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Were you or a loved one seriously injured due to another’s negligence? Here is what you should know about an injury. Contact our lawyers now. 1) Mistakes After a Personal Injury Claim The value of a personal injury claim in Florida is what the question presents and that is it’s personal. These are personal injury claims, personal to you. The value of that claim depends on many factors and many things that go into looking at what that claim is worth. It starts from the insurance company’s perspective with your medical bills. What did it take to treat these conditions that resulted from the accident or the incident? The value of the claim also includes things like your wage loss if you missed work as a result of the accident and your injuries. That goes into determining a value of the claim. It’s so much more than that. The value of the claim is personal— how this claim has affected you, how it’s affected the way you go about your daily activities, the things that you enjoy doing, your hobbies, your interests. The value of the claim varies based upon many factors that go into a case. At Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz, we look to maximize that value based upon what you, our client, is looking for to fully compensate and receive justice as a result of this accident that was not your fault. We put the pieces together with you very early on and continuing throughout the course of your case to make sure that we are maximizing value based upon your desires to search for justice for you. 2) Pre-Existing Injury Personal injury claims and pre-existing conditions are things that are at the forefront of most cases that are handled in Florida. Those are things that do impact cases. Insurance companies like to look at pre-existing conditions and try to blame the effects of the accident on those pre-existing conditions. Luckily, when you have an experienced attorney like us at Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz, we know how to flip that argument on its head because what the law tells us is that simply because you were suffering from some form of pre-existing condition, be it a prior spinal cord injury, be it prior neck pain or back pain, just because you may have those things in the past doesn’t mean that you cannot collect damages you deserve from suffering an aggravation or an exacerbation of those prior conditions, again, things in your past that have been reignited, brought to life, and intensified as the result of the accident in question. While it is certainly something that is at the forefront of cases when those pre-existing conditions exist, having the right attorneys to know how to deal with those situations in the right context and how to make those situations most beneficial for you folks that suffer from those sort of things in your past is so paramount and important to making sure you are choosing the right attorneys. What we do when we get a case is, we certainly ask about the accident and your injuries as a result of the accident. What we do is take a deep dive into your medical past, not in an effort to undervalue your claim but in an effort to get that ammunition we need to try and prove what we know to be true, and that’s that the accident and the injuries more times than not have caused those underlying conditions to be reignited, brought to the forefront, and you are now suffering worse than you ever had before. While pre-existing conditions certain points in time can be detrimental to a case, if you have the right attorneys looking at it in the right light, we can work to make those work in your benefit as opposed to your detriment. 3) Taking the First Personal Injury Settlement Offer In Florida, insurance companies will make an initial offer generally early on in the process. More times than not, it is not advisable to take their initial offer. Insurance companies work to try to turn files over, which means get it off their desk and get you candidly out of their hair. What we do at Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz is we put together comprehensive damages packets that we will send out to insurance companies at the right time. Timing is important because those first offers generally are not the best offers. We work hard to put together that information, give the insurance company all they need to evaluate your case, and the vast, vast majority of the time, we see offers increase as we continue to work through your case putting together the accident, your injuries, the damages, and how those have affected you. Holding out a little longer while time can obviously be a factor more times than not is generally in your best interest and we will be with you the full view of the way to get you to a point where you get to decide what justice is for you and what we should do with offers from the insurance company. Have you suffered a serious injury at the hands of someone who has been careless or negligent and have questions about what you should know about an injury? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

