James O. Cunningham 
Bicycle Accidents
Pedestrian Accidents
Construction Accidents
Dog Bites
Premises Liability
Product Liability
Medical Malpractice
Nursing Home Abuse
Aviation Accidents
Lockheed Martin Lawsuits
Boating Accidents
Cruise Ship Accidents
Mesothelioma
Amusement Park Accidents
Camp Lejeune LawsuitsOrlando Personal Injury Lawyer - Part 6
Supreme Court Allows Lawsuit Over Rear Seat Belts
The Supreme Court ruled recently that the family of a woman killed in a head-on collision may sue the manufacturer of the minivan she was traveling in for failing to install lap-and-shoulder belts. The Court’s decision was unanimous after Mazda, the maker of the minivan involved in the fatal crash, argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed as they had been in full compliance with federal safety regulations. Mazda said regulations allowed it to decide whether to install lap belts or lap-and-shoulder belts in rear seats. Mazda cited a similar Supreme Court ruling in 2000 that allowed automakers the option of installing airbags. In that case, Geier v. American Honda Motor Company, the Court ruled that federal regulations foreclosed the filing of injury litigation under state law by people who claimed the automakers had made the wrong choice.
Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer Following Ford F-150 Pickup Recall
Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham is monitoring reports of a new recall involving Ford’s popular F-150 pickup trucks. Ford Motor Company recently announced that they were recalling 150,000 F-150s due to problems with airbags deploying unexpectedly without having been triggered by any impact. Ford has traced the problem to an airbag control wire located within the steering wheel assembly that may have been installed incorrectly. Unless the wire is in the proper location, it can move around during normal driving, and this movement can potentially erode the protective coating from the wire. When the exposed wire comes into contact with the metal, it creates a path to ground, resulting in the airbag light coming on and the potential for airbag deployment with no warning.
Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer Watching Developments in Honda Recall
Honda recently announced the recall of 700,000 of its Fit models, nearly 100,000 in the U.S., for problems with a spring in the engines of these vehicles. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham is monitoring developments in the recall closely, concerned that engine problems on busy Florida highways and interstates could result in auto accidents.
Central Florida Plane Crash Kills Five
Officials are still investigating the crash of a small aircraft that killed both people aboard the airplane, killed three people on the ground, destroyed two homes and damaged another in Sanford. One of the victims on the plane was the husband of the Vice President of NASCAR, and the pilot was a prominent Ormond Beach plastic surgeon. Accident investigators say the Cessna 310 went down around 8:40 a.m. striking one home, causing the home next door to catch fire and damaging a third home. Both homes struck by the aircraft were destroyed in the crash, and three of the victims, two of them children, were occupants of the homes.
Orlando Plane Crash Kills Two
Two people died recently in an Orlando-area plane accident when their aircraft crashed in Kissimmee on February 2. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the plane crashed while on approach to land at Kissimmee Gateway Airport. A FAA spokesman said that the aircraft crashed on a nearby softball diamond and broke into several pieces, fatally injuring the pilot and his passenger. The airplane accident injured no one on the ground, and local officials reported that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also investigating the crash.
Orlando Personal Injury Attorney Concerned About New Florida Premises Liability Law
A new law that took effect in Florida at the beginning of the year with little fanfare could have serious consequences for people injured in slip-and-fall accidents. The new law makes it more difficult for people injured while on the premises of a business to seek damages in premises liability cases. The new law states that anyone injured in an accident caused by slips or trips and falls will have to prove that the business knew or should have known about the hazardous conditions that led to the accident. They must also prove that the business failed to take corrective action to remedy the situation after learning of the hazard.
Criminal Charges Filed in Fatal Hit-and-Run Motorcycle Accident
A motorcycle accident on U.S. 92 claimed the life of one man and resulted in criminal charges for another for leaving the scene of an accident. Florida Highway Patrol investigators say the 24-year-old motorcyclist died from injuries he suffered when a Honda driven by a Plant City man pulled out in front of him. Troopers say that the victim was traveling eastbound on his motorcycle on U.S. 92 around 7 p.m. on February 18 when a 1997 Honda Accord turned left onto U.S. 92 from the Plaza Mexicana parking lot. The driver of the Honda was attempting to head west on U.S. 92, but pulled directly into the path of the rider.
Veterinarian Killed in Hit-and-Run Bicycle Accident
Concerned Floridians have erected a small white sign by the side of a busy highway to remind motorists that their actions have real life and death consequences. The sign reads, “Motorists: Stop killing bicyclists.” It was placed near the spot where a popular veterinarian and avid bicyclist was struck and killed on February 20 in a fatal hit-and-run bicycle accident. Accident investigators say the victim was riding his bike in the bike lane on Fletcher Avenue that Sunday afternoon when witnesses say he was struck and killed by a black Ford traveling at a high rate of speed. Some witnesses believe that the Ford was racing with another vehicle when the accident occurred.
Florida Town Seeks Grant After Fatal Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents
The recent deaths of a bicyclist and pedestrian have prompted Atlantic Beach officials to request a $97,000 grant to make it safer for Floridians to bike and walk in the city. If the Florida Department of Transportation grants the request, the funds would be used to hire an additional police officer, provide education programs, make areas with heavy bicycle traffic safer and fund an engineering study for recommendations on how to make the city safer for pedestrians and bike enthusiasts. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham is watching developments in this request closely, hopeful that it will be granted and that other Florida cities will take proactive steps to protect bicyclists and pedestrians.
Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer Warns Parents About Crib and Bassinet Recalls
Parents have known about the dangers of drop-side cribs for some time. The risks of suffocation when a baby is trapped while one side of the crib drops are significant, and there have been some high-profile recalls in recent years to protect infants from injury and death. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham would like parents to know that non-drop-side cribs pose a serious risk to babies as well. Swedish furniture giant IKEA recently announced the recall of more than 20,000 non-drop-side cribs in the U.S. to address problems with the mattress support system. IKEA has said that some of the bolts holding the mattress support system in place are not long enough and the mattress can collapse under the weight of an infant, creating a suffocation hazard. The IKEA recall involves Sniglar brand cribs sold from October 2005 to June 2010.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.