Personal Injury Cases – Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli

The family of a 6-year-old boy killed in a tragic rear-end auto accident in 2012 has been awarded $32 million in compensation from the employer of the speeding driver who rear-ended his father’s car.

However, the company’s defense lawyer has expressed the intention to file an appeal of that verdict, meaning it will be some time before the family ever sees that money. And of course, it’s not really about the money, which is never going to bring back their beloved child.

At The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli, our Hartford injury attorneys recognize that employers must be held accountable for the actions of reckless drivers. In so doing, we fight to ensure companies will be more cautious in hiring drivers, in properly training them and in adequately supervising them. This reduces the likelihood of future accidents – so that the next family doesn’t have to cope with such a devastating loss.

Connecticut law allows employers to be held either vicariously liable or directly negligent. Direct negligence would include actions like improper supervision, negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent retention and more. However, when companies are held vicariously liable for the actions of their drivers, it is not necessary to prove they were actually negligent, only that they employed someone who was negligent and that employee was acting in the course and scope of employment at the time of the incident.

In this case, the employee/ driver was reportedly speeding in the defendant company’s pickup truck while on-the-job when he struck plaintiff’s vehicle.

Minutes earlier, plaintiff’s front hood had popped open while he was driving with his wife and two young sons. He was forced to pull over to put the hood back into its proper position. He turned his hazard lights on while he stepped out to put the hood down. As he did so, he noticed a pickup truck approaching. It was not slowing down. At some point, he realized it was not going to stop.

It would later be revealed the driver was distracted while picking up several items that had fallen onto the floor. The driver slammed into the rear of plaintiff’s vehicle.

The impact of the crash resulted in serious injuries to the driver, his wife and their 4-year-old son. Their 6-year-old son, meanwhile, was killed in the crash.

The driver would later plead guilty in criminal court to vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of speeding. He had been traveling 71 mph in a 55 mph zone. The plea deal into which he entered in that case – for which he served two years in prison – resulted in an automatic finding in the civil case that he was negligent in causing the crash. That meant the only question for the court to consider was whether the pickup truck driver’s employer was directly or vicariously negligent for the boy’s death.

Ultimately, jurors found the employer directly liable for negligent entrustment. Specifically, the company entrusted the driver with that vehicle, despite the fact his driving record included prior citations for driving under the influence and company policy precluded employees with DUIs from operating company vehicles.

After this finding, the issue of damages was raised. Jurors ultimately decided the company should be responsible to cover the full $32 million.

Contact us today for a free consultation at 1-800-WIN-WIN-1.

Read more about car accidents by clicking here.

Throughout Hartford, New Britain, Norwich, Manchester, New Haven and surrounding areas, motorists need to be aware that the impending arrival of summer brings new driving challenges. A personal injury lawyer knows that countless serious and potentially fatal car accidents occur during the summer months. There are many factors that tend to make summer a dangerous time for motorists. 

Why is the Summer High Risk for Driving?

The Mirror summarized 10 of the big risk factors that drivers face during the summer months that increase the chances of motor vehicle accidents. These include:

