Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Broward County, Florida - A three-vehicle accident on I-595 left one man dead and another in critical condition, according to a spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol.

The fatal motorcycle accident occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to FHP, two motorcycles were eastbound in the left lane near Hiatus Road and a four-door Kia, driven by twenty-two year old Erica Vieira Borges of Sunrise was eastbound in the center lane ahead of the motorcycles.

Reports indicate that when the Kia merged into the left lane, one motorcycle, operated by twenty-five year old Josue Rene Robles Duprey of Miramar, struck the rear end of the Kia.

Duprey was thrown from his Yamaha motorcycle, which slid across the highway and came to rest in an exit lane.

Borges' Kia left the roadway and struck a guardrail. When it attempted to move back onto the interstate, it was hit by the second motorcycle which was operated by twenty-two year old Shaun L. Pasley of Miramar.

Pasley was thrown from his Honda CBR 1000 motorcycle. Both Pasley's motorcycle and Borges' Kia then caught on fire.

Pasley and Duprey were transported to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Duprey did not survive and Pasley was in critical condition even though both motorcyclists were wearing helmets.

Erica Borges appeared to have suffered only minor injuries.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of this fatal accident.

Continue reading "Broward County Motorcycle Accident Leaves One Dead And One In Critical Condition " »

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" »

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA — A multi - car accident earlier this week morning killed two people, injured one and is believed to be responsible for another pile-up, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

At approximately 3:30 a.m. 19 year old Daniela Torres of Boca Raton was northbound on I-95 on her way home from work at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale when she changed lanes and rear-ended a slower-moving vehicle occupied by three people. That vehicle was pushed onto the shoulder and rolled over and its driver and front-seat passenger were ejected from the car. The front seat passenger, a Pompano Beach resident, was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver was transported to Delray Beach Community Medical center, where he too was pronounced dead.

Calvin Braggs, the back seat passenger was also transported to Delray Community Medical Center for emergency medical treatment.

Torres, who was not injured, was interviewed by troopers at the scene and picked up by her father.

As work crews cleaned up after the fatal crash, three other vehicles were involved in at least one secondary crash, according to Lt. Tim Frith of the Florida Highway Patrol. No one was injured in that accident.

The cause of the fatal crash is believed to be Torres' lane change, Frith said.

FHP said the names of the two people killed are being withheld until their families have been notified.

Continue reading "Boca Raton Car Accident On I-95 Kills Two" »

MADRID, Spain - A Spanair MD-82 jetliner bound for the Canary Islands crashed during takeoff Wednesday. An estimated 153 were believed dead. The crash of Spanair flight JK5022 is Spain's worst aviation accident in almost 25 years.

According to Magdalena Alvarez, Spain's Development Minister whose department oversees civil aviation in Spain, only 19 people survived the crash at Madrid's Barajas International Airport. Some of those survivors are still in critical condition.

Spanair has not released the death toll, but a company spokesperson said the plane carried 172 passengers and crew, including two babies and 20 youngsters. No one has said how many children died.

Spanair is a Spanish company but is wholly owned by Scandinavian Airlines. Investigators are searching for clues to help determine what caused the accident. Foul play has reportedly been ruled out according to Alvarez who also said that the crash is being treated as an accident. She confirmed that the plane's "black box" data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered.

Flight JK5022 which originated in Barcelona and was bound for the city of Las Palmas was a code-share with Flight LH255 of the German airline Lufthansa.

This plane crash is Spain's worst air disaster since 1983, when a an Avianca Boeing 747 crashed near Madrid killing 181 people. In 1985, a Boeing 727 operated by Iberia Airlines crashed near Bilbao, Spain killing 148 people.

The deadliest airline disaster in history also occurred in Spain killing 583 people. That 1977 plane crash involved two Boeing 747s which collided on a runway in the Canary Islands.

Continue reading "Madrid - Airplane Crash At Madrid Airport Kills 153" »

Jackson County, Florida - 63 year old Lillie Conyers of Crestview, Florida was seriously injured in a truck accident on I-10 Monday morning in Jackson County.

Also injured was 39 year old James Conyers, also of Crestview.

According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Lillie Conyers was driving westbound on Interstate 10 and struck a semi that had overturned in front of her. The Conyers were transported to the Jackson Hospital for emergency medical treatment.

