Florida Injury Attorneys Blog

A 911 operator who ignored a call reporting a injured man lying in a street has lost her job following an internal investigation. The injured man eventually died after lying on the side of a road for 16 hours. There has been no determination as of yet if his death could have been averted if the 911 operator had sent emergency personnel to the scene immediately after the call was placed. Charlotte County is currently facing a lawsuit over the way 911 operators handled the abduction of Denise Lee.

The most recent incident took place December 11 in North Port when a man reported seeing someone lying on the side of a road to the 911 operator. The caller was unsure of the street name but gave detailed directions to the location of the injured party. The 911 operator reportedly felt the caller was intoxicated and that he would call back. He never did and no help was ever sent. A medical examiner’s report is expected to determine time of death, which will also determine if a response from 911 could have saved the man’s life.

Continue reading "911 Operator Fired After Ignoring Call That May Have Cost Port Charlotte Man His Life" »

Just two months after the husband of murder victim Denise Lee filed a lawsuit over a botched 911 call that may have saved the young mother’s life, the North Port and Charlotte County 911 systems are under fire once again. According to a column by Eric Ernst in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, a 911 operator in North Port basically dismissed a call that may have helped save the life of 55-year-old Brian Woods.

Mark Minisci, Jr. called 911 to report a man lying on the ground next to his pick-up truck. Minisci couldn’t remember the name of the street where he saw the man but gave detailed directions to the location. The 911 operator who handled the call did nothing with the information saying her ‘system doesn’t work like that’. Sixteen hours after the call Woods was still lying in the exact same spot in the street dead. We don’t know yet whether the man was alive when Minisci did his civic duty and made the call, but it is sure to once again cast a spotlight on the state of 911 operators in this part of Florida and could lead to yet another wrongful death lawsuit.

Continue reading "More Problems With 911 Operators In North Port And Charlotte County" »

Nine stroller models sold at Target and Babies R Us are being recalled after 12 reports of children having their fingertips amputated in the stroller’s hinge mechanism. The strollers are manufactured in China and distributed in the U.S. by Maclaren. According to an Associated Press story on the TBO website, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall after an investigation into the strollers.

The children’s fingers are at risk when placed in the hinge mechanism as the stroller is unfolded. When the hinge locks into place it can cut off the fingertips of a child. The company is offering hinge covers to stop future accidents from happening at no cost. The CPSC is warning owners of these strollers to stop using them until they receive the hinge covers.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury due to a company’s negligence and are in need of qualified legal representation in your case, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter. You can also contact Darren via email.

The family of a Connecticut woman who was brutalized and left blinded by a 200-pund chimpanzee has filed a $150 million lawsuit against the state according to an Associated Press story on the website TBO.com. The attack took place outside the home of the chimp’s owner. Charla Nash was asked by the owner to help her lure the runaway chimp back into her home when the animal attacked the woman and chewed off her hands, nose, lips and eyelids.

The suit is claiming that that state failed to address the serious public safety issue presented by the chimp named Travis. According to the story the state was warned that Travis could hurt someone before the attack on Nash. The family had earlier filed a lawsuit against the chimp’s owner for $50 million claiming negligence and recklessness.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of another and are in need of quality legal representation in your case, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter. You can also contact Darren via email.

A long-planned lawsuit against Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Cameron was filed last week by Nathan Lee according to a story on the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s website. Lee filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing the sheriff and his staff of negligence in investigating the abduction of his wife and contributing to Denise Lee’s death.

Lee is asking for $200,000 and he said the lawsuit is about 911 reform and not the financial judgment, which would require a special act by the legislature to collect that amount in damages. Since his wife’s tragic death, Lee has become an advocate for 911 reform asking dispatchers receive better training. Lee’s wife was struggling with her abductor when a passing motorist called 911 but the Charlotte County Sheriff’s never sent a deputy to investigate despite several officers being located nearby. Lee was raped and murdered following the abduction. Her murderer was convicted and the jury recommended he be sentenced to die.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of another and are in need of quality legal representation in your case, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter.

An 18-year-old wrestler at Countryside High has filed a lawsuit against the Pinellas County School Board claiming they failed to provide a safe environment as reported on TampaBay.com. Richard Serra is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 for injuries he suffered which included a fractured skull, broken rib and broken collar bone that required surgery.

According to the plaintiff and Clearwater Police, Serra and another student met out in a school hallway and began to wrestle. As the second student went to throw Serra over his shoulder, he collapsed under the weight of the 18-year-old and lost his grip. The student who injured Serra and who was not named in the article, was suspended for 15 days.

If you or a loved one has been injured by no fault of your own and are in need of quality legal representation in your case, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter. You can also email Darren.

A Jacksonville Police Officer is currently serving a five-day suspension for violating police chase rules and wrongly firing shots. An Associated Press article on the Bradenton Herald website reported that Jose Gonzalez fired 10 shots while pursuing a robbery suspect with none of the shots hitting the target.