• An increase in the number of bicycle riders on the roads. Drivers often do not know how to be safe around bike riders. Drivers need to ensure they leave plenty of space around bike lanes, especially when passing bicycle riders.
• An increase in motorcyclists on the roads. Warm weather means more bikers on motorcycles. Motorcycle accidents are most likely to cause serious injury or death to the motorcycle rider. However, a motorcycle that hits the side of a car and causes a 40 MPH change in speed has an 85 percent chance of causing death to someone in the passenger car.
• Rain after a dry spell. If there is no rain over a period of three weeks, the risk of a fatal crash is 10 percent higher when the rain arrives. The risk of a crash is lowest when it rains steadily, rather than when it rains rarely. This is because dust, diesel and oil can start to linger on a road without rain. When it finally does rain, those substances can take days to wash away- and the road will be slick in the meantime. The first rain in a while also comes as a surprise to drivers who may have grown used to dry conditions.
• An increase in teen motorists. There is a one in five chance a teen driver will become involved in a collision within the first six months of having a new license. More teens are driving during the break from school, so there’s thus more chance of these inexperienced motorist causing crashes.
• An increase in child pedestrians. Kids tend to be outside playing more often in the summer, so there’s a great chance of them getting hit by a car. Around 85 percent of pedestrian deaths involve motor vehicle accidents with drivers traveling between 30 and 40 miles an hour.
• An increase in vacationers. Tourists visiting an area often don’t know where they are going and are distracted by a GPS, map, or even sightseeing. This increases the chance these motorists will cause accidents.
• An increase in tractors. Farmers often move equipment during the summer, and tractors sometimes ends up on busy roads.
• An increase in vegetation. A greener world and faster growing plants means impaired visibility.
• More mobile deer. Deer tend to move around from their breeding locations during spring and the early months of summer.
• An increase in motor vehicle breakdowns. Drivers on the road during the heat, especially taking long road trips, have a greater chance of their car breaking down. This could be dangerous when the car is on the road.

These are just a few of many reasons why the summer is a time when you need to be especially careful to drive safely and watch out for hazards that could cause you to become involved in a collision.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit http://www.salomoneandmorelli.com.  Also serving New Britain and Norwich to Manchester, New Haven and the Waterbury area. 

Throughout Hartford, New Britain, Norwich, Manchester, New Haven and surrounding areas, warm spring weather means that weather conditions are more likely to be foggy. Fog is one of the most dangerous weather conditions that drivers encounter on the road. 

A personal injury lawyer knows that the risk of an auto accident is as much as doubled when the fog rolls in. Drivers need to know how to be safe behind the wheel, even in these bad weather conditions. A careless or negligent driver who makes unsafe choices when it is foggy out could be held responsible for causing a motor vehicle crash that hurts or even kills other motorists.

How to Stay Safe When Driving in Fog

Smart Motorist warns that fog is statistically the most dangerous of all weather conditions. The best thing to do is to avoid driving until the fog has lifted. If, however, you are on the road and need to get through the fog, there are a few things that you can do to try to avoid becoming involved in an accident. Drivers who encounter fog should:

• Put on headlights, but not high beams. High beams can have an adverse impact on frontward visibility because of the reflection of the light on the fog. Although regular low light headlights can also make it a little harder to see in front of you sometimes, you still need to put them on when it is foggy out because otherwise oncoming motorist will not see your vehicle.
• Keep your eyes trained on the right line on the road. This is called the fog line and it helps you to stay on course in your lane. Do not focus on the center line, or you could end up moving into oncoming traffic inadvertently.
• Use fog lights, if you have them. Some European cars are equipped with rear-fog lights that can help to significantly increase the visibility of the vehicle and avoid a rear-end crash.
• Never stop on the road. If you stop on the road, other drivers are not going to be able to see you and there’s a very strong chance of a rear-end accident. If you decide you cannot continue driving in the fog, pull completely off onto the shoulder of the road in order to avoid getting hit.
• Slow down and stay focused on the speedometer. Driving at a slow pace for weather conditions is important to trying to reduce the dangers of fog. Some research suggests that drivers who become accustomed to the fog will begin to increase their speed when driving, sometimes without even realizing it. You need to keep an eye on how fast you are actually going.

Past research has suggested that a driver’s speed perceptions are affected by fog, prompting motorists to go too fast and increasing crash risks. A recent study published by the National Institutes of Health, however, suggests that the reality is that fog does affect speed perception but that motorists mostly tend to slow down as a result and not speed up. The discrepancy could come from the fact that past studies on fog adjusted overall contrast to simulate fog, which is more akin to driving with a foggy windshield rather than in actual real-world fog conditions.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit http://www.salomoneandmorelli.com.  Also serving New Britain and Norwich to Manchester, New Haven and the Waterbury area. 

Throughout New Haven, New Britain, Norwich Manchester and the Waterbury-area, motor vehicle accidents occur frequently. There are different types of motor vehicle collisions including front impact or head on crashes; side impact crashes and rear-end crashes. A rear-end accident lawyer knows that collisions in which a following vehicle strikes a lead vehicle in the rear are one of the most common collision types. 

