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An 8-Year-old West Palm Beach school boy died this afternoon in a Greenacres, Florida truck accident. The Palm Beach County bicycle accident happened as Elian Rojas and his father were going home from school.

According to police, Elian, who was riding his bike, and his dad were on the sidewalk on Jog Road and getting ready to cross 13th Road South when a delivery truck hit him. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was not known whether the trucker is facing criminal charges. Investigators are trying to determine exactly what happened.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury law firm wants to remind you that if you or your loved one was seriously injured in a South Florida car accident, you must explore your legal options as soon as possible. Although Florida requires that all motorists carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, some injuries are so serious and costly that you will need to file a Palm Beach injury lawsuit against the responsible motorist and any other liable parties. Also, the opportunity for your Palm Beach injury lawyer’s team to examine vehicle and road damage while the evidence is still fresh, as well as talk to witnesses while the accounts are still vivid in their minds, can prove invaluable to your case.

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Katie’s Kids Learning Center in Delray Beach will temporarily close down beginning Monday. The day care center lost over $200,000 in state funds following the death of Haile Brockington on August 5. The 2 ½-year-old girl died from hypothermia after a van driver accidentally left her strapped to her car seat in the pickup van for several hours on a day when the temperature at one point went above 90 degrees. Officials are continuing to investigate the tragic accident.

Meantime, Brockington’s family is suing daycare center owners Barbara Dilthey and Kathryn Muhammad and driver Amanda Inman for Palm Beach County wrongful death. Inman, who is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, is accused of failing to unstrap Haile from her car seat and not making sure she got out of the van when the kids were dropped off at the day care center. It wasn’t until around 4pm when the van arrived to take the kids’ home that one of the students discovered Haile still in her seat.

In their Delray Beach wrongful death complaint, Brockington’s parents contend that Katie’s Kids failed to provide a van helper or another employee to assist the driver and neglected to properly train its employees. They also claim that this was not the first time that children had been forgotten at the center or on the bus and that there have been times in the past when van drivers signed or forged Haile’s mom’s signature on transportation logs.

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A Palm Beach Gardens man who lost both his legs in an offshore boating accident last year his filed a civil lawsuit against the boat’s operator. The suit alleges that the boat’s operator, a 56-year-old Stuart man, came into the diver’s flag zone and did not render aid following the boat accident. The incident occurred on January 9, 2009 roughly 4.5 miles northeast of the St. Lucie inlet.

In addition to losing both his legs, the diver has lost his job and continues to undergo extensive rehabilitation. He is able to continue diving with the use of prosthetics that propel his body through the water.

Following a yearlong investigation of the boating accident by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the State Attorney’s Office also filed second-degree misdemeanor charges for allegedly violating navigational rules.

Source: Diver sues after losing legs, WPTV.com, January 22, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week, The St. Petersburg Times reported that a car accident on Thursday morning involved a 30-year-old New Port Richey women and a 17-month-old child. According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, the auto accident occurred at State Road 54 and Rowan Road.

The driver who reportedly caused the motor vehicle accident is accused of driving under the influence and causing a car crash. Charges include DUI, two counts of DUI with damage to property or person, DUI causing personal injury, knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license, and child neglect.

As of Friday afternoon, she was in jail without bail.

Source: Pasco crash caused by impaired driver with toddler in car, FHP says, TampaBay.com, January 22, 2010 Continue reading

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On Monday afternoon, a three-vehicle crash in Lake Wales, Florida killed a police officer. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred on State Road 25 and Jackson Street when the police officer was driving an SUV that traveled into the path of another vehicle. The officer attempted to avoid the auto crash and went into the path of the SUV, causing it to overturn.

The auto accident victim was thrown from his vehicle and passed away at the scene of the accident. The officer’s passenger suffered minor injuries, but no other injuries were reported.

The Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate this deadly car accident.

Source: Lakeland officer killed in crash, ABC Action News, January 19, 2010 Continue reading

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On Friday, a former resident of Live Oak, Florida was arrested in connection with a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred last spring. According to reports from the Florida Highway Patrol, the 47-year-old man was driving his motorcycle when it veered off the road and overturned.

The man’s passenger, a 40-year-old woman also of Live Oak, died the following day. The cyclist, who was also hospitalized with critical injuries, has been charged with driving with a suspended license resulting in death or serious injury. Prison records show he is also charged with having no driver’s license for a motorcycle.

Motorcycle accidents can be especially dangerous, because the rider does not have the protection of a car or bus around them. Serious injuries, such as broken bones, internal bleeding, or head trauma, can result, particularly if the rider is not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Source: Arrest made in fatal motorcycle crash, Sewanee Democrat, January 18, 2010 Continue reading

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The widower of a woman who died in a 2007 motorcycle crash has filed a wrongful death suit against the owner of the motorcycle, claiming the owner was aware that he had not properly maintained the Harley Davidson.

The surviving spouse has sued the motorcycle’s owner, a Palm Beach County resident, and seeks at least $15,000 in damages. The lawsuit claims the owner failed to maintain the motorcycle’s brake and rear turning lights, preventing the truck driver from seeing the couple right before impact.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the woman was killed after the motorcycle she was riding in was hit by a pick-up truck in a hit-and-run accident. The woman was ejected from the motorcycle and left by the side of the road.

Source: Wrongful death suit filed in 2007 crash, WPTV.com, December 29, 2009 Continue reading

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In South Florida, state regulators have discovered a sobering trend: at least 41 South Florida doctors treat both drug addicts and pain patients. Experts worry that this combination of medical specialties could be dangerous, because it puts potentially addictive drugs to treat pain alongside a population that may already have drug dependencies.

According to an article in the Miami Herald, many of the doctors dispensing painkillers at South Florida pain clinics do not have special certification in addiction or pain management.

New Jersey requires doctors to be board certified in pain management before they can prescribe painkillers, but Florida doctors are allowed to dispense painkillers provided they have completed an eight-hour training course, have a valid medical license, and have approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Many of these doctors have reportedly been disciplined for recklessly prescribing addictive drugs, but they can continue prescribing the drugs after they return from suspension.

Source: South Florida pain-clinic doctors also treat drug addicts, Miami Herald, December 29, 2009 Continue reading

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The day after Christmas, a 30-year-old man from Oviedo, Florida was killed when his canoe capsized. Neighbors reportedly tried unsuccessfully to rescue the man after he fell into the water. The Seminole County Sherriff’s office dive team discovered the boat accident victim’s body around 3:25pm.

The victim was apparently not wearing a life jacket, though investigators and rescue crews did see personal flotation devices nearby.

The medical examiner will determine the man’s cause of death. The boat accident is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A Wildlife spokesperson notes that cold temperatures make caution extra important during the winter months.

Source: Oviedo man dies in boating accident, Orlando Sentinel, December 26, 2009 Continue reading

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Earlier this morning, a car accident on State Road 415 injured two people and closed the state road for a few hours. Neither of the victims was identified. One of the car crash victims was airlifted to Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. According to a representative for the Deltona Fire Department, he had to be extricated from the vehicle.

The other victim was taken to the same hospital by ambulance. An Evac ambulance spokesperson said the man was in stable condition.

The auto accident, which occurred around 6:30am, is still being investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Source: Two hurt in crash on State Road 415, News-JournalOnline.com, January 4, 2009 Continue reading

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