The 2006 tractor-trailer had also been traveling westbound on I-10 when it left the roadway. The truck driver, 29 year old Michael Dufur of Ocala, Florida, over-corrected causing the truck to overturn blocking all of the westbound lanes of I-10.

Dufur and his passenger 36 year old Guertho Lemorin of Tampa, Florida, received only minor injuries in the crash.

Too often, truck drivers like Dufur are pressured by the trucking companies they work for to drive longer hours than Federal Regulations allow. When that happens, truck drivers are forced to drive 80,000 pound tractor trailers on our roadways while they are fatigued and, at times, inattentive. Fatigue one of the most common causes of truck accidents.

Continue reading "North Florida Truck Accident Leaves Two Seriously Injured In I-10 Crash" »

Oakland Park, Florida - A truck accident yesterday resulted in the closing of the exit ramp on southbound Interstate 95 at Oakland Park Boulevard yesterday because of a diesel fuel spill.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating to determine what caused a tractor trailer to jack-knife on the I-95 ramp, although no injuries were reported.

While this tractor-trailer accident was not an "injury crash", most do result in catastrophic injury or death. This is primarily because these large commercial semi trucks can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. That is often 20 to 30 times heavier than the passenger car involved in the collision. A typical passenger car weighing approximately 3000 pounds is just no match for one of these eighteen wheelers or "big rigs".

Approximately 400,000 large truck accidents occur in the U.S each year. The Miami personal injury lawyers at our law firm handle serious injury and wrongful death cases arising out of truck accidents throughout the state of Florida.

Truck accident cases are more difficult to litigate than the average car accident case. Indeed, there are State and Federal laws which regulate the trucking industry.

Continue reading "Fort Lauderdale - Truck Accident Causes Fuel Spill " »

Ft Lauderdale, Florida - 26 year old Ashley Vaden, a cosmetologist, and 41 year old Duane Plouffe, a Navy Seal were killed on April 19 when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by two vehicles -- one of them a tractor-trailer -- on Interstate 95 near Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

The drivers who hit them fled the scene.

That crash was just one of four unsolved, fatal hit-and-run accidents to occurr in Broward County since February. Florida Highway Patrol investigators together with Some of the surviving relatives of the hit-and-run victims on Wednesday asked the public for help.

''You aren't suppose to bury your children. It's just not suppose to be that way,'' said Vaden's father, Michael Vaden, with tears in his eyes. ``In our case, there wasn't much to bury.''

The recent spike in hit-and-run accidents has law enforcement very concerned according to FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky. ''It seems like every other day there is another hit-and-run,'' he said.

According to FHP, the four hit-and-run crashes under investigation can be summarized as follows:

• On April 19, Vaden and Plouffe -- who were northbound on I-95 on a motorcycle -- were hit by a small white car. Vaden and Plouffe were thrown off the bike and then hit by another vehicle. Vaden was fatally run over by a tractor-trailer whose driver failed to stop. Police are looking for the tractor-trailer and the small white vehicle.

• On Feb. 15, Larry Grampa hit a vehicle while driving his motorcycle southbound on I-95 in Dania Beach and was thrown to the roadway. As he tried to get up, he was hit by another car and killed. That vehicle fled the scene, but police found a piece of the car at the scene.

• On April 30, John Deeley and his passenger, Johnny Turner, were westbound on I-75 near mile marker 30. Deeley swerved to avoid a vehicle that was stopped in the left lane, overturned and went into a canal. Both were killed in the accident. Police are looking for the vehicle left in the road.

• On March 2, 19-year-old Stevie Nicole Painter was driving on I-95 after leaving the Best Buy store in Fort Lauderdale where she worked when she was cut off by another car. She lost control of her vehicle near the Interstate 595 exit ramp just north of Davie Boulevard. Her car flipped over, struck a large sign post and was killed.

Painter, a student, wanted to become a veterinarian. Her family has'nt been the same since the crash.

''The pain we are experiencing now is as fresh as the day of the accident,'' said Todd Dupell, Painter's uncle. ``The fact that someone saw something and hasn't said anything breaks my spirit.''

"Someone out there knows something.''

While law enforcement officers continue to investigate these fatal motor vehicle accidents, the victims' families are finding it difficult to move on.

Vaden's family created a memorial in their home with pictures, memorabilia and flowers.

They burned into ashes the few remains that were left. The only thing intact was a lock of her golden-blond hair.