In fact, according to the College of Engineering, around 33 percent of all U.S. car accidents are rear-end crashes. This type of collision is the most commonly occurring accident at intersections that have traffic signals, and these rear-end crashes account for 11.8 percent of deaths in multi-vehicle accidents and countless car accident injuries each year.

Because rear-end crashes are both common and dangerous, understanding the causes of these types of collisions is very important. The College of Engineering has published an in-depth study looking at some of the reasons why rear-end accidents happen.

Rear-End Accident Risk Factors 

The College of Engineering Study took a look at three primary factors that can impact the risk of becoming involved in a rear-end accident. The study looked at the impact of driver characteristics; vehicle characteristics; and road characteristics.

Many of the road characteristics that lead to crashes are fairly obvious. If the roads are wet or slippery, if visibility is reduced, or if the weather is bad, then there is more of a chance of a rear-end accident. If the road is poorly lit, the crash risk goes up. If there is a lot of traffic and drivers are forced to travel more closely together, then there is a greater chance of a rear-end accident happening.

When it comes to vehicle characteristics, however, the results are more surprising. While you might assume motorists would be more concerned about getting into a crash with a larger vehicle, it turns out that rear drivers are more likely to follow very closely behind large vehicles than they are to leave minimal following distance between themselves and a smaller lead car.  When a lead vehicle is large and it is more difficult for the rear driver to see above, around, below or through it, the rear car is more likely to follow close behind. Passenger cars, in general, leave less space between their vehicle and a light truck than between their car and another passenger car.

Finally, when it comes to driver characteristics, men were more likely than women to be the striking vehicle that hits the lead car in rear-end crashes. Older drivers were more likely to be in a vehicle that was hit from behind and younger drivers were more likely to be in the striking vehicle. Older drivers generally have slower reaction times and aren’t as quick to make decisions, especially when they have two or more choices at an intersection. Younger motorists, on the other hand, were less likely to pay attention and more likely to be aggressive.

Drivers need to understand how these risk factors affect rear-end crashes so they make safe choices to try to avoid motor vehicle accidents.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit http://www.salomoneandmorelli.com.  Also serving New Britain and Norwich to Manchester, New Haven and the Waterbury-area

Drivers in Hartford, Manchester, New Haven and the Waterbury-area need to ensure they do everything possible to ensure that they make safe choices behind the wheel. Many motorists today are purchasing vehicles that have add-on safety features or optional crash protection technologies. Motorists seek out these features because they believe that this can help them to avoid becoming involved in an accident.

Technologies can make a difference in helping to prevent car accidents. However, a personal injury lawyer knows that most tech devices in vehicles are not perfect and are prone to malfunctioning or failure. While technology is a good add-on that drivers can use as one tool to help prevent accidents, a reliance on technology can be dangerous. Motorists should never assume they can substitute automated features for their own common sense or their own extra care behind the wheel.

In-Vehicle Technologies Limited Provide Limited Accident Prevention

Some of the most common add-ons that drivers believe will help them to stop crashes include blind spot detection systems and lane-keep or lane departure warning systems. The purpose of blind spot detections systems is to help drivers become aware when something is in the area to the side of their vehicle that they cannot see. The purpose of lane departure warning systems is to prevent motorists from straying outside of the lane where their vehicle belongs.

Blind spot detection systems were available as an optional add-on in around 75 percent of cars in 2014. These systems were available as a standard feature in two percent of cars. Lane departure warning systems were available in around 50 percent of vehicles in 2014.

AOL Auto reports that AAA and MIT’s AgeLab conducted a study to assess how well these common crash prevention technologies actually performed. The results showed that the technologies have much room for improvement.

Blind spot detection systems generally did not work as well when vehicles were traveling at higher speeds. These systems also were not very good at alerting drivers to the fact that a motorcycle was beside their car. The detection systems did not identify motorcycles until 26 percent later than passenger cars. By the time the system alerted the driver to the motorcycle, the motorcycle was within 14 feet of the vehicle. Since many drivers use blind spot detection systems to aid them when they are merging onto highways or when they are changing lanes on high-speed roads, it is bad news that these systems don’t work well at high speeds.

