Personal Injury - Wrongful Death
Personal injury cases range from common to complex. Ms. Haas has a breadth and depth of experience obtained from years of working with the best trial attorneys on procedural and substantive issues involving personal injury and wrongful death. For instance, Florida's five cruise ports produce a good share of the world's embarcations. Any injury involving a cruise line may implicate issues of jurisdiction and venue; federal substantive law even in state court; a moving scene of the accident; and a defendant loathe to produce discovery.

Even the best trial attorneys handle common personal injury cases. Ms. Haas can assist by addressing legal issues that can turn the mundane into money.

Notable Cases
Underage Sale of Alcohol -- A group of high school students purchased beer from a gas station convenience store known for not asking for ID. The teens drank at several parties and later that night got into their cars and started racing. One of the cars hit some trees and flipped over. The driver suffered injuries to his head resulting in brain damage, while his good friend and passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, died. While philosophical arguments can be made about the arbitrariness of the drinking age and who is to blame, every state in our nation has adapted 21 as the current limit. For a company to knowingly disregard that law in the pursuit of profit is as reckless and thoughtless as the act of drinking and driving. A couple of families lost dearly that night and BP Oil and others paid 5.6 million in settlement.

Loss of Thumb at Disney World -- A 10 year old boy was a passenger in a boat at the Pirates of the Caribbean. The passengers, including the boy and his father, were instructed to keep their arms in the boat at all times. Evidently, the boy's hand was in the water when his boat bumped into the side of another boat, catching the hand between them. The thumb had to be amputated. The boy won at trial. After appeal by Disney World, the case was sent back for new trial, and settled.

Liquor/Bar Liability
Premises Liability
Civil Rights/Police Brutality
Cruise Ship Related
Admiralty and Maritime Injury
Automobile Accidents
Boating / Jet Ski Accidents
Catastrophic Injury
Construction Accidents
Negligent Security
Pharmaceutical Litigation
Pool Accidents
Property Hazards
Resort Torts
Slip & Fall / Trip & Fall
Toxic Torts
Trucking Accidents
Wrongful Death

Youth Tasered 17 times --  A teenager was passenger in an automobile stopped in a routine traffic stop. The deputy made him exit the vehicle. Facts were disputed as to what happened next. But moments later he was tasered 17 times, beaten, and pepper sprayed by a number of deputies, even after being subdued and posing no threat, until unconscious. He was transported to a hospital, where he died hours later. It turned out he had sickle cell anemia. The U.S. Army has long known that sickle cell has been linked to an increased rate of death, and that a contributing factor to the increased rate of death is exertion. The combination of beating, repeated tasering and sickle cell resulted in death. The boy's family brought suit in federal court against the deputies, Collier County Sheriff's Office, and Collier County. The case withstood defense motions for summary judgment, and on the eve of trial, settled.

Cruise Ship -- In slip and fall case, cruise line was denying knowledge of dangerous condition until mediation, when plaintiff's counsel pulled out six similar accidents on their lido deck. Case then settled.

Train/FELA Action -- At injured worker's jury trial, railroad gave self-contradictory jury instruction on proximate cause, defense verdict ensued. Appeals court reversed for new trial because railroad's instruction had potential to confuse or mislead jury.

Automobile Accident -- Default judgment reversed where lack of diligent search and inquiry was insufficient to sustain substituted service of process.