Are you wondering about the differences between bicycle and car accident cases? Check out this video, then call our Southwest Florida lawyers. Question: How does a bicycle accident claim differ from a normal auto accident claim? Answer: Bicycle accident injury cases are oftentimes different from other types of injury cases in Florida because, unfortunately, what we see oftentimes with bicycle accidents is that the severity of injury is much more significant than certain other types of cases. For that reason, you want to make sure that you hire an attorney who specializes in personal injury and specifically bicycle accidents to help you with your case from the very beginning. Unfortunately, oftentimes what we also see is that there’s sometimes a tendency to try to blame the bicyclist for the cause of a crash. If that’s the case, we are happy to help you. That does not mean that you don’t have a case; what that means is that we need to do an investigation and fight for you because oftentimes, insurance companies will try to use that against you to try to minimize the amount of damages that you can claim. For that reason, please call us. We specialize in these types of cases. We’re happy to help you even if there is a dispute about liability and who was at fault for the crash. Have you or a loved one been injured in a bicycle accident in Florida and have questions about the differences between bicycle and car accident cases? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida bicycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

Have you lost a loved one due to the negligence of another? Learn what you should know about your wrongful death claim here. Call us today! Selecting a Wrongful Death Attorney If you have a wrongful death claim in Florida, you’ve obviously lost a loved one, so hiring the right attorney is a very important thing to do. We had a lady come in who had lost her husband as a result of a motorcycle accident. She had consulted with a couple other attorneys and, actually, another attorney took on the case initially. Pretty early on in the case, there were some facts that came up – that potentially the motorcycle was speeding a bit and there were potentially some other things the motorcyclist did to be partially at fault – so the other attorney really cooled on the case and didn’t want to handle it. The lady came to us and we ended up handling the case. Those sort of things don’t dissuade us. We still want to get justice for our clients. We understand every case isn’t going to be perfect and have all the right facts. When somebody loses a loved one, even if there are some difficult facts, we’re still willing to pursue that case. In this case, we ended up getting a very favorable result for the client, much more money than she thought possible. It’s really important to hire an attorney in a wrongful death case that understands all of the damages, understands that they have to do an appropriate investigation, understands that some bad facts don’t mean it’s a bad case and that those bad facts can be used to your advantage in a way to try to maximize the value of the case. Our firm has been handling wrongful death cases, where folks have lost a loved one, for almost 60 years. We are skilled in that area. We handle these cases often, and we’d be happy to speak with you if you’ve lost a loved one and you have a wrongful death case. Filing a Wrongful Death Claim The wrongful death action in Florida is brought by the personal representative of the estate. A deceased person cannot bring their own wrongful death case. A family member doesn’t bring a wrongful death case directly in that person’s name. It would be the personal representative of the estate. Our law firm actually has an estate department that can set that estate up, which makes it easier on you because you don’t have to hire multiple different law firms. Our law firm will set up the estate, name a personal representative. Usually there’s an agreement amongst family members that it would be one of the family members, but sometimes the family members feel stressed out and don’t want to be involved in that regard, so we can have an attorney act as the personal representative of the estate. It’s really whatever is best for the family of the deceased because the family is grieving and going through a lot, so we want to try to help make this is as easy as we can on them and do what they want to do to make them comfortable. If there’s a wrongful death case, the personal representative brings that case. Our law firm can set that up, and then also handle the wrongful death action. If you have a loved one that you’ve lost because of a wrongful death case, please feel free to reach out to us so we can help you. Wrongful Death Case Value When determining the value of a wrongful death claim in Florida, you have to look at several factors. We have families come to us who are heartbroken, they’ve lost a loved one, and they ask us, “What is the value of this case?” We tell them that you have to look at multiple different factors. You have to look for who is at fault for the incident. There are many different kinds of wrongful death cases. They can be a negligent security case, where a loved one is killed on a property where there wasn’t proper security, such as a gas station, where they know that there’s prior problems with shootings and someone is shot at a gas station. You can have a wrongful death claim from a car accident, motorcycle accident, trucking accident. You can have a wrongful death case from a fall-down, and we’ve recently handled a fall-down wrongful death case where we recovered over $10 million. The value all depends on how you can prove who was at fault, whether it be the premises owner, whether it be the truck driver, whether it be the vehicle driver. The second step is what are the damages that are involved, that is pain and suffering, loss of the familiar relationship. There are different family members who have different rights under the wrongful death act to make different claims for damages. You need an attorney that can navigate those things, and our firm has been helping people navigate wrongful death cases for a loved one for nearly 60 years. