JOSIE LOU RATLEY

JOSIE LOU RATLEY
Press Conference - 3/19/10 12:30 p.m.
Broward General Medical Center, Auditorium A

On Wednesday morning, 15 year old Josie Ratley kissed her mom goodbye and left for school. She spent the day at Deerfield Beach Middle School where she attends the 8th grade. The school bell rang at 2:40pm and JoJo went to the area on school grounds where she was to get on her school bus to go home. She never made it home.

Instead, tonight she is a patient at Broward General Medical Center in the PICU, in an induced coma; part of her skull has been removed to allow the swelling on her brain to go down and she is black and blue all over her body from the attack that took place Wednesday on school grounds, allegedly at the hands and feet of Wayne Treacy.

JoJo's mom is numb. She has not slept in the past 48 hours and no words can express the emotional trauma she and her family are going through right now. The mother told me, “My baby should be home with me right now.” “Instead she is fighting for her life in a hospital bed.” Josie is a sweet and loving girl who has an amazing talent for art.

Josie's family's message to the community is that, if you are home tonight watching this at your dinner table with your own family, that you do two things. Please say a prayer for Josie. And please have an age appropriate discussion with your children about what happened to Josie. Speak to your children tonight. Communicate with them.

The family does want to thank the BSO for their hard work and quick arrest of Wayne Treacy and the SAO and ASA Maria Schneider for their work in court, as well as to thank the community for its outpouring of support, prayers, and good wishes. They do ask the media to respect their privacy during this tremendously difficult time. The family has no private health insurance. Those that have expressed a desire to assist the family financially for the medical care of Josie can do so through a directed trust account that has been set up at Wachovia Bank in c/o the Law Office of Gordon & Doner for the benefit of Josie Lou Ratley. Wachovia Bank is located at 2989 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410.

Bike Week

As I am sure most bike enthusiasts know, Bike Week just concluded in Daytona Beach. In light of this, I thought it would be a good time to share some sobering statistics with you.

In Florida last year, approximately two (2) motorcyclists were killed EVERY DAY and another twenty three (23) injured. By the end of the year, over five hundred (500) motorcyclist were dead and another eight thousand five hundred (8500) injured. That is in one year in Florida alone! Unfortunately, motorcyclists are typically stereotyped as speeding, reckless drivers. However, more often than not, motorcycle accidents are caused by negligent automobile or truck drivers, not the motorcyclist.

While it is often not the motorcyclist who is at fault, they are typically the most injured. Just last week, a Palm Beach resident died when a pick-up truck failed to yield the right of way. See the link below for the full article.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/jupiter-man-65-killed-in-motorcycle-accident-265002.html

At Gordon & Doner, we specialize in representing cyclists who are the victims of others negligence. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at AWerner@fortheinjured.com.

No Second Chances

The years in high school can be the best times; you build relationships and memories that can last a lifetime. It’s also about doing a lot of growing up, and people start trusting you to make the right choices. You’re old enough to drive - and it’s exciting because it’s about freedom and doing your own thing. But the sad truth is, traffic accidents kill and injure more high school students than any other age group.

Tragically, A 15-year-old Lake County girl was killed this past Saturday when she was a passenger in a car with three other teens. The 2007 Acura she was in lost control a drove into the path of oncoming traffic. Alcohol was reported not to be a factor.

At Gordon & Doner, we have produced a video for teens which teaches them that their actions can have horrible consequences while driving a motor vehicle. If you would like to schedule a presentation for teen drivers using this video, please call 561-333-3333.

Also, if you would like to speak with the author of this blog, I can be reached directly at AWerner@fortheinjured.com.

Child on scooter killed, another injured in hit-and-run

Earlier today, the Palm beach Post reported that a young girl was killed and another injured when hit by a car while driving motorized scooters. This awful local tragedy raises a couple of safety concerns of mine.

First, please do not allow your children to ride motorized scooters in the street. They usually do not have the same safety features of a street legal vehicle making them more difficult to see by passing motorists. In addition, the rider is usually not wearing safety gear. While it seems like a lot of fun, it probably is not a good idea.

Second, please drive slow through residential neighborhoods and pay attention to your surroundings. Often times, people are in a rush to get wherever they are going or just not paying attention to the road. This is even more prevalent now that almost everyone has the ability to send text messages. Take your time, slow down and focus on the road.

If you would like to read the full article as written in the Palm Beach Post, you can click on the following link. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/child-on-scooter-killed-another-injured-in-boynton-103712.html

If you have any questions for the author of this blog, I can be reached directly at AWerner@fortheinjured.com.

Teen Safe Driving Video

Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the country. Gordon & Doner has created a sobering video that should be viewed by all new drivers before they get on the road. The name of the video is No Second Chances - Teen Safe Driving Video.

Please click on the link below to view:
www.fortheinjured.com/no-second-chances.asp

If you would like to contact the author of this blog directly, I can be reached at AWerner@fortheinjured.com.

Social Security Disability

I just got off the phone with a potential new client who was seeking disability benefits. This client made some common mistakes Social Security Disability candidates often make. Keep in mind, these people I refer to are truly disabled and entitled to benefits. However, certain actions or inactions often result in a denial or at least a delay in benefits. This prompted me to create the following list of guidelines that should be considered when disabled:

1. If denied after your initial application is filed, APPEAL, do not give up. Your appeal must be filed within 60 days. All too often, I receive a phone call after the time to appeal has expired.

2. Make sure you treat with a physician as often as necessary. Your case is based primarily on your medical records. Even if you do not have insurance, try to seek out a free clinic or even the ER if need be.

3. Apply for benefits as soon as you become disabled. In order to be eligible for Social Security Disability, as opposed to SSI, you must have worked 20 of the last 40 quarters. So, if you stop working, you only have a certain about of time in which you qualify.

4. Let you representative know about ALL of your disabilities. Often, people fail to disclose certain disabilities because of embarrassment. Please try to keep in mind that your lawyer and the judge have heard it all. It would be a shame to lose your case because you failed to disclose everything.

5. Do not go to a Social Security Disability hearing without representation. Social Security representatives are knowledgeable about the Social Security Disability rules; consequently they are able to present the facts of your disability claim in a manner that is most favorable to you. At Gordon & Doner, our a fee is contingent on obtaining you benefits. So, everyone can afford representation.

While this list is not exhaustive, it is certainly a good starting point. If you have any questions, or would like the assistance of a Social Security Lawyer, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at AWerner@fortheinjured.com.

Workers' Compensation Update II

I just got back in town from the Florida Workers' Compensation Educational Conference. There was a lot of discussion about recent legislative "fix" to the October 2008 Emma Murray decision. For those of you not familiar with what is going on in workers' compensation law, you can read my prior posts regarding this subject.

Bottom line of all is that most in the industry believe the current law, as it is currently written, is unconstitutional. It severely limits an injured workers access to courts as a result of unreasonable attorney's fees.

Fortunately, the consensus is that it should not take nearly as long as the five years it took us to get the Emma Murray decision to reach the Florida Supreme Court again.