Florida Accident Attorney Blog

Whether embarked on from a Florida beach, off the dock at a Caribbean resort, or at a Midwest lake recreation area -- parasailing can be a dangerous endeavor.

A recent case in the news illustrates what can happen when something suddenly goes wrong and a parasailing accident occurs.

A Minnesota teen was injured this past weekend as she was attempting to parasail. News reports state that a 17-year-old girl was injured in a lakeside parasailing accident when she struck a pontoon boat that was docked nearby. The accident occurred on Lower Cullen Lake in Crow Wing County, MN. The teen was reportedly brought to an area medical facility with non life-threatening injuries. No further details of this parasailing incident were available.

Parasailing is a popular pastime in Florida beach communities such as Fort Lauderdale and Miami. However parasailing safety in Florida and elsewhere is questionable, given the government does not yet regulate the parasailing industry.

As experienced Fort Lauderdale, Florida parasailing accident lawyers know too well -- this form of beachside recreation that appears to be fun and carefree can be hazardous -- even leading to serious injuries and death.

Many factors are at play when a young person, tourist, or other beachgoer gets strapped into a parasail harness and is lifted aloft and towed out over the water by a motor boat. That person's lifeline is, literally, a rope attached to the boat. If any of the equipment fails (e.g., if the rope goes slack or breaks), if the boat operator makes an error, or if wind or other weather conditions change for the worse -- the potential for catastrophic injury or death from a parasail accident increases.

See our previous blog entry on a Miami Parasailing Accident that left two people injured.

Teen Hurt in Parasailing Accident
Brainerd Dispatch July 26, 2010

Parasailing Accident Injures Girl
WNMT AM 650 Radio July 26, 2010

Related Web Resource

Wikipedia: History of Parasailing

A West Palm Beach news source reports that a four-year-old was killed when he was run over by a truck that was driving on a beach in Central Florida.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, the child, Aiden Patrick, was at New Smyrna Beach with his parents on Sunday afternoon when he was struck and killed by a Dodge pickup truck that was driving along the beach. Preliminary reports stated that the truck accident may have occurred because the driver did not see the child.

Florida Beach Driving Accidents

The Palm Beach Post reports that in the past 5 years in Volusia County, Florida, at least 40 beach-goers have been struck in motor vehicle accidents on the beach with more than half of the accident victims suffering serious personal injury.

Allowing cars and trucks to drive on the beach in the United States and in certain Florida locales, such as the Daytona area, is controversial -- due to the risk of catastrophic pedestrian accidents as well the impact on the coastal environment and wildlife. Volusia County regulates beach driving by designating beaches into three zones -- urban, transitional, and natural zones -- and by limiting when cars and trucks can drive on the beach to certain times and months of the year.

West Palm Beach injury lawyers have knowledge regarding Florida traffic laws put in place to keep pedestrians safe. The tradition of beach driving in Florida is tied to NASCAR and the Daytona International Speedway.

Pickup runs over, kills 4-year-old on Central Florida beach
Palm Beach Post July 19, 2010

Related Web Resources

Volusia County Beach Safety: Beach Driving and Parking

Coastal A - Z : Beach Driving

A North Fort Myers, Florida man has been charged in a hit and run accident from May 10 that seriously injured a Fort Myers bicyclist.

According to news reports, 22-year-old David Mustonen was riding his bicycle home from his restaurant job around 1 a.m. when he was struck by a pickup truck, which fled the accident scene. The Fort Myers traffic accident occurred on Bayshore Road near Glick Drive. Bicyclist Mustonen was hospitalized in intensive care for three days at Lee Memorial Hospital with serious personal injuries.

Florida Highway Patrol reports that a witness tip led investigators to a damaged white 1994 Ford F-150 pickup truck parked in a local supermarket parking lot. After an investigation that lasted several weeks, state troopers arrested Richard Clem, age 54, of North Fort Myers, Florida. Clem is charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that caused bodily injury.