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about a wrongful death case. Wrongful Death Case Timeline We recently had a family come to us that lost a loved one, and they had asked us how long it takes to resolve a wrongful death claim in Florida. We told them that’s kind of a complex question; it really depends on a lot of things. It depends on the insurance company and how reasonable they’re going to be with you early on. Oftentimes the insurance company will deny, delay, and defend in a case, especially a case that will have substantial value if there’s a loss of a loved one. You need an attorney that can push that case forward. Sometimes we can settle the case early on because we have a reputation as a firm that tries cases, so the insurance company knows that they’ll need to resolve the case, but sometimes you have to file a lawsuit. If we do have to file a lawsuit, our firm has four board-certified trial attorneys, which is the highest certification you can get in trial. We spend a lot of time in trial and we understand how to try these cases to get the maximum value for these cases. Sometimes just by filing the lawsuit you can get the insurance company to be reasonable without having to actually go to trial. If the insurance company is reasonable, great; we can settle the case early on. More often than not, though, they’re not going to be reasonable and the case can take months, if not a year or more. You need an attorney that understands that and can be in it for the long haul to try to maximize the value of the case. Have you lost a loved one due to the negligence of another person in Florida and have questions about what you should know about your wrongful death claim? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida wrongful death lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

Did you injure your spine and have an aching back? Don’t make these mistakes and ruin your injury claim. Call our Southwest Florida attorneys. Selecting a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Choosing the right attorney to represent you in a spinal cord injury case is incredibly important. You need to pick an attorney who specializes in not only personal injury cases, but spinal cord injuries in particular. Spinal cord injuries are unique in that they’re very severe injuries and require a huge amount of medical care and medical attention, often for the rest of a person’s life. For that reason, it’s incredibly important to hire someone who specializes in that area of law, and can get the right experts involved, and can spend the amount of money needed to potentially try the case if necessary, because that’s the rest of your life. You need someone who is going to look out for you and fight for you in those types of cases in particular. We specialize in those types of injury cases and would be happy to help you. Please contact us if you have unfortunately suffered a spinal cord injury. We would be happy to help you with your case. Taking the First Spinal Cord Injury Settlement If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, do not accept any offers that are made by the insurance company. Contact a personal injury attorney who specializes in spinal cord injuries immediately, so you can get the proper advice. Oftentimes insurance companies try to settle cases as early and as quickly as possible for as little money as possible. Particularly in spinal cord injury cases, these are injuries that could affect you for the rest of your life, so you need to make sure that you have the proper representation and proper advice from a specialized attorney that can help you through this process. We specialize in these types of cases and unfortunately have seen many spinal cord injury cases throughout our careers, and we would be happy to help you with this type of case. Please give us a call. Feel free to reach out to us if you have had a slip and fall. We are experts in slip and fall cases and can help maximize the value of your case. Mistakes After a Spinal Cord Injury Claim One of the most common mistakes that we see people make who suffer a spinal cord injury in Florida is not getting an attorney, specifically a personal injury attorney who specializes in spinal cord injuries, involved immediately or soon after the injury occurs as possible. The reason for that is that these types of cases often involve very severe damages and potentially liability disputes. You need to make sure that you have an attorney fighting for you from the very beginning, who can hire experts if needed, who can try your case if needed, because these types of cases involve such severe injuries that affect a person for the rest of their lifetime. For that reason, the damages are huge, the future medical expenses are hug, the pain and suffering damages are huge, so you need someone to help you and fight for you, specifically someone who specializes in those types of cases, because they are unique cases. If you have questions about your case or you were injured and you suffered a spinal cord injury, please call us. We would be happy to help you. Did you injure your spine and have an aching back? Don’t make these mistakes and ruin your injury claim. Contact our experienced Southwest Florida spinal cord injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

