Florida Accident Attorney Blog

People who visit West Palm Beach, Florida are typically struck by its waterfront views and elegant, Old World charm. They just might want to avoid a certain intersection to avoid being struck by another motorist.

According to a local news report, residents are making noise about a certain intersection being notorious for West Palm Beach car accidents and near misses. Residents say that the intersection of Forest Hill Boulevard and Kudza Road is particularly dangerous, despite it being well lit and having marked crosswalks -- and a crossing guard.

One concerned father told the press that in the year his family has lived near this West Palm Beach, Fla., intersection -- he often hears brakes screeching and has known of several motor vehicle accidents. These include a serious traffic pedestrian accident involving his own son. The boy, who was crossing the intersection for the school bus, was struck by a vehicle and hospitalized in the Delray Beach Medical Center Trauma Unit for a week.

A West Palm Beach accident injury lawyer may work with families in cases where negligent or reckless driving led to injury or death.

Forest Hill Blvd and Kudza Rd was the same West Palm Beach, Florida locale where in January, a drunk driver hit a van and caused a pile-up car accident, killing one young child.

Resident warns of dangerous intersection
WPTV.com Sept. 24, 2010

Baby Dies After 3-Car Pileup In West Palm Beach
WPBF.com Jan. 31, 2010

A Florida man broke his ankle when test-driving the Yamaha Rhino off-road vehicle -- described in a CBS News report as "a muscle car for the back country." However that man's injuries were not the worst suffered by Rhino drivers and riders since the vehicle hit the market in 2003.

Manufacturer Yamaha faces multiples lawsuits in several states for personal injury and death resulting from accidents in the Rhino vehicle. A CBS News investigation last year linked the Rhino -- which looks like a cross between a dune buggy and a golf car on steroids -- to 59 deaths and hundreds of injuries and lawsuits. CBS reports the 1,100 pound Yamaha Rhino is prone to tipping and offers little protection for occupants in a side-rollover accident. The Rhino -- which is a side-by-side recreational off-highway vehicle (ROV) -- has a steering wheel, where an ATV or all-terrain vehicle has handlebars.

Fort Lauderdale accident injury lawyers are familiar with safety laws and regulations related to ROV and ATV manufacturer liability.

CBS reported that people injured and killed in Rhino vehicle accidents were not necessarily traveling at high speeds or on extreme terrain. Injuries cited in their investigation included broken bones, crushed legs and arms, and head injuries suffered in Yamaha Rhino vehicle accidents "often on level ground at relatively low speeds."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has chronicled complaints against Yamaha and the Rhino. The CPSC issued a safety advisory for consumers in 2009 (see link below), urging consumers to bring their Rhino vehicles to Yamaha for safety modifications and a free helmet.

Yamaha Rhino Victims (video)
CBSNews.com Aug. 4, 2009

Off-Roading With Safety: CPSC Reminder To Yamaha Rhino Riders To Stay Safe This Summer
CPSC News Release Aug. 5, 2009

Yamaha faces hundreds of lawsuits over off-road Rhino injuries, deaths
OregonLive.com Sept. 27, 2010

Yamaha Rumbles Into Rough Terrain, Battling Lawsuits Over Its Rhino Off-Road Vehicle
FairWarning.org Sept. 17, 2010

Related Web Resource

Recreational Off-Road Vehicle Association

Florida commercial drivers with Dunlop tires on their vehicles should be aware of an upcoming Goodyear safety recall. According to the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall report, Goodyear has scheduled a tire safety recall to begin on or around Sept. 30, 2010.

Goodyear will recall some Dunlop SP193 commercial trailer tires, size 295/75R22.5, produced from Jan. 24 -- May 29, 2010. The NHTSA report states that these Dunlop tires could lose air, causing the driver to drive on underinflated tires. NHTSA safety studies report that tires that are underinflated and overloaded can cause serious car accidents.

This Dunlop commercial trailer tire safety recall is NHTSA campaign no. 10T018000.

The report goes on to say that tire manufacturer Goodyear will notify owners whose names are on record and will visually inspect the tires to see if this particular tire defect is present. Defective tires will be replaced free of charge, while tires that do not have the defect will not be replaced.

