CFZ Law

Scooter and Micromobility Crashes in the Central Austin Core

Scooter and Micromobility Crashes in the Central Austin Core

Electric scooters, e-bikes, and other shared micromobility devices have become a permanent fixture on central Austin streets. Riders move through downtown, the East Side, the Drag near UT, and South Congress on devices that sit in a legal and physical middle ground — faster than walking, far more vulnerable than a car, and sharing streets with vehicles that often do not see them or yield to them. When a scooter rider is hit by a car at a downtown intersection or doored by a vehicle exiting street parking, the injuries can be severe and the legal questions about who is responsible and which insurance covers the harm are more complicated than they appear. Our Austin car accident lawyers handle micromobility crash cases and understand the specific legal landscape that applies when an electric scooter or e-bike is involved.

More about Austin Car Accident Attorney here

Austin’s micromobility environment is governed by a combination of city ordinances, state law, and the terms and conditions of the various scooter and e-bike companies operating in the market. Understanding how those layers interact — and how they affect what compensation is available to an injured rider — requires legal analysis that goes beyond a standard car accident claim. Our attorneys evaluate every layer of coverage and every potential defendant in scooter crash cases so injured riders have a complete picture of their options.

Let our Car Accident Attorney in Austin help you

How Scooter and E-Bike Crashes Happen in Central Austin

Vehicle-versus-scooter crashes in Austin’s central core follow several recurring patterns. Right-of-way failures at intersections are the most common — a scooter rider proceeding with the signal is struck by a driver running a red or turning across their path without yielding. Dooring crashes on streets with adjacent street parking mirror the bicycle dooring pattern — a driver opens a car door into the scooter lane or bike lane without checking for approaching riders. Lane changes and merges by drivers who do not see a scooter in their adjacent lane or blind spot result in sideswipe crashes that throw riders off their devices. Parking and backing maneuvers by drivers emerging from lots and garages onto downtown streets create conflicts with scooter riders on adjacent sidewalks or bike-lane-adjacent routes.

The speeds involved in scooter crashes — typically 15 to 25 miles per hour — are lower than highway car crashes, but the absence of any protective structure around the rider means that even moderate-speed impacts with a vehicle can cause fractures, head injuries, and serious soft-tissue trauma. Riders are also frequently thrown from the device on impact, and the secondary ground impact is often where the most serious injuries occur.

Liability When a Car Hits a Scooter in Austin

When a driver causes a crash with a scooter rider, the basic negligence framework is the same as in any other vehicle-versus-vulnerable-road-user case. The driver owed a duty of care to others in the roadway and bike lane network, they breached that duty by failing to yield, check mirrors, or watch for scooter traffic, and that breach caused the rider’s injuries. Texas Transportation Code provisions governing yielding to pedestrians and cyclists apply to scooter riders in bike lanes and crosswalks, creating clear statutory support for liability when those provisions are violated.

The at-fault driver’s auto insurance liability coverage is typically the primary source of compensation for injured scooter riders, just as it would be for injured pedestrians or cyclists. Our attorneys identify the full scope of the driver’s coverage and evaluate whether underinsured motorist coverage — either from the rider’s own auto policy if they have one, or from the scooter company’s policy if applicable — provides additional protection when the driver’s liability limits are insufficient.

Scooter Company Liability and Terms-of-Service Issues

Shared scooter operators — the companies whose devices populate Austin’s streets — typically have terms of service that require riders to accept certain risks and that disclaim company liability for crashes caused by third parties or rider error. Those terms do not eliminate all possible claims against the company, but they do narrow the circumstances in which the company itself bears responsibility. Our attorneys evaluate whether a scooter company’s negligence — in device maintenance, geofencing of unsafe areas, or failure to warn about known hazards — contributed to a crash, and whether any company coverage applies to the injuries.

In crashes caused entirely by an at-fault driver’s negligence rather than any scooter defect or company failure, the driver’s insurance is the relevant coverage and the scooter company’s terms are less central to the case. Our focus in those cases is on establishing the driver’s fault and maximizing recovery from the driver and their insurer.