Fort Myers truck accident injury lawyers may be consulted by injured parties and their families if an accident may have been caused due to the negligence and recklessness of another driver.

Bicyclists, like motorcycle riders and their passengers, are particularly vulnerable to serious injury when involved in Florida traffic accidents with cars, trucks, and SUVs. Florida bicycle accident injury attorneys are familiar with the safety laws in place designed to help bicyclists and motorists share the roads safely.

N. Fort Myers man charged in hit-and-run crash
ABC-7.com July 2, 2010

FHP finds suspect vehicle in hit & run case
NBC-2.com May 13, 2010

Related Web Resource

NHTSA Bicycle Safety Portal

A 19-year-old youth from Naples, Florida, was killed in a waterskiing accident while practicing a stunt maneuver in Estero last week.

The Lee County Sheriff's office recently released details of the fatal Florida boating accident, which occurred last Thursday at water ski lake at Miromar Outlet Mall in Estero. According to a Naples, Florida news source, Danny Michalik, 19, was waterskiing behind a boat driven by personnel from the Southern Extreme Waterski Show Team. The news report states that Michalik was attempting to water ski around a second boat when he crashed into it, suffering fatal injuries. The second boat was towing another water skier from Fort Myers, Florida.

A Fort Myers boat accident lawyer may be consulted by families in cases where negligence or recklessness may have contributed to water recreation injury or death.

The state of Florida has licensing and safety regulations in place related to the operation of boats, waterskiing, and personal watercraft (see link to Florida Boating Regulations page under Web Resources, below). Lee County, Florida injury attorneys may work with families whose loved ones have been hurt or drowned while swimming in public and private swimming pools, waterskiing, boating, operating personal watercraft, or in parasailing accidents.

Lee Sheriff's Office releases details in water skiing accident that killed Naples man
NaplesNews.com June 21, 2010

Related Web Resources

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission : Boating Regulations

Southern Extreme Waterski Show Team

The family of a teenager killed in a speeding related car crash in 2003 has been awarded $6 million by a jury in West Palm Beach, Florida.

According to the Palm Beach Post, driver Carlos Pozo is serving a 5.5 year sentence in adult prison for vehicular homicide in a fatal Palm Beach County car accident that took place in November 2003.

CBS News 12 reported that Mr. Pozo was driving his Acura at extreme speeds on residential roads in the Palm Beach Gardens' PGA National community, when he lost control of his vehicle, slamming into trees. Kaitlin Kazanjian, age 16, was ejected from her seatbelt by the impact and killed. News media reported that the car was cut in two.

The parents of Ms. Kazanjian pursued a civil lawsuit in a West Palm Beach, Florida court, they said, so that the story of their daughter and her lost potential could be told. The car crash victim's father is a sergeant in the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

An experienced Palm Beach County injury lawyer is aware of the potentially fatal combination of motor vehicles, speeding and young drivers. A study by the AAA Foundation revealed that teenaged drivers do not have the life experience and judgment to handle vehicles at high rates of speed, particularly with friends in the car. (Source: Teen Crashes -- Everyone Is at Risk, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Feb. 2009.)

Jury awards $6 million to parents of 16-year-old killed in crash
Palm Beach Post June 12, 2010

Family of girl killed in crash awarded $6 million
CBS12.com June 12, 2010

Related Web Resource

Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller

A parasailing accident in Miami, Florida, has sent two people to the hospital with injuries, according to news reports. Local 10 News in Miami reported that two people were hurt parasailing at Port of Miami, when a cord came loose and they were dragged in the water, striking a sea wall. Details of the accident continue to emerge, with other news reports out of Miami stating the parachute may have malfunctioned.

Parasailing involves a person harnessed into a parachute and attached to a boat by a rope or cord; the boat gains speed and pulls them aloft, pulling the parasailer through the air, and over the water. Parasailing is a popular form of recreation in Florida but it is not without its risks, particularly if equipment is not properly maintained and safety measures are not in place.

