Florida Accident Attorney Blog

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