Florida Accident Attorney Blog

With Halloween falling on the weekend this year, South Florida residents should be extra careful when trick or treating in their neighborhoods. This includes heavily settled areas in Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, Florida.

Halloween is a time when children are literally running through the roads and streets -- adding extra responsibility on parents and drivers to avoid Florida car and pedestrian accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), citing an article from Parents Magazine, recommends parents use common sense when preparing their children for Halloween:

• Make sure costumes and shoes fit, so children aren't tripping over themselves


• Supervise young children who go out trick or treating


• Teach children to look both ways before crossing the street and to cross at intersections


• Keep children in well-lit areas only


• Create a safe neighborhood zone that limits children's Halloween travels to only houses they know (and teach children to stay away from dark houses, decrepit houses, or houses with barking or loose dogs -- even Florida premises liability law cannot stop a dog bite or fall causing injury from happening)

As experienced Fort Lauderdale accident injury attorneys and parents ourselves, we know how precious children are to their families. Be careful out there this Halloween season, so the scares you experience are only of the fun candy-corn and costumes variety.

Other South Florida Halloween Driving Safety Issues
In addition, NHTSA cites thousands of motor vehicle crashes every year during Halloween week -- in part due to adults' partying with alcohol. As with any holiday celebration, the risk of being involved a drunk driving accident increases as people drive home from bars and parties.

NHTSA also urges police departments to be on extra alert in college towns (such as Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Miami and Tampa, Florida), where students are likely to be drinking and partying more during Halloween week.

Child Pedestrian Safety Education
NHTSA, Sept. 2009 (PDF)

Related Web Resource
Are you Halloween prepared? Safety tips with a Parenting magazine expert
Yahoo.com Oct. 12, 2010

A sad story reported by the Sun Sentinel in the Palm Beach, Florida media shows what can happen when emergency response systems fail and accident victims don't get life-saving help in time. This case involves multiple Florida lawsuits against the phone provider, the city, and emergency responders.

Last Thanksgiving, a Palm Beach County grandmother was fixing the holiday meal for her family when she dropped a piece of glassware on her foot, suffering a severe cut. She was alone, as her husband was out picking up family. When Mrs. Sidell Reiner, age 81, dialed "0" in a panic for help, the call -- placed via her telephone provider, Comcast -- initially went into an automated system.

According to a news report, the victim eventually reached a Comcast operator, who was unable to determine the victim's address as she forwarded the call to a Boynton Beach, Florida police dispatcher. By the time her address was located and paramedics arrived, there was no response at the door and emergency personnel left. Mrs. Reiner bled to death. Her husband came home to find her dead on their bedroom floor with the phone next to her. (See link below to full story based on court records describing the chain of events.)

West Palm Beach, Florida wrongful death lawyers may be consulted by families when someone loses their life due to the negligence of others.

The victim's husband, Mr. Seymour Reiner, reportedly filed a lawsuit against Comcast and has, in addition, filed notices of intent to sue the city of Boynton Beach and Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue. The lawsuit against Comcast has been filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court, Florida.

Comcast sued in 81-year-old woman's death
Sun Sentinel via PalmBeachPost.com Oct. 27, 2010

A Broward County, Florida teen reportedly lost part of her leg when she was struck by a car on school grounds on Oct. 20.

The Broward County car accident occurred last week at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, which is about 15 miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A senior who was standing on school grounds was reportedly hit by a grandmother driving a Toyota Corolla. The accident victim's leg was, according to news reports, severed from the knee down as she was struck by the car, which backed into a utility pole.

Families sometimes consult a Broward County car accident injury lawyer to determine whether negligence, recklessness or liability are involved in serious auto accident cases where injury or death occur, in or around Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue team members responded to this teen pedestrian and motor vehicle accident, which remains under investigation. The driver was reportedly hospitalized due to stress. The victim is recovering at a Broward County, Florida hospital, according to news reports. Two other students were reportedly treated at area hospitals.