Lane departure systems also tended to malfunction when conditions were not optimal. For example, if the pavement was worn, if the driver was in a construction zone, if the roads were wet or if the weather was bad, the lane departure system often failed to function correctly.

Many different vehicles from different car makers were tested and these problems were virtually universal. Drivers need to be aware of the shortcomings of these crash protection systems and they should remember that it is ultimately their responsibility to watch the road carefully and take steps to avoid getting into a collision.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit www.salomoneandmorelli.com.  Also serving New Britain and Norwich to Manchester, New Haven and the Waterbury-area.

Car insurance is supposed to provide you with coverage if you have an accident. In the event that a crash causes injury, a personal injury attorney can assist in pursuing a damage claim and recovering money for medical bills and other losses from the person responsible for causing the wreck.

Insurance is also supposed to provide the money to repair or to replace your vehicle if it is damaged or destroyed in a collision.

However, in some situations, the insurance company will declare your car is not able to be repaired. This is called declaring the vehicle a total loss. In other words, the vehicle is “totaled.”

When your car is declared a total loss, the insurer will pay the replacement value of the vehicle. This may not always be enough to get a car similar to what you had, and it may be difficult for you to actually find a vehicle  you can buy that is affordable for what the insurance company pays out to you.

When is a Vehicle Declared a Total Loss?

The insurance company gets to make the decision about whether a vehicle is declared a total loss. The insured does not get to make this decision and your insurance company may declare your car to be a total loss even if you would prefer the vehicle was repaired.

According to Claims Journal, an insurance company will declare that a car should be considered a total loss if it would cost more money to repair the vehicle than the car is actually worth. In some cases, this can happen with damage that seems minor to the naked eye. If the frame is bent or there are hidden defects caused by the crash, then the insurance company may declare it a loss.

If you have a less expensive or older car, the insurer may also decide it is not worth fixing the vehicle if it is not practical to spend that much money on a lower value car. For example, if a car is worth only $4,000 and the cost to repair the vehicle is totaled at around $3,000, the insurer may decide it is not worth repairing the car because the repairs would be equal to 75 percent of the total value.

The problem is when an older vehicle is declared a total loss, you may not actually be able to find a similar car in a similar condition for the $4,000 or whatever specific low amount of money is being offered. This is also an issue with brand new or newer vehicles, because they depreciate in value so quickly. Because of this problem, some insurance companies offer special policy options where those who total a new car are able to replace it with another new car.

Although you don’t get to decide whether your insurance company totals your vehicle or not, you may have the option to try to argue for a higher payout than the insurer initially offers you. You can consider asking for more if you have clear evidence that the insurer is not providing what your car is actually worth. Contact an experienced crash lawyer for help.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Calling 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit http://www.salomoneandmorelli.com.  Also serving New Britain and Norwich to Manchester, New Haven and the Waterbury-area.

In today’s world, both men and women generally drive motor vehicles to commute to work or school or to run errands. As a result, the age-old question of whether men or women are better drivers continues to be debated. Unfortunately, it is a question that has no easy answers. In fact, a recent article on Yahoo News suggests that neither men nor women are very good drivers and that both take different risks behind the wheel that can increase the risk of a collision.

When a collision does happen, the victim or surviving family members may have certain rights to obtain compensation. A personal injury lawyer can help those who have been harmed in a motor vehicle crash to understand their rights and pursue a claim.

Accident Risks: Male Drivers vs. Female Drivers

At first glance, it appears that information on male vs. female drivers is conflicting. For example:

• Yahoo reports that a 25-year-old Oakland man with no accidents and no past tickets is going to pay $385 more in premiums for car insurance than a woman with the same driving history. Since insurers charge based on risk, this would suggest men are worse drivers. The gap between men and women’s premiums doesn’t go away as people age, although it narrows. Men end up paying thousands more during their life.
• Readers’ Digest reports that men tend to be better than women at many different kinds of driving skills. This would suggest that men are actually better drivers than women.
• The Daily Mail reported on a study of 6.5 million motor vehicle collisions between 1998 and 2007. Research into the collisions showed more collisions than expected involving two female drivers. Intersections were a high-risk area for collisions involving women.

