedom and a lot of parents look forward to dropping "chauffeur" from their list of parental responsibilities.

  Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Sandy Grinnell
• State Farm Must Pay Discounts
  

  About 100,000 current or former clients of State Farm Insurance will receive refunds averaging $1,224 each. These customers did not receive the discounts after they better prepared their homes to withstand hurricanes. Former policy holders should expect their checks to come within 6 months, current policy holders will probably be "rewarded" through credits on their accounts. The payments should include 7% interest because State Farm wrongfully held their policy holders' money when it should have never been collected in the first place. This behavior is just further evidence of how insurance companies are losing focus and not performing their end of the contract they have with their insured. The real purpose of insurance is to pool and distribute risk amongst its policy holders. It is not to try to pay as little as possible to each for trying to make a claim, or overcharging them. It's akin to being a member of a club, except that this club does not provide you with the benefits when you need them and continually raises the price without increasing its service.

  Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Diego Madrigal
• Personal Injury Lawsuit Filed Against Makers of Byetta(R)
  

  A Virginia man has filed a personal injury lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against Amylin Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer, and Eli Lilly and Company, the co-marketer, of the injectable diabetes drug Byetta(R). This personal injury lawsuit may be the first of its kind against the manufacturer of a pharmaceutical company.

  In 2007 Amylin negotiated with the FDA to inform patients of the risk of acute pancreatitis by adding it to the "precautions" on the ByrettaR warning label provided to physicians and patients . This addition to the warning label was a direct result of 30 cases of acute pancreatitus from using the drug.

  The personal injury lawsuit alleges the manufacturer "failed to adequately warn prescribing physicians of the risk of pancreatitis, of measures needed to properly assess the appropriateness of prescribing the drug to certain categories of patients, and of measures doctors and patients could and should take to minimize the risk."

  The plaintiff, who was prescribed ByettaR for his diabetes, was hospitalized in December, 2007 for pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis can cause bleeding and even death. The plaintiff's attorney, Thomas M. Moore of Moore Labriola LLP, states "it is pretty obvious that the label change in 2007 was not adequate."

  Coincidently, two days after the lawsuit was filed, the FDA reported that six cases of hermorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients who were prescribed ByettaR and two of those six victims died. And just yesterday Amylin and Lilly reported that four more people have died from taking ByettaR.

  Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Sandy Grinnell
• Warning: Flood Damaged Cars May Soon Be on the Market
  

  With the extent of flooding here in Florida as a result of hurricane Fay, it's safe to assume that more than victim's homes were flooded - so were their vehicles. And those "restored" vehicles may soon be on the market, even in a non-flood-affected area.

  It takes quite a lot of work, but a flooded vehicle can be restored to the point that, without careful examination, you might not even know it had been flooded. The vehicle needs to be dried out, the upholstery cleaned or maybe replaced, the engine steam cleaned, and the whole vehicle detailed. But just because a vehicle has been restored to look good, doesn't mean it's a good vehicle.

  Since you obviously drive in rainstorms, the under-carriage of a vehicle is meant to take a lot of water so if the vehicle wasn't submerged for too long, some of those components may be okay. However, the electrical systems, fuel injectors, air conditioning and many other systems may be ruined.

  So how can you tell if the used car you're looking at has been flooded? First you can use CARFAX to see if flooding has been reported on the vehicle. But absent this information, CARFAX recommends the following before you accept that "too good to be true" deal on a used vehicle:

  • Inspect the interior: Check the trunk, glove compartment and other storage areas, dashboard and underneath the seats for signs of sand, mud, moisture or rust. Check for frayed or cracked wires underneath the dashboard, and make sure all the gauges work.
  • Examine the interior fabric: Look closely at the upholstery and carpeting - if it doesn't match the interior or fit properly, it may have been replaced. Discolored, faded or stained fabric may indicate water damage.
  • Test electrical components: Test the interior and exterior lights, windshield wipers, turn signals, stereo, windows, mirrors, seats and cigarette lighter.
  • Try the heater and air conditioner: Make sure both the heater and air conditioner work. While the A/C is on, check for musty odors.
  • Have the car inspected: Visit a trusted mechanic for an inspection before you purchase any vehicle
  Originally posted at InjuryBoard by