Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Burlington County, Pa. - Our Miami, Florida personal injury lawyers have handled many cases where a car accident caused by drinking and driving left a wake of devastation. In this case, a man from Burlington County was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after he caused a fatal car accident on I-295 Saturday morning. A spokesman from the state police said that 21 year old Timothy Reese of Mount Laurel hit and killed Michael Thomas, 52, of Willingboro, who was standing behind his car, which he had pulled partially onto the left shoulder near Milepost 31 in Lawnside Borough about 4:25 a.m.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a drunk driving motor vehicle acident, contact a Miami, Fl accident lawyer today for a free consultation about your case.

Our Miami, Florida car accident lawyers know that distracted drivers mean more carnage on our roads. The chances of an accident skyrocket when a driver is texting. Juries are taking notice. A Miami-Dade County jury recently awarded $8.8 million to the victims of a Miami motor vehicle accident where the negligent driver was texting while driving down a busy residential road.

As in many cases, the Miami accident lawyers were able to obtain the driver’s cell phone records which revealed that more than 100 text messages had been either sent or received by the driver on the day of the accident. One text was even sent two minutes before paramedics were called. To combat this growing problem, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends a complete ban on the driver’s use of cell phones.

As experienced Miami, Fl. car accident attorneys, we know that texting and driving is a serious issue that can have a significant effect on a verdict if presented to the jury properly.

If you or a loved one has been injured because of the negligent conduct of another, and you would like to speak with an experienced Miami motor vehicle accident attorney, please contact us to speak to a lawyer at Hannon & Boyers, for a free consultation about your legal rights.

Miami – 19-year-old University of Miami student Ivanna Villanueva spent the summer partying at trendy South Beach night clubs Wall, LIV and Arkadia. However, last month the college freshman’s nightly escapades turned deadly when her car collided with another vehicle, killing the driver, 68-year-old McDonald’s manager and grandmother Eyder Ayala. Our Miami, Fl. car accident lawyers, know how to locate critical evidence to prove this type of case.

Receipts show that at 2 a.m. on the night of the crash Villanueva purchased two shots of Patron silver tequila at Arkadia night club. Court documents show that earlier in the evening she was at Sugarcane Raw Bar in Midtown. Prosecutors say she had also been to LIV, a swank night club located in the Fontainebleau known for attracting celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan.

Villanueva headed home at nearly 4:30 a.m. on Sunday Oct. 2. Her 2011 Audi Q5 sped down Le Jeune Road in Coral Gables at over 80 mph, 40 mph over the posted speed limit. At the same time, Eyder Ayala was returning home from working the night shift as a manager at McDonald’s in her Ford Focus.

Ayala was driving in the inside lane on Le Jeune Road when police say Villanueva crashed into her with such force that the trunk of Ayala’s Ford was crushed into the passenger compartment. The impact was so strong that the cars were propelled 400 feet past the point of the collision.

Ayala’s car was completely crushed so that witnesses could not open the windows or doors to attempt to rescue her. By the time emergency vehicles arrived, Ayala was dead due to excessive trauma to her forehead.

Villanueva’s blood alcohol level measured .231; over three times the legal limit. Police also found a fake driver’s license and what they suspect to be a bag of marijuana in her car.
Villanueva was arraigned on Oct. 25 and has been charged with DUI manslaughter and a third-degree felony count for carrying a fake ID. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Villanueva pleaded not guilty and remains under house arrest with a tracking ankle bracelet. She is permitted to attend classes at UM where she is a Communications major.
Ayala’s family has hired Miami, Fl wrongful death lawyers to file a lawsuit.

Florida ranks third in the nation for DUI fatality rates for both adult and underage drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the probability of a fatal accident rises significantly after the 0.05 blood alcohol level is reached. Furthermore, drivers under the age of 21 are more vulnerable to the impairing effects of alcohol than older drivers, increasing the chances that a collision with a teenager driver under the influence of alcohol will be fatal.

