Miami Accident Lawyer Blog

October 28, 2013

Charity Bicyclist Injured, Personal Injury Attorneys Say Investigation Could Reveal Important Clues

Last month, 24-year-old Jacob Landis, of Annapolis, Maryland, was severely injured after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in a bicycle accident in Florida in the final leg of a cross-country cycling trip to raise money for deaf individuals. Our personal injury lawyers in Miami, Florida are all too familiar with these and many other unfortunate accidents cases over the years.

Landis was knocked unconscious at approximately 10:00 pm on September 21, 2013, after being hit by the mirror of a passing tractor-trailer on US Highway 27 southbound in Polk County, Florida. Landis was accompanied by his riding partner and cousin, Jack Riddle, who witnessed the incident. Landis was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for a concussion, multiple fractures and various lacerations. The truck that struck Landis did not stop after the crash, and, according to the local sheriff’s office, it was possible the driver of the truck didn’t realize he had hit the bicyclist.

At the time of the accident, Landis had been cycling for several months and rode almost 11,000 miles to 29 of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in the U.S., raising $140,000 help the hearing impaired get fitted for cochlear implants.

October 21, 2013

Florida Family Files Wrongful Death

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Recently, a Boynton Beach, Florida, couple filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy in connection with the shooting of their eighteen-year-old autistic son in 2012. The lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $15,000.

The lawsuit stems from an October 4, 2012, incident wherein the teen’s mother called 911 seeking help to controlling her autistic son, who could be heard screaming, “you’re going down,” on the 911 tape. En route to the scene, the deputy was advised by his dispatcher that the mother claimed the teen had a “hammer and a tree trimmer” and would “hurt anyone who approaches.” The dispatcher also told the deputy that the teen had placed his mother in a chokehold.

Upon arriving at the scene, the deputy encountered the teen, ordering him to drop the hammer and garden shears. Although both sides agree that the teen complied, dropping the weapons, there is disagreement as to what happened next.

October 19, 2013

Car Overturns In St. Petersburg, Florida Canal, Trapping Two Children Inside

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Late last month, ABC Action News reported that two children and their father had been rescued from a vehicle overturned in a St. Petersburg, Florida canal following a motor vehicle accident.

According to St. Petersburg police, the car in which the children were passengers ended up in the canal as the result of a chain reaction collision involving several other vehicles. The victim’s silver sedan was at front of a line of cars of parents waiting to pick up their children from Sawgrass Elementary School. The driver of a gold Chevy Tahoe accelerated into the rear of the row of cars which then pushed the sedan into the water. Police are still investigating the incident but the driver of the Tahoe has been determined to be at fault and charges are pending.Under certain circumstances, speeding in Florida constitutes a special form of negligence known as “per se” negligence. Normally, Florida law allows individuals to recover for injuries suffered as the result of the negligence of another when the victim is able to show that the offender failed to exercise “ordinary care” in their course of conduct. To prove a claim for negligence, the plaintiff must prove three elements:

The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty to exercise ordinary care.

October 14, 2013

ESPN’s Withdraw From Documentary Shines Spotlight On Concussion Controversy And Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injuries.

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Over the last few years, the dispute regarding the effect of concussions on players in the National Football League has intensified, resulting in increased scrutiny of the manner in which NFL officials handled the situation. In August, ESPN withdrew its support for a documentary entitled “League of Denial,” investigating the NFL’s handling of the concussion crisis among its players.

ESPN claimed that its decision to end collaboration on the project with Frontline, a PBS series, was the result of its realization that it did not have editorial control over the content of the documentary. The New York Times reported that the real reason ESPN backed out was due to pressure placed on it by the NFL.

League of Denial explores the NFL’s resistance to acknowledging the growing evidence of the link between concussions and progressive degenerative brain disease. More importantly, the documentary brings much needed attention to the issue of brain injuries and the negative and long-lasting effects they can have on those afflicted by them.

A traumatic brain injury is a type of brain injury that results in disruption of normal functioning and can result from any accident in which the head sustains direct trauma, a lack of oxygen, or as a result of a closed head injury.

October 12, 2013

Texting While Driving Ban Goes Into Effect In Florida.

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Back in March, this blog discussed the Florida Senate’s approval of Senate Bill 52 (“Bill 52”), that sought to impose a statewide ban on texting while driving. On October 1, 2013, Bill 52, renamed “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law”, became effective. Florida’s texting ban makes it the forty-first state to adopt such prohibitions on the use of cellphones while driving. The State of Maryland also adopted a similar texting ban on October 1 of this year.

The new measure outlaws texting by motorists, but exempts police and other emergency vehicles. Texting while driving is considered a secondary offense, meaning that police can cite drivers for texting only if they have been stopped for another traffic violation such as speeding. A first violation of the law results in a $30 fine, however, if the texting causes a motor vehicle accident, the offender will also be assessed six points on his driver’s license.