Evidence in Austin Scooter Crash Cases

The same evidence sources that apply in bicycle and pedestrian crash cases are relevant in scooter crashes — traffic camera footage, business security video, dashcam recordings, and witness accounts. The scooter’s onboard GPS data showing the rider’s location, speed, and route at the time of the crash can be obtained from the scooter company and provides objective documentation of where the rider was and what they were doing. Phone records establishing the driver’s distraction, reconstruction analysis of the crash geometry, and medical records documenting injuries complete the evidentiary picture. Our attorneys move quickly to preserve all of these sources because footage and GPS data in particular have limited retention windows.

Injuries in Austin Micromobility Crashes

Head injuries are the most serious concern in scooter crashes. Many riders do not wear helmets, and even those who do may face insufficient protection in a vehicle collision. Wrist, hand, and elbow fractures from fall-landing impacts, clavicle and shoulder injuries, and lower-extremity fractures are common. Road rash requiring treatment is frequent in any crash where the rider is thrown to the pavement. Our attorneys document all injuries and coordinate with medical providers to ensure that the full scope of treatment needs — including any long-term consequences of head trauma — is captured in the compensation claim.

What to Do After a Scooter Crash in Central Austin

Get medical care immediately and report the crash through the scooter app as required. Photograph the scene, the vehicle, and your injuries. Get the driver’s full information. Do not agree to anything with the driver or their insurer before speaking with our attorneys. Contact us as soon as possible so GPS data from the device and camera footage from the crash location can be preserved before the retention window closes.

If you were injured in a scooter or e-bike crash anywhere in central Austin, our car accident lawyers offer free consultations and charge no fees unless we recover compensation for you. Call 512-499-8900 today.


Continue Reading
7 mins read

Intervening Causes in Personal Injury Cases | El Paso Injury Attorney

Intervening Causes in Personal Injury Cases

Proving negligence in a personal injury claim requires more than showing that someone acted carelessly. The injured party must establish four key elements: that the defendant owed them a duty of care, that the defendant breached that duty, that the breach caused their injuries, and that actual damages resulted. Of these four, causation is often the most contested — and intervening causes are one of the primary ways defendants challenge it.

Understanding how intervening causes work gives injury victims and their attorneys a clearer picture of what to expect when liability is disputed. In Texas personal injury cases, the distinction between an intervening cause and a superseding cause can determine whether a defendant walks away from responsibility entirely — or whether they remain on the hook for the harm caused. For more on how these issues apply to specific accidents, see the personal injury resources here.

What Is an Intervening Cause?

An intervening cause is an event that occurs between the defendant’s negligent act and the plaintiff’s injury, breaking or disrupting the direct chain of causation. In other words, something happened after the defendant acted carelessly, and that something played a role in causing the injury.

For an event to qualify as an intervening cause, courts look at three requirements. First, the event must occur after the defendant’s negligent conduct. Second, it must occur before the plaintiff sustains the injury. Third, the event must have actually contributed to causing the harm.

Consider a straightforward example: a restaurant owner spills gasoline while refueling a generator in an alley and fails to clean it up. A kitchen employee goes out for a cigarette break and tosses a lit cigarette into the gasoline puddle, causing an explosion that injures a bystander. The employee’s act — tossing the cigarette — is an intervening cause. It happened after the owner’s negligence and before the injury, and it directly caused the explosion.

Here’s the critical point many people miss: the fact that an event qualifies as an intervening cause does not automatically release the original defendant from liability. The original negligent party may still bear legal responsibility, particularly if the intervening event was something a reasonable person could have anticipated.

Superseding Causes

For an intervening cause to actually absolve the defendant of liability, it must rise to the level of a superseding cause. A superseding cause meets all the requirements of an intervening cause but adds one additional element: the harm caused was not reasonably foreseeable to the original defendant.

The foreseeability requirement is what separates an intervening cause from a superseding cause. If the original defendant’s negligence created conditions that made the subsequent harmful event predictable — even broadly — the intervening cause likely will not be treated as superseding. The defendant remains liable because the chain of events was within the foreseeable risk created by their negligence.

Returning to the gasoline spill example: the restaurant owner left flammable liquid in an area where employees regularly go on breaks. It is entirely foreseeable that someone in that environment might carelessly ignite the spill. That foreseeability keeps the owner within the scope of liability despite the employee’s act being the direct cause.

Now change the facts. The gasoline forms a puddle in a crevice of the alley ground. Later, an unrelated violent crime occurs in the alley — the victim is beaten unconscious by assailants and falls face-first into the gasoline puddle, where they drown. Would a court consider this a superseding cause?