Did you get severely injured by a medical device and are seeking legal assistance? Don’t ruin your medical device injury case! Call us today. Selecting a Medical Device Injury Attorney The best way to pick a law firm or lawyer to handle your medical device claim is to look at their experience and whether or not they have the capabilities to process these claims. Medical device claims generally involve engineering issues because there’s a defective product and therefore the engineers must be brought on board to give opinions as to whether the product is actually defective. As such, it’s necessary to find a law firm like ours that has experience in handling medical device claims. Medical Device Injury Case Timeline There’s no stated or standard amount of time that it takes for a medical device injury claim to resolve in Florida but because of the complexities of them and the fact that many times they end up in what’s known as multidistrict litigation and a central federal court somewhere in the country, they generally take anywhere from three to six years to resolve, but it could be less. Sometimes, the manufacturers will have programs set up to settle claims quicker. Either way, our firm is ready, willing, and able to handle these claims for you. Medical Device Injury Case Value There are several ways that we evaluate medical device injury claims in Florida. We look at different factors that are involved in the case, from the amount of medical expenses incurred as a result of the defective device to the impact that the defective device has had on the individual, including their quality of life and earning capacity. All this and more go into the evaluation process. There is no magic formula and therefore we really listen closely to our clients when we evaluate these type of claims. Mistakes After a Medical Device Injury Claim One of the biggest mistakes people make with a medical device injury claim in Florida is not preserving the defective product, called an explant. When an implant is replaced, the explant, the old part, should be preserved as evidence because, many times, the explant will have evidence of the defect. Most times and many times, that explant is not preserved because of burial hazard issues and things of that nature, but at all costs, if you particularly think you have a medical device injury claim that you should preserve the old product and many hospitals and doctors would be willing to do that for you, but you have to ask in advance. Be sure to preserve the evidence. It’s very critical in these cases. Have you suffered serious health issues related to a faulty medical device in Florida and have questions about a medical device injury? Don’t ruin your medical device injury case! Contact our experienced Southwest Florida medical device injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

National Teen Driver Safety Week, which is Oct. 18-24, is designed to raise awareness of teen driving risks among parents and teenagers. The pandemic paused graduations and proms, but one rite of passage has not been put on hold for most teenagers. Teens are still able to get their driver’s license starting at age 16. Getting behind the wheel can be one of the most exciting and dangerous times in a teenager’s life. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 17-18 years old in the United States. As a result, driving for teenagers is more deadly than all other types of injury, disease or violence. Safety During COVID-19 Although more people are off the roads, staying at home during the pandemic, driving is still dangerous. A report from the National Safety Council (NSC) shows that even while people were driving less during March, deaths per miles driven that same month increased 14% over March 2019. With less traffic, safety experts predict that more drivers are speeding or driving recklessly. Studies show that teen drivers already speed and have other risky habits. Their lack of experience means they don’t always respond well to hazards. Teen Driver Safety Issues Inexperience contributes to thousands of teen car crashes each year. According to the NSC: 2 million teens under the age of 18 are in their first year of driving. 40% of teen crashes happen at night. Each year, drivers under age 18 are involved in 900,000 crashes. Of drivers of all ages, 16- to 19-year-olds are most likely to be in a fatal crash. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that the greatest dangers for teen drivers are: Alcohol consumption Inconsistent or no seat belt use Distracted driving (most often cell phone use and texting) Speeding Driving with passengers in the vehicle What Parents Can D o As a result, the NSC is interested in reducing the number of teen driver crashes by providing online educational resources. The organization offers a program for parents and teen drivers, called DriveitHome. The program offers resources and tips for parents to help their teens become safer drivers, including: Sign the New Driver Deal, an agreement between you and your teen about the rules and expectations when they get behind the wheel. Use Pointers for Parents for tips and lessons you can practice with your teen. Parents can sign up to get a new teen driving lesson each week. Spend 30 minutes a week driving with your teen even after they get their license. Also, studies have found that the cars teenagers drive have an impact on their safety. Teenagers are the riskiest drivers, often driving vehicles that are less safe, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Teenagers often drive micro–, mini– and small cars, with more than two-thirds of teens driving vehicles that are between 6 and 15 years old. These cars are less likely to have safety features such as side airbags and electronic stability control, which are now universal. Safe Used Cars for Teens To address the issues of vehicle choice, IIHS compiles a list of safe, used vehicles. This year, the Institute partnered with Consumer Reports to incorporate reliability ratings, emergency handling and braking tests. Parents don’t need a designated week to talk to their teens about safe driving. Driving for adults and teenagers is a privilege, not a right. Teaching your teen good driving habits is important for the safety of your teen, passengers and other drivers. If you or someone you know has been injured in a crash due to the negligence of another driver, seek advice from Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz.