As experienced Miami, Florida parasailing accident lawyers, injury attorneys Debi and Jason Chalik understand that water sports and recreation such as parasailing can be dangerous and even deadly. We have successfully fought for compensation on behalf of a family in a recent fatal parasailing accident case that killed a young girl and caused head injury to her sister, when the rope on their parasailing boat broke free, hurtling them onto a hotel roof. (See background on this fatal Florida parasailing accident case.)

The names of the victims of this Miami, Florida parasailing accident have not been released, though news reports indicate they may be tourists from Chicago, and possibly a father and daughter. The victims were brought by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The accident is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Miami, Florida parasailing accident attorney Jason Chalik has followed the evolution of the parasailing industry and is aware of the safety procedures, equipment maintainance, and operational factors that should be in place to keep people who enjoy this form of water and boating recreation safe. Parasailing accidents and boat accidents can occur when proper safety measures are not taken by operators to keep consumers who pay for their services safe.

Father, daughter injured in parasailing accident
Florida AP, Miami Herald, June 8, 2010

2 Injured In Parasailing Accident
JustNews.com June 7, 2010

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that a 17-year old boy from West Palm Beach was killed in a weekend motorcycle accident in Coral Springs, Florida.

According to news reports, the fatal motorcycle traffic accident took place at approx. 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2010. The motorcycle operator, identified as Michael Ferraz Lanzoni, 17, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was driving a Suzuki motorcycle when he struck the rear of a Ford Escape SUV near the 9000 block of Wiles Road in Coral Springs, Florida. Lanzoni, who was thrown from his motorcycle, died at the scene. He was reportedly wearing a helmet. The driver of the SUV was treated for injuries at an area medical facility and released.

The Coral Springs motorcycle and car accident remains under investigation.

Florida Motorcycle Accident Fatalities and Facts
According to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,290 motorcyclists were killed and another 96,000 were injured in the U.S. in 2008. Motorcycle accident deaths increased by 2% over the 2007 figure.

A West Palm Beach car accident lawyer is knowledgeable about traffic laws and safety regulations designed to keep motorists safe on Florida's roads and highways. Some facts:

o The state of Florida requires motorcycle operators to pass a Basic Rider Course through the Florida Rider Trainer Program to obtain the motorcycle endorsement for their driver's license.

o Helmets must be worn by younger drivers under age 21 in the State of Florida, and by older riders with less than $10,000 in medical coverage. (Florida changed its univeral helmet law in 2000 to only cover some drivers.) (Source: IIHS, Q&As: Motorcycle Helmet Laws)

o In Florida, 523 motorcyclists were killed in 2008, a slight reduction compared to 2007. (Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2008 Data: Motorcycles)

Friends remember cyclist killed in Coral Springs
SunSentinel.com June 7, 2010

Palm Beach Teen Killed In Springs Bike Crash
CBS4.com June 6, 2010

Related Web Resources

NHTSA Portal: Motorcycles

Florida Safety Council: Florida Motorcycle Training Courses

Florida Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: Share the Road

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Q&As: Motorcycle Helmet Laws

According to news reports, a man who had been swimming at Lake Worth Beach in South Florida drowned this past weekend. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department reported that the body of a male swimmer was spotted floating in the water north of Lake Worth Pier. The man was pulled from the water and taken by paramedics to JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, FL, where he was pronounced dead. The police are seeking information on the identity of this drowning victim.

Lake Worth is located near West Palm Beach, Florida about 60 miles north of Miami. Witnesses at the beach told news media that it appeared the man pulled from the water may have been in the water for some time.

A West Palm Beach accident lawyer may be contacted by families who seek guidance in cases where drowning due to a swimming pool accident or other water recreation accident in Florida (such as a personal watercraft or boating accident) led to injury or death of a loved one.

