Florida Injury Attorney Blog

In Florida, the mother of a man who drowned last year while trying to save two girls caught in the ocean currents is suing the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach for his wrongful death.

Giankarlo "J.C." Squicimari died last May while at the resort. He and his friend were at the beach, when they reportedly heard the girls screaming and noticed that resort employees did not respond. No lifeguards were on duty. Squicimari, 31, and his friend ran into the water to help the girls. His friend saved the 12-year-old, but nearly drowned until someone else came to the rescue.

Squicimari held the 8-year-old girl above the water so she wouldn’t drown. He was under the water for several minutes before he was pulled out. He never regained consciousness.

The National Weather Service had cautioned that there were very dangerous rip currents that day that could put even experienced swimmers at risk of being dragged into the ocean.

Squicimari’s mother, Olga Giner filed her complaint in Palm Beach County Circuit Court today. She says the resort only had one sign, located near the pool, which noted the temperature of the water and the low and high tides.

The lawsuit claims that even though the sign explained what the different colored warning flags signified, no one who was at the beach on May 27 remembers seeing any flags. No explanations were posted regarding what to do if someone got caught in a rip current. Such signs exist at public beaches. Since Squicimari’s drowning death, the Four Seasons has posted similar signs.

It is the responsibility of all premise owners—especially the owner of a property frequented by guests, visitors, patrons, or workers—to ensure that their premise is safe and hazard free. In the event that a hazardous condition does exist on the premise, the premise owner must remedy the condition or—at the very least—provide proper warning that the unsafe condition exists. Failure to do so can be grounds for a premises liability or wrongful death case if someone on the premise is seriously injured or dies.

Family of hero who drowned during rescue sues Palm Beach resort, Sun-Sentinel.com, February 13, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Four Seasons Palm Beach

Rip Current Fact Sheet, National Weather Service

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Posted In: Premises Liability , Wrongful Death

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In Collier County, Florida, two men sustained serious injuries when they were struck by two motor vehicles on February 2.

Naples residents Ernesto Perez, 34, and Juan Domingo, 32, were walking on Santa Barbara Boulevard at about 2am, when either one or both of them was hit by a 2002 GMC Sierra driven by Ryan Helms, 22. Both men were then struck by a white Ford pickup truck. The Florida Highway Patrol says that both vehicles left the accident scene after striking the two pedestrians.

Helms was later apprehended on Weber Boulevard close to 1st Avenue. Police have charged him with leaving the accident and DUI.

Anyone who leaves the scene of a motor vehicle accident or is apprehended for drunk driving in Florida is subject to criminal charges upon arrest. If a hit and run motorist or a drunk driver injures or kills another person during the accident, he or she may be named as the defendant of a personal injury or a wrongful death lawsuit.

Although Florida’s mandatory No-Fault (PIP) insurance coverage provides some coverage to drivers and others injured in motor vehicle accidents, there are many instances when personal injury claims must still be filed to compensate the injured person for their injuries, lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other costs.

Our Florida auto accident law firm has handled many Naples personal injury cases for motorists, pedestrians, and other injury victims in South Florida.

Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrians injured in motor vehicle accidents tend to sustain serious—if not fatal—injuries. Unlike car drivers, bus drivers, and truckers, pedestrians have no protection from the impact and speed of a collision involving a motor vehicle. Massive head injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, broken bones, severed limbs, other serious injuries, and even death can result.

Causes of Pedestrian Accidents Include:

• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Driver inattention
• Driver negligence
• Defective auto or motor vehicle parts
• Falling cargo from a motor vehicle
• Uneven pavements that can cause a pedestrian to slip and fall onto a busy street

Two injured during hit and run, driver charged with DUI, WBBH-HD.com, February 2, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Florida Highway Patrol

FAQs on Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

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A woman who is now blind because a golf ball hit her eye is suing the city of Palm Beach, Florida for personal injury. Katherine Georgas, 39, was walking on a bike path next to South Ocean Boulevard with her husband last May when the golf ball came flying at her from the Par-3 Golf Course. Carole Maddox, the Florida golfer who hit the errant ball, is also named in the personal injury lawsuit.

Georgas, a Palm Beach and Connecticut resident, compared the impact of the ball to being “hit by a lighting bolt” and calls the incident the “worst pain she has ever experienced. She underwent major surgery and painful rehabilitation to repair the damage. Georgas said that she had to sleep face down on a massage table for a while because she was unable to raise her head. Her medical expenses for the injury have reached the six figures. Georgas is now legally blind because of the “severe and permanent” injury.

Georgas says that the city of Palm Beach should have installed landscaping, nets, fences and warning signs to protect pedestrians and motorists from flying golf balls. The Par-3 Golf Course is located next to the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. The Palm Beach Police Department has documented nine reported incidents of golf balls coming from the course and striking people or motor vehicles. Auto windshields were damaged in several instances.

Georgas says that Maddox, who considers herself an erratic golfer, should have issued a warning regarding the errant ball.

Premises Liability Cases
The owners and managers of premises are supposed to make sure that there are no unsafe or dangerous conditions on a premise that can cause injury or harm to others. When failure to repair or remedy an unsafe (or failure to warn of the hazardous condition) results in injury or death, the injury victim may have grounds to sue for damages by filing a premises liability case.

Common Kinds of Premises Liability Cases Include:

• Slip and fall accidents
• Inadequate security-related crimes
• Dog attacks
• Falling merchandise cases
• Injuries caused by hidden hazards or dangerous conditions on a premise

Our Florida premises liability law firm would be happy to discuss your injury case with you. You may be able to obtain personal injury compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, and other costs.

Woman sues Palm Beach over eye injury, PalmBeachPost.com, January 5, 2008

Woman hit by golf ball near Par 3 sues Palm Beach, Palm Beach Daily News, January 5, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Golfers be fore-warned: If a ball smacks your head, see your doctor, CNN.com, May 21, 1999

The Par-3 Golf Course, Palm Beach G.C.

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Posted In: Premises Liability

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