Almost certainly yes. When the owner spilled the gasoline, the foreseeable risk was fire — someone accidentally igniting flammable liquid. The possibility that a person would be rendered unconscious by a violent attack and drown in the puddle is so far outside the foreseeable risk that it breaks the chain of legal causation. A court would likely find this a superseding cause, relieving the original defendant of liability for the victim’s death.

Intentional Torts as Superseding Causes

There is an additional situation in which an intervening cause can relieve the original defendant of liability: when the intervening act is an intentional tort — meaning someone deliberately acted with the intent to cause harm.

Returning again to the gasoline scenario: if the kitchen worker, knowing the puddle was gasoline, intentionally threw a lit cigarette into it — not out of carelessness but with the deliberate intent to cause an explosion — the analysis shifts. Since gasoline’s combustibility is common knowledge, a court could reasonably conclude that throwing a lit cigarette into it was intended to cause the resulting harm. This transforms the worker’s act from a mere intervening cause into a superseding one, shifting full liability away from the restaurant owner and onto the worker.

The logic is straightforward: when someone steps in with deliberate, harmful intent, the law treats them as the true cause of the damage. The original negligent party’s responsibility is cut off, because the intentional wrongdoer introduced an entirely new and independent cause of harm.

What This Means for Your Personal Injury Case

Intervening and superseding cause arguments are most commonly raised as affirmative defenses — legal arguments the defendant makes to reduce or eliminate their liability even after the plaintiff has established the basic elements of negligence. These defenses require the defendant to prove that a third-party act or unforeseeable event was the real cause of the plaintiff’s injury.

As a plaintiff, your attorney’s job is to demonstrate that whatever intervening event occurred was either foreseeable or that the defendant’s negligence remained a substantial contributing factor in causing your harm. Texas courts look at the totality of the circumstances, including the nature of the original negligent act, what risks it created, and whether the chain of events leading to injury was within the range of what a reasonable person would have anticipated.

These are not simple arguments to win or defend against. The outcome often turns on expert testimony, detailed fact analysis, and a thorough understanding of Texas negligence law. Anyone facing these issues in a personal injury case should work with an attorney who has experience in contested liability cases.

Continue Reading
6 mins read

Warning Signs You Need a Texas Car Accident Attorney Right Now

Warning Signs You Need a Texas Car Accident Attorney Right Now

Not every car accident claim requires an attorney to resolve. But certain insurance company behaviors signal immediately that you are in a situation where handling things on your own puts you at a serious disadvantage. Texas car accident attorneys deal with these scenarios constantly — and in nearly every case, the injury victim who recognized the warning signs early and sought legal help came out far better than the one who waited. Knowing what to watch for can be the difference between a fair recovery and a settlement that doesn’t come close to covering what you actually lost.

The tactics described below are not coincidences or administrative oversights. They are deliberate strategies that insurance companies use to reduce or eliminate their obligation to pay your claim. Car accident lawyers recognize them immediately because they follow predictable patterns. If any of the following situations apply to your case, reaching out for legal help sooner rather than later is strongly advisable.

Texas car accident attorneys offer free consultations precisely because injury victims need to understand their options before making decisions that can’t be undone. If you’re seeing any of these red flags, that conversation should happen now — not after you’ve signed something or made a statement that damages your claim.

Insurance Company Behaviors That Signal You Need Legal Help

One of the clearest warning signs is when an insurer offers you a settlement before your medical treatment is complete. This is one of the most common and most damaging tactics used against unrepresented claimants. If you don’t yet know the full extent of your injuries — what treatment you’ll need, how long recovery will take, whether surgery or long-term care is involved — you cannot possibly evaluate whether a settlement offer is fair. Accepting it anyway closes your case permanently. Car accident lawyers advise clients to hold off on any settlement discussion until the medical picture is fully established, because that is the only point at which the real value of the claim can be accurately assessed.

Another immediate red flag is when the insurer offers less money than what you still owe on your vehicle loan. If your car was totaled or severely damaged, you are entitled to fair market value — and that figure should at minimum address what you owe your lender. An offer that falls short of your loan balance leaves you making payments on a vehicle you can no longer drive. This is not an acceptable resolution, and a car accident attorney can push back against it effectively.

