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MAY 2023
Growing Together with You
A LESSON FOR BIKERS FROM ‘THE QUARTERBACK’ This Trauma Nurse Changed My Life
Did you know that here in Florida, if a nurse or doctor stops at the scene of a car accident to offer help, anyone hurt automatically becomes their patient? It’s true! Nurses and doctors can go from legally off-duty to on-duty at the tap of a brake pedal. While it may seem crazy for a nurse or doctor to stop and assist someone hurt in a car or motorcycle crash, when they do stop, it’s one of the bravest things they can do, and I’ve seen a trauma nurse in action. Ok, I didn’t see this particular trauma nurse spring into action with my own eyes, but I’ve watched the crash scene video so many times it feels like I was standing right there. This tough, wonderful lady saved my client’s life, and I want to tell you her story. Being an avid football fan, I love a good two-minute drill. But, after an accident, two minutes could mean life or death. The trauma nurse — I’ll call her “The Quarterback” — was heading home after a long shift when she came into view of a terrible accident. My client was lying broken on the road. The Quarterback could have rubbernecked and gone right by him and his motorcycle, but instead, she slammed on her brakes, leapt out of her car, and immediately started managing the accident scene.
hurting him further, and started talking to keep him conscious. His leg was totally destroyed, but thanks to her quick thinking, he didn’t die on the road that day. The Quarterback gave him precisely the care he needed until the EMTs showed up, and she stayed meticulous and ice-cold every second. When I watched the crash scene video for the first time, The Quarterback’s professionalism and skill blew me away. Her education literally saved my client’s life! It also inspired me to change mine. I decided right then and there that not only should I know how to help a motorcycle rider at the scene of a crash, but Dellutri Law Group should get involved in teaching proper techniques to bikers all over Florida. Ever since, our firm has partnered with Road Guardians on courses like “A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist” that build community among Florida bikers and teach them what to do if someone they’re riding with goes down. About eight months ago, I sat in on one and learned how to take off a downed biker’s helmet, apply a tourniquet, and what to do if a bone is so badly broken it’s sticking through the skin. The hands-on training made me a better driver and made my work feel even more real. Suddenly, I wasn’t just reading medical reports — I was pulling helmets off bikers and learning when and how to move them off the road! Hopefully, I never have to roll up on the scene of an accident like The Quarterback did, but it feels good knowing that if I ever am in that position, I can help. Fun fact: Regular citizens like us should never hesitate to jump in and assist because, like doctors and nurses, we’re protected under Florida’s Good Samaritan law. That means you can’t be sued for your role at the scene unless you do something incredibly stupid, like cutting off someone’s leg to “fix” their broken arm. If you ride a motorcycle, you should sign up for a course with Road Guardians (RoadGuardians.org) as soon as possible. The cost is minuscule compared to the benefit of saving a life.
It was incredible! She gave orders to other bystanders, established a perimeter around the scene, got my client’s helmet off without
Happy with our service? We’d love to hear from you! We are always honored when our clients and associates refer their friends, family, and colleagues our way — or simply say kind things about our firm. If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know. We’re here to help!
Reach us any time at 888-889-8899 or DellutriLawGroup.com If you’d like to leave us a review, feel free to scan the QR code. We appreciate every word!
–Carmen Dellutri
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Should You Post on Social Media After an Accident?
If you are involved in an accident and subsequent personal injury claim, what you post on social media can impact your case, which is why you should not post about: • The car wreck • Your injuries, treatment plan, or any other medical information • Regrets (concerning the accident) • “Check-ins” (i.e., information about where you are or what activities you are doing) • The case itself After an automobile collision, we ask all our clients to avoid posting anything accident-related on social media. Here’s why: Your social media accounts are not private. Even if you have privacy settings on your social media accounts, anything you post goes into the public domain and is, therefore, discoverable by insurance companies. Insurance companies will use any information available to them to lower the value of your claim. If you post all over social media about your injury claim, other information in your social media posts could help them keep money from you. Let’s say you were injured in an automobile collision on a Friday afternoon. You then post on Facebook and Instagram about the accident, including several pictures and sharing that your neck and back hurt. The following weekend, you attend a friend’s wedding and join the festivities by dancing like MC Hammer in the good old days. (Side note: If you are too young to know who MC Hammer is, please go to YouTube, and you will understand precisely what I’m
talking about.) However, people with neck and back injuries cannot move like that; if they do, they will not be able to walk the next day. The insurance company (and their legal team) can obtain photos and videos from the wedding (likely also posted on social media) and share them with the judge and jury. They may question how severe your injuries are if you posted one week that you were in pain and posted the following week that you were “killing it” on the dance floor. A young lady once told one of our attorneys, “But social media is my life.” We’re not asking you to cut social media from your life — just to be mindful of your posts. Remember, you can be on social media, but you can’t post about the accident or your injuries. Social Media Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Case Attorneys hate surprises, especially when it involves being blindsided in court. When protecting our clients in court, we want to be prepared and don’t want pictures or videos to surface that show our client in a compromising position, especially if our client posted the evidence. At the Dellutri Law Group, we want to give our clients every advantage possible as we fight for fair compensation. So, as a general principle, we intentionally ask our clients to keep the details of their cases, the strategies we set forth, and any other case details private by not sharing them on social media. While it may seem old-fashioned or overly cautious, some things are still better off not being posted online.
