South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

14-Year-Old Injured in Palm Beach County Boating Accident Has Part of Her Leg Amputated

February 8, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A teenager who was flown to the hospital on Saturday after a Palm Beach County boating accident had to have part of her leg amputated. Gabby DeSouza, 14, was swimming in the water south of Juno Beach Pier when part of her leg got caught in a boat propeller south of Juno Beach Pier.

As the girls ran to meet the boat, its operator revved the engine to keep it from getting beached because of the waves. The boat struck three of the girls, knocking them down. The propeller struck one of the girl’s legs.

Lifeguards came to the rescue in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The boat, a 22-foot white Cobia, fled the scene. It was later found at the Crab House in Jupiter and the Sheriff’s Office has impounded it.

Prior to the Palm Beach County boating accident, lifeguards had warned the boat operator to leave the swimming area but their orders were ignored. An investigation is under way.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

• There were 426 boating injuries in 2009
• Primary injuries included lacerations, broken bones, contusions, head injury, back injury, neck injury, sprain/strain, internal injuries, hypothermia, teeth and jaw injuries, dislocations, burns, amputations, spinal injury, and shock.

Boating accidents can cause serious injuries to both the people riding in the boat and those in the water. There may be more than one liable party who should be held liable for your boating accident injuries, such as the boat operator, the person or company that owns the boat, or the manufacturer of a defective boat.

14-Year-Old Girl Injured By Boat Propeller Has Leg Amputated, WBPF, February 8, 2011
14-year-old girl hospitalized after leg is caught in boat propeller, Sun-Sentinel, February 6, 2011

Related Web Resources:
US Coast Guard

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Related Blog Posts:
Man Charged in Boating Accident that Injured Florida Diver, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, January 29, 2010
Fort Myers Man Dies in Boating Accident, Cause of Death Unknown, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, December 29, 2009
Boating Accident Injures Boca Raton Man, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, November 27, 2009 Continue reading

$1.575M Broward County Injury Settlement Reached with Sheriff’s Office Over Abused Child’s Brain Damage

February 4, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Attorneys for 5-year-old Jace Manning and the insurer for the Broward Sheriff’s Office have settled the boy’s Coral Springs, Florida brain injury lawsuit for $1.575 million. The settlement brought the civil trial proceedings to a halt.

The plaintiff’s side contended that county child welfare officials failed to protect Jace, who sustained brain damage after they let him keep living with his mom and boyfriend even though there were signs that the couple might be abusive. His grandmother had even warned authorities that Jace, then 5-months, was in danger.

As a result of his head trauma, Jace remains developmentally disabled, walks with a limp, and requires intense speech therapy. He now lives with his grandmother.

Ex-Dallas Cowboy Football Player Michael Irvine Settles Miami Injury Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault

January 31, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A confidential Miami personal injury settlement has been reached between Dallas Cowboys football player Michael Irvin and a woman accusing him of sexual battery. The woman sued Irvin in Broward County Circuit Court last year for unspecified damages.

She contends that the Pro Football Hall of Famer assaulted her at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida in 2007. The woman also claims that Irvin was drunk when he took her to a hotel room and raped her and that another man, who was also in the room, forced her to give him oral sex.

Seminole tribal police were notified about the alleged incident, but the woman went on to sign a waiver of prosecution. The case has no physical evidence because, according to the Broward State Attorney’s office, the alleged victim did not report the incident until more than two weeks later. As part of the terms of the Miami sex assault lawsuit, Irvine is dropping his $100 million defamation countersuit against the woman.

Inadequate Security Alleged in Broward County Injury Lawsuit of Teen Left with Brain Damage After Beating at Deerfield School

January 27, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

The mother of Josie Lou Ratley, 16, wants the Broward School District to pay her daughter Florida personal injury compensation for the brain damage and permanent injuries she sustained during a severe beating at Deerfield Beach Middle School last year. Ratley was attacked at a campus bus stop last March by 16-year-old Wayne Treacy. He is charged with the adult crime of first-degree attempted murder. Also charged in the attack on Ratley is 14-year-old Kayla Manson with attempted murder, who allegedly pointed Ratley to Treacy when he arrived at the middle school.

