Florida Injury Attorney Blog

A Florida Panhandle man died on Tuesday after having a heart attack while riding Walt Disney World’s Expedition Everest roller coaster ride in Orlando. There was no portable defibrillator available to try and restore Jeffery C. Reeb’s heartbeat.

Reeb, a Navarre resident, died of dilated cardiomyopathy. He had a history of heart arrhythmias and had an enlarged heart. He was unresponsive and unconscious when he returned to the unloading area after riding the roller coaster.

A Disney employee and a registered nurse who was visiting the amusement park gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene. It is unclear whether having a portable defibrillator at the scene immediately would have helped. Investigators say the ride was operating properly.

Reeb was transported to Florida Hospital Celebration Health where he later died.

Just last November, Walt Disney Co. announced that it would install 200 more defibrillators at Walt Disney World and 250 more defibrillators on its other properties. Walt Disney World says that as many as 40 lives may have been saved at Disney World, Disneyland, and on Disney Cruise Line Ships since 650 defibrillators were installed four years ago.

There were in fact two defibrillators close to the Everest roller coaster on Tuesday—one was located at a first-aid station just a couple of hundred yards from the Everest ride; another defibrillator was on a mobile cart.

In 2005, a 4-year-old boy suffered a heart attack after riding the Mission: Space Ride at Disney’s Epcot. The boy’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Disney. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount.

If you were seriously injured at a Florida amusement park or if someone you love was killed on an amusement park ride because the ride was not working properly or because the amusement park was negligent or careless, you should contact a Florida personal injury lawyer immediately.

Amusement parks are obligated to make sure that their rides and their premises are safe for visitors. The park also must have the proper first-aid facilities to treat visitors in the event of an emergency.

Autopsy: Man died from heart attack on Disney roller coaster, Orlando Sentinel, December 20, 2007

Magical Mountain.net, Heart Attack Cause Of Death On Disney Ride, December 20, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Ride Accidents

Accident Watch, Theme Park Insider

Continue reading " No Defibrillator Available As Florida Man Dies of Heart Attack on Disney’s Expedition Everest Roller Coaster " »

The family members of 43-year-old Florida resident Ronald Wadsworth have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Volusia County, Prison Health Services Inc., and psychiatrist Dr. David Hager.

Ronald—called Ronnie—passed away at an Ormond Beach nursing home on June 30. Ronnie was mentally retarded. He also had Parkinson’s disease. His condition had deteriorated by the time he was released from Volusia County Branch Jail a few months later and sent to Avante, a nursing home in Ormond Beach.

The lawsuit claims that Ronnie Wadsworth did not get the proper medical care that he needed while incarcerated. Family members say that his condition deteriorated a great deal while he was in jail. They say that he lost so much weight that he only weighed 100 pounds. He had many bedsores. They also say that Wadsworth did not get the medication he needed. The lawsuit says that the infection and ulcers he got as a result of the neglect are what killed him. Wadsworth was not able to complain about his physical illness because he was mentally ill.

This is not the first lawsuit that has been filed against Volusia County Branch Jail because of the way it allegedly treats mentally and physically ill inmates. The jail is located on Red John Road off U.S. 92.

Wadsworth was illiterate. He was arrested after he snuck out of a group home in May 2006 to masturbate while naked on a neighbor’s porch. Wadsworth was charged with burglary but released on bail when the Clear Path Group home promised to watch him more closely.

Wadsworth was ordered to jail again after a neighbor took photographs of him climbing out of one of the home’s windows. A judge ordered Wadsworth to stay in jail until a better place could be found for him.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages from the county for numerous claims, including its negligent hiring of Prison Health Services staff members.

In a wrongful death claim or lawsuit, there may be more than one party that can be held liable for your loved one’s death.

In Florida, a deceased person’s surviving family members can file a wrongful death claim or lawsuit. “Surviving family members” can refer to the decedent’s husband, wife, mother, father, children, adoptive siblings, other blood relatives that were dependent on the decedent for services or support.