The Zantac heartburn drug recall recently took place in April 2020 by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) because of unacceptable levels of a probable carcinogen. Zantac, known generically as ranitidine, is a drug prescribed more than 15 million times a year to patients for heartburn worldwide since 1983. Multiple manufacturers had already issued voluntary recalls of the drug, including Sanofi, the maker of Zantac, as well as generic ranitidine-makers. Major pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart had already suspended sales due to the drug’s link to cancer. Patients who are taking prescription and over-the-counter versions of ranitidine, a drug widely used to treat stomach acid and ulcers, should stop taking the drug, throw it away and see their doctor for alternative treatments. Zantac Heartburn Drug Recall of 2020 The FDA began investigating reports of levels of NDMA, or Ni-nitrosodimethylamine, in the summer of 2019 after an independent lab found high levels of it in ranitidine products and brought it to the attention of the FDA. After initial investigation, the FDA said patients could continue taking the drug and did not face health risks from low levels of NDMA. NDMA is the same carcinogen that led to a recall in July 2018. Blood-pressure-lowering drugs valsartan and losartan came from a new manufacturing process first used by a drug ingredient factory in China. Zantac’s risk appears to be the unstable nature of the drug and not manufacturing. In April, the FDA issued a Zantac heartburn drug recall completely, after determining that contamination poses a greater risk than previously thought because levels of the chemical increase over time, especially if tablets and capsules are stored at higher temperatures, including during distribution and handling by consumers. FDA testing confirmed that NDMA levels increase in ranitidine even under normal storage conditions and that the older a product is, or the longer the length of time since it was manufactured, the greater the level of NDMA. Hence the Zantac heartburn drug recall. Studies have shown that the presence of NDMA in ranitidine was known long before the recent discoveries, possibly since the late 1980s. In 2016, Stanford University researchers tested urine samples of 10 people, who took 150 milligram Zantac and found NDMA levels far greater than FDA daily limits. The result was the Zantac heartburn drug recall in April 2020. Low levels of NDMA not expected to lead to an increase in the risk of cancer are commonly ingested in the diet, as NDMA is present in food and water. However, sustained higher levels of exposure and exposure for a long time may increase the risk of cancer in humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), NDMA has been linked to severe liver disease, liver cancer, testicular cancer and lung cancer. The FDA encourages health care professionals and patients to report adverse reactions or quality problems with any human drugs to the agency’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program. In addition, if you or a family member have taken Zantac or ranitidine and have developed cancer, it could be linked. You may be entitled to compensation from the product’s manufacturer due to the Zantac heartburn drug recall. For a free consultation and more information about your legal options, please call one of our Southwest Florida offices at (239) 500-HURT.

Knowing that more children are playing at home during the pandemic, toy safety is more important than ever. One child is treated in a U.S. emergency room every three minutes for a toy-related injury. World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc., WATCH, a nonprofit organization working to educate the public about child safety, has a 48-year holiday tradition: its list of the “10 Worst Toys.” Additionally, since last year’s WATCH list, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced recalls of ten toys that could lead to serious injury or death. Online Toy Safety Shopping Risks Also, with shoppers looking to limit store visits and avoid holiday crowds, more people are buying products online. In October, online toy sales jumped 85% from the same time last year. But shopping online removes the opportunity to physically examine the toy. Unsafe or recalled toys may resurface on second-hand online sites such as eBay. In addition, online product descriptions may omit warnings or provide incomplete and misleading information. For these reasons, learn more about product recalls at safekids.org/product-recalls. Safe Kids compiles product recalls specific to children and sends twice-monthly e-mail alerts for recent recalls. Information is also available at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). However, even toys that meet regulations may not be appropriate for all children’s intellect and physical ability within a toy’s designated age range. Children should be supervised when playing with any toys to make sure toys are being used as intended. Ten Toys to Avoid in 2020 The following toys are on this year’s WATCH list: My Sweet Love Lots to Love Babies Minis, ages 2+. Hazard: Potential for ingestion and choking Calico Critters Nursery Friends, ages 3+. Hazard: Potential for choking WWE Jumbo Superstar Fists, ages 3+. Hazard: Potential for blunt force and impact injuries Star Wars Mandalorian Dark saber, ages 4+. Hazard: Potential for blunt force and eye