Gonzalez disobeyed direct orders during the chase and his gunshots hit two uninvolved vehicles and a home. At this point there has been no report of innocent bystanders being injured due to the officer’s negligence during the police chase.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of another and are in need of quality representation in your case, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter.

A Tampa judge has ruled a lawsuit brought versus defense contractor Raytheon a class-action according to a story on the Tampa Tribune website. The lawsuit was filed by a group of homeowners who lived near the now-vacant Raytheon plant in St. Petersburg. They claim underground waste from the plant has caused a decreased value on nearly 1,400 privately owned parcels of land.

The ruling will allow hundreds of residents to now file for damages against the giant defense contractor. Raytheon is in the midst of a 25-year clean-up in the area but residents claim there are 1,350 land parcels that have been tainted with cancer-causing chemicals.

If you or a loved one is in need of quality representation in your personal injury case, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter. You can also contact Darren via email.

A lot has been written in Tampa about two cases that involved fatal traffic accidents and how they were handled differently. The case in Brooksville has taken a new turn on the civil side. The family of sheriff’s Capt. Scott Bierwiler has filed a lawsuit against the teen driver and his family for an accident that cost the officer his life. (read more)

The lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 and alleges negligence against the teenager and his parents, who owned the SUV the teen was driving. The lawsuit seems to fly in the face of the criminal proceedings as it alleges the parents are liable for knowing their son was driving the SUV. The teen was charged with stealing the car by prosecutors.

If you or a loved one has been harmed due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

Two teenagers will receive $4 million from the State of Florida due to “horrific” abuse they suffered while in foster care in a Hernando County home. The children were straved and abused by their foster parents who are serving 25 years in prison on a 2006 conviction. (read more)

The Department of Children & Families agreed to pay John Edwards, Jr. $700,000 into a trust fund and his 15-year-old half sister $3.28 million. The girl, who was 10-years-old at the time, weighed just 29 pounds when she was removed from the home. She was kept in a locked room with only a bucket for a bathroom. An agency panel said child welfare workers missed or ignored the signs of abuse.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to the negligence of another, please contact Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter. You can also email Darren personally.

A Brandon High School wrestling star recently filed a negligence lawsuit seeking $100,000 from Plant City due to an injury he suffered at a skateboard park in 2007. Eric Grajales won four state titles at Brandon High and posted a 218-0 record in his high school wrestling career but the 19-year-old is now worried he won’t be able to wrestle in the 2012 Olympics due to the accident. (read more)

Grajales claims that while skateboarding at Mike E. Sansone Community Park he fell off his board and was slashed by a piece of metal protruding from the cement. The 19-year-old claims he suffered a torn ACL as a result of the metal and now his hopes of wrestling in the Olympics could be in doubt. Grajales is rehabilitating from knee surgery and is scheduled to attend the University of Michigan this fall on a full wrestling scholarship.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

Due to a restaurants location in a high traffic crime area, a rape victim has filed a civil lawsuit against a St. Petersburg restaurant. Last August three armed men stole money and raped an employee at Table restaurant on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg. The woman who was sexually assaulted during the commission of that crime has filed suit against the restaurant owners. (read more)

The suit claims the restaurants location in a high crime area and the lack of proper security contributed to the sexual assault while the victim was working in the restaurant. Three men have been charged in the attack and have been charged with other robberies and rapes.

If you or a loved one has been injured at work due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at www.fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

A week after the mother of the monorail driver that was killed in a crash at Disney World filed a motion for an emergency hearing; a report today is placing the blame for the accident on a worker in the monorail maintenance bay. (read more) Christine Wuennenberg filed her petition in State Circuit Court in Orlando on July ninth. The filing paves the way for the mother of Austin Wuennenberg to file a wrongful death claim against the world famous theme park.

On Wednesday details have been released in the Orlando Sentinel about the chain of events that led to the fatal crash. The report states that the cause of the crash was human error and there has been no evidence of a mechanical malfunction but that is not the only reason behind the fatal accident according to anonymous sources. The crash occurred at a time when the manager was coordinating the trains off-site via radio. According to the paper, Disney World policy did not require the manager to coordinate the trains at the console. They have since changed that policy said the source.

If you or a loved one has been injured and want to file a personal injury claim here in the state of Florida, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

Fearful that Disney may destroy, erase or alter evidence in her son’s death, the mother of the monorail driver that was killed in a crash at the Orlando theme park has filed a motion for an emergency hearing. Christine Wuennenberg filed her petition in State Circuit Court in Orlando on July ninth. (read more)

The filing paves the way for the mother of Austin Wuennenberg to file a wrongful death claim against the world famous theme park. The filing asked the judge to not only grant an emergency hearing but also allow her access to evidence. Included in that request are video surveillance tapes, audio communications and information contained in a “black-box” type of device.

If you or a loved one has been injured and want to file a personal injury claim here in the state of Florida, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

A recent train crash at the famed Orlando theme park Walt Disney World left a monorail driver dead but in Washington D.C. last month a deadly commuter train crash left nine dead and 80 injured. Five personal injury lawsuits have now been filed with one plaintiff seeking as much as $25 million in damages. If negligence is provided and punitive damages awarded, there could be $100’s of millions eventually awarded. (read more)

Analysts believe settling all the claims that will be filed could possible take as long as a decade. Metro agency officials believe their insurance will cover most of the costs of the lawsuits once they have met their $5 million deductible.

