Things to Know Before You Go – And What to Do If Things Go Wrong
Cruise Safety Tips from a Certified Specialist in Maritime Law Cruises can be great. But there are things to know before you go. Here are some helpful hints. First, you can learn from others. There are a massive number of people going on cruises. And that number increases every year. Over 20 million people took…
Read MoreHow Do I Sue a Cruise Line?
This is a question I get all the time not just from cruise passengers but also from other lawyers. Why? Because most lawyers do not know how to sue a cruise line. All of the lawyers at Hickey Law Firm handle and specialize in these claims – claims of cruise passengers against cruise lines. The answer to the…
Read MoreWhat Is the Law When You Are Involved in an Accident Caused by an Uber or Lyft Driver?
Florida has a lengthy statute, Florida Statute Section 627.748, which applies to you in a ridesharing vehicle. The statute refers to Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies as Transportation Network Company(ies) (TNC). A list of rideshare companies to which these laws apply are: Uber Lyft Juno Gett Wingz Ziro Flywheel Grab Bolt Via Curb Gorjek Cabify Didi…
Read MoreFlorida Supreme Court Changes Rules for Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
In a change to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure which takes effect immediately, the Florida Supreme Court is making it easier for medical providers to deny medical malpractice lawsuits by changing the procedural rules relating to when malpractice cases can be appealed. Per Florida Politics: The court rejected a motion by the University of…
Read MoreInjuries on the Job Outside of Workers’ Compensation
Injuries on the job in Florida usually involve workers’ compensation. That is, the injured worker usually will be covered by his employer who will carry workers’ comp insurance. If the worker is covered, generally here is what happens. The employer will be in charge of getting the worker all of the medical care the worker needs and to…
Read MoreFatal Nighttime Collision Between Boat and Fisher Island Ferry
A ferry which carries cars, residents and visitors from Watson Island/Miami Beach mainland to the exclusive Fisher Island and back collided with a 30′ boat in dark, early hours Sunday morning. The 30’ pleasure craft sunk as a result of the collision. Tragically, one person died and another sustained serious injuries. PortMiami was closed for…
Read MoreWho Is Liable for a Florida Boating Accident?
Florida means boating all year round. Boats get into and cause accidents just like cars and trucks. The injuries we see in boating accidents can be similar to or somewhat the same as the injuries we see in car and truck accidents. When a boat collides with another boat or collides with a fixed object,…
Read MoreSupreme Court of the United States Protects the Rights of Victims of Abuse and Neglect
Precedent stands, thanks to United States Supreme Court. In a 7-2 decision issued June 8, 2023, the country’s highest court sided with victims of nursing home abuse. This is a momentous win for plaintiffs (people who have been injured or harmed) and for the civil justice system as a whole. The case – Health and…
Read MoreSexual Assault of an Intoxicated Cruise Ship Passenger by a Crewmember
Crew members on cruise ships have been known to sexually assault and rape passengers. We have represented cruise passengers who have been the subject or suffered from sexual assaults and rapes by crew members from all departments on the ship. The crew members we have found usually are cabin stewards, waiters, cruise directors, and other…
Read MoreIf AAA Responds to Your Call and Causes an Injury, Is It on the Hook?