injuries Missile Launcher, ages 5+. Hazard: Potential for eye and facial injuries Marvel Avengers Vibranium Power FX Claw, ages 5+. Hazard: Potential for eye and facial injuries Gloria Owl, 12 months+. Hazard: Potential for ingestion and aspiration Scientific Explorer Sci-Fi Slime, ages 10+. Hazard: Potential for chemical-related injuries The Original Boomerang Interactive Stunt UFO, ages 8+ Hazard: Potential for cutting and propeller-related injuries Boom City Racers Starter Pack, ages 4+ Hazard: Potential for eye and face injuries Tips for Toy Safety WATCH has shared these tips for toy safety. When evaluating toys, look out for: Hazards, such as small parts that can be choking hazards for babies Battery operated toys for children under 8 years old, since batteries may leak, overheat or explode Toys that encourage aggressive play or violence Instructions or warnings that are unrealistic to follow Defects, poor design and hidden hazards Toys with fur or hair that may come off and be ingested Projectile toys that can harm faces or eyes Removable attachments at the end of laces and strings that could strangle small children Pointed tips or sharp edges that can pierce skin Toys to be strung across cribs or playpens that can result in strangulation deaths and injuries Electrical toys that do not have step-down transformers to reduce the risk of shock or electrocution Toxic surfaces or components that can be ingested or cause skin irritations. Get more toy safety tips from WATCH at ToySafety.org, as well as at healthychildren.org and safekids.org. What To Do If a Toy Injures Your Child Toys should be a joyful part of the holidays. Should your child be injured by defective toys, our personal injury attorneys can assist in recovering compensation for medical bills, treatments, childcare and other costs.

Do you know what common mistakes after a motorcycle accident claim to avoid? Watch this video, then call our lawyers in Southwest Florida. Question: What are common mistakes people make if they have been injured in a motorcycle accident? Answer: Some of the most common mistakes that we see people involved in motorcycle crashes in Florida make are Number One, not hiring an attorney as quickly and as soon as possible. This is important because in motorcycle crash cases in particular, we oftentimes see people try to blame the motorcyclist. That’s why it’s important to get someone who specializes in personal injury and particularly in motorcycle crash cases to do the investigation as quickly as possible after the crash. If there are witnesses, we need to get witness statements. If we need to hire an expert, it’s important to do that as quickly as possible so that we can make sure that you are compensated for all of your damages and that any bogus liability arguments are basically taken off the table when we do our investigation and potentially hire an expert on your behalf. The second biggest mistake that we see people make who are involved in motorcycle crashes in Florida is not hiring an attorney who specializes in motorcycle crashes and personal injury cases. Unfortunately, there are many attorneys out there who say that they specialize in those types of cases, but they don’t. You need someone who can potentially litigate and try your case if it becomes necessary. You need someone who is specifically familiar with motorcycle crash cases and the issues that often arise in those cases. Unfortunately, we see many motorcycle crash cases and have represented many victims of motorcycle crashes. The level of injury in those types of accidents is often very severe and more significant than crashes sometimes involving an automobile and another automobile. That’s why it’s very important to make sure that you’ve got someone in your corner representing you who will fight for you in those types of crashes in particular. We of course are happy to answer any questions that you have and are always happy to hear from you if you need help. Please give us a call. Have you or a loved one been injured in a motorcycle accident in Florida and have questions about what common mistakes after a motorcycle accident claim to avoid? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida motorcycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

Were you injured in Southwest Florida and have questions about boat accident claim timeline? Check out this video to learn how long a case can take. Question: How long will my boat accident claim take in Southwest Florida? Answer: Resolving a boating accident injury claim in Florida can under certain circumstances take some time. There are other circumstances where once the pieces are all put together early and we tie a tight, nice little bow around the facts of the case, how the accident occurred, your injuries, your damages, ultimately what this meant for you – documentation is obviously key, so the earlier on you get an attorney involved, the more likely your case is to resolve at some point in time early in the process. That’s not to say they all do, but documenting and getting the right folks attorney-wise involved in your case early on helps you try and put the case to bed before jumping through all the legal hoops that come along with filing a lawsuit and working through a court system in order to potentially try your case in front of a jury if we can’t get it settled at any point in time along the way. It depends on so many facts and so many variables, but getting the right attorneys involved like us at Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz goes a long way to hopefully getting this put behind you at some point in time early on in the process as opposed to letting it drag out for years and years, which can occur working our way through the court systems. Have you or a loved one recently been injured in a boat accident in Florida and have questions about boat accident claim timeline? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida boat accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook

