Welcome to The Law Offices of David W. Singer Florida Legal, Personal Injury and Consumer Advocate Blog

Posted on December 14, 2011 by admin

The Law Offices of David W. Singer offers this blog to help plaintiffs and consumers throughout Florida better understand their rights as they relate to personal injury claims within their specialty of auto accidents, cruise ship injuries, slip and falls, medical malpractice and other injuries in Hollywood, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and all of Florida. The firm is a long-time consumer advocate and the winner of many community service awards. With a track record of thousands of victories, within and outside the courtroom, the firm has been quoted as a legal expert in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Miami Herald and National Law Journal. Bookmark this page and return frequently for announcements of recent firm victories, as well as local and national news related to legal claims and how they could affect your rights.

“As a general rule, the most successful person in life is the person who has the best information.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

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Florida Personal Injury Attorney’s Call for Muster Drills Upheld: Cruise Lines Must Hold Safety Sessions Before Departure

Posted on February 15, 2012 by David Singer

When the Cruise Line International Association this week called for all cruise ships to hold muster / safety drills prior to departure from port – a mandate that follows the grounding and capsizing of Carnival Corp.’s Costa Concordia off Italy in January – CLIA repeated what one personal injury / cruise accident attorney has been demanding for years.

“With the advice and consent of its membership, CLIA advances policies intended to enhance shipboard safety, in some cases calling for best practices in excess of existing legal requirements,” CLIA wrote.

“Current legal requirements for conducting a muster of passengers are found in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and mandate that a muster for embarking passengers occur within 24 hours of their embarkation. Notwithstanding the legal requirement, CLIA’s member cruise lines have identified a best practice effective immediately that calls for conducting the mandatory muster for embarking passengers prior to departure from port,” CLIA wrote in its announcement.

“On occasions when guests arrive after the muster has been completed, CLIA’s policy is that they be promptly provided with individual or group safety briefings that meet the requirements for musters applicable under SOLAS. This practice exceeds existing legal requirements and has been adopted by CLIA’s membership as a formal policy to help ensure that any mandatory musters or briefings are conducted for the benefit of all newly embarked passengers at the earliest practical opportunity.”

Learn your rights. Contact personal injury attorney David W. Singer, Esq.
305-945-3045 Miami-Dade Office
305-904-4899 Cell
1-800-ASK-FREE (275-3733) National Watts
954-926-5746 Fax
dsinger@yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
DSingeresq@aol.com
www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
www.1800askfree.com

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Costa Concordia News: While Families Mourn, Florida Lawyers Expand Lawsuit, File in Florida Courts

Posted on February 14, 2012 by David Singer

The personal injury, damages and individual loss of life horror of the grounding and capsizing of Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia cruise ship off Italy keeps growing deeper. A new lawsuit challenges venue for filing cases against international cruise lines.

While families of those lost or still missing following the cruise ship disaster marked the one-month anniversary of the accident, passengers and families of those who were aboard the ship have amended their U.S. lawsuit to bring additional claims of negligence against the ship’s captain and crew, according to AFP.

It has been widely reported that cruise lines’ rules compel those seeking to sue cruise operators do so in the line’s home country. This lawsuit establishes Costa’s and parent Carnival’s base in the United States.

The news organization wrote that the Florida lawsuit, filed where the cruise operator Carnival and Costa Crociere, are based, now includes 39 plaintiffs, each of whom is seeking individual damages for unique losses and injuries. ”The plaintiffs will seek punitive damages as a result of the nature of the conduct of the Costa Concordia’s officers and staff, which demonstrated a reckless disregard for human life and property,” their attorney said in a statement said Monday.

Learn your rights. Contact personal injury attorney David W. Singer, Esq.
305-945-3045 Miami-Dade Office
305-904-4899 Cell
1-800-ASK-FREE (275-3733) National Watts
954-926-5746 Fax
dsinger@yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
DSingeresq@aol.com
www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
www.1800askfree.com

 

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More Attorneys Calling for Cruise Line Safety Protocols in Wake of Costa Concordia Sinking Off Italy

Posted on February 9, 2012 by David Singer

In the days following the grounding and sinking Carnival Corporation’s Costa Concordia cruise liner – and the resulting damages, personal injury and potential for lawsuits, I commented that laws regarding ship-board safety, training and even legal actions against international cruise lines should change. Read one of my posts here.