Rental Car Denials and Stalled Payments

If the other driver was at fault and their insurer is handling your property damage claim, you are generally entitled to a rental vehicle while your car is being repaired. An insurer that refuses to provide one, or drags its feet on authorizing it, is testing whether you will push back. Similarly, if a carrier tells you they will pay your claim once you submit your bills and then stalls, disputes, or outright refuses to pay after you do, that pattern of behavior is a strong indicator that the company has no intention of honoring the claim without a fight. One important note on billing: never submit original medical bills or documents to an insurer. Always send copies. If a carrier insists on originals rather than copies, contact a car accident lawyer immediately — that request is a red flag on its own.

Slow Responses and Silence From the Insurer

When an insurance company takes unusually long to respond to your calls, letters, or claim inquiries, it is rarely because they are busy. Prolonged silence often means the insurer is conducting an investigation behind the scenes and building a case for denial — without telling you that is what they are doing. By the time they finally respond with a denial or a low offer, they have had weeks or months to prepare their position while you have been waiting and assuming things were moving forward. Car accident attorneys know how to interrupt this process and compel the insurer to respond on a reasonable timeline.

Being Told the Offer Is Final

If a claims adjuster tells you that the amount they are offering is “all you’re entitled to” or “the best you’re going to get,” treat that statement as a negotiating tactic, not a legal conclusion. Adjusters are not neutral arbiters of what your case is worth — they are employees of an organization that benefits financially from minimizing what you receive. Car accident attorneys evaluate claims using a completely different framework, one that accounts for the full range of economic and non-economic damages under Texas law. What an adjuster calls final is frequently just the opening position.

When You May Not Need an Attorney

In the interest of being straightforward: not every accident claim requires legal representation. If your vehicle was damaged but you were not injured, insurance companies are held to fairly strict guidelines for compensating vehicle repairs and replacements. Those guidelines leave less room for the kind of manipulation described above, and some property-damage-only claimants are able to resolve their claims fairly without legal help.

The calculus changes completely, however, the moment injuries are involved. Once medical treatment, lost income, pain and suffering, and long-term recovery enter the picture, the complexity of your claim grows significantly — and so does the insurer’s financial incentive to reduce what it pays. That is the environment where having an experienced car accident lawyer in your corner stops being a luxury and becomes a practical necessity.

Getting an Honest Assessment of Where Your Case Stands

If you are uncertain whether your situation warrants legal help, the most practical step is a free consultation with a Texas car accident attorney. You are not committing to anything by having that conversation, and you will walk away with a clearer picture of what your claim is actually worth, what the insurer’s behavior in your case is likely to mean, and what your realistic options are going forward. The warning signs described here exist because insurance companies have found them effective against unrepresented claimants. The best response is to make sure you are not unrepresented.

Continue Reading
6 mins read

Uninsured Motorist Accidents in Texas | What to Do and How to File a Claim

Uninsured Motorist Accidents in Texas: Your Rights and Your Options

After any vehicle accident, one of the first things that must happen is a report to the insurance companies involved. But when the driver who caused the crash has no insurance at all, that process breaks down immediately — and the injured victim is left to navigate a situation that most people are completely unprepared for. The Insurance Research Council estimates that approximately 15 percent of all car collisions in the United States involve an uninsured motorist, and Texas consistently ranks among the states with the highest rates of uninsured drivers. Estimates suggest that more than 20 percent of motorists in Texas are driving without the liability coverage state law requires.

The practical problem is straightforward. The driver responsible for an accident is expected to compensate the people they injured through their liability insurance. When that driver has no insurance, they typically also lack the personal financial resources to satisfy a judgment. Being injured by an uninsured driver can feel like a dead end — but it does not have to be. With experienced legal representation, injured Texans have options that many people in this situation never explore.

How to Pursue Compensation After an Accident With an Uninsured Driver

Your Own Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Texas law requires insurance companies to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to every policyholder. If you accepted that coverage when you purchased your policy, it is designed exactly for this situation — it steps in to pay the damages the at-fault driver’s policy would have covered if they had one. This includes medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Understanding the specific terms and limits of your own policy is critical, and having an attorney review and present your UM claim ensures that your insurer applies your coverage fully and fairly rather than minimizing what it pays out.

