Florida Injury Attorney Blog

The Pompano Beach wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Edward L. Pyles against Florida Power & Light may go to trial this year. Pyles, 58, was killed in 2009 after a FPL utility truck struck the vehicle he was riding. The tragic Broward County, Florida truck accident happened on December 19 at 8:19 in the morning.

Pyles was headed toward Dixie Highway when the utility truck, driven by FPL employee Steven D. Grosso, tried to make a left turn onto Dixie and struck Pyles’ car. Pyles ended up pinned in his vehicle. He later died at North Broward Medical Center.

While FPL maintains that it is not responsible for the Pompano Beach truck crash that claimed Pyles life—the company has accused him of failing to properly observe the road and avoid the crash—the Sheriff’s Office says that vehicles making a left turn onto Dixie must yield to westbound traffic, which is the direction that Pyles was going at the time.

Witnesses have said that the traffic light for Pyles was green. The Sheriff’s Office report has said that Grosso failed to see Pyles even though the weather was clear and he wasn’t drunk or speeding.

Grosso was acquitted of the charge that he violated Pyle’s right of way. He is not a defendant in this Pompano Beach wrongful death case.

Florida Truck Accidents
In Florida, unless the victim that died is a minor, you usually have two years from the time of your loved one’s death to file your Broward County, Florida wrongful death complaint. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to hold the negligent party or parties liable. Also, the sooner you speak with a Pompano Beach truck crash lawyer, the faster he/she can send someone to examine the accident evidence and start interviewing witnesses while the accounts of what happened are still fresh in their memories.

Common Causes of South Florida Truck Crashes:
• Distracted driving
• Drunk driving
• Failure to obey traffic signs
• Speeding
• Aggressive driving
• Road defects
• Truck defects
• Drowsy driving
• Improper truck maintenance
• Inadequate training
• Trucker inexperience

FPL sued over Lighthouse Point man's death in crash, Sun-Sentinel, August 19, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Power & Light

Continue reading " Pompano Beach Truck Accident: Florida Power & Light Sued Over Broward County Wrongful Death of Lighthouse Point Man " »

The family of 2-year-old Haile Brockington is suing Katie's Kids Learning Center and the driver of the day care van that she was left in for Palm Beach wrongful death. They are seeking unspecified damages for their mental pain and suffering, medical costs, and funeral expenses incurred as a result of the little girl’s passing.

Haile died on August 5 after she was left in the van for several hours during the day. The vehicle had picked Haile and two of her siblings up at around 8:30 am to take her to the Delray Beach day care center. While the other children either got out or were taken out of the van when they were dropped off at the center, Haile, who would have needed help unbuckling her car seat, was left in the vehicle. The temperature at 2pm that day would hit 91 degrees.

It wasn’t until around 4pm when the other kids were getting back in the van so they could be transported him that one of them, age 5, found Haile. The child tried to wake up Haile up, but she remained unresponsive. The driver tried to administered CPR to Haile without success. The 2-year-old had died from hyperthermia.

The family says that it was police and not the day care center that notified mom about Haile’s death. In their Palm Beach wrongful death complaint, they are accusing the day care center of active negligence and vicarious liability, including leaving Haile strapped in the car in hot weather, improper training of its employees, and numerous other negligent acts. They are accusing the van driver, “defendant Amanda,” of failing to keep an accurate driver’s log, neglecting to make sure that all of the kids got out of the van, not physically taking Haile out of her car seat, and other acts. The family also contends that although the drivers are supposed to keep an updated transportation log, they had forged Haile’s mother’s signature on it in the past. They contend that the bus and day care had forgotten other children on the bus before.

Florida Wrongful Death
Day care centers, schools, summer camps,recreational centers, and parties responsible for the care and supervision of children can be held liable for Palm Beach personal injury or wrongful death if their negligence contributed to a child getting hurt or dying under their watch. As the parent or guardian, it is important that you explore your legal options.