''I raised my kids to have a good life,'' Michael Vaden said. ``It breaks my heart that my family is suffering so much.''

Continue reading "Fort Lauderdale - Truck Accident Prompted Police To Appeal To The Public For Assistance" »

Miami, Florida - A tragic car accident recently left 2 children seriously injured and without a mother. According to Aventura police, 38 year old Donna Dante was traveling over 80 mph on Biscayne Boulevard at Miami Gardens Drive. She had an open bottle of tequila in the car when she ran a red light, sideswiped a car in the intersection, jumped over the median and slammed head-on into another car.

Her two children, ages 8 and 5, were airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center with broken bones and lost teeth.

According to investigators, Donna Dante did three things wrong: she was driving under the influence, she had her children in the car with her and she was not wearing a seat belt.

Fortunately, the injuries her two boys suffered, while serious, were not life threatening.

Continue reading "Miami, Florida - Auto Accident Leaves Mom Dead, 2 Children Severely Injured On Biscayne Blvd." »

Pembroke Pines, Florida - A terrible automobile accident claimed the life of a motorcyclist on Wednesday. According to Pines police, Ricardo F. DeCastro, 53, of South Miami was riding a motorcycle when he was rear-ended by a car, thrown from his bike and then run over in Pembroke Pines yesterday.

DeCastro was killed in the accident.

Investigators say that at about 5:20 p.m., the motorcycle, a black 2007 Suzuki, was headed west on Pines Boulevard in the outside lane.

Larry Constante Beltran, 34, of Miami was behind him traveling in the same direction in a black 1998 Honda Civic. Beltran was following too closely and rear-ended the motorcycle, catapulting DeCastro from the bike onto the street.

After the crash, the motorcycle, slammed into the back of a Chevy pickup truck driven by Jose Miguel Sanchez, 33, of Tamarac.

Beltran continued going forward and ran over the DeCastro before stopping.

The DeCastro was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he ultimately died.

No one else was injured in the motor vehicle accident.

The car accident remains under investigation. Anyone having any information about the crash is asked to call Pines police at 954-431-2200, e-mail Tips@ppines.com or call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Continue reading "Car Accident / Motorcycle Accident - Motorcyclist Was Hit Then Run Over In Pembroke Pines, Florida" »

DAVENPORT - The mother and father of a young woman who was killed in a truck accident on U.S. 27 earlier this year were among the more than 30 Polk County residents, law enforcement officials, state highway planners and county leaders who met to form a task force that will focus on making US 27 safer.

"I would gladly give everything I have not to be here," Russell Hurd told the group Tuesday night at Polk Outpost 27, a visitors' center just south of Interstate 4 on US 27, the road some locals refer to as "Bloody 27."

26 year old Heather Hurd lost her life when an inattentive (or sleeping) tractor-trailer driver rear ended several cars and another truck that were stopped at a red light at U.S. 27 and Sand Mine Road.

Two people were killed and several others were injured in the accident.

"I don't want any family to feel what my wife and I feel," Hurd said. "I want them to fix what's wrong with those 15 miles of the highway."

Hurd was referring to the heavily traveled section of US 27 between Haines City and the Polk/Lake county line to the north.

The meeting was hosted by the Polk Transportation Planning Organization and the Florida Department of Transportation and was intended to be the organizational meeting for a task force of residents and officials created to identify immediate or short-term solutions to the highway's problems.

While long-range plans are already on the table, they are not expected to be in place for several years.

Continue reading "Polk County, Florida - Fatal Truck Accident Spurs Family to Seek Action" »

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A terrible automobile accident killed a 2-year-old boy in Orange County on Saturday.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, a pickup truck crashed into the rear of the car in which the little boy was a passenger at the intersection of State Road 50 and Lake Pickett Road.

2-year-old Eric Brauns was killed on impact.

Investigators said the driver of the truck may have fallen asleep at the wheel. SR-50 was closed for several hours after the crash.

Tragedies like this are, unfortunately, far too common and at the same time, almost always preventable. It is irresponsible and careless for a driver to remain behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while fatigued.

The Florida injury lawyers at Hannon & Boyers are experienced in the litigation and trial of catastrophic auto accidents and wrongful death cases and work tirelessly to hold irresponsible individuals accountable for the harm they cause. Hannon & Boyers handles cases throughout the state of Florida.

Miami, Florida - Two workers were seriously injured in a construction site accident Tuesday afternoon when they fell down an elevator shaft in Miami-Dade County.