According to a survey conducted by the American Red Cross, almost half the adults reported that they’ve had a near-drowning experience, and one in four know someone who has drowned. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that drowning is the number-one cause of injury death for children ages 1 to 4, and three children die daily as a result of drowning.

Experienced Palm Beach County, Florida injury attorneys are familiar with issues surrounding premises liability and safety laws in place designed to protect swimmers who go to South Florida beaches, lakes, and resorts, as well as those who swim in private and public swimming pools. No further details were available on the circumstances surrounding this apparent drowning in the waters near West Palm Beach, Florida.

Man Drowns At Lake Worth Beach
ABC 25 / WPBF.com June 7, 2010

Related Web Resources

Brevard County, Florida: Swim Safety Tips

American Red Cross: Summer Water Safety Guide (PDF)

CDC: Drowning: Protect the Ones You Love

City of Lake Worth, Florida

The Florida Highway Patrol announced it will be on the lookout to stop and apprehend drunk drivers in Florida over Memorial Day weekend, as well as anyone else breaking Florida driving laws. The step-up in driving safety law enforcement extends through midnight of May 31, 2010.

FHP is participating in three national driving safety campaigns this holiday weekend designed to save lives and prevent injury caused by Florida traffic accidents. These include the Click It or Ticket seat belt use campaign, Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort -- an initiative involving United States state police and highway patrol agencies), and Take Back Our Highways (also involving Alabama Highway Patrol).

Florida law enforcement and safety officials continue to strive to stop drunk drivers and other reckless or negligent drivers (including speeders and distracted drivers) in an effort to prevent South Florida car accident injuries and fatalities.

In fact, in recent years, DUI deaths on Florida roads have been on the decline (most recent stats show 875 deaths in 2008 compared to more than 1,000 in 2005). But as any experienced Miami Dade accident injury attorney who works with victims of Florida car and pedestrian accidents knows, the best form of prevention is for drivers not to get behind the wheel when alcohol has been consumed. In addition, speeding, talking on cell phones, and texting are all forms of dangerous driving which can lead to injury and death.

Chances for Miami Dade and other motorists to be involved in car accidents increases over long holiday weekends, as residents, visitors and vacationers flock to South Florida roads and highways to enjoy their extra day off.

Florida Highway Patrol Steps Up Enforcement This Weekend
Florida Highway Patrol News Release May 27, 2010

Related Web Resources

Click It or Ticket Florida

Operation C.A.R.E.

Florida and Alabama: Take Back Our Highways

The Fort Myers man accused in a fatal Lee County traffic accident is being held on several counts of DUI manslaughter in a Lee County, Florida jail.

According to news and police reports, 21-year-old Joshua Lee Reynolds of Fort Myers, Fla., was driving with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal state limit when he was involved in a fatal Florida DUI car accident.

The car and pickup truck accident occurred last September in Cape Coral, Florida, at Veterans Memorial Parkway and Country Club Boulevard. Reynolds had allegedly been drinking while bartending at a local restaurant, before he got in his pickup truck and struck a car, killing 20-year-old Ernesto Romero, also of Cape Coral, Florida.

New reports state that Romero was a passenger in a car driven by Donna Snow; Romero, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car when it was struck by Reynolds' truck, which allegedly ran a yellow light and slid through the intersection. Driver Snow and her sister Robyn, the victim's girlfriend, both suffered personal injury in this Lee County, Florida car crash. Reynolds turned himself into police last week after test results came in and the investigation was completed. He faces Florida DUI manslaughter among other charges.

Fort Myers car accident injury lawyers are well aware of the heavy toll that drinking and driving can take on Florida families. In 2008, a total of 875 people lost their lives on Florida roads and highways in alcohol related traffic accidents (Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Florida 2004-2008). That number has been decreasing from a recent high of 1,106 Florida DUI deaths in 2005, however any life lost due to drunk driving is one too many.