Day care center co-owner: Haile's death 'tragic mistake', Palm Beach Post, August 14, 2010

Family files wrongful death lawsuit in case of two-year-old found in day care van, WPTV, August 13, 2010

Delray day care center reopens more than a week after 2-year-old's death, Sun-Sentinel, August 16, 2010

Read the Wrongful Death Complaint (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Florida Wrongful Death, Florida Statutes, Florida Senate.gov

Wrongful Death, Nolo

In South Florida this morning, another pedestrian suffered fatal injuries during a Lauderhill traffic accident when she was hit by a van on Inverrary Boulevard. The impact of the collision pushed the middle-aged woman onto the van’s windshield even as the vehicle traveled at least another 60 feet before stopping. The driver of the van sustained minor back injuries. Meantime, the Broward County pedestrian accident victim died on her way to a Fort Lauderdale hospital.

Today’s Lauderhill pedestrian accident comes a little over a month after another van, operated by a civilian accident investigator, struck a woman on a motorized scooter while she was crossing Indian Drive at Westgate Avenue. The woman who was riding the scooter, 68-year-old Barbara Guyton, sustained serious injuries during the Palm Beach County pedestrian accident. An accident report says that the driver, 44-year-old Gerlienus Marie Hester, failed to yield the right of way to Guyton.

Meantime, Palm Beach County authorities have stepped up their efforts to stop the growing number of pedestrian deaths—especially on Lake Worth Road, from Haverhill to Congress, which is often referred to as the “corridor of death.” Between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2009, there were 25 Palm Beach bicyclist and pedestrian deaths in this area. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there were 39 Palm Beach County pedestrian deaths and 335 injuries, which makes the county the second deadliest for bicyclists and the fourth most fatal for pedestrians. Florida is considered the deadliest state for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Our Broward County and Palm Beach County pedestrian accidents lawyers represent injury victims and their families. Any preventive measures to stop the growing number of pedestrian injuries and deaths is a step forward in the fight to save lives. Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys know how tough it can be to get your life back on track after you or someone you love was seriously hurt in a traffic crash, and we want to remind you that you have legal options.

Woman struck by van in Lauderhill dies, Sun-Sentinel, August 10, 2010

Condition of scooter rider in crash with Palm Beach County van improves, Sun-Sentinel, July 7, 2010

Authorities work to halt pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on 'corridor of death', Palm Beach Post, July 16, 2010

Rise in pedestrian fatalities in Palm Beach County raises concern, Palm Beach Post, March 20, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Florida Highway Patrol

Florida Pedestrian Safety (PDF)

Continue reading " Woman Struck by Van Dies in Lauderhill Pedestrian Accident " »

The daughter of a woman who drowned in the bathroom of a St. Lucie County residential treatment center is seeking damages for her Fort Pierce, Florida wrongful death. Sharon Bronowicz died in January 2009.

According to Renee Hill’s St. Lucie County wrongful death complaint, Bronowicz, who was severely depressed, bipolar, and suffered from suicidal tendencies, was left unattended in a locked bathroom for over 45 minutes. While her cause of death was at first listed as suicide, it was later changed to accidental drowning.

Hill’s Stuart, Florida wrongful death lawyer says that Bronowicz’s drowning could have been prevented if only residential care treatment workers hadn’t been negligent. Although 59-year-old patient had reportedly became increasingly disturbed in the days leading up to the Florida drowning accident, they still left her alone in a locked bathroom.

South Florida nursing homes, residential treatment centers, long-term care facilities, and assisted living facilities are supposed to properly supervise their residents, and inadequate supervision resulting in serious injuries and death can be grounds for a St. Lucie County nursing home negligence case. Depending on a patient’s health issues and mental state, he/she may require closer supervision and nursing attention than others. Failure to constantly monitor a resident that should not be left alone for too long can prove catastrophic, such as when the resident gets hurt after wandering off the premise, during slip and fall accident, falls off the bed, forgets to eat, doesn't take his/her prescription medication, or causes injury to others.

It was just last month that a 51-year-old woman drowned at another nursing home. Jean Engstrom, who was mentally ill, was found in a bathtub with the water running.

It can take a few moments for someone submerged under water to drown. Many Florida drowning accidents could have been prevented if only other parties hadn’t acted so negligently or carelessly. While bathtub drownings are normally associated with child victims, adults can drown in bathtubs too if they stay submerged under the water for too long. Also, an adult may fall ill while in the bathtub or fall into the water during a St. Lucie County slip and fall accident.

Treatment center facing wrongful death lawsuit after drowning, Sun-Sentinel, July 14, 2010

Bathtub drowning investigation, Chicago Tribune, July 5, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Florida Nursing Homes, Nursing Home Info

Drowning, eMedicine