You run out of gas or your car stalls. You are now broken down by the side of the road or on I- 95. You call AAA (American Automobile Association) to get your car towed. The tow truck (which you believe is owned or controlled by AAA) comes out to help you. The truck pulls…
Read MoreHickey Law Firm Fights Second Depositions of Clients
When you file a lawsuit because of a boat or car crash, you will have to sit for a deposition. That is where the attorney for the Defendant, the company you sued, asks you questions in the presence of a court reporter. Everything you say and everything anyone says is transcribed. And the testimony is…
Read MoreAnother Brightline Train Hit a Miami Pedestrian
The Miami Herald is reporting that a pedestrian was hit by a Brightline train this morning, near Northeast 79th Street and Fourth Avenue in Miami. The man who was hit is apparently in serious condition, but he’s alive. We hope that the man survives and that he will ultimately recover from his injuries. We also…
Read MoreFlorida Insurance Companies & CEOs Make Record Profits and Pay – and Hide Them
If you want to understand why it is that insurance companies in Florida cry about the cost of doing business here and then … continue to do business here, read Lawrence Mower’s article in The Miami Herald, “Florida Senate approves new insurance bill — without profit disclosure requirements.” Here are excerpts from the article: Insurance…
Read MoreBlind Spot Accidents Involving Commercial Trucks
Every vehicle has blind spots. A blind spot is the area on the outside of a vehicle where the driver of that vehicle cannot see. Large commercial vehicles, including semi-truck trailers, have larger and more blind spots, generally, than cars. There are generally 4 zones of blind spots, called no zones by commercial trucking companies. …
Read MoreCelebrity Cruises Accused of Leaving a Passenger’s Body to Decompose on Board
People take cruises to relax and have fun. Sometimes, however, passengers pass away. But you expect that the cruise ship would treat their bodies with dignity and respect. Celebrity Cruises is facing a lawsuit from Marilyn Jones, the widow of Robert Jones. Mr. Jones had a fatal heart attack while traveling on the Celebrity Equinox…
Read MoreCruise Ship Spas Can Be Dangerous Places
Almost every modern day cruise ship has a spa. Sometimes they are run as a franchise of a well- known name like Canyon Ranch. But most of the time, the spas are run by one company which in one form or another has operated spas on cruise ships for over 40 years. The related companies…
Read MoreCruise Ship Passenger Dies After Fall from Balcony
Virgin Voyages recently reported a passenger died after falling from a balcony shortly after departure on April 2nd. The ship, Valiant Lady, was on its way to Roatan, Honduras when the incident occurred and was immediately redirected back to Miami. Per USA Today, “This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite…
Read MoreSlip and Fall In Walmart; Evidence of Length of Time A Grape Was On The Floor
Slip and fall cases are not easy. The person who slipped and got hurt has to show that the condition on the floor, whether it is a puddle of water or something else, was there for a period of time so that the operator of the business should have known about it. In fact, there…
Read MoreThe Florida Legislature Wants to Help Insurance Companies, Not People
The legislature is at it again. Some legislators are reacting to a request from Governor DeSantis to remove any teeth from the laws which protect insurance policy holders from the insurance companies from denying claims willy nilly. Who is that? You and me. Everyone, almost. They want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. That is, they want to…
Read MoreBoats Collide with Jet Skis Often
Two things about recreational boating cases in the waters off of Florida: They are common and they are complicated. They are complicated because maritime law applies. And under the maritime law, the boat owner is entitled in most instances to run to Federal Court and file what is called a Limitation of Liability case. This case is authorized…
Read MoreThe Trauma of Rape and Sexual Assault
How Hickey Law Firm wins cases on behalf of survivors Last year, we tried cases against cruise lines. One such case was where a crewmember raped another crewmember, a woman who was our client. This was the third time in the life of the crewmember that she had been raped. And this was by far…
Read MoreMiami Motorcycle Accidents and Brain Injuries
We know motorcycles and motorcycle crashes. People in cars and trucks do not look out for motorcycles. They should. The drivers of cars and trucks almost always are the primary cause if not the sole cause of crashes between a motorcycle and a car or truck. These drivers do not pay attention. Whether you ride…
Read MoreHow Are Miami Truck Accidents Different Than Car Accidents?
Truck accidents are deadly. Commercial trucks cause more catastrophic injuries than accidents involving only cars. And commercial trucks are heavily regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a federal agency. FMCSA issues regulations for drivers, vehicles, and the truck owners and operators. The trucking company is subject to FMCSA regulations if it operates…
Read MoreCan I Sue a Cruise Line if I Was Sexually Assaulted by a Crew Member?
Most of the cruise lines promise the vacation of your lifetime. But often the cruise ends in tragedy because the cruise line failed to provide the security passengers need from sexual assaults by crew members. If you have been sexually assaulted on a cruise ship or by a crew member, you can sue for damages…
Read MoreDo I Need a Miami Injury Lawyer if I Don’t Want to Go to Trial?
When you are catastrophically injured, you need an experienced attorney on your side who has a will to win. Why? Because the insurance companies and cruise lines do. And because you don’t want to go it alone. This is your one shot to recover. Hickey Law Firm in just a few short years has recovered…
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