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.

Rosa Matos is going to get apology letters from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Clearwater Police Department on top of nearly $20,000 in a settlement of a lawsuit she filed following her arrest in January of 2008. According to TampaBay.com Matos was charged on a warrant for issuing bad checks but she was not the woman sheriff’s were looking for and they later acknowledged that.

Matos shared a name with the woman who was wanted on the bad check charge but that was all the two had in common. When Rosa Matos applied for a job with the Clearwater Police Department the warrant showed up during her background check and she was arrested. She filed a lawsuit due to the wrongful arrest that left her embarrassed and having a difficult time finding a job.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to someone else’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.

Jimmie Lee Douglas was strangled and killed by a fellow psychiatric patient at a Daytona Beach Hospital. Halifax Health was faulted by the state of Florida for inadequate supervision according to an AP story on the website TBO.com and now they have settled a lawsuit with Douglas’ widow.

According to the story the hospital has agreed to pay $200,000 one day after a lawsuit was filed. Douglas’ widow and John Hill, the man who killed her husband, are both receiving some of the money from the settlement although the breakdown was unknown at the time. Hill claimed voices told him Douglas was evil and should be killed. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity at trial.

If you have lost a loved one due to 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.

The Wharton High School student who had sex with her math teacher is suing Hillsborough County Schools for not properly investigating teacher Jaymee Wallace according to a story on TBO.com. Wallace was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of probation. He pled guilty unlawful sexual activity with a minor and lewd and lascivious behavior.

The relationship between the student and Wallace began when she was 14. She is alleging in her lawsuit that she has suffered physical illness, mental anguish and embarrassment as a result of the relationship. She is also suing the school for not letting her parent’s know of the situation immediately after uncovering the relationship.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of someone's negligence 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.

Lazaro Ramirez-Castro is in prison in a federal corrections facility located in Atlanta but three years ago he apparently slipped and fell in a Manatee jail. Now the 40-year-old is suing the Department of Homeland Security and Manatee Sheriff’s Office due to a slip and fall accident that he says was caused by a leaking toilet that the sheriff’s office was aware of at the time.

Ramirez-Castro alleges he suffered a herniated disk in his back and has had to use a cane since the accident. He claims he was never treated properly following the fall. Ramirez-Castro is scheduled to be released from jail this month according to the report on the Bradenton Herald’s website.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a slip and fall 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.

The father of a 12-year-old autistic girl that was attacked by a Sarasota Police dog has filed a law suit against the City of Sarasota and the police officer who was the dog’s handler. Ray Berk is asking for more than the $15,000 the city already offered him. The family is seeking at least $89,000 after their daughter received 14 stitches and has permanent physical and mental scarring from the incident according to her family.

The girl, Angela Berk, was riding a scooter behind K-9 officer Sean Gleason’s cruiser as he was putting his dog Aries in the car for their shift. The German Sheppard attacked the young girl before the officer could get the dog called off the young girl. The family is claiming the dog was not handled properly and an expert quoted in a story on HeraldTribune.com agrees with the family’s claim.

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 email Darren personally.

Powder Puff football games are supposed to be a fun role-reversal where the cheerleaders take the field and the football players don pom-poms. Unfortunately one such event in Brooksville, Florida turned tragic Monday night. According to a story on TBO.com, Hernando County Fire Rescue reported a 16-year-old cheerleader was seriously injured during the football game and was rushed via helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.

The girl is a student at Nature Coast High School and she apparently collided with another girl and suffered what is being characterized as a serious head injury. The fire department was called at 8:25 p.m. and reported that the girl was unresponsive. It is unknown if the girls were wearing any protective equipment or if they were playing tackle or touch football.

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.

Clearwater’s Tiffany Weindel is at Bayfront Medical Center with serious injuries following a fall from a seventh-story balcony at a Treasure Island hotel. According to TampaBay.com and based on a report from the Treasure Island Police, the 38-year-old was at the Bilmar Beach Resort when she fell from a balcony and landed on a second-floor overhang.

Reports say that Weindel was not a guest at the hotel and she was apparently alone at the time of the fall. At this point police do not suspect foul play. The hotel, located on Gulf Boulevard, was not quoted in the story concerning the fall.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a fall 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. You can also contact Darren via email.

A Tampa resident has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Tampa Electric Co. after a live wire fell and shocked him in his Plant City community. Diego Santiago is suing for more than $15,000 following claims he has suffered dizzy spells, headaches, blurred vision and mental and emotional trauma according to a story on tampabay.com.

The incident took place early last year when Santiago was talking to an acquaintance. The line fell and shocked him into unconsciousness for 10 minutes. Tampa Electric owns both the light pole and the electric transformer according to the article. The suit alleges that the company should have known of the problem and corrected it.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury that was not your fault 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.

Seven years after Herb Levine was hauled away from a City Council meeting in Venice, Florida, he has received a settlement on his claims of false arrest and injury. The city settled with the former president of the Venice Taxpayers League for $35,000 according to a story on the Sarasota Herald Tribune website. The city has so far not released any records surrounding the settlement despite being required to do so under state law.

