Florida Injury Attorney Blog

A 28-year-old woman and a horse have died following a hyperbaric chamber blast at an equine therapy center in Florida. KESMARC Florida is located in Ocala, Marion County.According to fire rescue officials, the explosion occurred on Friday morning. The woman that died from her injuries is Erica Marshall. She was in charge of running the chamber. A second person, Sorcha Moneley, was taken to the hospital for treatment of her traumatic injuries.

The blast caused the equine rehabilitation facility to partially collapse. Hazmat crews arrived at the blast scene. According to one Marion sheriff detective, the blast happened after the horse, which was in the chamber receiving treatment for a condition, kicked off a protective shield. When it did this, its steel shoe hit the chamber’s side, which caused a spark that immediately started a fire. Because the animal had been in the chamber on multiple occasions in the past, and each time had been uneventful, no one had administered a tranquilizer to him.

There were about 30 horses at the KESMARC this morning. One other horse was also injured.

Surprisingly, today’s incident is not the first deadly Florida hyperbaric chamber accident to happen. In 2009, a 4-year-old boy and his 62-year-old grandmother were killed in a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea accident. The boy, Francesco Martinisi, had been undergoing therapy to treat his cerebral palsy, when a blast at the Ocean Hyperbaric Oxygen Neurologic Center, caused a tube attached to the chamber to explode, creating a flash fire. Vincenza Pesce had been there to accompany grandson while he underwent treatment.

Their family would go on to file a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea wrongful death lawsuit against the clinic and building owner Ocean Medical Center. The Broward County, Florida wrongful death complaint accused clinic workers of neglecting to take reasonable safety measures that would have protected the victims from the blast. They also claimed negligence over an alleged failure to warn patients about the potential fire risks involved.

If Marshall was employed by KESMARC, then there is a good chance that her family could not sue the facility. However, there may be other liable parties—depending on the specifics of what happened.

Miami Premises Liability and Wrongful Death
If someone you loved was killed in an accident on someone else’s premise, you may have grounds for a Miami wrongful death lawsuit against the property owner if the latter was negligent. If that death occurred because of defective/dangerous product, you may have reason for pursuing a Florida products liability claim against a manufacturer, seller, or distributor.

Each case is different, and our Miami injury law firm can help you determine whether you have a claim you may want to pursue. While pursuing recovery may seem like a daunting task, having an experienced South Florida personal injury lawyer helping you can make the experience a lot easier and manageable as you will have someone handling the process and fighting for your rights. At Trop & Ameen, PA, we know that nothing will make up for your loved one’s death. We may, however, be able to help you hold the responsible party or parties accountable while obtaining you some financial relief.

Woman, horse killed in hyperbaric chamber explosion in Ocala, The Palm Beach Post, February 10, 2012

Family sues over hyperbaric explosion, Sun-Sentinel, July 3, 2009

More Blog Posts:
Florida Wrongful Death: FAMU Band Member's Family to Name Bus Company in Lawsuit over Fatal Hazing, Florida Injury Attorney Blog, January 12, 2012

Florida Wrongful Death Lawsuit Blames Improperly Installed Guardrail for Fatal Car Crash, Florida Injury Attorney Blog, January 6, 2012

NHTSA Reports 2,445 Florida Traffic Deaths in 2010, Florida Injury Attorney Blog, December 8, 2011

A series of Florida car crashes earlier this week on I-75 has claimed the lives of 11 people, injuring at least 18 others. The collisions, which are being described as a massive auto pileup, all happened south of Gainesville at around 4am on Sunday.

Heavy fog and brush fire smoke played a role in creating less than ideal conditions on the road that morning. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, seven tractor-trailers and 12 cars were involved in different accidents, which occurred on both sides of the highway.

In one collision, a tractor-trailer and two cars caught fire, melting asphalt. There also were crumpled cars on both southbound and northbound lanes and on the shoulders. Media reports describe the disaster area as being a mile long.

Visibility was so bad that at first rescuers could only find victims by listening for them. They spent the day spraying foam onto wrecked multi-vehicles, while some victims had to be pried out of their autos.

As of Thursday, eight of the people who were injured were still in hospitals. One of the victims still in fair condition is 15-year-old Lidiane Carmo, who lost her parents, brother, and sister in the Florida car accident they were involved in.

Just hours before the Florida auto pileup, authorities had closed off an area of the highway following a three-auto collision that caused one serious injury. According to authorities, they reopened the area just minutes before the collision. One witness said you could hear vehicles striking each other while people were screaming and crying. Steven R. Camps is quoted by the AP as describing the scene as looking “like the end of the world.”

The National Highway Transportation Board has investigators working to determine what caused the deadly pileup.

While poor weather conditions can’t be blamed on anyone, in a situation such as this it is important to determine whether negligence played a factor in allowing the pileup to happen. Should the area of I-75 have remained closed following the first Florida car crash? Were there vehicles that were speeding, a driver who was driving drunk, or any other recklessness or carelessness that occurred that made it easier for an accident to happen in light of the bad driving conditions?

If you were injured in Sunday’s I-75 pileup or someone you love died as a result of it, you should speak with an experienced Florida car accident lawyer immediately. There may be more than one party that should be held liable. In some cases, it may be a government entity or property owner that could/should have acted in a way that would have prevented your motor vehicle crash from happening.

Trop and Ameen, PA represents victims their families injured in South Florida truck crashes, auto crashes, pedestrian accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle collisions, and other types of accidents. Your first consultation with our Miami car accident law firm is free. We have other law offices conveniently located in Naples, Hollywood, Boca Raton, Coral Springs, and West Palm Beach.

Questions remain in deadly Florida highway crash, AP, February 1, 2012

8 remain hospitalized after fatal Florida pileup, CNN, February 2, 2012

More Blog Posts:
Florida Wrongful Death Lawsuit Blames Improperly Installed Guardrail for Fatal Car Crash, FIorida Injury Attorney Blog, January 6, 2012

With Safety Officials Calling For Tougher Stance Against Distracted Driving, Florida Lawmakers May Follow Their Lead, FIorida Injury Attorney Blog, December 29, 2012

NHTSA Reports 2,445 Florida Traffic Deaths in 2010, FIorida Injury Attorney Blog, December 8, 2011