When looking more carefully at the data, it is easy to explain the apparent discrepancy. All of the studies show that while women may get into more fender benders and minor collisions, men tend to get into more very serious collisions.

Men are more likely than women are to drive while they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They are much more likely to speed when they drive than women are. They make up 71 percent of people who are killed in motor vehicle collisions in the United States. When they are involved in accidents, the collision is more likely to be caused not by a lack of skill but instead by aggressive driving or other dangerous behavior.

When a person totals a car, it is much more expensive for the insurance company than a fender bender. Likewise, if a driver causes very serious injury or even death to passengers or others on the road, insurance companies may have to pay out very large settlements to victims or surviving family members. As a result, insuring men costs more and men pay higher premiums not because they are more likely to become involved in collisions but instead because they are more likely to be involved in serious collisions.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Calling 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation.

The Governors Highway Safety Association has published its annual report on agency activities. The GHSA is responsible for helping to improve road safety and reduce collisions. The report details the progress that is being made in protecting the public on roadways.

Unfortunately, accidents continue to occur even as safety laws get tighter and safety efforts improve. If you or a loved one is the victim of a collision, a personal injury lawyer can represent you.

GHSA Report on Accident Prevention Efforts

The GHSA report provides information on the progress that has been made in reducing the dangers of some of the major risks that motorists face on the roads. For example:

• Since 2010, more states have begun enacting and enforcing distracted driving laws. Just three years ago, only 28 states reported that distracted driving was a safety concern necessitating attention. There has been a 43 percent increase and now 40 states report distracted driving as a concern. The public is also becoming more aware, as more than 20,000 people accessed online resources on distracted driving provided by GHSA.
• Motor vehicle collisions remain the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. Teenagers become involved in three times the number of fatal motor vehicle collisions as all other drivers. Efforts to reduce teen driving deaths include the Ford Driving Skills for Life Program, which is in its 11th year and which GHSA helped to develop. The DSFL program awarded $100,000 to state highway safety offices last fiscal year to promote safe driving for teens. National Driver Safety Week was also held in October of last year.
• Drugged driving is becoming a bigger concern as states like Colorado and Washington have legalized recreational marijuana use. GHSA strengthened its drugged driving policy last year and is encouraging states to expand existing Administrative Law Revocations or enact new revocation laws for drug-impaired motorists who refuse to take a drug test. Administrative revocation of a license is already the law in most cases when a motorist refuses to take a test to detect his blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
• Motorcycle fatalities declined seven percent last year, but motorcycle safety has not increased over the past 15 years. The GHSA published a report featured in 20 publications on the issue, which prompted advocacy for new laws to require helmets for all riders in four states.
• Motor vehicle collisions remain a leading cause of fatalities for young children. However, more than a million people visited GHSA’s online resources to learn about child safety seat laws last year.

GHSA is also working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to facilitate the implementation the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) law, which was signed into law in July of 2012 to fund transportation programs nationwide.

While government agencies could certainly do much more to help motorists and to improve road safety, this report highlights some areas where the GHSA is at least trying to make a difference in reducing the risk of collisions.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Calling 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation.

Most pet owners bring their dogs in the car with them at some point, whether to run errands, go to the dog park or pet store or head out on a leisure trip. In fact, according to AAA Pet Spot, as many as 84 percent of survey respondents said that their animal had been their companion in the car.

Although many pet owners are taking their dog along, only 16 percent of respondents said that they used some kind of pet restraint system in their vehicles. Without a pet restraint system a dog can be a distraction and a danger in the event that an accident happens. The animal is at risk, as are people in the car with him and others on the road.

If you are the victim of an accident caused by a driver who is distracted by a pet, you need to understand your rights. Contact a personal injury lawyer for help.