Florida motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents can occur on and around school grounds, where so many students congregate in close proximity to vehicles entering and exiting the premises. In this case, It's not clear why the grandmother, who was reportedly picking up two children, crashed her car.

News Source:
Teen's leg severed in car accident
WSVN.com Oct. 21, 2010

Related Florida Accident Attorney Blog Article:
Palm Beach County, Florida Bike Accident Victim Remembered on International Walk to School Day

United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc. has announced that October 17 - 23, 2010 is Brachial Plexus Injury Awareness Week.

The nonprofit organization offers resources and information for people who are living with brachial plexus injuries and other related erbs palsy injuries, which may have resulted during birth delivery complications. The group also features success stories of people living with brachial plexus and other birth injuries and has set up a Facebook fanpage for families to connect (see links below).

Florida brachial plexus lawyers work with families whose children have suffered these types of injuries. An experienced Fla. birth injuries attorney may help families determine whether medical error or negligence may have led to erb's palsy or other birth injuries.

Erb's palsy, brachial plexus injuries and shoulder dystocia are all related conditions that can occur as a result of a difficult birthing process. These conditions can affect the movement of the shoulder, arm, and hand and can cause varying degrees of paralysis -- which in turn can affect mobility and a person's day-to-day life. People who suffer these types of birth injuries may require surgeries or extended physical therapy to regain function in the affected limbs.

If you suspect a baby's birth injury may have been avoidable, it's best to consult an experienced Florida birth injury attorney, who can help determine whether medical negligence or malpractice may have contributed to the baby's birth injuries.

Brachial Plexus Injury Awareness Week Resources

United Brachial Plexus Network on Facebook

A young man who survived a Florida parasail accident that claimed the life of his fiancee recounts what happened that day to a Florida news source.

Shaun Ladd and Alejandra White had gone to Clearwater Beach, Florida, for a day that would include a parasailing trip. The couple approached operators Skyscreamer Parasail. Ladd and White were lifted high into the sky in a tandem parasail rig, which allowed them to fly side by side. Ladd stated that minutes into the parasail ride, the winds picked up and he heard a loud pop -- the sound of the tow rope snapping.

Ladd told the St. Petersburg Times that after the tow line broke, the couple's parachute carried them aloft away from the speedboat, before they drifted back toward the ocean. Ladd landed in the water and broke free of his harness while the parachute carried White toward the beach. White was dragged along the beach, striking beach umbrellas, chairs, and a volleyball net post. White died several days later from injuries including severe brain injury.

An experienced Fort Myers, Florida parasail accident attorney works with families who have lost loved ones or suffered injuries in parasailing accidents.

This latest parasailing fatality has brought the hazards of this form of recreation back into the public spotlight. Safety advocates are calling for greater regulation of parasailing industry practices to protect consumers. Ladd and White were visiting Florida from Georgia and had planned to be married. Though the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard continue to investigate this fatal parasailing accident, no charges have been filed and the parasail operator remains open for business.

Related Florida Injury Attorney Blog Entries:

Victim of Clearwater Florida Parasail Accident Dies from Her Injuries

Florida Parasail Accident Update: Investigators Say Tow Rope Broke in Clearwater Parasailing Accident; Victim Still Hospitalized

News Source:

Survivor recalls horror of Clearwater parasailing accident that killed his fiancee
TampaBay.com Oct. 14, 2010

The DUI manslaughter trial of former New York Yankees player and World Series hero Jim Leyritz has been delayed while attorneys wrestle with evidentiary questions, media reports stated.

The fatal traffic accident occurred in 2007 when Leyritz, who once played for the Yankees, ran a red light at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida intersection -- crashing into another vehicle and killing its driver. Attorneys defending Leyritz reportedly have issues with charges against their client as they relate to certain evidence that may be admitted or excluded.

Florida Drunk Driving Statistics and Convictions

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 875 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2008. Though drunk driving motor vehicle accidents have been on the decline in Florida, drinking and driving remains a serious public safety hazard.