Personal Lawsuit Against the Uninsured Driver

An uninsured driver is still legally liable for the harm they caused. If an asset investigation reveals that the at-fault driver has wages, property, or other collectible resources, a personal injury lawsuit and resulting judgment may be worth pursuing. An attorney can conduct that investigation and advise you on whether litigation against the driver directly is a practical avenue for recovery in your specific situation.

Other Potentially Liable Parties

In some accidents involving uninsured drivers, other parties with insurance coverage may share liability. An employer whose employee caused the accident during work hours, a property owner whose negligence contributed to the crash, or an establishment that over-served the at-fault driver under Texas dram shop law are all potential sources of additional recovery. Identifying every liable party — not just the driver — is one of the most important roles an attorney plays in these cases.

Why an Attorney Makes a Difference in Uninsured Motorist Cases

Uninsured motorist claims are disputes with your own insurer, and insurers approach even these claims with an eye toward minimizing payouts. The same financial motivation that drives insurers to undervalue third-party claims applies when they are evaluating what they owe under your own UM coverage. An experienced car accident attorney handles all communications with the insurance company, evaluates every settlement offer against the true value of your injuries, and pursues every available source of compensation on your behalf.

Whether your case involves navigating your own UM policy, pursuing a third-party claim, or both, the goal is the same: recovering the full compensation your injuries demand. If you were injured in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist in Texas, contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. We will evaluate your coverage, identify every available avenue of recovery, and fight for what you are owed.


Continue Reading
4 mins read

Experienced Baltimore Lawyer Mark Van Bavel Offers Top 10 Tips for Hiring an Honest, Qualified Attorney–and How to Spot Bad Ones

1) QUANTITY & QUALITY

Many bad attorneys have been doing a terrible job for many years. Be skeptical of any attorney in Maryland who uses the number of years they have been practicing as their biggest selling point. When it comes to experience, it’s quantity & quality that matters.

2) JACK OF ALL TRADES, MASTER OF NONE

Many attorneys are what we call general practitioners. They do divorces, lawsuits, wills, criminal defenses, adoptions and whatever else pays the bills. Most general practitioners love to take cases regardless of what type it is because they think these cases are easy money: show up to court, plead guilty, and take home a big chunk of change. Make sure your lawyer has a successful track record with the type of case you need representation for.

3) BAIT AND SWITCH

Law firms have big partners who draw in the clients, and they have disposable associates who do the work. Make sure you know who is going to do your work, not who is going to supervise them. Many clients pay big bucks to an attorney who just outsources their case to an associate. Interview all people who will be doing work on your case before signing any contract.

4) BITING MORE THAN THEY CAN CHEW OR NOT CHEWING AT ALL

Most of the mistakes made by criminal defense attorneys happen because those attorneys are too busy or too lazy, not because they are inexperienced or incompetent. Your attorney needs to have all the facts about the case and understand how the various consequences will affect you. There is no substitute for spending time talking with your attorney. If you do not feel like you have had enough time to talk, get another attorney.

Busy attorneys also tend to forget their place. An attorney is a counselor, not the clients babysitter. The attorneys job is to explain the options and consequences to the client and thus empower the client to make informed decisions. An attorney that is too busy or lazy does not have the time to communicate. Instead, the attorney wants to make all the decisions and have the client just come along for the ride. This situation is a formula for disaster: if your attorney wants to make decisions for you, get another attorney.

5) COMMITMENT

The second biggest complaint I hear from defendants is that their attorney does not care. Criminal defense can be a very emotionally demanding profession, and many attorneys have become extremely callused and jaded. They just stop caring.

Attorneys can lose touch with how important their job is. They have seen so many people go to jail that they may not fight as hard as they should, or they may not be as sensitive to their clients situation as they should. If you feel your attorney is not concerned enough about your problems, don’t wait another day to hire another attorney. You need an attorney you know is going to fight for you 100%.

6) THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

When it comes to criminal defense, the devil is in the details. While most of the mistakes attorneys make come from being busy, the second biggest screw-ups come from not paying attention to details.

How attorneys take care of themselves and their offices says a lot about how they take care of their clients. If your attorney dresses sloppily and works with piles of files everywhere, be warned!

7) YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

Hire the best attorney you can afford. Cheap attorneys need to serve more clients to make money. Serving more clients means that they are busier and have less time to dedicate to your case.

Also, cheap attorneys are usually cheap for reason, and, in the end, they cost more. Hiring an attorney whose biggest strength is their cost usually does not end well.

