Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

A Coral Springs truck accident early Saturday, September 24, 2011, has resulted in the death of a 17-year-old and injuries to three other people. The accident happened shortly after 12 a.m. at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Coral Ridge Drive in Coral Springs. According to reports, Hollywood resident Wayne McIntosh, who was driving a Nissan truck with a passenger, struck the Honda Civic that Alejandro Romeo and his mother were riding in. The truck then crashed into Riverside Elementary School. Romeo died at the scene, and the three other people involved were injured. The accident is currently being investigated.

According to a witness who heard the crash and called for help, two accidents have happened at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Coral Ridge Drive in the past month. According to the witness, the lights change at midnight to blinking yellow and blinking red lights.

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we are constantly researching statistics on motor vehicle accidents. According to statistics from the Florida Department of Highway and Motor Vehicles,73 teen passengers were killed in traffic accidents, and 8,653 were injured in Florida in 2009. According to the report, there were 1,311 accidents Saturday during the midnight hour in 2009, 23 of which were fatal.. The largest number of deadly accidents took place Sunday during the midnight hour, with 33 fatal accidents and a total of 1,361 crashes.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, call the car accident lawyers at Law Offices Cytryn & Velazquez today to schedule a free consultation toll-free at 1-877-853-7466.

Ryan Hutson, Esq. is a Coral Springs injury lawyer at Law Offices Cytryn and Velazquez, P.A. Our South Florida attorneys handle cases in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties, including the cities of West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Coconut Creek, Parkland, Pembroke Pines, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and more.

Our firm's founder, Dan Irving Cytryn, is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer who has been handling accident cases in South Florida for 30 years. He has received a 10.0 rating on Avvo, a lawyer rating service, which is the highest rating given for a lawyer. He is also rated the highest ability and ethics rating, "AV", by Martindale Hubbell, a company rating lawyers for more than 100 years.

An Iraq War Veteran from St. Petersburg, Florida, was killed on Sunday, September 11th, when a SCUBA tank exploded inside his home. According to reports, an investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of this potential wrongful death case, including whether the SCUBA tank was defective.

Alerts have been issued in the past warning people about risks of injury and death from tank explosions. There have been incidents where the cracking of the alloy around the fill ring has caused explosions, along with too pure an oxygen mix or overfilling of tanks. SCUBA tanks that are found to be defective upon inspection should not be used and a warranty claim should be filed with the manufacturer.

In a case involving wrongful death due to a defective product, the family of the victim should contact an attorney specializing in personal injury and products liability who can help determine their rights and investigate the case.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Wrongful Death Attorney Looks at Possible Product Liability Case in SCUBA Tank Explosion Death" »

Florida is finally cracking down on elderly abuse and neglect. It began with a Broward County assisted living facility in Lauderhill, which had been recently reported in a Miami Herald article as having ignored a dying resident. After the Miami Herald investigative report in May, the Agency for Health Care Administration has closed two facilities and cut Medicaid funds to over a dozen other facilities. In fact, there have been more sanctions against assisted living facilities since the May Miami Herald report than any other time period in the last five years.

As a Coral Springs nursing home abuse lawyer, Dan Cytryn, the founder of our firm, has been helping the victims and families of victims who have suffered at the hands of negligent nursing homes and assisted living facilities during his 30-year career. Some of the most common cases that our firm handles include bed sores (decubitis ulcers), broken bones suffered as a result of falling, dehydration, and death. Mr. Cytryn fights to obtain justice for his clients.

Continue reading "Nursing Home Abuse: A New Crackdown on Florida Adult Living Facilities " »

Broward County, Florida: A Pompano Beach car accident led to the death of a 30-year-old man on Friday, August 26, 2011. Daniel Kocik, from Fort Lauderdale, lost control of his vehicle on I-95 after an SUV towing a trailer struck his car. Police are currently investigating the accident.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was the number one cause of accidents in the U.S. in 2009, accounting for 21.3 percent of the accidents that year. The second largest cause of car accidents, (17 percent) was attributed to drivers deviating from their lanes or running off the road.

As Coral Springs accident attorneys, we understand the hardships that families face after losing a loved one. We're here to help victim's families understand their rights regarding the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit. An attorney will investigate your case and help protect your rights.