Now, others are catching on and falling in line with similar calls for training, safety, and assurances that future accidents don’t lead to loss of life.

In its story, “Costa Concordia: lawyer calls for cruise industry reforms,” Agence France-Presse notes how “a U.S. lawyer representing more than 70 passengers and crew members of the Costa Concordia on Thursday called for sweeping changes to the cruise industry following last month’s disaster.”

The attorney called for “better training for crew members, more responsibility for cruise ship operators and a system for tracking ships similar to flight control in aviation.”

We’ll see how far the cruise industry and lawmakers go with these suggestions.

David W. Singer, Esq., has more than 30 years experience with cruise line litigation and damages. Call 1-800-ask-free (800-275-3733) or email Mr. Singer directly atDSingerESQ@AOL.com or visit  www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com

 

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Prepare Before Cruising For Potential Disaster, Personal Injury at Sea

Posted on February 9, 2012 by David Singer

In the wake of the January grounding and sinking of Carnival Corporation’s Costa Concordia cruise ship, where 17 are confirmed dead, 15 are missing, and hundreds – even thousands – suffered personal injuries, damages and the company is facing lawsuits, newspapers are discussing ways people can prepare themselves against future disasters.

First, though, prospective cruise guests should know that cruising is a safe vacation. Millions travel every year without incident.

Still, with some precautions, you can further safeguard your vacation – and that of your loved ones.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “it’s important for you to know these protocols and to play the “what if” game with your kids and teens so they know what to do in an emergency. Can teens and tweens find the muster station on their own?

“Take the safety drill (typically right before you embark) seriously and pay attention rather than texting or taking photographs though it, as many do. Revisit the info with the kids on your in-room TV.”

Want to learn more? Read here.

David W. Singer, Esq.
305-945-3045 Miami-Dade Office
305-904-4899 Cell
1-800-ASK-FREE (275-3733) National Watts
954-926-5746 Fax
dsinger@yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
DSingeresq@aol.com
www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
www.1800askfree.com

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Post Traumatic Stress and emotional distress may make up most of Costa Concordia claims

Posted on February 6, 2012 by David Singer
Thousands of other people who were among the approximately 4,200 passengers and crew aboard the ship, might also sue – not for actually dying, or even being hurt, but for being scared to death.There’s some precedent for this in aviation law, which is similar to maritime law in their history. In one noteworthy case that might help the Costa shipwreck survivors, 13 American Airlines passengers,who survived, recovered $150,000 apiece for 28 seconds of terror during severe turbulence on a 1995 flight.Stress-related claims that seek compensation for emotional distress, as it’s called in legal lingo, pay far less than death claims. These claims, plus those for lost property, are likely to dominate in the wake of the Costa Concordia shipwreck.

David W. Singer, Esq. 
305-945-3045 Miami-Dade Office
305-904-4899 Cell
1-800-ASK-FREE (275-3733) National Watts
954-926-5746 Fax
dsinger@yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
DSingeresq@aol.com
www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
www.1800askfree.com 

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Post Traumatic Stress from Costa Concordia

Posted on February 5, 2012 by David Singer

Those on board the Costa Concordia that “horrific” night of Friday, January 13, 2012, went through the “living hell” into the morning of Saturday and then had to suffer even more by not being able to call home and tell their families that they were alive until much later. There is a high likelihood that they will suffer post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The condition of PTSD however cannot be immediately diagnosed since it may take a certain time period before symptoms will begin to show up.

Signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anxiety. If you develop what are called “startling reflexes”; that is if a sound or light goes off you startle abnormally Irritability. You may find yourself getting “short” with people around you Images repeatedly coming to your mind of the explosion Ideas of the explosion coming to your mind and thereby disrupting what you happen to be doing at the time.

Concentration problems Short term memory problems
Avoidance behavior; that is where you start not wanting to “hang out” with friends that you used to enjoy being around or socializing less.

