There is a problem with the new personal injury protection (PIP) reform law that Governor Scott just signed into law last week, and that problem is with a date or two dates to be exact, according to the Insurance Journal.

Under the new law, effective July 1, medical providers may charge insurers a reasonable amount for services. But the new list of approved and eligible medical providers does not take effect until January 1, 2013.

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the state agency in charge of licensing PIP medical providers, has released a three-page memo trying to eliminate the six-month gap.

AHCA’s General Counsel Stuart Williams acknowledged that the six-month gap “places the agency in a conundrum.”

AHCA says that it will require insurers to reimburse providers, treating the June 1 effective date and January 1 effective date as essentially the same.

But that raises a legal question as to whether a state agency has the legal authority to make such requirements, and attorneys may take the issue to court.

Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Jack McDermott said the matter now stands with AHCA. “The purpose of the bill was not to create a six month gap, and we’ve encouraged insurers privately that PIP providers should be paid.”

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida car accident and need medical care?

The Miami personal injury lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

Dozens of times a day in every state, dog attacks are becoming more common, according to Click2Houston.com.

Statistics from the American Humane Association (AHA) show that of 4.7 million dog bites in the U.S. every year, 800,000 of those require medical attention. The U.S. insurance industry pays out $1 billion each year in dog bite claims.

Some local governments have gone as far as banning specific breeds that are thought to be particularly dangerous, but the AHA says that at least 25 different breeds have been involved in dog attack deaths.  Thus non-breed specific laws are being adopted by some communities.

In one neighborhood, a dog has attacked three different postal carriers in the last two years.  In a rare action, the U.S. post office suspended mail service in that neighborhood.

Dog bite/attack victims have rights, and most states make dog owners liable for their dogs.

Unfortunately, many dog attacks go unreported and uncompensated, so it is a good idea for the victim to contact Florida dog bite attorney.

“In most cases, an insurance adjuster will offer a victim who has no legal representation only 20 percent of what would be offered if that victim has a lawyer,” the article tells us.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida dog bite or attack? The Miami personal injury lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

Two new studies show that texting or even thinking about texting distracts is distracting to teen drivers, reports ajc.com.

Some states have passed laws banning texting while driving. Some people suggest that such laws may increase the dangers by causing drivers to conceal their phones from view.

The first study looked at whether the position of the cell phone while texting affected teen drivers’ performance. The drivers drove while texting in their preferred position or with their cell phones hidden from view.

The results were the same in both cases: teens texting while driving were up to eight times more likely to drift between lanes and twice as likely to be involved in a near crash with other cars and pedestrians.

Overall, teens who were texting while driving made up to four times more driving mistakes and were unaware of these potentially dangerous mishaps.

Another study found that teens who even anticipated a call or text were more likely to be involved in a car crash.

“We know it is important to prevent young drivers from taking their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road to use a cell phone,” said a postdoctoral researcher at Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Washington.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida car accident?

The Florida and Miami car accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

Most of us believe that to drive in the U.S., we have to have auto insurance, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Although most states require insurance, one study found that one in every seven drivers does not have coverage.

There is a one in 16 chance that any of us could get into an auto accident in any given year.

Having insurance is supposed to make you feel safer, especially if the accident is not your fault. You may think that you will not have to pay out of your pocket or that your insurance rates will not go up.

Twelve states currently are considered no-fault states, and Florida is one of these twelve. No-fault laws do not apply to property damage, which may be paid by either party’s insurance, but it does mean that medical payments are paid from your own insurance.

Florida only requires medical coverage for $10, 000 per person and $20,000 per accident. In a serious accident, these costs can far exceed such limits.

The bottom line is that you need to make sure that you have enough auto insurance to cover any damages that you would incur as a result of an accident.  Also make sure that you have uninsured motorist protection.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida car accident?

The Florida and Miami car accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

Jacksonville’s Sheriff John Rutherford lobbied on behalf of the Florida Sheriffs Association for a bill to crack down on people who rip off insurance companies with phony accident claims. That bill was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott on Friday, according to the Chicago Times.

Even though the frequency of Florida crashes decreased 12 percent from 2005 to 2012, the payment on personal injury claims had gone up by 66 percent because of insurance fraud.

The bill requires insurance companies to cut personal injury protection (PIP) premiums by at least 10 percent.

Opponents of the bill worry that it gives insurance companies a financial boost by restricting medical and legal choices for consumers who have legitimate claims.

What the bill does in part: Insured motorists must get their initial treatment within 14 days. Insurers can take 90 days to review a claim that they suspect of fraud. Health practitioners found guilt of PIP fraud lose their licenses for five years.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida car accident?

The Florida and Miami car accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

Most often car accidents happen suddenly and seemingly. Sometimes they involve only one vehicle, and sometimes a vehicle may careen into another unsuspecting vehicle. Such seemed to be the case with two accidents in St. Johns County yesterday, reports StAugustine.com.