Continue reading "Miami, Fl - Car Accident Kills 68 year old Grandmother - UM Student Charged with DUI Manslaughter " »

BROWARD COUNTY — A tractor trailer crashed into two parked cars along U.S. 27 killing two and causing serious injuries to four others early this morning according to Florida Highway Patrol.

The two cars, a 1998 Acura Integra and a 1994 Honda Civic, were apparently stopped side by side when the truck hit them and crushed the rears of both cars according to investigators.

The accident happened about 12:30 a.m. and closed the roadway to northbound traffic for more than 6 hours.

Witnesses are being interviewed and a detailed investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the deadly crash.

FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky said they are "investigating to see if there was some sort of racing going on." Police have not yet released the identity of the two people who were killed in the truck accident.

Anthony Perez, 19, of Miami was air-lifted to North Broward Medical Center in critical condition. Raymon Garcia, 18, of Virginia Gardens was taken to Broward General Medical Center in serious condition. Angel Lazo, 18 and Matthew A. Forman, 19, both of Miami Springs were transported to Broward General Medical Center in serious condition.

All of the occupants in both cars were wearing seatbelts, according to investigators.

The tractor trailer driver, Placid Ferdinand, 42, was not injured and his passenger, 47 year old Sandy Kay Ferdinand was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Continue reading "Miami-Dade Teens Injured - Two Others Killed When Tractor-Trailer Crashed Into Their Cars On U.S. 27 In Weston" »

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 Beach, Florida - Mario Reyes, 59, was killed Saturday while crossing the street when he was hit by a Bentley driven by NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth.

Initial reports indicate that Stallworth may have been driving while under the influence of alcohol at the time although blood alcohol test results have not yet been released.

Reyes was described by his brother-in-law, Francisco Fajardo as a family man who spent all of his free time with his wife of almost twenty years, Catalina and their fifteen year old daughter, Daniela.

Renier Calana, who worked with Reyes unloading cargo containers at the Port of Miami for Bernuth Agencies, a shipping company, told reporters that Reyes was going to the bus stop.

Stallworth signed a $35 million contract with the Cleveland Browns before last season and was scheduled to receive a $4,750,000 signing bonus on Friday.

While no amount of money can ever replace a husband or father, Florida's wrongful death statute provides an avenue for Mr. Reyes' family to recover monetary compensation which can help family members pay for the funereal and cope with the lost household income.

Continue reading "Miami Beach - Mario Reyes Killed When Struck By Bentley" »

Broward County, Florida - A Broward County truck accident claimed the life of a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue lieutenant Saturday evening.

Forty-three year old Tony Falzarano of Plantation was killed when his 2008 Mini Cooper collided with a tractor-trailer on the Sawgrass Expressway according to FHP.

Falzarano was a rescue lieutenant with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue.

The fatal truck accident occurred just after 7 p.m. Saturday in the northbound lanes of the Sawgrass Expressway just south of Atlantic Boulevard.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the truck, had pulled over onto the shoulder because of a blown tire. The truck driver, 38 year old Ricardo A. Duran Parra, of Loxahatchee called his supervisor and was told to drive the truck to the Atlantic Boulevard exit and wait there.

Duran Parra told investigators that he checked for traffic and pulled back into the right lane. He said he didn't see the Mini Cooper, and ''all he felt was the impact upon traveling in the right lane,'' FHP said.

The front of the Mini Cooper collided with the left rear of the tractor-trailer. Falzarano's injuries proved to be fatal.

Falzarano had worked for fire-rescue for approximately 9 years, most recently as a rescue truck supervisor, according to Palm Beach County fire-rescue Captain Don DeLucia.

There were no witnesses to the crash.

Continue reading "Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Lieutenant Killed In Truck Accident On Sawgrass Expwy." »

Miami, Florida - Traffic homicide detectives from the Miami-Dade Police Department are investigating a hit-and-run accident that occurred early Saturday morning and left a passenger dead and the driver in serious condition.

The Miami car accident happened around 2:00 a.m. The two victims were east bound on Southwest 42nd Street near 132nd Avenue when their car was hit by another vehicle and then slammed into a tree.