8) ETHICS FIRST

Every jurisdiction has that one attorney who markets them-self as the attorney who will do anything to get it done. The courts have long memories, and a lawyer who is not trusted is worthless to you. What is the point of hiring a person no one trusts to convince the court that you are innocent?

Additionally, when attorneys start breaking the rules of professional conduct, the people being cheated the most are usually their clients not the prosecutors.

9) GET IT IN WRITING

Make sure to get a written contract in advance stating services performed with a flat rate vs. additional charges along the way.

10) MAKE SURE YOUR ATTORNEY LISTENS

If your attorney is focused on bogging you down with legal phrases you don’t understand make sure they take the time to fully explain the charges and consequences against you before committing yourself to be represented by someone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind.

Continue Reading
5 mins read

Government Steps Up Bus Safety Oversight: New York Personal Injury Lawyer Kenneth A. Wilhelm Pleased with FMCSA Actions

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing a three-phase plan to improve bus safety and ensure that bus operators and drivers are acting responsibly. According to a Feb. 19 statement issued by the agency, beginning in April the Department of Transportation will target high-risk bus carriers with the help of specially trained safety investigators, law enforcement officers and safety advocates. The agency in its statement also says that it will undertake national risk assessment and outreach programs, assess safety management controls at bus companies, revise investigator training requirements and expand public outreach efforts.

The FMCSA stated that over the past seven years, motor coach inspections have nearly tripled from 12,991 in 2005 to 33,684 in 2012. In 2012, the inspections resulted in 880 motor coach drivers and 1,831 buses being placed out of service. In just one day in May 2012, the FMCSA shut down 26 bus companies, which represented three major rings of unsafe operators who “routinely ignored safety rules, cut corners and neglected passenger safety,” the federal agency declared. The FMCSA has referred to the bus crashes that occurred in California and Oregon recently as having prompted their current efforts .

In addition to stepping up inspections, the FMCSA has released the SaferBus app, which is available for the Android operating system. According to the statement, this app will allow bus passengers to review a company’s safety record before buying a ticket or while waiting to board a bus. The department is working to improve the app to make it available across a variety of platforms, the report said.

It is encouraging that the FMCSA is starting to pay attention to stepping up bus safety inspections, said New York personal injury lawyer Kenneth A. Wilhelm. “This comes after two fatal bus crashes in California and Oregon in which many people were injured and several died. Hopefully, these inspections will prove effective and prevent these tragic bus crashes from occurring.”

Bus accident victims have legal rights, Wilhelm said. “Whether you have been injured or have lost a loved one in a bus accident, it is important that you obtain more information about preserving your rights. The actions you take immediately after the incident can determine the amount of compensation you may receive.”

About the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm

The Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm is a personal injury litigation firm with an unwavering dedication to its clients. With more than 41 years of experience, our firm strives to obtain the best compensation for those who have been injured or those who have lost a loved one due to an accident or by someone else’s negligence. We handle cases dealing with personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, workers’ compensation, dental malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, rape, paralysis, comas, seizures, false arrest, lead poisoning, trips and slips and falls, elevator accidents, construction accidents, Erb’s palsy, cerebral palsy, brain damage, blindness, hearing loss, dog bite cases, fire and smoke inhalation accidents, bicycle accidents, falls from windows or scaffolds, and many other types of accidents and injuries.

Please contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.

Continue Reading
3 mins read

Burch & Cracchiolo Shareholder Named to Prestigious Law Associations

Burch & Cracchiolo, P.A. is pleased to announce that shareholder Todd A. Julian has been selected to join the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

The IADC membership is comprised of the worlds leading corporate and insurance lawyers. IADC members handle cases in all jurisdictions and have been involved in many precedent setting decisions and appeals.

ABOTA is a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to the preservation and promotion of civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. ABOTA works to uphold the jury system by educating the American public about the history and value of the right to a jury trial.