Some proponents of anti-texting laws have criticized the measure for including too many exceptions and exemptions. For example, motorists are still permitted to use their cell phones when stopped red lights or stop signs and when moving, to perform certain tasks such as checking GPS and getting directions. Drivers can also send a text message to report the commission of a crime.Further, the law allows drivers to read text messages as long as they contain address information or directions. Detractors of the law contend that this allows anyone cited for texting while driving to excuse their behavior by claiming they were looking at a map or checking directions.

October 8, 2013

Woman Tricked Into Abortion

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A Florida woman was tricked into having an abortion by her boyfriend when he disguised pregnancy-terminating pills as antibiotics. The man now faces murder charges.

Reeme Jo Lee’s pregnancy was confirmed by her boyfriend’s father, who is an obstetrician. Lee was excited to become a mother, but her boyfriend, John Andrew Welden, pleaded with her to terminate the pregnancy.

She maintained her resolve and decided to keep the baby. She was six-weeks pregnant when her boyfriend brought home a pill bottle that he said contained an antibiotic. The label on the bottle supported the boyfriend’s claims and said that it was prescribed by his father.

October 7, 2013

Recommendations To Improve Motorcycle Safety

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

In June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) issued a report prioritizing recommendations contained in its National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety (“NAMS”). Developed in 2000 by the NHSTA in collaboration with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (“MSF”) the NAMS is comprehensive plan to improve motorcycle safety across the United States and thereby decrease the incidence of motorcycle accidents.

The NAMS contains eighty two recommendations, addressing a range of topics and strategies related motorcycle safety, including, human, vehicle, environmental, and social factors to prevent crashes, reduce injuries in crashes, and care for people injured in crashes. The NAMS recommendations were prioritized in three groups: urgent (4), essential (56), and necessary (22).

Pursuant to a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”), the NHTSA has prioritized the NAMS recommendations based on objective criteria. The recommendations were prioritized based on a complicated methodology designed to estimate each recommendation overall impact on safety outcomes.

October 5, 2013

Clearwater Man Arrested In Connection With Fatal Hit-And-Run Of Bicyclists

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Early this month, a young couple, Rob Lemon, 25, and Hilary Michalak, 25, were struck by a motorist while riding their tandem bike on the Memorial Causeway in Clearwater, Florida. According to reports, the force of the impact shattered the bike and threw the pair over 50 feet. Although both individuals were wearing helmets, Lemon later died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa and Michalak fell into in a coma.

The vehicle that struck Lemon and Michalak did not stop, however, two days after the incident, Christopher Patrick Weed, 29, of Clearwater, came forward and admitted he may have been involved. According to police, Weed claimed that he had blacked out on the way home from and didn’t remember hitting anyone.Upon seeing news coverage of the incident, Weed went to police, who later discovered Weed’s vehicle had a missing windshield and damage to the front end. Weed was arrested on two felony charges of leaving the scene of a crash.

According to those close to the victims, both were aware of the danger posed by bicycling on Florida’s roadways. Both Lemon and Michalak always wore helmets and usually rode their bike on trails to avoid the dangers posed by traffic. Lemon also wore an anklet engraved with his father’s name and phone number so that he could be identified and family contacted if he was ever seriously injured.

September 30, 2013

Court Decision Discusses Admissibility

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

In July, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals issued a decision in the case of Jackson v. Albright, contrary to a long-standing rule of law that evidence of a plaintiff’s prior settlement is inadmissible at trial. Generally speaking, a defendant is not permitted to introduce evidence of or question a plaintiff in a car accident claim regarding any previous settlement that the plaintiff has received as it may prejudice the jury.

In Jackson, the plaintiff, Kim Douglas, was injured in a 2001 car accident when her vehicle was rear-ended by another automobile driven by the defendant, Robert Albright. Douglas sued Albright for negligence, claiming that she suffered a herniated disc and neck strain as a result of the accident.

Douglas claimed that she was treated by a chiropractor and orthopedic surgeon and engaged in physical therapy in the months following the accident. Douglas had an MRI that revealed the disc injury in 2003, but Douglas did not have the surgery until approximately five years later. Douglas maintained that she waited to have the surgery because she did not have the financial ability to pay for it.

September 30, 2013

Son of William de Jesus Sues

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

You may remember reading about the De Jesus family early last year. In February, William de Jesus took his wife and two sons on a drive to a recreational vehicle (RV) park. He then shot an RV owner to death, took the man’s wife captive and began a six-hour standoff with a SWAT team. By the time SWAT was able to break into the RV, De Jesus had stabbed his wife and two young sons before killing himself. Although his youngest son and wife survived, his eldest son died shortly after. Last November, his wife was sentenced to 10 years in prison for child neglect.

Recently, NBC News reported that another chapter of the story has unfolded. On behalf of the De Jesus’ youngest son, who nearly died from the stabbing, lawyers have brought suit against Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) and their contractors. The boy’s lawyers say that the De Jesus story started back in 2007 when the DCF first learned that the family was domestically unstable.

The first incident, according to DCF records, involved a domestic disagreement between William de Jesus and his wife. Next, in 2008, the DCF was notified that De Jesus was molesting his sons. Then, in 2009, the two boys were in foster care, and their foster mother reported that the younger son was continually making dark and cryptic remarks.