Man intoxicated at time of fatal Cape Coral crash
News-Press.com May 25, 2010

Related Web Resource

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles:
FAQs on Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

The millionaire owner of the International Polo Club located near Palm Beach, Florida has been charged in a fatal hit-and-run drunk driving accident which happened in February.

News reports state that the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department issued a probably cause affidavit leading to the arrest of wealthy businessman John Goodman, 46, of Houston, TX, who is described by the press as a well-known socialite who travels between Texas and Florida. Goodman's Bentley allegedly struck a Hyundai driven by Scott Wilson, 23, sending the victim's car into a Florida canal, where it flipped over. The victim drowned before emergency personnel could assist him. The Palm Beach car accident occurred in the community of Wellington, Florida in the early morning hours of Feb. 12, 2010.

Goodman allegedly fled the scene on foot and walked to a residence to use a cell phone, where he did not report the accident for more than an hour. He faces a number of charges including driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter, and failure to render aid (which under Florida law can add gravity in a criminal case).

The victim's family has filed a civil lawsuit in Florida related to this traffic fatality. News reports state that according to police, the plaintiff charged in this Palm Beach area case had a blood alcohol concentration level more than double the state limit (Florida BAC=.08+). Goodman was arrested at a hotel in Miami, Florida, and was released on $100K bond. He is prohibited from leaving the state of Florida as well as drinking and driving, and going to bars.

Palm Beach wrongful death / injury lawyers may be consulted by families in cases where a loved one has died or been injured due to the negligence or recklessness of another party. Hundreds of people are killed in the state of Florida every year due to drunk drivers. Of the 2,978 traffic fatalities in Florida during 2008 -- 875 of those were alcohol related traffic deaths. (Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Florida 2004-2008).

Polo mogul in jail this morning for role in fatal Wellington crash
Palm Beach Post May 19, 2010

Houston millionaire charged in deadly Florida crash
Houston Chronicle May 19, 2010

Related Web Resource

NHTSA Impaired Driving portal

The mother who was driving in a recent Fort Lauderdale, Florida highway accident that sent a boy hurtling out of the car, over a wall, and into a backyard will go from the hospital to jail.

According to news reports and the Florida Highway Patrol, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. single-car crash along Florida I-95 took place last Friday around 11:30 a.m. News reports state the mother, 28-year-old Roseline Jean-Baptiste, of North Miami Beach, Florida, was driving in the northbound lanes when she swerved to avoid a tire in the road (a form of highway road debris that poses a serious hazard to drivers) -- then going on to the grassy shoulder, flipping the car several times, and stopping at a concrete barrier.

Jean-Baptiste's son, age 11, who was in the backseat, was ejected from the car, flew over an 18-foot wall, and landed in a nearby backyard. A 3-year-old sister remained in the backseat; she was hospitalized at North Broward Medical Center in Florida along with her mother and brother. All three are expected to be OK.

Fort Lauderdale car accident injury attorneys are very familiar with Florida safely laws in place to keep children safe in motor vehicles. In the State of Florida, children age 5 and younger must be properly restrained when riding in family cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs, no matter where they are seated. And children age 3 and younger must be in car seats in the back seat in Florida. Infant passengers have their own special safety regulations in place that parents must follow regarding child car seats and safety restraints. (For more, see link below on "Child Car Seat Requirements" from the Broward Sheriff's Office, Broward County, Fla.)

Media reports state that Jean-Baptiste will face a number of charges in this Fort Lauderdale I-95 car accident, including child neglect (both children wore seat belts but were not in child seats), along with Florida Highway Patrol charges including driving without a valid license, multiple traffic violations, and negligence. A Broward County, Florida judge has also barred her from seeing her children, according to the latest news reports.

Mother barred from kids after car crash
WPTV.com, Sun-Sentinel May 17, 2010

Mom charged in car crash that propelled son into backyard
The Bellingham Herald, May 15, 2010

Related Web Resources

Child Car Seat Requirements (from the Broward Sheriff's Office)

Child Passenger Safety News & Features (from the Florida Highway Patrol)