Julians practice primarily concentrates on personal injury and insurance defense litigation in state, federal and numerous tribal courts in the Southwestern United States. He is certified specialist in Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. Julian has also been recognized among Arizonas Finest Lawyers, Southwest Super Lawyers and is an AV

Continue Reading
1 min read

Mesothelioma Victims Center Now Urges US Navy Veterans Diagnosed with Mesothelioma to Call Them for the Names of the Best Mesothelioma Law Firms – Don’t Get Shortchanged

The Mesothelioma Victims Center says, “We fear most US Navy Veterans who are diagnosed with mesothelioma never get anywhere close to the kinds of financial compensation they could have, or should have, because they did not have the very best mesothelioma law firms in their corner. We are talking about potentially hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars in financial compensation for mesothelioma, and the mesothelioma law firms we recommend frequently get these kinds of results. We also fear because some US Navy Veterans want nothing to do with law firms, they never receive any compensation at all, and we think that is wrong. They were shortchanged. US Navy Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma, and their family members should be concerned about financial compensation for this rare form of cancer that is related to asbestos exposure, and we do not offer the name of just one mesothelioma law firm, it is always two, or three, and they really are among the absolute best mesothelioma law firms in the nation. No other group offers this vital service.” For more information US Navy Veterans, or their family members are urged to contact the Mesothelioma Victims Center anytime at 866-714-6466.

The States With The Most US Navy Veterans:

  • California
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Florida
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • Ohio
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • Pennsylvania
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Arizona
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho

The Mesothelioma Victims Center’s free services are available to US citizens. According to the US Centers for Disease Control about one third of all individuals who are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year are US Navy Veterans. Aside from US Navy Veterans, other high risk groups for mesothelioma cancer include shipyard, power plant, or oil refinery workers, plumbers, chemical manufacturing facility workers, electricians, county, or city municipal water district workers, miners, demolition construction contractors, railroad workers, or auto brake technicians. Victims of mesothelioma, or their family members are encouraged to contact the Mesothelioma Victims Center any time at 866-714-6466, for what really is a remarkable unsurpassed free service. http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.com

Continue Reading
2 mins read

New York Auto Accident Lawyer David Perecman Applauds Simulator Demonstrating the Dangers and Consequences of Texting while Driving

Many people believe they can text and drive safely despite statistics suggesting otherwise. To make the experience of texting while driving more realistic, New York State Police set up a texting while driving simulator at the Rochester International Auto Show. New York auto accident lawyer David Perecman supports all efforts to educate drivers about the dangers of texting while driving.

Texting while driving, or other multitasking, has been compared to drunken driving. People think they can do it, but they are fooling themselves, said Perecman.

According to WHEC (3.2.13), the realistic game demonstrated how easy it is to get distracted on the road. Participants sat in the simulator and drove through a neighborhood with real-life driving scenarios, including red lights, pedestrians crossing roads, and cars changing lanes. Drivers had to try to text and drive while successfully navigating the distractions.

A number of drivers need this kind of dose of reality before they actually believe the warnings not to text and drive are meant for them. Learning in a simulator is a lot better than learning on the road, said Perecman.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash. Besides risking an accident, anyone caught texting and driving in New York State will be fined and may also get points on their license.

The bottom line is, dont text and drive, said Perecman. A person could be killed or severely injured in the few seconds you take your eyes off the road. No message is worth it. If you have to text while driving, pull over.

The auto accident attorneys at The Perecman Firm in New York have helped many people obtain the compensation they deserve following auto accidents in New York. Contact The Perecman Firm at 212-977-7033.

About David Perecman and The Perecman Firm, PLLC:

For the past 30 years, the New York personal injury, medical malpractice, construction accident, and auto accident lawyers at The Perecman Firm, PLLC have handled all types of cases of vehicular accidents in New York. David Perecman, founder of the Firm, has been recognized for his achievements as an Honoree in the National Law Journal’s Hall of Fame, in New York Magazine’s “The Best Lawyers in America” and The New York Times Magazine “New York Super Lawyers, Metro Edition” for the years 2007-2010. The prestigious U.S. News & World Report ranks The Perecman Firm among the top 20 personal injury firms in New York City for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

The Firm has recovered millions of dollars for its clients. Among the more recent victories, Mr. Perecman won a $ 15 million verdict** for a construction accident (Index 112370/03) Supreme Court, New York County, a $ 5.35 million dollar verdict*** for an automobile accident (Index 2749/04) Supreme Court, Kings County, and a $ 40 million dollar structured settlement for medical malpractice (Index 2146/03)****Supreme Court, Kings County.

The Perecman Firm serves Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, Westchester, Upstate NY, Morris County, and Rockland County.

Continue Reading
3 mins read

Copyright 2026 CFZ Law | All Rights Reserved.