The suit stemmed from an incident at a contentious council meeting where Levine called one city official a drunk and another a liar. While being removed from the meeting he fell and was injured before being taken to jail. The 82-year-old was charged at the time with resisting arrest, disturbing a lawful assembly and trespass after warning. The criminal charges were dropped by the state attorney.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury that was not your fault and are in need of quality representation in your case, please contact Florida Personal Injury Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter.

Bradenton resident Derrick Humbert died early Monday morning following an early morning traffic stop that led police to Taser the 38-year-old. According to a story in the on-line version of the Bradenton Herald, Humbert refused to make a traffic stop early Monday morning and eventually fled on foot. One of the pursuing officers then used a Taser on the man to secure his arrest.

Police called emergency personnel after using the Taser when Humbert tried to escape by running through several residential yards. Humbert was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital where he later died. According to the article, Police later discovered Humbert had an outstanding warrant for possession of marijuana. An investigation is underway and autopsy results are still due in determining the cause of death.

If a loved one has suffered a wrongful death and you 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. You can also contact Darren via email.

A confidential financial settlement has been reached between the family of a 5-year-old and CROCS, the maker of popular plastic clogs after the young boy was badly injured on an escalator at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The settlement was approved by a Senior U.S. District Judge and also includes the maker of the escalator and the company that runs the airport according to an article on the ajc.com.

The lawsuit was filed last year and in the suit the plaintiffs claimed that the boy’s CROCS began to melt as his shoe rubbed against a down escalator at the airport. One of the CROCS got caught causing serious injury that required two surgeries and extensive physical therapy. As part of the settlement, the boy will begin to receive payments when he turns 18.

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 (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourInjury.com to discuss the matter.

A man who left his cell phone in an Arkansas McDonald’s is suing the fast food giant because naked pictures of his wife, which were on his cell, wound up on the Internet. Phillip and Tina Sherman are suing McDonald’s Corp., the owner and the manager of the store for $3 million. (read more)

The most interesting twist in this case is a recent ruling that will allow McDonald’s to sue a third party. That third party is Cody Hess, the employee accused of finding the phone and posting the images to the Internet. A Washington County Circuit judge granted the motion by McDonald’s, which alleged that Hess was the cause of any damages the Sherman’s suffered.

If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 New Orleans judge who gained national prominence handling Vioxx litigation is now moving forward with numerous cases involving Chinese Drywall used in homes throughout the southeast including Lakewood Ranch. Estimates in Florida are that nearly 400 homes have the drywall from China that can emit a foul-smelling sulfur compound that is making people sick. (read more).

Despite the fact that the majority of cases are being filed in Florida, the Louisiana judge was chosen due to his experience and respect from both plaintiffs and defendants. The first trials will begin within six months and will likely involve property claims. Personal injury claims are expected to begin in about a year.

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.

A suit was filed in Orange County Court this week by a man alleging he was served a bowl of French onion soup with a condom rather than melted cheese. The suit was filed against Claim Jumper’s restaurant and the claim is the man may have contracted a disease by virtue of the used condom in his soup. (read more)

The attorney for the plaintiff wants to have restaurant employees DNA tested to see if they can match the condom to one of the restaurant workers. Claim Jumpers said no one can prove the condom taken from the restaurant is the item submitted to the lab for testing. The restaurant also claims it has conducted its own internal probe and found no employee wrongdoind.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of another, please contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourinjury.com to discuss the matter.

A teenager who was shot by an Orlando police officer has notified the city through his attorney that he intends to sue. The teen, who name has not been released due to his age, was a passenger in a car that members of a tactical squad tried to stop. The teen allegedly fled the scene and was shot while climbing a fence. (read more)

According to attorney Jerry Girley the traffic stop was an attempt to “affect an unlawful arrest”. The Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office did not pursue formal charges against the teen who was arrested for resisting police without violence and violating probation on a burglary charge. The police claimed there was a gun found but there was no mention of the gun in the police report nor was there any mention of the shooting.

If you or a loved one has been injured by 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.

A man, his fiancé and their infant were browsing around the garden center in a St. Augustine Wal-Mart when the seven-week-old dropped his bottle. Jeriel Joiner reached under some shelving to get the baby’s bottle when he felt something bite him. Turns out Joiner was struck by a seven-inch pygmy rattlesnake. Joiner nearly died undergoing the first medical treatment following the bite and has decided against a second procedure because it may kill him even though the alternative is possibly having his arm amputated. (read more)

Joiner said that Wal-Mart officials and employees in the store on the day he was bite have done nothing to help him. The couple had to call for help on their own cell phone from the Wal-Mart and the only employee who came to their aid was an elderly greeter. With medical bills mounting for the uninsured Joiner, the couple have hired a personal injury attorney and plan to sue the retailer.

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. Also you can reach Darren via email.