James O. Cunningham 
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Camp Lejeune LawsuitsOrlando Accident & Injury Blog
Study Finds Drivers Less Likely to Stop at Orlando Crosswalks
While the Best Foot Forward campaign launched last summer has made some progress, a recent study conducted by MetroPlan Orlando indicates that much work remains in order to make Orlando roadways safer for pedestrians. Area law enforcement officials and pedestrian safety advocates launched the campaign in response to the Orlando metropolitan area’s reputation as being the most dangerous place in the country for pedestrians. High-profile signage and police stings at pedestrian crosswalks has had some impact on getting drivers to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, especially at intersections where the speed limit is 35 mph or less.
Orlando Woman Killed in Multi-car Crash on Interstate 4
A woman in her 20s was struck and killed by a car after getting out of her wrecked car and trying to get to the side of Interstate 4 after a large auto accident involving several vehicles. Florida Highway Patrol troopers report that the victim was killed in the westbound lanes of I-4 during the morning rush hour. The multi-car crash and pedestrian accident closed all lanes of I-4 while officers reconstructed the events that led to the accidents and workers cleared debris from the roadway.
At Least Four Workers Killed in Florida Construction Accident
Rescue workers recently pulled a fourth victim from the wreckage of a parking garage under construction on the Miami-Dade College campus. The accident investigation is still underway, but investigators know that part of the garage collapsed as workers were installing a "spandrel beam" on the structure. The beam is a massive five-story pre-cast concrete beam that was going to be part of the elevator shaft of the garage. The project is being built by the Ajax Building Corp., which is using pre-cast concrete forms made off-site to save money and expedite construction. It is not yet known whether or not the beam installation caused the collapse.
Florida Investigation Sheds Light on Abuse of Disabled People
James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers are closely following developments in a case involving abuse at a Central Florida care facility. State officials filed a complaint against the Lake County school and care center for disabled people after receiving numerous complaints about abuse at the facility. They say that complaints from residents about abuse by staff members are nothing new at the Carlton Palms Education Center, located in a remote orange grove outside Mount Dora. State officials began investigating residents’ complaints after hearing that they were being routinely beaten, choked and dragged across the floor at the center. One resident lost a tooth after being struck by a staffer, another reported being tripped by one of the employees and another resident was reportedly struck over the head with a large plastic trash bin until his head was bleeding profusely.
Orlando Boat Dealer Sentenced in Fatal DUI Boating Accident
An Orlando boat dealer accused of operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol and causing a boating accident that killed a 20-year-old woman and injured several other people has been sentenced to spend the next six years in a Florida prison. The accident occurred on Lake Irma in east Orange County in July 2006 and fatally injured a former Amateur Athletic Union basketball star. The State Attorney’s Office reported that the 51-year-old dealer pleaded guilty to several charges in connection with the accident and received his sentence in a recent hearing.
Troopers Need Help in Fatal Orlando Hit-and-Run Bicycle Accident
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers are looking for the driver of a white sports utility vehicle that witnesses say struck and killed a bicyclist after 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. The victim was a 55-year-old Orlando man who was riding his bike near the intersection of State Road 50 and Forsyth Road when he was fatally injured. According to the FHP accident report, the victim was riding his bike north on Forsyth Road where it intersects with SR-50 as the white SUV and a 2007 Hyundai driven by a 34-year-old Orlando man waited at a red light. Troopers report that, when the light turned green, the two cars entered the intersection and the victim rode into their path.
Orange County Nursing Home Forced to Close, Displacing 80 Residents
After years of poor inspection reports, unsafe conditions and numerous incidents of residents wandering away from the facility, an Orange County nursing home has been forced to close its doors by state officials. Around 80 elderly residents who live at the AnnWay Assisted Living Facility near Forrest City Road will have to find another place to live after Florida Agency for Health Care Administration officials revoked the facility’s license.
Malfunctioning Heater Causes Florida House Fire Leaving Four People Homeless
The Daytona Beach Fire Department reports that a malfunctioning heater caused a house fire on Oct. 30 that left four people homeless. They report that the house in the 200 block of Keech Street sustained nearly $25,000 in damage when the fire broke out around 5 a.m. that morning. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames erupting from the roof of the home but were able to contain the fire to the rear bedroom area. Fortunately, all four residents inside the home were able to escape, and no one was injured in the blaze. The American Red Cross is helping the victims.
ATV Accident Sends Teens to Orlando Hospitals
Three area teens were injured recently in an all-terrain vehicle accident in Brevard County. Accident investigators say that the teens were riding together on Hammock Road in Mims around 6 p.m. one recent evening when one of the ATVs clipped the back of another, causing a third to collide with one of the ATVs. The accident involved four teens, with one of the teens riding on the back of one of the three ATVs. The three injured teens were airlifted to two Orlando hospitals, where one is listed in critical condition, another is listed in serious condition and a third was treated for minor injuries. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham is monitoring developments in this case closely, as this is one of several recent accidents involving ATVs that resulted in severe injuries to young people. Police say that one of the ATVs ran over at least two of the teens, resulting in the serious injuries.
Suspect in Fatal Florida Bicycle Accident May Have Been Driving While Impaired
Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigating a fatal hit-and-run bicycle accident in Avalon Park say that the 18-year-old man they arrested in connection with the accident was under the influence of synthetic marijuana when he struck and killed the 53-year-old victim. Troopers recently arrested the man on charges of fleeing the scene of a fatal accident, and he was booked into the Orange County Jail after submitting blood for testing at Florida Hospital. They say that the man was under the influence of drugs, possibly synthetic marijuana, when he struck and killed the bicyclist on Avalon Park Boulevard, near Tea Rose Drive.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.