According to Fire Rescue officials, the accident happened in a building under construction at Southwest 84th Avenue and Eighth Street.

The victims were working on a suspended cart inside the elevator shaft when the cables broke. Officials said the men fell four stories.

The men were transported to Ryder Trauma Center for emergency medical treatment.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation at this time although, the accident could have been the result of negligent maintenance of the cart and cables, or it could have been the result of a defective product.

Contractors have a duty to maintain their equipment in a reasonably safe condition and can, in some instances, be held liable when they fail to do so.

Additionally, product manufacturers have a duty to make sure that when their product is sold to the public it is safe and suitable for its intended use. When a manufacturer fails to design or manufacture its products safely and in conformity with applicable standards or fails to adequately warn of foreseeable harm, they can be held liable under product liability laws.

Continue reading "Miami, Florida - Construction Workers Injured After Fall down Elevator Shaft " »

Florida -- Accidental drownings pose the single biggest threat to young children in Florida. Parents are urged to keep their children in sight at all times around water this summer. Authorities say that losing sight of your children for even a moment around water could result in disaster.

These warnings come in the wake of two drownings in residential pools in Manatee County.
In one case, a mother found her 3-year-old boy at the bottom of their backyard pool. Another discovered her 11-month-old girl floating in a pool.

According to Florida's Department of Health, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1 to 14 in the state and the leading cause of death in children ages 1 - 4.

While Florida leads the nation in child drowning deaths, in 2006, thirty-eight drowning deaths were reported in Miami-Dade County alone. Those statistics only reflect drowning deaths. Many more people, usually children, suffer catastrophic injuries such as cerebral anoxia or hypoxia (brain damage) each year as a result of near drowning incidents.

Many people have also suffered crippling spinal cord injuries from diving into pools, lakes or canals with inadequate warnings or which were not adequately maintained.

Accidental drownings may occur in lakes, canals, oceans, swimming pools, hot tubs / spas and even in bath tubs. Many drownings occur because of defective pool pumps or drains which can result in suction entrapment or because of poorly maintained fences or gates.

The phrase "suction entrapment" refers to the situation where a bather, usually a child, becomes stuck to a pool drain and held under water by the increased suction that is created when a drain is blocked by the bather’s body, hair or clothing. The force of that suction is often strong enough to hold an adult under water; however, it is usually children who fall victim to suction entrapment. Spa and hot tub drains pose the same risk. Suction entrapment incidents are generally caused by defective pool pumps, aging, broken, loose or missing drain covers and poorly designed pools.

There are several safety tips that, if followed can help prevent accidental drownings. They include:

1). Pool fences - Four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates, should be installed around home pools and spas. Fencing should completely surround swimming pools or spas and prevent direct access from a house or yard.

2). Never leave a child unsupervised in or around any body of water, even for a moment.

3). Enroll children in swimming lessons taught by a certified instructor, but don’t assume swimming lessons make your child “drown proof.”

4). Never dive into water less than nine feet deep.

5). Always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device ("PFD") or life jacket when boating, near open bodies of water or when participating in any water sports. Air-filled swimming aids, such as “water wings,” are not considered safety devices and are not substitutes for PFDs.

6). Make use of pool alarms which sound an alert when someone enters the water.

Continue reading "Florida - Drownings / Near drownings Pose Huge Risk Of Death And Serious Injury To Children " »

West Palm Beach, Florida - Carlos Franco, 41, of Texas was shot seven times in an attempted robbery which originated inside a local Palm Beach strip club called Sugar Daddy's. A stripper and her friend were behind the plot to rob the Texas man.

Victims of violent crime such as Franco are often entitled to compensation. In this case, a civil claim for his injuries based on negligent security could likely be brought against the strip club.

Twenty -Two year old Sheila Martins of Boynton Beach and her friend, 31 year old Louis Johnson of West Palm Beach are charged with attempted murder. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Martins, a former employee of Sugar Daddy's, was reprimanded earlier that night for taking off her clothes at the bar, taking tips away from the working strippers. She left the club with Franco and walked with him to his car when Johnson and another man approached the couple in an attempt to Rob Franco.

The robbery was set up by Martins according to the arrest report which also indicates that she told another stripper that she was planning to rob Franco.

The two were charged Tuesday in the June 29 attempted robbery and shooting of the Sugar Daddy's customer who remains in critical condition with seven bullet wounds.

