Haggard Law Firm trial lawyer Pedro Echarte has finalized the terms of a $1 million settlement in a negligent security/wrongful death case where the victim was the father of five.
Haggard Law represented the plaintiff’s decedent who was murdered in an attempted armed robbery while speaking on the phone outside of his apartment complex in Pompano Beach, Florida on January 31 of 2017. Liability centered around the apartment complex’s lack of security measures at the apartment (including, but not limited to, inadequate lighting, lack of surveillance cameras, and lack of access control) despite a history of crime in the surrounding neighborhood. Plaintiff’s decedent left one surviving son here in the United States and a surviving widow in Honduras along with five surviving daughters. The defendant settled for policy limits.
May is National Swim Safety Month. Our team at Haggard Law is passionate about observing this time as we have unfortunately had to represent families who have suffered the loss or a significant injury to a loved one in a drowning or near drowning. With these tragic experiences, we have learned that water safety involves active participation of family, friends, the swimmers and the people who are responsible for pools, pool equipment, and properties that have other bodies of water such as ponds and lakes.
According to the Florida Department of Health, Florida leads the country in drowning deaths of children ages 1-4 years. Annually in Florida, enough children to fill three to four preschool classrooms drown before their fifth birthday.
According to the U.S Swimming Foundation, in 2017 Florida lost more children to drowning than any other state. There were 51 fatal child drownings in Florida pools or spas in 2017, a 20 percent spike compared to 2016. The drownings last year involved children 15 and younger, with 80 percent involving children under the age of 5. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1-4 nationwide.
Th American Red Cross has these swim safety tips:
Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.
Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone.
Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
Maintain constant supervision.
Make sure everyone in your family learns to swim well. Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross water orientation and learn-to-swim courses.
If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers. Many children who drown in home pools were out of sight for less than five minutes and in the care of one or both parents at the time.
Avoid distractions when supervising children around water.
If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
Have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.
Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
Enroll in Red Cross home pool safety, water safety, first aid and CPR/AED courses to learn how to prevent and respond to emergencies.
Protect your skin. Limit the amount of direct sunlight you receive between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and wear sunscreen with a protection factor of at least 15.
Drink plenty of water regularly, even if you’re not thirsty. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them.
Also parents remember your pool gate safety and pool pump safety.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Managing Partner Michael Haggard assumed his role as the new President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association in 2018. The organization was founded in April 1999, creating the nation’s first professional association of attorneys and expert witnesses dedicated to helping victims seek justice through the civil system. The NCVBA is an affiliate and program of the National Center for Victims of Crime.
In this video, Haggard discusses how his primary focus this year is to make sure human trafficking victims understand they not only have rights in the criminal justice system but also in the civil justice system.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard has been invited to once again speak at the Florida Justice Association’s Workhorse Seminar. Set to be held at the Orlando World Center Marriott, this Seminar is one of FJA’s most popular learning events among attorneys throughout the state.
Haggard is scheduled to speak on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 between 8:30 am – 9:00 am. His topic for his Seminar is “Escaping Defense-created Liability Traps in the Handling of Negligent Security Injury and Death Cases.”
Haggard is a longtime member of the FJA and has served in multiple leadership positions over the years. Several months ago, he was recognized with the FJA’s most prestigious honor, the Perry Nichols Award.
About the Workhorse Seminar
The Workhorse Seminar ensures attorneys receive the strategies and techniques needed to enhance the work done every day in civil litigation cases. The FJA guarantees attendees will take away valuable information and innovative ideas that can immediately aid personal injury attorneys’ efforts to assist clients in their cases.
About the Florida Justice Association
The Florida Justice Association (FJA), formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (AFTL), is dedicated to strengthening and upholding Florida’s civil justice system and protecting the rights of Florida’s citizens and consumers.
We passionately believe that all Floridians benefit when deserving individuals have a fair chance to seek justice in our state’s courts and that Florida’s consumers are made safer when large corporations and industries are held to a high ethical standard and accept fair responsibility for their actions.
FJA works in the legislative, political and public arenas to ensure that Floridians know and understand the importance of their rights to justice and to make certain that these rights, which are at the very core of what it means to be American, are safeguarded and protected.
The Florida Justice Association kicked off its annual Masters of Justice CLE Event today. This year’s theme is ‘Roads to Mastery’. The convention offers four specialized seminars on Auto Negligence, Technology, Medical Malpractice, Insurance & Bad Faith.
Congratulations to our Michael Haggard. He was among 10 local lawyers included in Attorney at Law Magazine‘s ‘Super Stars of 2017’ edition.
The Magazine writes “These attorneys have been nominated by their peers to be recognized for their accomplishments both inside and outside the courtroom.”
To read the full article, click on the following link and scroll to page 12-13.
This most recent recognition follows news that Haggard will receive the Florida Justice Association’s 2017 Perry Nichols Award, that organization’s highest honor. Click here to learn more
On Thursday, April 27TH, The Haggard Law Firm will host Winning Case Strategies in Premises Liability. The free seminar, for CLE Credit, will be held at the Hyatt in Coral Gables, Florida.
Please RSVP by contacting Susie Acosta at 305.446.5700 or emailing sacosta@haggardlawfirm.com by April 20th. There is limited space available.