Continue reading "Pompano Beach Car Accident on I-95 Kills Fort Lauderdale Resident" »

Five people were injured in an amusement park accident on August 19, 2011 in New Jersey. The accident happened when the mast of a pirate ship ride snapped, resulting in minor injuries to four patrons and the hospitalization of a teenager. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the accident. Earlier this summer, an 11-year-old girl was killed in a Ferris wheel accident at the same amusement park

As Coral Springs injury lawyers, we are familiar with statistics from the National Safety Council. They report that approximately 1,783 people were injured at fixed-site amusement parks in the year 2005 alone. According to the Council, an estimated four people are killed every year at fixed-site amusement parks.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Personal Injury Lawyer Comments on New Jersey Theme Park Accident that Injured Five " »

Broward County, Florida - A shooting earlier this summer in Lauderdale Lakes ended with the death of two men and 10 people injured. The incident occurred after 3 a.m. in late June at a bar in a Lauderdale Lakes shopping center, when two men began fighting. One of the men allegedly took out a gun, causing the security guard at the bar to pull out his gun. When the bar patron refused to put away his gun, shots were fired, resulting in the death of the two men who had originally gotten into a fight. The security guard was not hurt in the shooting.

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we help people who have been victims of security negligence in South Florida. According to stophandgunviolence.com, 79 people are killed each day as a result of firearms in the U.S. In order to avoid injuries and deaths from the use of guns, nightclubs should search patrons and have them go through a metal detector as is done at airports and other public places such as the courthouse.

Continue reading "Lauderdale Lakes Nightclub Shootout Kills Two" »

Just a day before starting his senior year of high school, Tamarac teen Randolph Bieszczak died in a boat accident on the C-14 canal in Coral Springs. The accident took place on Sunday, August 21, 2011, when Bieszczak and his friend Nicholas Messier were on a tube being towed by a 17-foot motorboat. The tube they were riding on crashed into rocks close to the shore, killing Bieszczak and injuring Messier. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is currently investigating the accident.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 389 people were injured in Florida boat accidents in 2010. The most common type of injury was laceration, which is the type of injury that Messier suffered in the above boating accident.

As Coral Springs boat accident lawyers, we help people who have been victims of the negligence of boat drivers in Florida. In the particular case noted at the start of this post, it's hard to imagine there was not at least some negligence on the part of the boat driver. If the boat is insured, there could be an action against the driver and owner of the boat. The boat is also considered a dangerous instrumentality under Florida law, which may create liability upon the owner even if the owner was not in the boat at the time and even if the owner was not negligent.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Boat Accident Kills Tamarac Teen" »

A Palm Beach County car accident on August 8, 2011 has killed a 51-year-old man from West Boca Raton. The crash happened around 7 a.m. on Lyons Road, when an Isuzu Rodeo SUV struck Antoine Jasmin's Honda sedan. Jasmin was not wearing a seatbelt and died shortly after the accident. The other driver "suffered minor injuries," according to reports.

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we urge all drivers and passengers to use a seat belt when in a vehicle (and for children, to use the proper safety restraint according to age). According to the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 1975 through 2009, a total of 267,890 lives in the U.S. were saved due to seat belt use.

Continue reading "Palm Beach County Crash Kills West Boca Raton Man" »

A Hollywood, Florida car accident on August 6, 2011, has resulted in the death of an unidentified driver. According to witnesses, the driver, who was in a Lexus, was speeding and repeatedly switching lanes. The vehicle was T-boned after crossing into oncoming traffic. The driver of the Lexus was killed, and the driver of the other vehicle was hospitalized. Police are investigating the accident.

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we know that many auto accidents are caused by factors such as speeding, distraction, drug or alcohol consumption, and erratic driving. We urge drivers to practice safety on the roads. Make sure you use your turn signals prior to switching lanes. Always check your blind spot and allow plenty of room to switch lanes.

Continue reading "Hollywood Car Accident Kills Unidentified Driver" »

A Palm Beach County car accident on August 7, 2011 has resulted in the death of a 23-year-old man. The accident happened shortly before 7 a.m. on I-95 in West Palm Beach, when a Lexus struck a stalled Nissan. According to the FHP, the vehicle may have stalled due to running out of gas. Police are currently investigating the accident.

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we understand how dangerous a vehicle stall can be, especially on a busy highway such as I-95. The following news report offers advice on what to do if your vehicle stalls on the highway.

A wrongful death claim can result from different types of negligence including car crashes, nursing home negligence, construction accidents, truck accidents, and death resulting from defective products. These claims differ from personal injury cases in that a wrongful death claim is typically brought by the victim's personal representative who recovers monetary damages from the at-fault party for the benefit of the victim's survivors and estate.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Car Accident Lawyer Comments on Fatal Palm Beach County Weekend Crash " »

Two women were killed in a Miami car accident on August 2, 2011, when an elderly man lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a Miami boutique. A 33-year-old pregnant woman, who was the boutique owner, and her friend, were killed. According to the Sun Sentinel report, the driver hit the gas pedal by accident as he was trying to park his SUV. Police are investigating the accident.