Dogs Can be a Distraction in the Car

When your pet is in the vehicle with you, the dog can cause you to take your eyes off the road. A total of 29 percent of survey respondents were aware that their pet was a distraction and admitted to doing distracting behavior. In reality, however, 65 percent participated in at least one activity involving their dog that took their focus off the road. For example:

• 52 percent of people who had their dog with them in the car pet their dog while driving.
• 17 percent said that they allowed their dog to sit on their lap while they were operating the vehicle.
• 13 percent of respondents gave food or treats to their dog while they were driving.
• Four percent said that they played with their dog as they were operating their vehicle.

All of these different behaviors cause drivers to take their focus away from the road and increase the chances that an accident will happen. Unfortunately, if a collision does occur and the animal is unrestrained, the outcome can be deadly.

As Esurance reports, a dog that weighs just 10 pounds can turn into a projectile that generates 500 pounds of force in a crash that occurs at 50 miles per hour. When going even slower at just 30 miles per hour, a dog that weighs 80 pounds can generate 2,400 pounds of force. If the dog hits someone in the car, both the animal and the driver or passenger may be killed.

Preventing accidents does not mean you have to stop traveling with your pet. Instead, you can simply use a pet restraint system to keep your pet safe and to ensure your animal is not a distraction. There are special seat belts made for pets that you can consider, but do not try to use human seat belts as this is not safe. You can also put your pet into a crate or carrier that is securely fastened in order to avoid the risks that a dog can present while driving.

Contact a Hartford personal injury attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Calling 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit http://www.salomoneandmorelli.com

Motor vehicle collisions can result in serious financial consequences for victims, in addition to a change in quality of life and lasting pain. Measuring how much damage a crash causes is difficult, especially when the accident results in permanent injuries or death. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released an estimate of the extent of financial damage to society resulting from collisions.

Drivers who cause collisions are responsible for compensating victims. Accident attorneys in Connecticut from the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli can help those who have been hurt in a motor vehicle accident.

Measuring Economic Loss from Motor Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle collisions in the United States have economic costs, such as the expenditures resulting from medical treatments and from lost wages when injuries make it difficult to work. There is also a societal cost due to lost life, decreased quality of life and pain.

The NHTSA assessed the costs of 32,999 deaths, 3.9 million non-fatal injuries and 24 million damaged cars in 2010. Based on the number of crashes that occurred, the NHTSA calculated that there were $277 billion in economic costs and $594 billion in societal costs from accidents. The economic costs alone were almost $900 per person in the U.S. and the total expenditures from motor vehicle accidents reached $871 billion.

The vast majority of the costs and expenditures came from three top causes of motor vehicle collisions. These included driving while impaired by alcohol, driving while distracted and excessive speed.

Distracted driving collisions were responsible for causing 17 percent of the overall economic lost and the cost came in at $46 billion. This is a cost of $148 per person on average for each person within the United States. When including losses due to decreased quality of life and pain, the price tag of distracted driving crashes was $129 billion. Drivers who were distracted caused 15 percent of overall societal harm resulting from motor vehicle accidents.

Speeding was even more costly. Drivers who traveled too fast for current conditions or who exceeded the speed limit accounted for 21 percent of the total economic losses that occurred within the United States. The total actual economic expense from speeding was $59 billion in 2010, which averages out to $191 per person in the United States. Speeders were also responsible for 24 percent of overall societal harm, which came at a cost of $210 billion.

Finally, drunk drivers were another big reason for the high costs of car accidents. Collisions caused by impaired drivers accounted for 18 percent of total economic loss and cost $49 billion. When factoring in lost quality of life and other societal costs, drunk driving came in at a cost of $199 billion, which accounted for 23 percent of overall societal harm.

When drivers make dangerous choices, they need to be held accountable for their actions and need to pay for the damages they cause. An experienced attorney can help victims to take legal action.

Contact a Hartford accident attorney today at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli. Calling 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for your free case consultation or visit http://www.salomoneandmorelli.com.