According to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, the state of Florida had 34,638 driving under the influence (DUI) convictions in 2006 -- down 8 percent from 2005. The legal blood alcohol limit in Florida for adult drivers 21 and over is under .08 percent. Florida has a zero tolerance law for alcohol consumption and under aged drivers. Drunk driving conviction statistics in South Florida counties in 2006 include...

Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) 1,606
Brevard County (Melbourne) 1,665
Miami-Dade (Miami) 1,824

Families whose loved ones are injured or killed in Florida drunk driving car crashes may consult a Fort Lauderdale accident injury attorney for guidance on whether or not they may have a case.

Related Florida Injury Attorney Blog Articles:

Ex-Yankee Leyritz Trial Delay in Fatal Fort Lauderdale DUI Traffic Accident

Fort Lauderdale DUI Accident: Former NY Yankee Charged with Manslaughter Checked into Broward Hospital

Sources:

No set start date for DUI manslaughter trial of former Yankee
CNN Justice Oct. 1, 2010

Florida DMV: Florida Drunk Driving

More than 3,300 schools across the country participated in Walk to School Day 2010 on October 6 -- an annual international event designed to encourage healthy walking and biking while raising awareness around child traffic safety issues.

Children are at risk of injury and death from pedestrian accidents and other traffic related accidents when they travel to and from school.

The event is sponsored by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, which assists states and communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bicycle to school. The organization is also the clearinghouse for the federal Safe Routes to School program. A number of Palm Beach County and Broward County, Florida communities took part in the event.

The event had special significance for students and families in Palm Beach County, Florida, who recently lost one of their own in a truck and bicycle accident. The Palm Beach Post reported that in September, 8-year-old Liam Rojas was killed while biking home from Pine Jog Elementary School when a delivery truck struck him.

West Palm Beach traffic accident injury attorneys may work with Florida families who have suffered the loss of a loved one due to the negligent or reckless driving of another. Children are especially vulnerable to injury or death in motor vehicle accidents as they walk or bike to and from school, and when they get on and off the school bus.

Related Florida Accident Attorney Blog Article:
Report Cites South Florida Streets a Hazard for Car, Bike and Pedestrian Accidents

Sources:
International Walk to School Day

Walk to School Day 2010 Press Release (PDF)

Related Web Resources

International Walk to School in the USA

Safe Routes to School Programs

SafeKids.org

October got off to a deadly start on Fort Myers, Florida area streets and roads.

According to news reports quoting the Sheriff's Office, the following fatal Lee County, Florida auto accidents occurred:

Sat. Oct. 2 after 10 p.m., a Fort Myers, Florida woman was killed in a traffic crash in Lehigh Acres on SR 82.

Sun. Oct. 3 after 7:30 p.m., a man fell out of the bed of a pickup truck and died of a head injury.

Mon. Oct. 4 after 6 a.m., another accident occurred in North Fort Myers, Florida, claiming the life of a pedestrian. According to news reports, the Florida Highway Patrol stated that a fatal pedestrian accident took place near the intersection of Flamingo Dr and Bayshore Rd in North Ft. Myers. The traffic accident victim was brought to Lee Memorial Hospital, Florida, where he died of his injuries.

Lee County Florida Traffic Accident Fatality Statistics

Families may sometimes consult an experienced Fort Myers car accident lawyer, who can work with them to help determine liability in serious and fatal Lee County, Florida motor vehicle accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ranks Lee County, Florida, among the state counties with the highest traffic accident death rates (with more than 56 auto crash fatalities occurring in 2008). Lee County includes Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, and Cape Coral, Florida. (Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Florida 2004-2008)

In 2008, the most deadly counties in Florida for fatal auto accidents were Miami-Dade County (269 fatalities) and Broward County, Florida (227 fatalities), followed by Palm Beach County (198 deaths).

Two fatalities occur in Lehigh over past weekend
LehighAcresCitizen.com Oct. 4, 2010

Pedestrian dies in early morning accident on Bayshore Road
NorthFortMyersNeighbor.com Oct. 4, 2010

Related Web Resource

Lee County Sheriff's Office