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we are aware of a similar Palm Beach car accident which took place on July 29, 2011, when a 24-year-old man lost control of his car and struck a shoe store. Thankfully, the accident did not injure any pedestrians or bystanders. The driver of the car, however, was hospitalized.

In reading about other accidents nationwide involving drivers who crashed into businesses or public places, we found that some of those accidents were caused by distracted drivers. In late July, for example, a woman was struck by a distracted driver at a gas station in Washington state and almost lost her right foot. The driver was reportedly having a cell phone conversation before the accident.

Continue reading "Miami Car Accident Kills Two Women" »

As Coral Springs personal injury lawyers, we understand the pain and suffering that families of DUI accident victims endure after losing a loved one due to a Florida drunk driving accident. Unfortunately, car accidents caused by drunk drivers happen all too often in the U.S. We are especially touched when these tragedies happen close to home.

On Thursday, July 28, 2011, a man from Miramar, Florida was sentenced to 10 years in prison for causing a motorcycle accident in 2009 which led to the death of a 43-year-old man. Robert Louis Jones's blood alcohol level was 0.236, almost three times the legal limit, when he crashed into Eric Maron's motorcycle.

Jones ran away from the scene of the accident, leaving his fiance's 9-year-old daughter in the car, for which he was sentenced to an additional 5 years for child neglect. According to the Sun Sentinel's report, Jones was also in violation of his probation in Maryland on a different drunk driving case in which he fled the scene of an accident involving bodily injury.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), one person dies every 50 minutes in a drunk driving accident in the U.S. One person is injured every minute in a drunk driving accident. A large percentage of convicted drunk drivers (50 to 75 percent) keep driving despite having a suspended license.

Continue reading "Broward County Drunk Driving Accident Results in the Death of a Motorcyclist" »

A Broward County car accident on Friday, July 22, 2011, killed a 22-year-old mother and injured her baby. The crash also involved a 32-year-old Davie resident, whose BMW collided with the Scion in which the young mother and infant were passengers. According to the Sun Sentinel's report, the BMW broadsided the Scion. The child was taken to a Hollywood hospital. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Approximately 25 percent of vehicle passenger deaths are linked to side impact car accidents in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Broadside (side impact) car accidents can lead to serious, and sometimes fatal, injuries, as the sides of cars offer less protection than the front or back.

In the event that a driver's negligent actions caused the death of a passenger or another driver in a car accident, a wrongful death lawsuit can be filed by the family of the victim. A Coral Springs wrongful death lawyer can conduct a detailed investigation of your case and help determine liability (fault) in the accident.

Continue reading "Cooper City Car Crash Kills Mother, Injures Baby" »

Two recent South Florida daycare negligence cases, one in Palm Beach and another in Miami-Dade County, have sparked debate on how to keep children safe in daycares and prevent wrongful death cases from happening. One preventive measure, advocated by Florida Senator Maria Sachs of Delray Beach, would be to install safety alarms in daycare vans to prevent death from extreme heat. These alarms would alert daycare van drivers to inspect the vehicles when they drop off children. Drivers would have to go to the back of the vehicle to turn off the alarm.

A Palm Beach personal injury lawsuit was filed last August against Katie's Kids Learning Center in Delray Beach for the wrongful death of a 2-year-old who died after being left in a hot van. The facility has since shut down.

For more information on the Miami-Dade daycare wrongful death lawsuit mentioned at the beginning of this blog, please visit our blog entry on that topic.

According to San Francisco State University Department of Geosciences statistics, 513 children in the U.S. have died of hyperthermia (heat stroke) from being left in vehicles since 1998. The study shows that from 1998 through 2010, 51 percent of children who died from heat in vehicles were "forgotten" by their caregiver.

Continue reading "Delray Beach Senator Urges Installation of Safety Alarms in Daycare Vans " »

Leaving children unattended in South Florida's sweltering heat can be a killer. As reported by the Miami Herald, a 22-month-old boy from Homestead died earlier this week in a van outside a daycare. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the boy's death. The family of the boy has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the daycare. The family's attorney believes the boy's death is heat-related.

This story follows the death of a 2-year-old girl who died from the heat outside a Delray Beach daycare in a van last August.

An estimated 3.5 million children are the victims of abuse or neglect each year in the U.S., according to preventchildabuse.org. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 1,770 children died in the U.S. in 2009 as a result of child abuse or neglect. 35.8% of these deaths were linked to neglect.

Continue reading "Wrongful Death of Child Left in Van Leads to Immediate Miami-Dade Lawsuit" »