The passenger was killed instantly. The driver was air-lifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Police are searching for the driver of the other vehicle which was described as a silver Suzuki sedan or sport utility vehicle. Anyone who has information regarding this crash is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Continue reading "Miami-Dade Hit-And-Run Leaves One Dead And One Seriously Injured" »

Miramar, Florida - A Broward County car accident left a thirty-six-year old woman dead and her baby seriously injured when the two vehicles involved in the crash collided in the intersection of Pembroke Road and University Drive and then rolled over early Friday morning, officials said.

According to Capt. Jeff Levine, a Miramar police spokesman, the woman, Nayfy Gutierrez, was a Pembroke Pines resident and her husband resides in Peru.

The crash, which involved Gutierrez's Mazda and a Ford truck, occurred after one of the vehicles ran a red light, Levine said. Police are still investigating and have not determined which driver was at fault.

''We have conflicting stories about which person ran the red light,'' Levine said.

Gutierrez was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the Ford truck whose identity has not been released and the child, a 1-year-old, were both transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, according to Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue officials.

Police said the Mazda was north bound on University Drive and the four-door Ford truck was east bound on Pembroke Road when they collided in the intersection.

Investigators are currently speaking to witnesses.

Continue reading "Miramar, Florida - Car Crash Leaves Woman Dead And Her Baby Injured" »

Broward County, Florida - A single-car accident in Deerfield Beach, Florida Thursday morning left the driver dead and a passenger seriously injured.

The Broward County car accident occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on the Southwest 10th Street exit ramp from Interstate 95.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, neither Jason Osteen, 32, of Pompano Beach, who had been driving the car nor his passenger, Nicole Muto, 26, of Deerfield Beach, were wearing seat belts at the time.

Apparently, Osteen misjudged the curve of the ramp. The car left the roadway, slid sideways, flipped over and slammed into a pole.

Osteen was pronounced dead at the scene. Fire Rescue rushed Muto to the emergency room at North Broward Medical Center. She remains in serious condition.

The wreck is still under investigation.

Continue reading "Deerfield Beach Car Accident Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured" »

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Two people were killed in a head-on collision on the Saw Grass Expressway early Friday morning according to police.

A Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson said the fiery crash closed the highway for several hours.

Few details have been released at this point but the Coral Springs car accident happened at about 2:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the Saw Grass Expressway, near the intersection with University Drive.

Two people died at the scene of the accident. Their names have not been released. The cause of the accident remains a mystery though FHP is still investigating.

Head-on collisions don't generally happen absent some negligence. It is likely that the Highway Patrol's investigation will determine that someone was inattentive, was intoxicated or was distracted as often happens when drivers are using cell phones. In any case, negligence is almost a given.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Accident Kills Two On Saw Grass Expressway" »

Clearwater, Florida - Nick Bollea was released from Jail after causing a serious Central Florida car accident which left his friend with a traumatic brain injury - often referred to as a TBI.

Bollea is the son of famous wrestler Hulk Hogan. He was jailed last year after crashing his father's car. This Clearwater car accident made headlines because of the celebrity status of Bollea's father, but each year, thousands of people are seriously injured or killed in preventable Florida car accidents as a result of negligence.

Hopefully this tragic automobile accident will focus more attention on the problem and on prevention.

Nick Bollea was released from the Pinellas County Jail early this week after serving five months. He originally plead no contest to causing the crash.

Bollea was facing the possibility of serving up to five years in prison, but the victim's family requested a more lenient sentence.

Continue reading "Florida Brain Damage Case Revisited - Defendant Released From Jail" »

Interstate 595 was the scene of a Fort Lauderdale truck accident involving two other vehicles. The driver of one of the two passenger cars involved in the wreck died according to a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol.

Investigators will not release the driver's identity until his relatives have been notified.

The driver was behind the wheel of a 2006 Ford Fusion when it crashed into a 2008 Dodge Dakota in the eastbound lanes of I-595 at about 4:50 a.m. The multi-vehicle crash was caused when one of the vehicles hit the rear wheel of a 2003 Sterling tractor.

