Coye Law - Workers' Comp - May 2019

COYE LAW

Chronicle May 2019 Edition

Wade Coye Attorney

The Future Is Now

So Why Work With Someone Stuck in the Past?

How many times have you heard somebody say that if you don’t know how to use a piece of tech or new app, you should ask your teenager for advice? While this makes sense in theory, it’s also a terrible idea. Teenagers may know how to use new products and services, but only in a limited way. Instead, you should ask somebody who approaches these innovations with creativity and critical thinking to teach you the ways. A kid may tell you one way to use an app, but an inquisitive mind can tell you all of the ways. Technology only continues to march forward, and it marches faster all the time. You definitely don’t want to hire an attorney who needs to ask their teenager how to use a smartphone. I bring this up not to reference a specific gadget, but rather to talk about how important it is to have a forward-thinking mindset in all aspects of your life. I can’t tell you how many attorneys still operate the same way they did a decade ago. That’s pretty crazy, right? Much of modern life has changed drastically, and doing things the old-school way is a recipe for inefficiency and lackluster results. The importance of trying to innovate is essential now more than ever because insurance companies are rapidly investing in any type of technology available. They have reams of data they analyze to pay out claims for as little as possible. It’s important to understand that these analytics, along with the rest of the resources the companies have at their disposal, can put regular folks at a significant disadvantage. Leveling the playing field requires working with an attorney who has the same future-facing approach as the insurance companies.

Recently, I attended an Amazon Web Services Conference in Paris. At the conference, Amazon demonstrated the system they’ve created with Berkshire Hathaway to analyze medical records. Is it perfect? Not yet. Is it amazing? You bet. With radical changes on the horizon, it’s crucial to be informed. I do this in part because I’ve always been interested in tech, but I also do it to benefit my clients. Over the years, I’ve found that my interest in the future of legal work has greatly helped me in the present. There is no way for an attorney to have the resources of a billion-dollar insurance company, but being willing to innovate makes a huge difference regardless. At its core, the legal profession is a problem-solving industry. It requires assessing the nature of somebody’s case, seeking out avenues for compensation, and fighting tirelessly until your client gets what they deserve. To do that, especially in today’s hypertechnological age, you have to be willing to use every tool at your disposal. There are a few industries where you’d rather work with somebody stuck in the past, like vintage car restoration or antique book sales. These, though, are niche concerns. Technology only continues to march forward, and it marches faster all the time. You definitely don’t want to hire an attorney who needs to ask their teenager how to use a smartphone. Instead, you deserve to work with somebody who has their finger on the pulse of the present and future of the law.

-Wade Coye

www.coyelaw.com

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Prom Safety 4 Tips to Keep Your Child Safe Seeing gorgeous dresses, fancy suits, corsages, and boutonnieres pop up in advertisements can only mean one thing: Prom season is here! This time of year, teens are busy choosing the perfect dress or suit to wear, finding a date, making dinner reservations, and preparing for an evening of fun and dance. During this exciting time, give your teens a little encouragement and guidance to ensure they have a safe and memorable evening. Create a Plan Create a plan for prom night, and make sure everyone knows what it is. Your teen should know and communicate with you what time the dance starts, what time it ends, if they’re going anywhere after, and when they’ll be coming home. Phones Make sure your teen’s phone is completely charged in case they need to reach out to you sometime during the night. Encourage your teen to check in once every few hours, and establish an emergency code to use if they find themselves in trouble. Driving You and your teen should also have a plan about the modes of transportation, who’s driving, and how many people your teen is going with. Trusting the driver is important. If you’re hesitant about Workers’ compensation cases can be protracted affairs with many hoops to jump through before you receive the money you deserve. However, you’ll make your chances of compensation a whole lot slimmer if you skip over a crucial first step. That step is filling out a First Report of Injury or Illness form, and it will help ensure your claim runs smoothly. It’s essential that you fill out this form within 30 days of your on-the-job accident. Legally speaking, verbally informing your employer of an injury is all that’s required to initiate a workers’ comp claim, but we would strongly caution you against doing the bare minimum. Alerting your employer verbally risks miscommunication and loss of detail. You don’t want to end up in a he said, she said situation when it is easily avoidable. The more detailed and thorough you are at the outset, the easier your claim will be later on. With that in mind, you should be meticulous in filling out the First Report of Injury. Start with basics like the date and time of the accident, where it occurred, and the circumstances surrounding it. Also, be sure to note the nature, location, and severity of your injuries. In this section, in particular, it’s important to be as detailed and accurate as possible. Include the names and contact information of any witnesses to the accident, as well as any video surveillance

letting your child be driven to prom, find another way. If your teen is driving the family car, confirm that they will be the only person driving the vehicle. Dress Safety Make sure your teen is dressed comfortably and appropriately to ensure they have a fun night without any accidents. Encourage them to wear comfortable shoes that they can walk and dance in without pain. High heels are fashionable, but they shouldn’t wear heels so high that they may fall and hurt themselves. Whatever your teen decides to wear should be comfortable and hemmed to the appropriate length based on their height. By keeping these safety measures in mind, your teen will have a wonderful and safe evening!

