Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Moore Haven, Florida -Six men were killed in a Glades County, Florida truck accident when a tractor-trailer crashed into the van they were riding in.

The tractor-trailer apparently ran through a stop sign on SR 78 around 6:30am and hit the passenger side of the van.

At least two of the six occupants were ejected from the van. All six were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The negligent tractor-trailer driver was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Authorities have not yet released his name.

The investigation continues.

Continue reading " Glades County Truck Crash Kills Six Men " »

Ocala, Florida -- Hundreds of friends and family members gathered to say goodbye to 13 year old Frances Schee at an emotional memorial service yesterday.

Schee was killed last week in a truck accident when the school bus she was in was rear-ended by a tractor trailer and burst into flames.

Her school band played one final song for her at the community service.

"We are going to miss her greatly,” said Jerome Brown, the principal of North Marion Middle School. “Sweet little girl, very quiet, very cute, always did the right thing, always smiling."

Eight other students were injured in that crash including 11 year old JaSena Humber, who was seriously injured in the truck accident.

Charges were filed against the truck driver and the investigation into the crash is pending and is expected to last for several weeks.

For more on this tragic, Florida truck accident, see my earlier post "Marion County, Florida Truck Accident Blamed On Driver's Cell Phone Use Just Before Hitting Bus".

Continue reading " Hundreds Attend Frances Schee's Memorial Service In Marion County " »

Citra, Florida - A Florida truck accident turned tragic Tuesday afternoon when a tractor trailer crashed into the rear of a school bus.

The truck driver who caused the Florida truck accident told investigators he was on his cell phone just before the impact with the bus. A 13-year-old student was killed and several other students were injured.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Reinaldo A. Gonzalez, 30, of Orlando, admitted having been on the phone just before his 1991 Freightliner slammed into the stopped bus. The report lists contributing causes as driver distraction, careless driving and possible faulty brakes. The Florida truck accident occurred on U.S. 301 south of Citra.

Investigators plan to review, among other things, Gonzalez's driving log to learn how long he had been behind the wheel and Department of Transportation records indicating his truck had been placed "out of service" by the DOT just hours before the crash for having faulty brakes.

According to investigators, there was no indication the truck was over loaded which can make stopping difficult.

A preliminary accident report showed that Gonzalez's truck had been inspected at a weigh station on I-95 at 3:30 a.m. and was taken out of service for brake problems. Florida Department of Transportation rules require that when a truck is taken out of service, the violation must be fixed before the vehicle is allowed to go back on the road. FDOT spokesman Lt. Jeff Frost offered no comment about the truck other than to say that the brake inspection was part of their ongoing investigation.

This is not the first time Gonzalez's truck was taken off the road due to safety violations.

According to DOT records, Gonzalez's truck was placed out of service on April 12, 2007, for having a broken head lamp and three bald tires.

Witnesses to the Florida bus accident said it didn't look like the truck even tried to stop before crashing into the bus.

Gonzalez later told another truck driver that he didn't see the school bus.

Gonzalez had several other DOT safety violations since 2005 when he obtained his commercial driver's licence and began driving tractor trailers, none of which resulted in his vehicle being placed out of service.

In the past, the DOT has cited Gonzalez for three counts of failing to display proper truck identification on his vehicle, again cited for failure to properly display vehicle identification tags on his truck, and for not keeping his driving log current. The driving log allows DOT to track whether the driver has had the required amount of rest.

Federal trucking regulations allow truck drivers to drive 11 consecutive hours without a break or 15 nonconsecutive hours before resting at least 10 hours.

Continue reading " Marion County, Florida Truck Accident Blamed On Driver's Cell Phone Use Just Before Hitting Bus " »

Polk County, Florida - A construction site accident claimed the life of one construction worker in Polk County Monday. Felipe Felix, a construction worker for Lane Construction, was struck by a car and killed while he was installing road construction signs along Highway 98.

Felix was hit by a Ford Fusion, driven by Jeltema Georgia Lynn, 46, of Zephyrhills, as he was crossing the road and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said that Felix, 36, of Bartow, had been wearing his reflective safety vest. He picked up an orange construction sign from the side of a Construction truck and began crossing Highway 98.

The Lane Construction truck had its headlights and strobe lights activated according to authorities.

A spokesman for Lane Construction said that the company's usual practice is to travel on the opposite side of the roadway with their lights on so their employees can see oncoming traffic prior to crossing a roadway.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office continues their investigation into this fatal Lakeland car accident.

Continue reading " Bartow, Florida - Fatal Accident Claims Life Of Construction Worker Hit By Car " »

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - The intersection of State Road 84 and S.W. 4th Avenue was the scene of a fatal Ft. Lauderdale car accident Thursday morning. The collision occurred when a Lincoln struck a man riding a bicycle. The bike rider was killed in the crash.

The elderly driver of the Lincoln was believed to have been eastbound on State Road 84 when he struck the man on the bicycle, who died at the scene.

The Fort Lauderdale injury lawyers at our law firm handle Florida personal injury and Florida wrongful death cases throughout the State. If you have been injured or someone you know has been injured or killed in an Florida automobile accident, contact a Florida injury lawyer today for a free consultation.

HIALEAH, Florida - Two teenage girls were rushed to Ryder Trauma Center and another was taken to Palmetto General Hospital after the three were hit by a car at the intersection of Okeechobee Road and S.E. 4th avenue on Thursday.

One witness said that most other drivers could not see the girls because a tractor trailer blocked them from view as they crossed the street.

