Florida Injury Attorneys Blog

A Tallahassee bus driver who was involved in a fatal bus crash that killed a 17-year-old received a Leon County speeding ticket a few weeks prior to the accident. His failure to report that Florida traffic ticket was enough to start a suspension for Timothy Kelly who is still in Tallahassee Memorial Hospital after being critically injured in the bus crash.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat Kelly was cited for driving 18 M.P.H. over the posted speed limit of 55 by the Florida Highway Patrol on March 1. He never reported the ticket as he is required. The Leon County school officials will be holding a meeting with parents of the children on the bus to discuss what injuries are covered by insurance.

There are some questions surfacing over the bus driver’s health that may open the door for personal injury lawsuits. At one point the driver told the county that he was an insulin-dependent diabetic. That would have disqualified the man from driving a school bus but he later had a doctor write a note saying that he did not require insulin. Another issue could revolve around the video surveillance system which was so out-dated that the VHS tape was completely blank leaving investigators with no video evidence of what proceeded the accident.

Florida-based Publix supermarkets issued a product recall on four seasoning mix packets for fear that they may contain salmonella. Publix cited its commitment to food safety as a reason for the food recall. Publix believes the vegetable protein contained in the packets may have been contaminated with salmonella.

According to a story in the Orlando Business Journal, the possibly contaminated protein was supplied by a Las Vegas company, Basic Food Flavors. Salmonella can be a deadly bacteria and has caused fatal infections in people with weak immune systems especially children and the elderly.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is set to issue a warning about what it considers to be a dangerous product. The target of the warning is the baby sling. The soft baby carriers that are strapped to parent’s chests have got the attention of the government due to infant deaths caused by suffocation inside the baby sling.

So far no particular company’s product has been recalled or singled out but both sides are drawing battle lines. The maker’s of the baby sling are touting their products are safe and a great way for a mother to bond with her new baby. A nurse and competitor in the baby carrier market claims the baby slings restrict a child’s breathing due to the position of the baby inside the sling.

A Florida paramedic is just glad to be alive despite losing his leg in a car accident. The paramedic survived the car accident that cost the other driver his life. Police are still investigating the Fort Pierce crash that involved the St. Lucie paramedic Tuesday afternoon.

According to published reports the ambulance was hit in the middle of an intersection by a 63-year-old man. Germaine Lindor smashed into the passenger side of the ambulance but it is not immediately known if he was responsible for the car accident that cost Christopher Doyle his leg. Lindor was pronounced dead at the scene.

Despite nearly 500 children being strangled on the cords of blinds and shades in the last 30 years, very little progress has been made on the Government’s end to regulate the safety of the product. According to the Associated Press over the last 15 years shades and blinds are some of the deadliest products subject to recall. While there have been redesigns and safety upgrades the number of children strangled by cords has not really dropped off.

The industry that makes blinds and shades reported $2.5 billion in revenue in 2009 and according to some product liability lawyers the industry has been slow to address problems. Product liability lawsuits have been filed in the past against manufacturers and retailers like Wal-Mart and while many have succeeded financially, it hasn’t forced the industry to radically change its product to stop the average of one child death a month due to strangulations.

According to a recent study Florida is the most deadly state in America for pedestrians and bike riders. This marks the eighth straight year Florida has been amongst the top of the list for bicycle and pedestrian fatalities. According to USA Today more than 11% of all pedestrians killed in the U.S. died in Florida. The number is even higher as 17.4% of bicyclists died on Florida’s streets.

The data collected was from 2008 and is the most recent published. Florida’s warm weather and population that is predisposed to outdoor pursuits are contributing factors in the number of deaths. Some advocates are saying there is not enough education done concerning pedestrian and bicycle safety as reported in a story on SunSentinel.com.