Police are searching for a third suspect.

Franco is an airplane mechanic with a wife and three children who was visiting the adult club in suburban West Palm Beach during a business trip.

Franco's brother-in-law who is in Palm Beach County with Franco's wife praying for him at the hospital said that Franco is "a little bit better" but has remained unconscious most of the time.

Continue reading "West Palm Beach Stripper Charged In Shooting Outside Strip Club" »

Polk County, Florida - The list of people who have been killed in truck accidents in Polk County continues to grow. This time, Peter C. Rogers, 47, of Davie was outside his Volvo tractor-trailer on the shoulder of I-4 in Polk County when he was struck and killed by a passing truck at about noon Tuesday according to an FHP spokesperson.

Law enforcement officials said that Rodgers had pulled his truck onto the shoulder of the eastbound lanes of Interstate 4 near Mile Marker 49 and was struck while near the driver's-side door by a Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by 46 year old Donald L. Bush, of Largo.

No further details about this traffic fatality have been released; however, There are over 400,000 accidents involving large commercial trucks each year in the U.S. and
truck accident statistics show that driver fatigue is the number one cause of truck accidents. This is often because irresponsible trucking companies regularly pressure their drivers to operate their tractor-trailers for dangerously long periods with little rest in order to make deadlines and improve profits.

Continue reading "Polk County Truck Accident - Passing Truck Kills Man Outside Vehicle On I-4 " »

Brevard County, Florida — According to the driver involved in an early morning, fatal truck accident yesterday in Cocoa, Florida, a white truck sideswiped his car.

Lt. Channing Taylor of the Florida Highway Patrol said that 42 year old Elbert McClary was southbound on Clearlake Road when his SUV ran into a canal and over-turned at Jackson Road in Cocoa yesterday.

His passenger, 30 year old Corah Wells, also of Cocoa was killed in the accident.

Authorities are still investigating the timeline of the automobile accident which is still a mystery.

Police were not called until “well after 6 a.m.,” Taylor said. But McClary told Highway Patrol troopers investigating the truck accident that the crash happened several hours before that time.

The investigation as to what time the fatal truck wreck actually occurred is ongoing and charges may yet be filed said FHP Sgt. Kim Miller.

Miami, Florida - Cerebral anoxia and hypoxia are terms used to refer to a deprivation of oxygen supply to the brain. Cerebral anoxia refers to a complete absence of oxygen while cerebral hypoxia refers to a dangerous diminution of oxygen supply to this vital organ. Either can can lead to severe, irreversible brain damage characterized by the terms "anoxic brain damage" or "hypoxic brain damage." Either condition can be the result of medical malpractice.

There are numerous causes of cerebral anoxia or hypoxia. Some examples include:

1). Injuries during birth/delivery (medical malpractice),
2). Compression of the trachea (sometimes the result of medical malpractice),
3). Complications of general anesthesia (often the result of medical malpractice),
4). Drug overdose (often the result of pharmacy negligence or medical malpractice),
5). Asphyxiation caused by ventilator/respirator failure or misuse (sometimes the result of
medical malpractice),
6). Inadequate perfusion on heart/lung machine during coronary artery bypass graft
surgery (CABG) (usually the result of negligence or medical malpractice),
7). Surgical errors,
8). Failure to monitor and treat severe hypotension (very low blood pressure) (usually the
result of medical malpractice),
9). Accidental Drowning or near drowning,
10). Asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation,
11). Strangulation,
12). Cardiac arrest (when the heart stops pumping),
13). Carbon monoxide poisoning,
14). High altitudes,
15). Choking, and;
16). Diseases that paralyze the respiratory muscles

The cells that make up the human brain are extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation. Some brain cells actually start to die within the first 5 minutes after their oxygen supply is interrupted. As a result, brain anoxia/hypoxia can lead to death or severe brain damage very quickly.

Brain hypoxia and anoxia are medical emergencies and must be treated immediately. The sooner medical attention is received and the oxygen supply to the brain restored, the better the chances of avoiding severe brain damage or death.

Hypoxia can be mild or severe (anoxia). In mild cases, inattentiveness, poor judgment, and uncoordinated movement may result. In severe cases, the results can include seizures, coma and brain death.

In cases where the brain is deprived of oxygen for only a short time and a coma results, it may be completely or partially reversible, depending on the extent of injury.