According to Detective Carlos Zogby of the Hialeah Police Department, the three Miami Springs Middle School students were apparently headed to the corner store across the busy lanes of Okeechobee Road and S.E Fourth Ave. when they tried to beat the light.

The Hialeah car accident is not the first of its kind at this busy intersection. In 2002, after four seperate car accidents where students were hit at this same intersection, students protested and called for local government officials to erect a catwalk to allow students from the nearby middle school to cross the street safely.

Continue reading " Hialeah Car Accident Injures Three Students Crossing Okeechobee Road " »

Miami, Florida - A woman in her mid 30s who was walking up U.S. highway 441 Thursday morning wearing only a sheet was critically injured when she stepped in front of a pickup truck.

Miramar police are attempting to identify the woman, who was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to Bill Robertson, a spokesman for Miramar Police Department.

The woman was seen crossing County Line Road and heading from Miami-Dade County into Broward County on U.S. 441 about 5 a.m. shortly before being hit by a Dodge pickup truck in the left turning lane.

The truck driver stopped to help the woman, who was seriously injured in this unusual Maimi car accident.

The woman did not have any identification so investigators took her fingerprints, but that will only help if she has a past arrest.

The victim was described as a black woman in her mid-30s, approximately five feet tall, weighing about 175 pounds with brown eyes and a short black Afro. She did not have any tattoos or scars and wasn't wearing any jewelry.

While there are a variety of reasons this woman could have been wandering the streets wearing only a sheet, it is likely that she was not fully competent. It is likely the result of some type of brain injury, mental illness, alcohol or drug use.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for brain injured patients to wander away from rehab facilities where they are being treated for their neurological deficits. Often, hospital or nursing home patients suffering from mental illness or dementia wander away from those facilities as well.

Those who provide medical services or other care for patients with brain damage, alcohol or drug dependency or mental illness have a duty to ensure that they are not permitted to wander off. Indeed, there are many options available to caregivers to prevent this type of tragedy.

Continue reading " Miami-Dade - Truck Hits Woman On U.S. Highway 441 " »

Miami, Florida -- Laurie Dishman, a 37-year-old food services manager from Sacramento, wants people to know that cruise ships are not always as safe as advertised. She knows firsthand how crime on board cruise ships can effect passengers. She recently took a therapeutic trip to the Port of Miami to face her fears.

It was the first time she had been around cruise ships since 2006, when she was raped on a cruise by one of the ship's janitors. When she reported the incident, she was appalled when the crew responded by telling her that she needed to control her drinking. So on her recent visit back to Miami's port, one of the busiest ports in the nation, she handed out hundreds of pamphlets to people as they began their vacations, warning them of the dangers on board cruise ships.

''There are no laws out there,'' Dishman said in an interview. ``All kinds of things can happen on this floating city in the middle of the ocean, and there's no security. There's no protection. You think you have American rights when you board a ship, but you don't.''

The industry says that American travelers are safer on cruise ships than they are on land and that no regulatory changes are needed.

Dishman disagrees and is hopeful that her message will lead to a new federal law to protect passengers. When Congress returns from its summer recess, she and other crime victims plan to lobby for regulations that would change the way the cruise industry does business.

CURRENT LAW

Because under current law, cruise ships aren't required to report even the most serious crimes that are committed in international waters, critics say that immediate changes are necessary to protect passengers .

Congress is considering legislation that would require cruise ships to keep logs of all deaths, missing individuals, allegations of criminal conduct and passenger complaints of theft, sexual harassment and assault. Those logs would be made available to law enforcement including the FBI and the Coast Guard.

''Twelve million Americans will board cruise ships this year, and they should know they are safe,'' said Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. He is working with Representative Doris Matsui of Sacramento to support the proposed legislation.

Matsui said that she began investigating the issue after Dishman first contacted her, frustrated because Royal Caribbean would not help her identify her attacker or secure evidence after the rape.

According to Congresswoman Matsui, her investigation revealed that there have been no rape convictions on cruise lines in 40 years.

''What we have found is truly alarming,'' Matsui said. ``There is little to no regulation of the cruise industry, and far too many crimes go unprosecuted each year.''

Representatives of the Cruise Lines International Association pointed out that the industry creates thousands of jobs and claims to have improved its safety procedures over the past two years.

Senator Kerry got involved with cruise ship safety issues when Merrian Carver of Cambridge, Mass., disappeared on a cruise in 2004. Kerry said he was shocked to learn that cruise line employees didn't tell the FBI she was missing until weeks later, when her family started asking questions.

''Merrian's story is not an isolated case,'' Kerry said. ``Despite being owned by American citizens and headquartered in the United States, cruise ships operate under foreign flags, allowing them to avoid United States law when they are beyond U.S. territorial waters. With respect to jurisdiction over crimes, the law is murky at best.''

Continue reading " Miami - Crime On Board Cruise Ships Concerns Lawmakers " »

Jacksonville, Fla. -- A police officer is recovering from injuries after being involved in a Florida car accident Tuesday night.

Officer John Williams was responding to an automobile accident on I-295 at Old St. Augustine Road, with his emergency lights on when his police car was rear-ended by another vehicle according to a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson.

Williams, 43, was slowing down as he arrived at an accident scene just after 9 p.m. when the car behind him struck his police cruiser in the rear. The crash was so severe that it catapulted the police car into a third vehicle, which was then pushed into a fourth car.

The officer was the only person injured in the crash.

Coreyian Garvin, 20, was charged with causing the accident.

Continue reading " Jacksonville, Florida - Police Officer Rear Ended While Responding To Accident " »