The First Step in Any Workers’ Comp Claim A Guide to the First Report of Injury Form

that could’ve caught the accident on tape. Finally, in the event that 911 was called, put that in the report, so your attorney can pursue access to the recording if needed. You can get a standardized First Report of Injury or Illness form from the Florida Department of Financial Services. Additionally, your employer may have specific in-house forms to amend to the report. Inquire with your employer about such forms so you’re not blindsided later on. Because this form can have a huge impact on your workers’ compensation claim, you may want to speak with an attorney before completing it. If you need help with the First Report of Injury or Illness, or any aspect of a workers’ comp claim for that matter, the experienced attorneys at Coye Law Firm are here to help. Call us today at 407-901-2712 with any questions about your workers’ comp case.

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This Is What Happens When You Steal a Protected Animal

what onlookers believe was a shark, only to be chased back in by a surprised dog. Fortunately, concerned passers-by called authorities, and SeaWorld workers came to rescue Dirk and bring him back to his family.

You wake up slowly, still groggy from a raucous night out with your friends. As you look around, taking stock of your surroundings, you see the other inhabitants: a desk, your shoes, a penguin … a penguin?! While footage confirms that two young Welshmen stole Dirk the penguin from his SeaWorld Australia home, the men had little memory of the night’s misadventures the next morning — until they saw Dirk waddling around their rented apartment. The night before, after imbibing a hefty amount during their vacation in Australia, the men got the harebrained idea to break into SeaWorld and swim with the dolphins. After getting inside, video footage captured them stripping down to their skivvies and running around the facility — until they spotted the penguin enclosure. “Look at them!” one said. Distracted from their original plan, they made their way to the penguins, grabbed one, and left. Dirk, the 7-year-old fairy penguin (the smallest species of penguin), was bred in captivity and had never left his enclosure. The next morning, realizing what they’d done, the three young men panicked and released Dirk into a nearby canal. But Dirk’s misfortunes weren’t quite over. He was chased out of the canal by

Every month, we give a big shoutout to clients who gave us referrals. This month, we’d like to recognize ... Charges for kidnapping a protected animal vary from state to state, but the Endangered Species Act ensures perpetrators face harsh penalties, including fines and maximum sentences. The Animal Legal Defense Fund also provides free legal assistance and training to help protect animals from harm. Be careful on your next night out, and please, enjoy wildlife without stealing it! Dirk returned unharmed to his partner, Peaches, but his kidnappers weren’t so lucky. Once a Facebook post recounting their misdeeds made its rounds, police traced the crime back to the two Welshmen. They were charged with trespassing, stealing, and keeping a protected animal, and there was no shortage of public shaming as their crime circulated the internet. Taking note of their letter of apology and admissions of guilt and regret, the judge enforced a heavy fine for the crime in lieu of jail time.

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Thank you all for trusting us with the legal needs of your family and friends! David Clasell Norman Levin Kelley Lester Bernadette Rodriguez

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T H I S I S S U E

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Why You Need a Forward- Thinking Attorney

Prom Safety Tips

A Form All Workers Need to Know About

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The Price You Pay for Stealing a Penguin

The War Pigeon Who Saved the ‘Lost Battalion’

Brave Little Cher Ami The War Pigeon Who Saved the ‘Lost Battalion’

“We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.”

Long before the invention of radios and cellphones, homing pigeons were used to

send messages as early as the sixth century. During World War I, war pigeons carried lifesaving messages past enemy lines for the American and French armies, often being wounded in the process. In 1918, Cher Ami, a black check hen used by the U.S. Signal Corps, became the most famous of them all. On Oct. 2, the United States 77th Infantry Division was trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a three-month push by the Allies during the final throes of World War I to force the Germans to surrender. It became the bloodiest battle in U.S. history. For six days, the encircled division endured relentless attacks and suffered heavy casualties, but their orders were clear: Don’t retreat and don’t surrender. The division dispatched two homing pigeons with requests for help, but both birds were shot down. When friendly fire began raining down on the 77th, Major Charles White Whittlesey felt he had no choice but to send the last pigeon, Cher Ami. The pigeon’s desperate note read:

As Cher Ami rose from the brush, she was shot down, to the despair of the watching soldiers. However, after a few seconds, she fought her way back into the air, flew through a torrent of gunfire, and made it to division headquarters 25 miles away. She had been shot in the breast, the eye, and the leg. Because of Cher Ami’s brave flight, 194 of the original 554 men of the 77th Infantry Division survived the battle. One month later, World War I came to an end. Cher Ami survived the war as well, thanks to the surgeons who performed emergency surgery on her. One soldier even carved her a little wooden leg. She became a well-known hero to both soldiers and children in the States. For her service in Verdun, the French Army awarded her the Croix de Guerre, and she was inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame. Cher Ami finally succumbed to her wounds in June of 1919 and is now on display in the Smithsonian alongside Sergeant Stubby, a terrier who served 18 months on the Western Front.

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