Per the Broward County personal injury complaint, the plaintiff is accusing the school district of providing inadequate security and not properly supervising the bus pickup area. The lawsuit also claims that Treacy, a high school student, was allowed to “openly walk” onto the middle school grounds even though he wasn’t supposed to be there.

Treacy attacked Ratley several hours after exchanging text messages with her. He reportedly thought she was making fun of his brother’s death by suicide. He is accused of pushing Ratley’s head into the concrete and using his steel-toed boots to kick her “in the head, soccer style,” per the words used by Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti last year when describing to ABC News what happened. The assault finally stopped when a teacher pulled Treacy off Ratley.

$500K West Palm Beach Slip and Fall Verdict Awarded in Lawsuit Against Lake Worth Lawsuit Against CVS

January 24, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are injured in slip and fall injuries-a type of accident that might sound harmless enough but can result in painfully and debilitating injuries that can take months to recover from. Surgery, rehabilitation, and time off work can take a physical, emotional, and financial toll. Fortunately, Florida law allows victims and their families to seek personal injury recovery from the liable parties.

Recently, a jury awarded Todd Flemke $500,000 for his West Palm Beach slip and fall injuries that he sustained at a CVS Pharmacy. Flemke contends that he slipped and fell over a plug in a CVS store.

In his Lake Worth, Florida personal injury complaint, Flemke claims that the pharmacy failed to put up warning signs to let them know that cleaning was taking place in the aisle where the slip and fall accident occurred even though underwritten policy calls for caution signs. Flemke had to undergo back surgery after he developed herniated discs from the West Palm Beach fall accident.

$5.3M Naples Wrongful Death Verdict Awarded to Family of Motorcyclist

January 21, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A jury has awarded the family of Andrew C. Corsini, Jr. $5.3 million for his Naples wrongful death. The 49-year-old Islamorada man died on May 17, 2009 after he was struck head-on by another vehicle in a Collier County motorcycle accident. The 1996 Jeep that hit Andrew, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, had driven into oncoming traffic on US 41.

The impact of the Naples motorcycle accident pushed Andrew motorbike into his wife’s motorcycle. Melissa Dawn Corsini sustained serious injuries, including torn ligaments, broken bones, a concussion, and other injuries. Meantime, according to the family’s wrongful death lawyer, Andrew’s organs were “pulpified” and “his aorta was ripped out from his heart” during the crash.

Also injured in the Naples car accident were the Jeep’s driver, 77-year-old driver Carlos Riol, who sustained minor injuries, and his 73-year-old passenger, Maria Gomez, who suffered serious injuries. Riol received a ticket for failing to maintain a single lane. A police trooper told a county judge that the elderly motorist might have fallen asleep while driving. Riol’s license was suspended for a year and he was fined $20,000.

Man’s Legs Severed in Miami Car Accident

January 19, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A man’s legs were severed in a Miami pedestrian accident on Saturday night when he became pinned between a wrought iron fence and a Ford Bronco. According to authorities, he was standing on the sidewalk when a Ford SUV, which was going the wrong way, struck the Bronco, which then hit him.

Following the Miami-Dade traffic crash, a number of people came running and a fight ensued. Seven other people sustained injuries.

Miami Pedestrian Accidents

Motorcyclist Dies in Hiahleah Gardens Car Accident

January 14, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A motorcyclist is dead and two others were seriously injured in a Miami-Dade County car accident involving a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, a motorcycle, and a Honda Civic on the Palmetto Expressway. The Hialeah Gardens multi-vehicle accident took place at around 1am this morning.

The Florida Highway Patrol says that motorcyclist Adrian Cespedes Kelly died after he was ejected from his bike that had just rear-ended the SUV. At the time, the Tahoe was stopped in the middle of the road because its driver was helping the Civic’s driver, who was just involved in another collision. The motorcycle also struck the Civic. Both the SUV’s driver, Juancarlos Alvarez, and the Civic’s driver, Edward Crouch, were admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

In other recent South Florida car accident news, another motorcyclist, 56-year-old Confessor Ramirez, died in a West Palm Beach motorcycle crash on Wednesday afternoon. Ramirez was thrown from his Harley and into a 1999 Chevrolet Blazer that struck his bike while making a left turn. Ramirez was later pronounced dead at Delray Medical Center.