Continue reading "Warm Weather, Exercise, Bikes And Cars Add Up To A Deadly Mix In Florida " »

A group of former employees at railroad company CSX have filed a lawsuit claiming they have lung cancer due to long time exposure to asbestos. The former employees who worked at CSX locations throughout Hillsborough County claim the company never warned them about the danger of their exposure to asbestos.

According to TampaBay.com all four employees worked in areas that heavily exposed them to asbestos. The former workers were stationed around railroad cars, locomotives, repair shops and boilers. The lawsuit alleges that CSX knew there was a danger to its employees but did not do anything to prevent the problem.

A Sarasota County jury awarded the family of James Basher $4 million for a car accident on I-75 that killed Basher and another driver. The jury has also awarded punitive damages but that amount has not been released. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune those damages could reach upward of $16 million.

The jury award came against Fort Meyer’s Zep Construction and Traffic Control Systems Inc. Basher is survived by his 13-year-old son who survived the car crash but was injured. The Basher’s personal injury attorney showed evidence that the construction company did not follow safety procedures. There were no electronic signs present even though they had been contracted. The accident resulted when a semi-trailer slammed into a line of cars near Sarasota’s Bee Ridge Road.

A judge in Broward County has reduced a $300 million jury verdict in a Florida lawsuit versus Phillip Morris to $39 million according to an Associated Press story. Cindy Naugle was awarded the most damages of any of the thousands of lawsuits filed by Florida smokers according to the article. According to the AP the judge found the jury’s award excessive. He also felt the large sum of money was not supported by the evidence in the case.

Phillip Morris still plans to appeal the lesser verdict. Naugle smoked for 25 years and now suffers from emphysema. The law suit was filed individually because a class action law suit that netted $145 billion for Florida smokers was thrown out in 2006.

Welfare workers were supposed to be watching over the care of 2-month-old Diella Ludwing and her siblings but that didn’t stop her father from allegedly killing the newborn. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) acknowledge immediately that it failed the little girl and now they have settled a lawsuit for $250,000. The DCF blamed a communication failure that resulted in the baby’s death.

The lawyer who filed the lawsuit said there may be more suits coming against various agencies in Pasco County. Most of the $250,000 settlement will go to Diella’s siblings including her twin sister who is now 16 months old. The baby’s mother, who was in prison when Diella died, will receive $20,000. The father, who is awaiting trial of first degree murder charges, has a history of criminal charges and drug abuse according to TampaBay.com.

Continue reading "Florida Department Of Children And Families Settles Lawsuit In Death Of New Port Richey Baby" »

A 2004 rear-end collision led to a lawsuit in Pasco County which resulted in a $300,000 jury award for the plaintiff. Francis Collins sued Rebecca Gohn following the 2004 accident and the case finally went to trial last week. The jury award was entirely for past and present medical expenses. There was no money awarded for pain and suffering.

According to TampaBay.com Collins was the passenger in what the paper termed a low-impact collision. The car crash was apparently severe enough to re-fracture Collins’ neck which was originally fractured 18 years prior to the crash. The accident occurred on Grand Boulevard and following the accident Collins had to have four surgeries due to the injury and a subsequent infection.

Continue reading "72-Year-Old Man Gets $300,000 Jury Award For Low-Impact Car Accident" »

Toyota Motor Corp. has recalled more than 8.5 million cars around the world in just the last four months. The recalls center around brakes, floor mats and gas pedals. According to an Associated Press story 21 deaths were alleged in Toyota vehicles from 2000 to 2009. With the news of more and more recalls 13 new complaints have been filed with the government raising the total to 34 alleged deaths blamed on sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

Heightened awareness surrounding the recalls has led to multiple lawsuits claiming negligence by the world’s No. 1 car maker. The Prius is the latest Toyota model to be recalled and now there are 1,120 complaints alleging 34 crashes but no deaths at this point. Congressional hearings are planned to take on the Toyota recall issue.

Continue reading "New Government Statistics Bring The Toyota Sudden Acceleration Death Toll To 34 Since 2000" »