Cerebral anoxia/hypoxia is treated in different ways depending on what caused it. In every instance, basic life-support must be ensured.

The outlook or prognosis depends on the extent of the brain injury which, in turn, depends on how long the period of oxygen deprivation lasted. The patients who experience the best recoveries will have been deprived of oxygen for a short period of time.

Conversely, the prognosis is usually poor for those persons who were oxygen deprived for a longer period of time. Even a few minutes is considered a long time for the brain to be without oxygen.

When cerebral anoxia/hypoxia occurs as the result of medical malpractice, the patient or her family members are often not aware that oxygen loss to the brain has occurred. Symptoms to look out for include behavioral changes, cognitive or physical impairment, inattentiveness, poor judgment, memory loss, and a decrease in motor coordination among other warning signs.

Victims of cerebral anoxia/hypoxia, particularly infants and children, can be left with a permanent disability. It is critical for these individuals to receive extensive and continuous support from family, friends and specialists in treating brain damage and in providing neuro-rehabilitation.

Continue reading "Miami, Florida - Brain Damage Due To Cerebral Anoxia / Hypoxia Can Result From Medical Malpractice" »

Orlando, Florida. -- Orange County deputies are investigating a shooting that took place at an apartment complex in Pine Hills that left two crime victims dead and 2 others seriously injured.

Most people think incidents like this are dealt with in the criminal courts alone. However, many victims of violent crime have rights and may be entitled to receive compensation as well. While compensation is sometimes available through the Florida Crime Victims Compensation Fund, often crime victim's compensation is obtained directly from the land or business owner where the criminal attack occurred. In the case of this apartment complex shooting, the owners of the apartment complex could be held liable in a civil case for negligent or inadequate security, assuming certain factors were present.

According to investigators, two of the crime victims, Sean Turner, 23, and Antwan Morris, 27, were killed in the violent attack at the Clarcona Groves Apartments.

Two other crime victims were rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center's emergency room for treatment. One of the victims was in critical condition.

Police said two of the crime victims resided at the complex and that the shootings occurred at night.

Police detectives met with the victims at Orlando Regional to get more more information that could help lead them to the attackers.

Investigators do not yet know the motive for this violent crime.

Continue reading "Orlando, Florida - Crime Victims Shot At Pine Hills Apartment Complex" »

Miami, Florida - The number of child drownings and near drownings in South Florida increases dramatically each year during the Summer. Now that school is almost out, more kids will spend a greater amount of time in and around swimming pools. That makes summer vacation one of the most dangerous times for children.

South Florida has always had one of the highest child drownings rates in the country. ''It's the No. 1 killer of young kids in South Florida,'' said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Eddy Ballester, speaking about accidental drownings. ``We have that dubious distinction of suffering more tragedies than anywhere else in the country.''

Child drownings, however, can be prevented. Most child drownings occur in backyard swimming pools. And most of those accidents can be avoided by following a few important safety tips including:

• Teach kids how to swim or at least survive in the water.

• Use pool fences, pool alarms, self-closing and self-latching gates and alarms on doors to make sure toddlers don't get into the pool when you aren't watching.

• Don't let children play near a pool without adult supervision.

• Parents should tell their kids to take breaks every so often and when they get swimming lessons, they need to practice.

''Just like a designated driver, you need to have a designated pool watcher,'' Ballester said.

Continue reading "Accidental Drownings - #1 Killer Of South Florida Kids In Summer" »

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Airplane crash leaves four dead and many injured.

A passenger jet bound for Miami, Florida crashed when it overshot a runway, traveled onto a busy Honduras street and ultimately struck an embankment. four people were killed including the pilot and 81others were injured.

Among the injured passengers was Gen. Daniel Lopez Carballo, the former head of Honduras' armed forces.

The Grupo Taca Airbus 320 which had 124 people on board, was attempting to land when it overshot the runway. It smashed nose-first into an embankment and buckled and broke in places. The pilot and co-pilot were trapped inside the cockpit.

According to Cesar Villalta, director of Honduras' military hospital, rescuer workers had to pry open part of the wreckage to get them out but the pilot died in the plane crash.

One passenger was Harry Brautigam, the head of a regional development bank. He died of heart failure shortly after the crash. One man on the ground who was believed to be a taxi driver was also killed. His body was trapped under the plane's wreckage.

Continue reading "Honduras - Grupo Taca Airplane Crash Kills Four " »