Also, the 12 students who were injured in Tuesday’s Palm Beach school bus accident are expected to make a full recovery. The Miami Herald reported 16 injuries from when a car crashed into a turning bus. The student with the most serious injuries, a boy, sustained facial lacerations and injured his leg. Our Palm Beach personal injury law firm reported on this news earlier this week in another blog post.

Florida Traffic Accidents
Getting hurt or losing someone you love in a Palm Beach motor vehicle crash can be catastrophic and life-changing. The financial costs that result may be far greater than what your insurance can cover. Medical bills, recovery expenses, funeral costs, lost income, lost benefits, and lost future wages can take a financial toll unless you can hold the responsible parties liable for causing your Miami-Dade car accident.

Motorcyclist killed on Palmetto, Miami Herald, January 14, 2011
Motorcyclist dies in crash near West Palm Beach, Orlando Sentinel, January 13, 2011
Palm Beach Central students hurt in crash expected to make full recovery, Palm Beach Post, January 12, 2011
Recent Palm Beach County Car Crashes Pedestrian Accidents, and Bicycle Collision Cause Deaths and Injuries, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, January 12, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Florida DMV

What to do after a car accident, MSN Continue reading

Recent Palm Beach County Car Crashes, Pedestrian Accidents, and Bicycle Collision Cause Deaths and Injuries

January 12, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A 78-year-old Greenacres woman is dead after she was injured in a Lake Worth, Florida pedestrian accident. Fatemeh Kazemishahmirzadi was crossing Melaleuca Lane early this morning when the Palm Beach motor vehicle accident happened.

The driver of the 2005 Hyundai SUV that struck Kazemishahmirzadi is was Wellington resident Tracy Laing. The 22-year-old motorist has said that she did not see the elderly pedestrian.

In other recent Palm Beach traffic crash news, 16 people were hurt yesterday when a school bus was rear-ended by a Dodge compact car. The rear of the school bus, which was transporting Palm Beach Central High students, reportedly lifted and part of it was torn off. The bus driver, eight students, and all three occupants in the Dodge were transported to hospitals.

Over the weekend, a multiple-Palm Beach bicycle accident sent two riders to the hospital. According to police, one cyclist fell and then two others followed suit. One of the riders, age 40, sustained bruises, scratches, and a possible broken collarbone. Another bicyclist complained lower back and left rib pain after the South Florida bicycle collision. The third rider refused medical care.

On Thursday, another Palm Beach pedestrian accident took another life when 63-year-old Edward Bert Allee was injured in a Lake Park, Florida car accident. Allee was walking his dog at around 6:40 am when he was fatally struck by a van whose driver did not stay at the crash site. However, 55-year-old James Clark Bristow, who drives a 1999 Ford, later arrived at the North Palm Beach Police department. He told police that he thought he had struck something with his van. He was later identified as the motorist that hit Allee.

Elderly woman killed in accident in suburban Lake Worth, The Palm Beach Post, January 12, 2010
Drivers, kids injured in school bus accident in suburban West Palm Beach, The Palm Beach Post, January 12, 2010
Multiple-bicycle crash on South Ocean Boulevard sends two to hospital, Palm Beach Daily News, January 8, 2011
Victim in deadly hit-and-run in Lake Park identified, Sun-Sentinel, January 6, 2011 Continue reading

Florida Tractor-Trailer Accident Kills Two

January 7, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Two people were killed yesterday when the car they were riding was hit by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 and dragged 760 feet. Two other autos were also involved in the Florida semi-truck crash.

The two truck collision victims that died are Todd Olthoff and Marcy Olthoff, both 48. Also injured in the four-vehicle collision were Philip Keen, 74, and Sandra Keen, 72, who were briefly trapped in their auto. The driver of the fourth vehicle, Filbert Delva, 35, sustained minor injuries. A construction worker at the scene also sought medical care at the local hospital.

The Florida Highway Patrol says that the trucker, Miami Lakes resident Eduardo Avila, failed to slow down in a construction zone, which was near a closed exit ramp. That was when he rear-ended the Olthoffs’ vehicle, which ended up pinned under the tractor-trailer’s undercarriage. Avila then went on to rear-end the vehicles that were transporting Delva and the Keens.