St Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney Blog

The City of St. Petersburg announced that it plans on bringing electric scooters (e-scooters) downtown by the fall of 2019. If you have noticed the e-scooter program implemented in Tampa , you likely have realized how city transportation is being transformed. You also may have recognized the risk of accidents between scooters, pedestrians and cars. This e-scooter revolution has been supported by the Florida Legislature’s passage of House Bill 453 . On June 18, 2019, Governor DeSantis signed the bill into law. Now codified in Florida Statute 316.2128 , e-scooters are now given the same rights as bicycles. This new law means that e-scooters can be operated on roads throughout Florida. Cities such as St. Petersburg have taken note and are actively working on ways to implement an e-scooter program. Tentative Plans for St. Petersburg’s E-Scooter Program Much of the details for St. Petersburg’s e-scooter program was learned from interviews conducted with the Tampa Bay Times . According...

At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas , we hope that you are never bitten by a dog or involved in a dog attack , but if you are, Florida law is firmly on your side. In fact, Florida has some of the toughest laws in the country to penalize dog owners if their dog bites someone . Dog bite case are not normally easy, however. Besides the emotional and physical toll a dog bite takes on a victim, there are usually many other factors at play. Most dog bite attacks are from dogs owned by family members, friends or neighbors. These incidents can lead to hostility and hard feelings. In addition, there is a certain percentage of dog owners who are irresponsible, do not care about the well being of others, and are very difficult to track down and punish. Therefore, there is usually no such thing as a simple dog bite case . If you or your child has been involved in a dog bite or dog attack incident, please contact us immediately for advice. Because of the complexitie...

Sexual abuse is underreported, but a devastating problem in the United States. According to the National Children’s Alliance , there were 683,000 unique incidents of child abuse and neglect in the US in 2015. This was the last year for which data was available. Of these children, 17.2% suffered physical abuse and 8.4% suffered sexual abuse . The rest were victims of child neglect . Shockingly, 90% of the child abusers were related in some way to the child. 39% of those investigated for child abuse or neglect were parents and 51% were relatives. While this article deals solely with children who have been the victims of physical and sexual abuse , the numbers of cases are simply staggering. It highlights just how massive a crisis there is in the US. At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas, we handle claims against those who have committed or contributed to an act that led to sexual abuse . These claims may be against individuals, their homeowner’s insurance,...

It may sound like common sense to advise someone to give accurate statements to a medical provider after an auto accident . However, it isn’t as easy as it sounds and mistakes are much more common than you may imagine. I find that in about 25% of my cases, there are statements attributed to my clients in medical records that contradict some other part of the case. When an inaccurate statement shows up in a medical record , it can be devastating to your auto accident case . When these mistakes appear, the case becomes about your credibility rather than about your injuries. A new case decided by the 5th District Court of Appeal has confirmed the importance of relaying accurate information to your doctor and the medical staff. While not surprising, the court decision resulted in devastating consequences to the plaintiff in that matter. Cause of the Auto Accident Was the Main Question In Strong v. Underwood, 5th DCA Case No. 5D17-3586 decided on June 21, 2019, the issue was who caused ...

A new premises liability case has established guidelines over when it is proper to sue when one has tripped and fallen in a parking lot over a parking bumper . Parking bumpers are also known as wheel stops, parking curbs or parking blocks. They are placed at the edge of a parking space and are supposed to be a different color than the surface they are placed on. The purpose of a parking bumper is to prevent a car from rolling forward. Because parking bumpers are placed near to where pedestrians are walking, there a huge number of parking bumper trip and fall accidents . Usually, the person who trips lands on a hard surface and is seriously injured. These trip and fall cases fall under the category of premises liability . It means that if a business owns a parking lot and is negligent in some manner, they may be liable to pay for your injuries. The courts in Florida have addressed trip and fall accidents involving parking bumpers in the past and this new case provides much-needed cla...

After a motorcycle accident in St. Petersburg , you will likely have many questions for an attorney. At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas , we specialize in helping people injured in motorcycle accidents . The roads in St. Petersburg can be very dangerous for motorcycles due to congestion, poorly designed roads, tourists, elderly, and distracted drivers. I often advise my clients that getting into a motorcycle accident in St. Petersburg is not a matter of “if” it is a matter of “when”. If you are a motorcyclist in St. Petersburg and are in an accident , our accident attorneys are always available to answer your questions. While taking proactive steps to be safe is always a good idea, it simply doesn’t always protect you when someone else is careless or thoughtless. Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in St. Petersburg There are countless causes of motorcycle accidents in St. Petersburg , but most are the result of a mistake by a car, not the motorcyclist. So...

The vast majority of dogs are loving companions. They can be gentle, kind and protective. However, when they become aggressive or overly protective, they pose a threat to other animals and the public. A dog attack on another animal, on an adult, or a child, can be sudden and startling. Dog attacks are so common that the Florida Legislature has set strict penalties on owners who fail to control their animals. Florida Statute 767.04 outlines the legal liability that dog owners have to the public to ensure that their animals do not harm others. Florida law imposes strict liability against a dog owner if their dog attacks another. This is the highest standard in the United States and permitted by law. That is how serious Florida treats dog bites and dog attacks . St Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas have vast experience handling all kinds of dog related incidents. We understand that you may be angry over what happened to a loved one. We also understand that ...