Police are still investigating the Ft. Lauderdale car accident to determine whether one of the vehicles was traveling the wrong direction in traffic and which vehicle it may have been.

The Fusion's driver was transported by Fire Rescue to Broward General Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Two others involved in the crash were taken to that hospital -- Jose Pages-Segrera, 46, and Jose A. Pages, 20. Both are still hospitalized and are in serious condition. They are from Myakka City, a small town just east of Sarasota in Manatee County.

The tractor-trailer was a fuel tanker which, fortunately, was empty when the accident occurred.

Continue reading "Fort Lauderdale Truck Accident Leaves One Dead" »

Broward County, Florida - a Fort Lauderdale car accident sent one vehicle plowing into a group of pedestrians standing at a bus stop this morning. Four of them were injured and had to be transported by Fire Rescue to Broward General Medical Center for emergency medical treatment.

It all started when a car ran a red light on U.S. 1 at the intersection with N.E. Fourth Street around 10:30 am. Fort Lauderdale police said after running the red light, the car was hit by a County bus which pushed it into another car and then into a bus stop.

The names of the drivers and victims were not yet released.

An experienced Florida personal injury lawyer would first look to hold the driver who caused the crash responsible. However, when investigating a Florida automobile accident case, several issues must be addressed. The vehicle or vehicles involved would need to be inspected to make sure the accident wasn't caused in part by defective or poorly maintained brakes or some other defective automotive component part.

Some auto accidents are caused by a defective seat back which can cause a driver to lose control if it breaks. The harm caused by some car accidents is compounded when a defective fuel tank results in a fire and causes burn injuries or a design defect causes a vehicle to roll over. If a defective product or component part played a role in causing the accident, a Florida product liability case could be brought in addition to the automobile negligence claim.

Additionally, if it is determined that the offending driver was intoxicated, it is possible, in some circumstances, to bring a claim against the person or establishment that served alcohol to the drunk driver.

Where an accident victim dies as a result of the accident, the Florida wrongful death statute would apply to the case.

Continue reading "Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Leaves Four Pedestrians Injured When Car Plows Into Bus Stop" »

Florida Keys - Key West resident Timothy Prigge and Santiago Adames were injured in a Marathon car accident in the northbound lane of U.S. 1, known locally as Overseas Highway. The September 11th wreck occurred on the Long Key Bridge just to the north of Marathon.

Both Adames and Prigge suffered serious injuries in the crash and were airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami. Two passengers in the car driven by Prigge, Elizabeth Coats, 43, and a toddler were transported to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier.

As a result of the Florida Keys car accident, two restaurants in the Keys have closed temporarily. Santiago Adames ownes two Miami Subs restaurants, one in Marathon and one in Tavernier. The restaurants will remain closed while Adames recovers from injuries he sustained in the head-on collision that has left him unable to speak or walk.

Liliam Guzman, Adames' wife, closed both restaurants on Monday.

Apparantly, Adames, 42, was attempting to pass a car in the northbound lane of U.S. 1 on Sept. 11 when he crashed head-on into the vehicle driven by Timothy Prigge of Key West.

Prigge nearly had to have his right foot amputated and has bruised lungs from his seat belt. Coats suffered shattered bones in her foot and several broken ribs. The toddler, an 18 month old girl, sustained a burn injury on her neck from the airbag and abrasions to the cornea in her right eye.

While the full extent of Adames' injuries are not yet known, he is said to be battling infections in some internal organs and may have suffered a Florida traumatic brain injury (TBI) as evidenced by two blood clots on his brain. A TBI is always a concern when someone has suffered a head injury like this.

Overseas Highway which spans the Florida Keys from Key West to Key Largo, is a dangerous road and is often the site of serious car accidents. The road is long and narrow with very few places where it is safe to pass.

Continue reading "Marathon, Florida Car Accident Results In Traumatic Brain Injury" »

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" »

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" »