For nearly 60 years, the staff at Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz has supported our communities. Our most recent support has been our 2020 Gulf Coast Humane Society donation of pet food. We don’t mind that Gulf Coast Humane Society (GCHS) Community Relations Coordinator Brian Wierima brings his four-legged assistant to our office. Lemmy, a French and English bulldog mix Wierima adopted, comes to our office to pick up donations. In addition, my husband and fellow partner Christopher and I have two rescued pups of our own. Our dogs, Boo and Thunder, come to the office with us sometimes, too. Boo, a deaf Catahoula mix, was adopted from GCHS. We recently adopted Thunder from another local rescue. 2020 Gulf Coast Humane Society Donation Our office’s expert coupon-clipper, legal assistant Emily Miller, stretches donated dollars to maximize our support. With Miller’s help, a recent 2020 Gulf Coast Humane Society donation of food was worth more than $4,800. The 1,066 cans of cat food, 314 bags of dog food and 186 treats bags were enough to fill a van and a pickup truck! To help people struggling after losing their jobs, GCHS has been collecting donations of pet food and treats. The food is distributed at Community Cooperative’s area food pantries to make sure people can keep their pets at home. Since the beginning of April, GCHS has given out 7 tons of pet food at 26 mobile food pantries in Lee County. Wierima said our humane society donation was the largest single one he has seen in his four years with GCHS. The food was helpful in launching the Pet Food 4 Furever Families. In addition, people fostering shelter pets received food. Shelter officials expected to see owners giving up their pets during the pandemic, but the food seems to have kept that from happening. About the Gulf Coast Humane Society GCHS is a nonprofit, no-kill shelter that does not receive any government or Humane Society of the United States support. To supply medical care, shelter and adoptive homes, GCHS relies on community funding. Pets are important to ease loneliness during the pandemic. Also, they can reduce anxiety and depression. Additionally, companionship, routine, connection, touch, attention and affection are just some of the other needs met by pets. Animals can teach us the importance of helping and relying on each other. In addition to excellent legal services, helping community is at the center of our firm’s core values. Other Community Support In addition to our 2020 Gulf Coast Humane Society Donation, we are sponsoring Walk Like MADD in September and DUI enforcement efforts. We also collect donations for veterans, Community Cooperative, Eva’s Closet, area schools, Alliance for the Arts and Toys for Tots. We educate motorcyclists through Bike Night, and other outreach events. As a law firm, our mission is to help those who need someone to fight for them. As a part of the community, our goal is to make a positive difference through support, leadership and volunteering. To support the Gulf Coast Humane Society, visit here.

Are you choosing a boat accident attorney? Learn what you should look for in an attorney in this video. Then, call our Florida lawyers to get started. Question: How do I choose a boat accident attorney in Southwest Florida? Answer: Finding the right boating accident injury attorney is paramount in Florida. There are very specialized laws and circumstances that come into play when folks are injured out on the water. You want to find the right attorneys that deal with these cases not just once a month, not just once a year but continually over time. We at Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz handle boating accident cases from the very early stages all the way through trial. We are very experienced in putting together the certain factors that need to come into play to maximize the value of your boating accident injury case, and choosing the right attorney is making sure you have someone you can trust, that you know has experience in these areas. Being in southwest Florida here locally where we all practice, we see cases like this, and we handle cases like this from our local offices. They don’t go out of our office to be handled by other firms or other offices in other parts of the state. You’re going to have an attorney on the ground with you to handle your case from the very beginning all the way through trial if that’s necessary, and you need to have those attorneys that have the experience to deal with the multifaceted claims and issues that arise in a boating accident case. Have you or a loved one recently been injured in a boat accident in Florida and have questions about what to look for when choosing a boat accident attorney? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida boat accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Like us on Facebook