As Miami, Florida defective tire accident attorneys know -- a vehicle's tires is the rubber that comes between the driver and the road. This also goes for commercial truck drivers, who must maintain control of their large vehicles at all times to avoid deadly truck accidents. When defective tires malfunction, serious car and truck accidents can occur and injury to the driver, passengers, and other motorists can be catastrophic.

Florida drivers should also be aware of the issue of driving on aging tires . The tire rubber can deterioriate from the inside due to the age of tires and the Florida heat -- which can lead to sudden tire failure and deadly blowout accidents.

NHTSA SAFETY DEFECT/NONCOMPLIANCE NOTICES RECEIVED DURING AUGUST 2010 (PDF, scroll down to "Tires")

Dunlop Tire Recall
The Auto Channel Sept. 4, 2010

Related Web Resources

Goodyear: Owners of Dunlop SP193 Commercial Tires may call 1-800-321-2136

Dunlop Commercial Truck Tires

SaferCar.gov (NHTSA): Tire Ratings and Safety

Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries when a FedEx delivery truck reportedly struck a LeeTran bus carrying passengers in Fort Myers, Florida.

According to media reports, the Fort Myers traffic accident occurred Mon. Sept. 13 on US 41 northbound. Initial reports stated that a FedEx truck attempting to merge onto the highway from Colonial Blvd sideswiped a LeeTran bus carrying passengers. The bus then reportedly went into other lanes of traffic and struck another vehicle before crashing into a power pole and coming to a stop. Three women were reportedly taken to Fort Myers, Florida area medical facilities with injuries from the traffic accident.

Fort Myers truck accident injury lawyers may work with families who suffer injuries or lose a loved one as a result of a large commercial vehicle accident in Lee County, Florida.

Authorities were investigating this Fort Myers truck and bus accident to determine if any charges would be filed. No further details were available.

Fed-Ex truck crashes into LeeTran bus
WINK NEWS Sept. 13, 2010

3 injured after delivery truck sideswipes bus in Fort Myers
NBC2 News Online Sept. 13, 2010

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that a young Georgia woman involved in a Labor Day weekend parasailing accident in Florida has died from her injuries.

Last week, the Florida media reported on a parasailing accident involving a couple from Georgia, which occurred in Clearwater Beach, Florida. According to news reports, Georgia couple Shaun Ladd and his fiancee, Alejandra White, age 27, took a tandem parasailing flight on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

The accident reportedly occurred when the tow cable connecting the couple to the operator's speedboat snapped, sending Ladd into the water while White and her parachute drifted toward shore. White reportedly hit several beach umbrellas before striking a wooden volleyball net post.

White, who was taken to a medical center in St. Petersburg, Florida, has since died of her parasail accident injuries. The operator of the parasailing company, identified as Sky Screamer Parasail of Clearwater, Florida, is under investigation.

Florida parasail injury and wrongful death lawyers who have followed the parasailing industry are aware of the lack of regulations governing the safe operation of parasailing tour companies. With parasailing accidents in the news, safety advocates are calling for greater regulation of the parasailing industry in Florida and around the country.

Woman dies of injuries from parasailing accident on Clearwater Beach
TampaBay.com Sept. 13, 2010

Related Web Resource

Regulations fly by Florida's parasail industry
TBO.com Sept. 8, 2010

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have released additional information regarding a Florida parasailing accident that occurred last weekend in Clearwater -- leaving a Georgia woman hospitalized with critical injuries.

Twenty-seven year old Alejandra White and her fiance, thirty-one year old Shaun Ladd, both of Georgia, were parasailing in a tandem parasail harness over Labor Day weekend in Clearwater, Florida. According to the latest news reports, the accident appears to have occurred when the tow rope unravelled -- disconnecting the parasailers from the operator's speedboat as they were over the ocean. The weather had reportedly turned windy and unfavorable that afternoon.

Ladd, who was reportedly able to free himself from his harness , fell into the water. However White was dragged along beach umbrellas and hit a wooden volleyball net pole, suffering serious injuries. Media reports show photos of the Florida parasail accident unfolding.