If you or a loved one has been injured and want to file a personal injury claim here is the state of Florida, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

Before Delyla Pierson-Winburn reported to jail to serve a DUI sentence, she called ahead to check if she would be able to bring her prescribed anti-anxiety medication with her. The judge in the case and her doctor both wrote notes approving her use of the medication but due to a communication breakdown she was without her pills and three days later she was being carted out of jail and into an ambulance after she lost consciousness. She has now filed a personal injury law suit versus the county, the Sheriff's Office and Correctional Health Services. (READ MORE)

The judge who sentenced Pierson-Winburn wrote a note allowing the woman to bring her medication to jail and the nurse at the jail agreed with the judge and Pierson-Winburn’s physician but that was not adequately communicated to jail detention officers. At the end of her three-day sentence the only thing Pierson-Winburn remembers is being in a holding cell and then waking up in an ambulance.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

Mega-retailer Home Depot was slapped with a $1.5 million verdict from a Cobb County jury on Tuesday. The home improvement store was sued by a man and his wife after he was injured when a pallet of wood fell off a forklift from 24 feet in the air. The wood hit a barricade and knocked over Reese causing severe neck injuries that required surgery. (read more)

Reese ran up a $120,000 medical bill while being treated for the injuries suffered inside Home Depot. The couple reached an agreement with Home Depot on punitive damages but the trial went to the jury over personal injury damages where the award was handed down.

If you or a loved one have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

A Florida judge ruled on Monday that Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart, Florida could be hit with punitive damages if a jury finds the hospital falsely imprisoned an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. Attorney’s representing Luis Jimenez and his Indiantown guardian, Montejo Gaspar Montejo argued there was a sufficient factual basis for the lawyers to claim for punitive damages and the judge agreed. (read more)

The hospital is being sued related to their decision to deport Jimenez following two years of medical care for a brain injury. The hospital stay cost Martin Memorial approximately $1.5 million. It is expected that well over 200 potential jurors will be questioned when the trial begins on Monday.

If you or a loved one have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at www.fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

A mini-train derailment at the Louisville Zoo left 22 patrons injured and has led to a personal injury lawsuit. The train, which was being operated by an 18-year old employee, was said to be traveling swiftly around a curve behind the zoo’s Gorilla Forest exhibit when it derailed and flipped onto its side (read more). Seventeen of the injured train passengers were children who were taken to local hospitals where they were treated. The five adults on the train were rushed to an area hospital as well.

Lawyers representing some of the injured parties claim the train was travelling at an abnormally fast speed especially since it was transporting children. According to zoo officials, the 18-year old, train driver started her training the day before the serious zoo accident. Lawyers for the first family to file suit asked for monetary damages and a restraining order to stop the zoo from altering the scene.

If you or anyone in your family has suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at www.fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

A British Teenager who was visiting Disney World located in Orlando, Florida has filed a lawsuit alleging that the ride Tower of Terror was the cause of her brain damage. The young women, only 16 years old at the time collapsed and went into a coma after coming off the ride in 2005. She has been unable to speak since the incident and requires 24 hour care.

The Tower of Terror claims to be one of the scariest roller coasters in the park. The lawsuit alleges that Disney was negligent in designing the ride and they failed to adequately warn of its dangers. The Plaintiff's are seeking damages in excess of $10,000.00.

If the Plaintiff's can establish that the design of the ride caused her to have a heart attack and her resulting condition she will be entitled to much more than $10,000.00. I am not sure we can put a price on a 16 year old's ability to speak and take care of herself. Disney has declined comment but there is evidence the Tower of Terror went through a full safety check after the incident. If Disney's liability can be established the Plaintiff will be entitled to a significant monetary award as one cannot put a price tag on the quality of life for a 16 year old girl. If you have any questions or are looking for a Personal Injury attorney contact Darren Finebloom at Finebloom & Haenel P.A..

Some creative Florida Attorneys have filed a lawsuit against 5 major oil companies in the State of Florida. The Attorneys allege in their complaint that the 5 oil companies failure to warn boat owners of the damages ethanol-blended fuel could cause to the engines of their boats. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/21/ethanol-lawsuit-moves-forward-against-oil-companie/

The Attorneys for the Plaintiffs are trying to gain class action status and seek reimbursement from these Oil Companies for damages the gasoline has caused to boat owners across the State of Florida. The State of Florida passed a law in late 2008 which contained a requirement that all gasoline in the State contain 10 percent ethanol.

Although this lawsuit has survived a motion to dismiss by the Oil Companies it will be difficult to prove that the ethanol in the gasoline is the cause of the engine damage to boats across the State. The Plaintiff's attorneys have an uphill battle in attempting to demonstrate that the Oil Companies were negligent when they failed to warn boat owners of the potential problems.