Family sues over jailed man's death, Dayton Beach News-Journal Online.com, December 11, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Volusia County, Florida

Wrongful Death, Justia

Continue reading " Florida Family Sues Volusia County and Prison Health Services Inc. for Wrongful Death " »

A 3-year-old boy and his grandfather are dead in the wake of a deadly multi-car accident caused by a drunk driver in Lake City, Florida.

Craig Camiel Jr. and his grandfather Henry, 61, died on Saturday when the Honda they were riding in was rear ended by an SUV driven by 18-year-old Aaron Adler. Adler's Honda then crossed the median and was struck by a Chevrolet pickup.

The Florida Highway Patrol says that Craig, who wasn’t in a car seat, died at the accident scene. Henry was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The three people in the pickup were in critical condition and taken to Shands at the University of Florida. Lake Butler resident George Griffis, the driver of the pickup, was later released. His wife Cathy and mother Katherine, who were also riding the pickup, were still at the hospital on Sunday.

Aaron Adler was arrested on two charges of DUI serious bodily injury and two charges of DUI manslaughter.

Alcohol-alert.com offers the following 2005 drunk driving statistics for the state of Florida: Out of the 3,541 traffic fatalities that occurred in Florida in 2005, 1,471 of them involved drunk driving. Drunk driving is a punishable offense in Florida.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured because of a drunk driver, you should speak with an experienced Florida car accident lawyer who can help you file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the negligent party. If someone you love has died in Florida because of a negligent car driver, you are entitled to receive wrongful death compensation.

The death of a loved one can leave behind an inconsolable and permanent hole in the lives of the loved ones who are left behind. Losing a mother, father, son, daughter, husband, or wife is life changing and extremely painful. Loss of emotional support, companionship, and financial support may result. There also may be expenses incurred by the death, including funeral and medical costs.

Crash kills grandson, grandfather, The Gainesville Sun, December 3, 2007

Florida Drunk Driving Statistics, Alcohol-Alert.com

Related Web Resources:

Florida Automotive Safety & Statistics, DMV.org

Florida Wrongful Death Act

Continue reading " Florida Grandfather and 3-Year-Old Grandson Die in Three-Car Collision in Lake City " »

19-year-old Coral Springs resident Christian Anthony Martinez is dead after a car struck the bicycle he was riding on November 19.

Martinez was riding his bicycle on Northwest 39 Street. As he tried to cross Coral Ridge Drive, Martinez was hit by a 2005 Chrysler van driven by Dana Ball, also a Coral Springs resident.

Martinez was taken to North Broward Medical Center where he died from his injuries later that day.

In 2006, 124 bicyclists were killed in Florida. 39 bicycle passengers and 4,227 bicyclists sustained injuries in traffic accidents.

Bicycling, walking, jogging, running, skateboarding, and in-line skating are popular activities in sunny Florida. Unfortunately, the injuries that can result when a bicyclist or a pedestrian is involved in a car accident, bus crash, truck collision, or motorcycle accident can be catastrophic.

Common causes of bicycle accidents include:

• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Failing to yield to a bicyclist
• Failure to see the bicyclist
• Failure to see the motor vehicle driver
• Failure to obey a traffic signal or sign

Many traffic accidents involving bicycles occur at intersections and crosswalks.

If someone in your family has died in a bicycle accident or any other kind of motor vehicle accident that you believe was caused by another party’s negligence or carelessness, you may be entitled to wrongful death compensation for the death of your loved one.

The statute of limitations for a motor vehicle-related death in Florida is two years from the date of death. You must retain the services of an experienced Florida wrongful death lawyer in order to file a successful wrongful death claim or lawsuit.

Bicyclist dies after being struck by vehicle in Coral Springs, Sun-Sentinel.com, November 20, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Bicycle Regulations, Florida Drivers.com

Bicycles, NHTSA

Continue reading " Florida Bicyclist Dies After Being Hit By Car in Coral Springs " »