Experienced Miami parasailing accident lawyers work with people who have suffered injury and death of loved ones in Florida parasail accidents. Though parasailing in Florida is a popular pastime -- the industry remains largely unregulated. This is a fact that consumers aren't by and large aware of when they get strapped into a parasailing harness and pulled several stories aloft by a speedboat.

Parasail accidents causing serious injury can and do happen, as is the case in this Clearwater Florida incident. An estimated 15 Florida parasail deaths have occurred in recent years, according to news reports. Parasailing safety advocates say the industry's "self-regulation" is no longer adequate.

Parasail accident victim still in critical condition, hospital says
St. Petersburg Times Sept. 8, 2010

Parasail businesses need to be regulated
St. Petersburg Times Sept. 9, 2010

Investigators discover unravelled rope behind parasailing accident which left woman impaled on umbrella
MailOnline Sept. 8, 2010

Related Web Resource

Parasail Safety Council

A beach goer remains in critical condition after a parasailing accident occurred in Clearwater Beach, Florida this past holiday weekend.

According to news reports, this Florida boating and parasail accident occurred when the tow line to the speedboat pulling two parasailers snapped -- sending one parasailer into the water while another was dragged along the beach, hitting beach umbrellas and a volleyball net pole. News reports state that the parasail accident victims were from Georgia: Alejandra White, age 27, and her fiancé, Shaun Ladd. White was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in Florida with serious injuries and was reported in critical condition; Ladd's injuries were reportedly less severe.

While news reports describe this Florida parasailing accident as a "freak accident," experienced Florida parasailing accident injury attorneys are well aware of the dangers of this form of recreation. Most consumers are unaware that the U.S. parasailing injury does not have strict safety regulations, for example, related to maintenance of parasail harnesses, parachutes, tow lines and other equipment.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials along with the Coast Guard continue to investigate the cause of this serious parasailing accident. No further details were available. Clearwater Beach is in Pinellas County in west central Florida, due west of Tampa, Florida.

See our Florida parasail accident lawyer blog entries for more reports on parasailing accidents in Florida and elsewhere in the U.S. and oversees. Our firm has worked with families who have suffered injury and death due to parasailing accidents. We have followed the parasailing industry for years and know what can go horribly wrong when parasail apparatus and equipment malfunctions and/or boat operator error occurs.

Woman critical after Clearwater Beach parasailing accident
MyFoxTampaBay.com Sept. 6, 2010

Minor league baseball player Brian Cole, an outfielder from Mississippi and New York Mets prospect, had embarked on a promising career in sports. Then, Cole's young life came to an abrupt end.

According to Sports Illustrated, on March 31, 2001, Cole was driving his Ford Explorer Sport SUV home from spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida. His cousin was riding with him. For unknown reasons, his vehicle veered off the road. When Cole turned the steering wheel to regain control of his SUV, his Ford Explorer flipped several times, ejecting Cole from the vehicle and killing him. Cole's passenger walked away from the Florida SUV roll over accident.

Florida Highway Patrol reported that this fatal Florida sport utility vehicle crash occurred on Interstate 10 near Florida Highway 286, south of the Georgia border and roughly 45 miles NW of Tallahassee. In a lawsuit against Ford, Cole's family asserted that the SUV didn't perform properly and that Cole's seatbelt malfunctioned, causing him to be ejected from the vehicle. In a statement, Ford claimed that Cole had been driving 80 mph.

This fatal Florida SUV rollover accident case was tried in Mississippi twice before the third case was successfully brought to resolution this month. Ford reportedly agreed to a $131 million judgment and settled with Cole's family for an undisclosed sum before the punitive phase of the trial.

Some sport utility vehicles such as the Ford Explorer have made news headlines in recent years due to their tendency to flip and roll over during some traffic accidents. Fort Myers, Florida SUV rollover accident lawyers have knowledge regarding manufacturer liability in cases where vehicle design flaws may lead to deadly SUV rollover crashes.

Defective tires have also been blamed for a number of SUV rollover accidents in recent years.

Ford Motor, family of Mets' prospect settle crash lawsuit
SportsIllustrated.com Sept. 2, 2010

Brian Cole's family wins $131 million suit
ESPN.com Sept. 2, 2010