Florida’s new seat belt laws go into effect today. As of today, June 30, law enforcement officers can make a traffic stop on any vehicle in which they observe a seat belt law violation. The current fine for a seat belt violation is $98 and the fine for a child restraint violation is $148.

Previously, police officers were only allowed to stop drivers if there was another driving offense, such as an expired license or speeding.For more information on the new legislation, please click here to view the full story.

Our Florida trial attorneys represent personal injury, auto accident, defective products, and consumer fraud clients throughout South Florida, including Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and throughout the United States.

Consumers be forewarned - if you are an iPhone user and a Nationwide insurance customer, you be cautious about downloading and using their application on your phone. They are advertising this application on television as a way to immediately file a claim if you’re in an accident, but what they’re not telling you is that they will then have all of your information and could potentially use that evidence/information against you.

If you’re in an accident, you should document the evidence from the accident yourself - including photos, a sketch, and names and contact information of witnesses and the other driver. Additionally, you should maintain possession of your vehicle or have it towed by a third-party company - not your insurance company.  Your next step is then to call an auto accident or personal injury attorney who can advise you on the best way to handle the accident proceedings with your insurance company.

Balkan & Patterson is an experienced law firm that is well-versed in working with all types of accidents, including auto, car, trucking, motorcycle and all personal injuries. If you have any questions about an accident or an insurance issue, please contact us online or call us at (561) 750-9191. We work with clients in Boca Raton, Hollywood, Lighthouse Point, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Parkland, and all of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

A new product recall has been issued for certain cuts of beef. Shipments of the meat were received in 13 states, including Florida. The questionable products came from one of the country’s largest meat producers, JBS Swift Co. The Colorado-based company has recalled 42,000 pounds of beef with potential for E. coli contamination. The cuts are boneless beef bottom sirloin, which could now be in the form of steaks, beef strips and tips, as well as ground beef.

The beef was produced April 21 and 22; it is most likely in consumers homes and not in grocery stores. Packages were labeled as Swift, Black Angus or the brand of grocery store. To view the whole story, please click here.

For a list of the product identifying codes, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture here or call 800-555-7675.

Attorneys Balkan & Patterson work with personal injury, auto accident, class action, dangerous/defective product and abuse cases in Boca Raton, Broward County, Lighthouse Point, all of Florida and throughout the country. For more information about our firm, please visit www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Michigan has agreed to settle a class action case with about 100 families for a total of $1 million to reimburse expenses they paid for autism testing and treatment. It has been an ongoing battle to get insurance companies to cover autism care, as they have long excluded it from their policies and labeled treatment as “experimental.”

To date, only 13 states have laws requiring insurance companies to pay for autism treatments and screenings. This settlement is the first step in the right direction for all states requiring insurance companies to cover autism treatment and testing for all special needs and autistic children. With the recent reports of widespread abuse of special needs children in public and private schools, this is just the beginning for increased awareness of autism and those who are affected by it.To read the full story, please click here.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson works extensively with clients, parents, students, children and families who are affected by autism. We have the experience and understanding required to successfully litigate these types of cases, as well as the compassion for what you are going through. For more information about us, please contact us online at www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.

The personal injury law firm Balkan & Patterson, LLP, is an advocate for child safety and has made a donation of child identification kits to the Lighthouse Point Police Department and the Parkland division of the Broward Sheriff’s Office to help protect local children.

The child identification kits assist parents in creating a private and extremely comprehensive record of their child’s personal and medical information, for use in an emergency. The kits allow parents to make fingerprint and dental records, along with a complete and accurate description of the child. In an emergency where a child is missing, the first few hours are critical to a safe recovery. These kits help police and other emergency personnel in finding lost or missing children.

Balkan & Patterson, LLP, works with cases involving all types of personal injuries, including child abuse. For more information or to obtain a free child identification kit, please visit www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.

The main office of Florida trial attorneys Balkan & Patterson is located in Boca Raton, Fla. They represent personal injury, auto accident, defective products, and consumer fraud clients throughout South Florida, including Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and throughout the United States.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson is representing parents and families in a new class action case involving more than 10 million toys recalled by MEGA Brands. The toys contain small parts and magnets that detach from the toys. Young children can swallow these parts, and while small, these tiny magnets can cause serious internal injuries or death if a magnet or a magnet and a metallic object attract each other while inside the child’s body.

The recalled toys are:

• Magnetix Magnetic Building Sets (“Magnetix”)
• MagnaMan Magnetix
• Toy Figures (“MagnaMan Toys”)
• Magtastik, and Magnetix Jr. Pre-school
• Magnetic Toys (the “Recalled Magnetic Toys”)

If you believe you may have a potential case relating to these toy recalls, please contact us online at www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.

The personal injury law firm of Balkan & Patterson settled a lawsuit this week against the St. Lucie School Board on behalf of a family whose child was abused by his behavioral analyst at Oak Hammock K-8 school. The amount of the settlement is confidential.

The child, now age 10, was a special needs student and required additional help in school. He was working with a behavioral analyst when he was dragged down a hallway in the school, violently restrained and roughly handled. This treatment caused him to suffer physical injuries. The abuses he received required medical treatment, and his health care providers predict that he will require medical treatment in the future for the long term emotional and mental effects. In addition, the behavioral analyst had a questionable record that was not fully investigated by the school before he was hired.

“Our client trusted that the teachers and staff of Oak Hammock K-8 school would instruct her child, providing him with a safe and healthy  institution for learning,” said attorney Adam Balkan. “However, this was not the case, and a helpless child was severely mistreated by the people who were entrusted to help him. On top of that, the school board has a duty to fully investigate the backgrounds of their employees to ensure they are qualified to work with special needs students.”

“Thankfully the school board settled the case without having to put the family through the ordeals of a trial, but it does not excuse the treatment the boy received. It is all too common that we see these types of cases, and it is absolutely inexcusable that public schools are treating their students – especially special needs students – in this manner,” Mr. Balkan added.

Rafael Katz from the Katz Law Group acted as co-counsel on this case. Adam M. Balkan is a partner in the law firm of Balkan & Patterson, LLP. Additional information about this case can be found on our website, www.balkanpatterson.com.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson LLP recently won a jury verdict of more than $550,000 for our clients who were seriously injured in an auto accident when they were virtually run over by the driver of a dump truck in South Florida.

“Our clients were injured in an accident by no fault of their own, and we are thrilled that this verdict will help them pay for past medical treatments, as well as alleviate the burden of their ongoing medical expenses,” said attorney Adam Balkan. “We are thankful that the jury did the right thing in awarding our clients this verdict.”

The passenger and driver of the car sustained a number of injuries that required extensive emergency and ongoing medical treatment. One victim underwent an emergency splendectomy, while the other required fixators in her leg and wrist. The final verdict was in the amount of $550,642.75. Additional details of this case are confidential. For more information, please visit www.balkanpatterson.com