The above are just some of the symptoms manifested with PTSD, however, you do not have to have all of them to be diagnosed. If you begin to suffer any of the above, you should immediately seek proper medical care.

David W. Singer,Esq.
www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
1-800-ask-free (275-3733)

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Posted in Cruise Line Injury, News | Leave a comment

Horrors of Costa Concordia Personal Injury, Losses Continue For Guests, Families

Posted on February 5, 2012 by David Singer

News keeps getting worse for passengers and guests injured and the families of those killed in the Costa Concordia accident off Italy in January.

Costa Concordia / AFP Getty Images

 The New York Daily News reported that, “The Costa Concordia was essentially a floating luxury hotel and many of the passengers embarked on the ill-fated cruise with their finest clothes and jewels so they could parade them in casinos and at gala dinners beneath towering chandeliered ceilings.”

Artifacts also include “jewels, cash, champagne, antiques, 19th-century Bohemian crystal glassware and thousands of art objects, including 300-year-old woodblock prints by a Japanese master.”

Continue reading →

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Medical Malpractice Case for Failure to Diagnose Against a Radiologist Leads to $2,000,000 Verdict

Posted on February 2, 2012 by David Singer

The family and estate of a South Florida women in her 50s who died after a radiologist missed evidence of a blood clot in her leg won a $2 million medial malpractice verdict.

The woman was suffering headaches and was sent by her neurologist  to have a doppler ultrasound in May 2008 at  a large radiologist group in Florida.

The ultrasound technologist  recorded on the Study Notes/Preliminary Report that the woman presented for a “Lt leg venous doppler us dx: 50f with lt leg/calf pain and swelling, r/o dvt, no h/o dvt or blood thinners. Wet Read.” The study was performed from Woman’s groin to her proximal calf pursuant to standard protocol. The images she obtained were transmitted via a PACS system directly to the reviewing radiologist,  who was in a room across the hall from the patient. The images would have appeared on a screen for his review . He viewed the images and reported his findings as: “Examination reveals normal Doppler flow from the groin to the proximal calf demonstrating no evidence of deep vein thrombosis [DVT].” The woman was released to go home under the impression that she did not have DVT.

Continue reading →

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Cruise Ship Injuries Go Beyond Costa Concordia Sinking to Include Assaults, Rapes, Personal Injury

Posted on January 30, 2012 by David Singer

The family of a minor allegedly raped by a cruise ship employee has retained legal representation to pursue personal injury and other damage claims. An investigation into whether the cruise line was negligent in hiring the employee and, in general, maintained inadequate security measures to prevent this rape is underway.

The young girl in this case claims she was lured by the pool attendant into a men’s locker room where he proceeded to have sex with her. According to a police report, the pool attendant first befriended the girl and her family before the alleged rape, which was stopped when a fellow employee knocked on the door.

The pool attendant admitted that he had sex with the girl, but claimed that he thought she was older, records state. On January 11, it was reported that he was indicted on a single count of sex abuse of a minor.

Those assaulted or raped by a cruise ship employee or a fellow passenger must act to protect their rights. Call David W. Singer, Esq., at 1-800-ASK-FREE (275-3733) or email at dsinger@yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com.

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Carnival Cruise Lines-More Bad News!!

Posted on January 28, 2012 by David Singer

This time, it is on one of their ships leaving Charleston, South Carolina . Authorities in the Bahamas say a 26-year-old U.S. tourist has died aboard a Carnival cruise ship and the cruise has been delayed pending the investigation.

Bahamas police said in a statement Saturday that a man from South Carolina apparently jumped from one floor to another aboard the Carnival Fantasy ship that had docked in Nassau late Friday. He was declared dead at the scene.

Carnival issued a statement saying the guest apparently fell. They said the ship’s visit to Freeport on Saturday has been canceled as the investigation continues.

The ship departed Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday for a five-day Bahamas cruise. It is still scheduled to return to Charleston Monday.

David W. Singer, Esq. Helping Cruise Victims
305-945-3045 Miami-Dade Office
1-800-ASK-FREE (275-3733) National Watts
954-926-5746 Fax
dsinger@yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
DSingeresq@aol.com
www.yourfloridamaritimecounsel.com
www.1800askfree.com 


 

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