Around 12:45 a.m. the first accident happened when a 2002 Ford Explorer drove off the road while going through a curve near Industry Center Drive.

It struck the medium and overturned, and since the driver was not wearing a seat belt, he was ejected from the vehicle. The man was flown via air ambulance to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The second accident took place around 10:30 a.m. in Fruit Cove when a 23-year-old woman drove off the right shoulder of the road and then over-corrected into oncoming traffic into the path of van.

The van hit the right side of her 2001 Nissan, and even though she was wearing a seat belt, she also was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

The driver and the passenger of the van had only minor injuries.

To avoid car accidents, you need to stay alert and focused on your driving at all times. And of course, expect the unexpected and drive safely under all circumstances.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida car accident? The Florida and Miami car accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

Drunk driving can have disastrous consequences for the driver, the passengers, and anyone else on the road. Such was the case early Sunday morning in Leesburg, Florida, reports The Gainesville Sun

A drunk 23-year-old Villages man was speeding his 1999 Sabb northbound on Buena Vista Boulevard when he lost control of his car on a curve. The Sabb collided with the median, a lamp post, and a tree before coming to a stop on the other side of the road.

The passenger in the car was a 22-year-old man, also of the Villages. A Villages Fire Department paramedic pronounced the passenger dead at the scene. Because he had no identification on him, it took 12 hours to determine his identity and to locate his next of kin.

The driver was treated for minor injuries and released. He was then arrested for DUI manslaughter charges and for DUI property damage in Marion County.

He is in jail, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

In Florida, DUI manslaughter charges carry a prison sentence of from four to 10 years, up to a $10,000 fine, loss of driver’s license, and the possibility of a felony on one’s record.

The Miami car accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene extend our condolences to the family and the friends of the passenger in the car who was killed.

Before January’s multiple crashes, a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) sergeant advised that the highway stay closed, but a higher ranking officer gave the order to reopen it because visibility had improved, according to AJC National/World News.

The lieutenant was worried that keeping the highway closed also would be dangerous because of having to reroute to unfamiliar roads.  After reopening the fog and smoke shrouded interstate highway in January, a series of crashes killed 11 people, and eighteen other victims were hospitalized.

In a recent report released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, it was concluded that troopers made errors, but no criminal violations were found.

The report faulted the FHP for failing to create effective guidelines for such situations. Other findings include the following:

(1) Troopers did not adequately share critical information among themselves just before the crashes occurred.

(2) They never consulted technical specialists with the Florida Forestry Service or National Weather Service.

(3) The FHP failed to actively monitor the highway conditions.

The report calls for the state to improve roadway warning signage.  The Florida Legislature already has appropriated $4 million for visibility evaluation equipment and signage to alert travelers on all Florida interstates.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Miami car accident?

The Miami personal injury lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene want to help. 

Early Tuesday a 29-year-old man’s car hit another car, reports The Republic. The driver was charged with DUI, hit and run, and leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury.

The accident report states that the driver was found at Walmart a few minutes after the crash with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and clothing and that his eyes were “bloodshot and watery.”

Police say that he refused to take a breathalyzer.

In West Miami-Dade early on Thursday morning, a contract newspaper carrier for TheMiamiHerald.com, was on her way to a warehouse to pick up morning newspapers when her vehicle was struck by a pickup truck.

Accompanied by her father, the woman was headed south on the Palmetto Expressway around 1 a.m. when a pickup truck slammed into her vehicle from behind, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).

Both the daughter and her father were killed.

The woman’s husband, also a newspaper carrier, was waiting for them at the warehouse when he was given the news.

A 45-year-old man of Miami was driving the truck that hit her car. He suffered minor injuries. Charges are pending, according to FHP, which is looking into whether the crash was alcohol-related.

The Miami car accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene extend our condolences to the families and friends of the woman and man who lost their lives in these accidents.

The Florida Highway Patrol is trying to find the driver who fatally wounded a pedestrian on the Julia Tuttle Causeway early Saturday morning and then fled the scene, reports CBS 4 News.

When a motor vehicle comes into contact with a pedestrian, it is almost certain that catastrophic personal injury will be a result, according to the Digital Journal.

Unlike in other accidents, in pedestrian accidents, there is nothing protecting the pedestrian from the first impact with the vehicle and secondary impact with the unforgiving ground.

This type of accident often causes serious injuries, including brain and spinal cord injuries, and may result in life-long disabilities and even death.

Pedestrians are responsible for obeying traffic signals, using sidewalks and walkways, and being constantly alert to traffic.

Motorists are responsible for obeying traffic signals, yielding to the right of way in cross-walks, and being alert to potential pedestrian traffic.

No matter who is at fault–the pedestrian involved or the driver of a vehicle–you may need an experienced Miami car accident lawyer on your side.

It was raining at the time of the accident on Saturday, but it is not known if weather conditions were a contributing factor.

Anyone with information about this hit-and-run crash is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

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