“The Dellutri Law team was excellent in handling my case. The experience was very personable and professional. I would highly recommend the Dellutri Law firm to family and friends. Once you choose the Dellutri Law firm you are not simply a client … you’re family!” –J.S. GOOGLE REVIEW — MARCH 2023 Testimonial Our Clients Say It Best
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ROASTED SWEET POTATO ARUGULA SALAD Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
This Phone Call Was a Nightmare! A MEETING OF CREDITORS GONE WRONG
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed • 1 tsp smoked paprika • 1/2 tsp turmeric • 1/2 tsp cumin • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • Salt and pepper, to taste • 1 red onion, thinly sliced • 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced • 3 small radishes, thinly sliced • 2 cups arugula, thinly sliced • 1 1/2 cups cooked lima beans, drained and rinsed • Balsamic salad dressing of choice
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a bowl, toss sweet potato cubes with smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. 3. Roast for 25–30 minutes until sweet potatoes are nicely browned and fork-tender. 4. In a large salad bowl, combine onion, bell pepper, radishes, arugula, and lima beans. 5. Toss the salad with dressing, then top with roasted sweet potatoes.
Every individual who files a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is required to attend a meeting of creditors. This is the meeting our clients fear most. At the DLG, we believe it’s our duty to make sure it goes smoothly and our clients do not experience the extreme anxiety most people feel in that situation. Fortunately, the meeting of creditors now happens over the phone — it’s much less stressful than it used to be! This morning, I was on hold for a client’s meeting of creditors when I got the opportunity to listen in on another meeting happening right before mine. I couldn’t help but think that the client in that meeting had hired the wrong attorney. Listening in was actually painful. I felt anxious for the client, and the bankruptcy trustee conducting the meeting got a bit angry with the lack of responses to his questions. Apparently, there was a deficiency in the paperwork prepared by the attorney. Not only was the attorney stumbling, but I could actually hear the client saying, “Oh my,” “Oh my goodness,“ and “Oh no.” I really wanted to say something on their behalf because I felt they were not being represented properly. It was obvious that this client was totally unprepared for the meeting — and I blame their attorney. It’s the attorney’s role and responsibility to make sure that the petition and schedules are filed properly and contain truthful and accurate information. Sure, the client signs the documents under penalty of perjury, but they don’t always know what the questions mean! It’s the attorney’s job to ferret out all the correct data and make sure all of the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted before the paperwork is signed and filed with the court. When I attend a meeting of creditors, all I want to hear my client say at the end of the meeting is: “That was it?” My response is always the same: “Yes, that was it.” If the attorney and their staff do their jobs correctly, the meeting of creditors should be over in a couple of minutes. There’s no need for anger or stress — and my team proves that to everyone who works with us.
What’s the Good News ? “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” ROMANS 15:13 A referral is the greatest gift we can receive from a client or fellow business! Last month we had ... • 32 referrals from friends, family, or previous clients • 33 returning clients for new matters • 13 referrals from other attorneys • 4 referrals from doctors and other professionals • We sent out 85 referrals to our trusted referral partners. A Huge Thank-You to Our Referral Partners!
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Inside This Issue
1 Carmen’s Message for Florida Bikers 2 Should You Post on Social Media After an Accident? 2 Testimonial 3 Carmen Lives Through a Nightmare Meeting 3 Roasted Sweet Potato Arugula Salad 4 Congratulations, David!
DAVID W. FINEMAN, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA CERTIFIED IN CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY LAW
Congratulations to Attorney David Fineman from all of us at The Dellutri Law Group for becoming board-certified. The American Board of Certification recently announced that David W. Fineman has completed the requirements for national certification and consumer bankruptcy law.
To become certified, Mr. Fineman satisfied the following requirements:
•
Full-time practice of law for at least five years
• Good standing in the bars of all states in which a license to practice law is held • Devoted at least 30% of practice time and at least 400 hours to bankruptcy-related matters in the last three years • Documented involvement in consumer bankruptcy by providing information on cases practiced • Demonstrated commitment to continuing legal education by earning at least 60 hours of bankruptcy education in the past three years • Passed an extensive, day-long written examination covering consumer bankruptcy issues The rigorous standards applied by the American Board of Certification are designed to encourage bankruptcy practitioners to strive toward excellence, and to recognize those attorneys who are experts in the bankruptcy field. Mr. Fineman is certainly an expert in his field.
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