Florida Injury Attorney Blog

A 47-year-old Florida man was seriously injured on Tuesday when he was hit by a car. The Florida Highway Patrol says that Fort Walton Beach resident James P. Dreyer was crossing the road when the accident happened. The FHP has ordered an investigation to determine whether charges need to be filed.

If someone you love has been injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, our South Florida injury lawyers can help determine whether you can recover compensation from the parties responsible. Although criminal charges may not be filed against a driver, you may still be able to hold him or her civilly liable for personal injury or wrongful death.

Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents happen far too often. NHTSA statistics report that nearly 5,000 pedestrians are killed each year in traffic accidents. Although some of these deaths are a result of pedestrian negligence, many injuries and deaths occur because a driver was speeding, distracted, driving under the influence, or text messaging/talking on the phone.

Pedestrians have absolutely no protection from the impact of being struck by a bus, truck, car, motorcycle, or train, and the injuries are often catastrophic. Florida’s sunny weather and its beaches, many universities and schools, and different recreational parks make the state easily prone to pedestrian accidents because there are bicyclists, skateboarders, vacationers, and others walking to and from their respective destinations on the state's sidewalks and roads throughout the year.

Whether you are a Florida resident or a visiting tourist, Our South Florida personal injury law firm can evaluate your pedestrian injury case for you and help you determine your legal options. We have the resources to help you pursue your full recovery.

Injured FWB pedestrian identified, NWF DailyNews.com, June 24, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Traffic Safety Facts, NHTSA.gov

Pedestrian Crash Facts, Walkinginfo.org

Continue reading " Florida Pedestrian is Seriously Injured After Being Struck by a Car " »

In Florida, a jury has ordered Bon Secours-St. Joseph Health Care Inc. hospital to pay Lisa and Joseph Ferrentino, a Port Charles couple $364,928 for failing to detect pre-birth injury defects that caused their baby’s death.

Joseph Ferrentino Jr. died on February 20, 2001, three days after he was placed on a respirator. He was suffering from a Trisomy 13, syndrome that leads to chromosome number abnormalities.

The Florida jury agreed that St. Joseph Hospital, now called Peace River Regional Medical Center, committed medical malpractice when it acted negligently and failed to detect deformities or disease during testing. The obstetrical ultrasound took place during the second trimester of Lisa’s pregnancy and failed to include key images, including a chamber view of Joseph Jr’s’s heart.

The Ferrentino’s medical malpractice attorney says that the ultrasound would have found the heart defects if the hospital staff had done the test correctly, and Lisa would have had the option of terminating her pregnancy.

Trisomy 13
Trisomy 13 is a genetic disorder that can result in a number of birth defects, including problems with the different organ systems in the body and mental retardation. 20-30% of infants born with Trisomy 13 die within a month of being born. 90% of infants with Trisomy 13 die by age 1.

Obstetricians and gynecologists owe a duty of care to parents and babies to provide them with the proper medical care and attention, including proper testing. When medical errors or the failure to provide that proper care/testing results in injury or death to an infant or the mother, the medical provider can be held liable. Examples of these kinds of medical malpractice include failure to induce labor, failure to provide proper prenatal care, and failure to test for defects.

Our South Florida medical malpractice law firm can help you determine whether you have grounds to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against a health care provider.

Jury awards $364K in medical malpractice case, Sunnewspapers.net, June 4, 2008

Trisomy 18 & 13, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

Related Web Resources:

Peace River Regional Medical Center

Doctors Visits and Tests, Womenshealth.gov

Continue reading " Florida Jury Awards Port Charles Parents $364,000 for Medical Malpractice Case that Led to Baby's Pre-Birth Injury Defects " »

In Boynton Beach, Florida, one person died on Tuesday night in a four-auto collision on I-95. Two SUVs and two sedans were involved in the crash.

Emergency workers arrived at the accident scene and discovered one person with fatal injuries trapped in one of the motor vehicles. The rest of the motorists appeared to be uninjured.

If you were seriously injured or if someone you love has died in a Florida motor vehicle accident, you may be able to file a personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit against the party responsible for the injury accident. An experienced Florida auto accident law firm can handle your case for you.

Injury cases involving multi-vehicle collisions can be more complex than accident cases involving just two vehicles. Our South Florida auto crash lawyers will work with accident experts to identify the driver that started the accident and whether there were other circumstances or conditions, such as a defective motor vehicle, poor road conditions, or debris on the road that should have been cleared away, that might also have contributed to your accident. There may be more than one liable party responsible for your auto crash, and we will pursue all avenues of recovery for you.

Our South Florida car crash attorneys have helped many injury victims recover compensation from negligent motorists, the manufacturers of defective motor vehicles, or liable state and municipal entities. We will work with accident reconstructionists and medical experts that can determine which procedures your injuries will require and how much they will cost.

There is a good chance that your Florida PIP coverage will not cover all your medical costs if you have been seriously injured in an auto crash. It definitely will not compensate you for the loss of a loved one.

One dead in four-vehicle crash on I-95 near Boynton Beach Blvd., PalmBeachPost.com, June 10, 2008

Related Web Resources:

FARS Encyclopedia

Florida DMV

Continue reading " One Person Dies in Florida Multi-Vehicle Crash on I-95 Close to Boynton Beach Blvd. " »

In Florida, Kareen Dryden, the mother of Dean McGregor, a 7-year-old boy who died from blunt force injuries, is suing the Department of Children & Families and ChildNet, its contracted foster care agency, for his wrongful death.

Dryden is accusing the two agencies of failing to investigate allegations that Dean's father, Desmond McGregor, was abusing the boy, and neglecting to protect Dean and his brothers from the abuse.

Dean died in July 2006 following a severe head injury caused by blunt force that left him clinically brain dead. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the cause of his injuries. No one has been arrested in connection to his death.

A Florida judge had awarded custody of Dean, who was a twin, and his two brothers to their father after Kareen was arrested on felony child neglect charges. At the time, Desmond McGregor already had a criminal record, which included a charge for aggravated battery.

In 2005, the DCF’s abuse hotline received a report from a caseworker that Desmond’s girlfriend had disciplined Dean with a belt. During an examination following the abuse report, Dean told state doctors that his father hit him with a belt and he had neck and back injuries.

In 2006, Florida’s Child Protection Team confirmed abuse, failure to protect, and failure to provide safe environment. The kids remained in their father’s custody. The Florida wrongful death lawsuit accuses the defendants of knowing the boys were in danger but failing to remove them from their father’s home.

This latest lawsuit against the DCF comes soon after Florida lawmakers approved a claims bill granting 9-year-old Marissa Amora $18.2 million for traumatic brain injuries she sustained when the DCF allowed the girl, then 2, to return to her biological mother even though there were signs she was being abused. A jury initially awarded Amora’s adoptive family $26 million.

Our South Florida wrongful death law firm has helped many families recover compensation for the wrongful deaths of their loved ones. We are dedicated to protecting you and your right to recovery.

Mother sues DCF over boy's death, MiamiHerald.com, May 28, 2008

Abused Florida 9-year-old to receive millions for DCF mistake, News-press.com, May 6, 2008

Related Web Resources:

The Florida Department of Children and Families

ChildNet.

Continue reading " Broward County Mother Sues Florida’s Department of Children & Families for Son’s Wrongful Death " »