Florida Injury Attorneys Blog

The investigation into the boat crash that killed 17-year-old Paige Davison in St. Petersburg has resulted in misdemeanor criminal charges being filed against the teenage driver of the boat. David L. West was investigated for DUI as he was drinking on the night of the accident but no charges were filed related to his consumption of alcohol. He has been charged with careless operation of a vessel resulting in a boating accident.

West was not the only one charged. A St. Pete convenience store manager has been charged for selling alcohol to the minors and an unidentified youth has been charged for supplying rum to the teenagers. While the criminal case moves forward, there are still three civil cases related to the crash pending as lawsuits have been filed.

A St. Petersburg boy riding his bike near Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness died after a Disney bus hit the nine-year-old. The boy, whose family was on vacation at Disney World, was riding his bike with a friend when he veered off the sidewalk and onto the road. At that point he was hit by the bus and run over by the rear wheels.

Eyewitnesses say the saw the boy riding beside the bus and then heard two thumps. Disney said the bus driver who was driving had over 30 years experience in the Disney transportation system. Disney employs 1,200 bus drivers who have a commercial drivers license and they also undergo drug testing. A traffic homicide investigation is ongoing. This is the third bus-related accident at Disney in the last six months.

The mother of a Bradenton teenager is suing the Manatee County School Board for injuries her daughter suffered when she was tripped by another student on purpose in what the mother claims was an incident of bullying. Rica Ben-Shushan is claiming negligence, vicarious liability and battery in the lawsuit filed by her Florida Personal Injury attorney.

The lawsuit stems from an incident at Sugg Middle School. Ben-Shushan’s daughter was tripped during gym class in 2008 causing her to fall on her face on a school tennis court. She injured her nose, suffered facial injuries and chipped her teeth. The lawyer filing the suit claimed the family only wanted the school’s insurance company to cover the injuries but they denied liability.