Wrongful Death | Orlando Accident & Injury Blog - Part 14
OPD Adds Cameras and Radar Equipment to Cars in DUI Crackdown
In a move fully endorsed by Orlando personal injury lawyers, the Orlando Police Department has announced that they are adding ten specially equipped police cars to their fleet to combat drunk driving in our area. The new cars feature several different tools to detect and apprehend drunk drivers, including in-car radar systems, dashboard cameras, back seat cameras and other equipment designed for the department’s DUI Enforcement Team.
Deaths at Florida Hospital Prompt Investigation for Negligence
Three very troubling deaths at a privately run Florida hospital have prompted an investigation by state officials that revealed that many patients were being overmedicated and employees failed to alert officials about suspected abuse after a patient died in a bathtub of scalding water. The South Florida State Hospital in Broward County is operated by The GEO Group Inc., a company based in Boca Raton that is one of the world’s largest private operators of penitentiaries and detention centers.
Jacksonville Woman Killed in Auto Accident
Florida Highway Patrol troopers report that a recent multi-car accident on Chaffee Road just south of Normandy Boulevard that killed a 57-year-old Jacksonville and injured two others may have been caused by a medical condition affecting one of the drivers. Troopers say that the victim was driving her Nissan Versa northbound on Chaffee Road when it was struck head-on by a Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle that had crossed the centerline. Accident investigators say that the Highlander had already sideswiped a Ford 500 sedan before it crossed the centerline, and it also collided with a Nissan Maxima after colliding with the victim’s Versa.
Man Killed in Multi-Car Accident in Volusia County
A recent three-car auto accident on US-17 in Volusia County killed one man and sent another to a local hospital with serious injuries. The Florida Highway Patrol’s (FHP) investigation into the accident is still ongoing, but troopers expect to press charges against at least one of the drivers involved in the crash. Troopers say that a 33-year-old Pierson man was driving his 1995 Toyota Camry northbound on US-17 when he slowed to make a left turn. He was followed by a 41-year-old man, also from Pierson, who was driving a 2003 GMC. Troopers say that the driver of the GMC failed to slow down or stop his vehicle as the Camry slowed to make his turn and collided with the Camry.
Two Killed in Florida Accident On State Road 60
A two-car accident on State Road 60 in south Osceola County has left two men dead and two people severely injured, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Troopers say that the driver of a Toyota Matrix was traveling westbound on S.R. 60 when he lost control of his vehicle on rain-slickened roads and crossed the centerline into the eastbound lanes and into the path of a Chrysler driven by a Port St. Lucie man. After the Matrix collided with the Chrysler, the driver lost control, and it traveled onto the shoulder, where it overturned, ejecting a passenger.
Former Florida Police Officer Faces Charges After FHP Accident Investigation
A former Winter Springs police officer who was released from jail recently after posting bond still faces serious charges in connection with an accident that killed one person and seriously injured another. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) arrested the 34-year-old former police officer and charged him with vehicular homicide, reckless driving and racing on a highway after a six-month investigation. FHP troopers report that on January 12, 2012, the man lost control of his Mazda RX-7 shortly after pulling out of an auto repair shop on West Colonial. They say that after the man pulled into the westbound lanes of West Colonial, the man recklessly stepped on his gas pedal, causing his car to fishtail wildly.
Aggressive Driving Caused Fatal Florida Three-Car Accident On I-95
Florida Highway Patrol accident investigators released their preliminary report in connection with a recent three-car accident that killed a Sunrise man and closed a section of Interstate 95 for four hours. They say that the victim was a passenger in a 1999 Isuzu Rodeo driven by a 45-year-old Sunrise man. Troopers say that the Isuzu was traveling southbound on I-95 when the driver attempted to pass a 2002 Ford Mustang on the right shoulder of the road. When the driver attempted to pull back onto I-95 from the shoulder, he struck the front of the Mustang and lost control of his vehicle.
Orlando Man Struck By Tractor-Trailer in Fatal Pedestrian Accident On I-4
An Orlando man was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer recently in yet another Central Florida pedestrian accident. The accident occurred around 10:15 a.m. one recent morning on Interstate 4 near Polk Parkway. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say that the 26-year-old victim was standing in the eastbound lanes of I-4 when the 48-year-old driver of the semi saw him and tried to avoid striking the man. After being stuck by the semi, the man was thrown into the next lane, where he was struck by a Ford Fusion and a Ford Focus that were unable to avoid striking the victim. He was pronounced dead from his injuries at the accident scene. Troopers are still investigating the accident but say that charges are pending against the driver of the tractor-trailer.
Child Electrocuted at Miniature Golf Course in Florida
The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner recently issued a ruling in the death of an 11-year-old girl from Latham, NY, at a southwest Orange County miniature golf course. The autopsy revealed that the child was accidentally electrocuted when she reached into a small pond to retrieve a golf ball. The girl was playing mini golf around 2 p.m. at the Orange Lake Resort on Irlo Bronson Highway when her ball went into a small concrete pond around two feet deep. She cried out after reaching into the water but was unable to pull herself back out.
Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Florida Hospital
The parents of a young Florida girl who died after undergoing a routine tonsillectomy have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital where the surgery was performed. The parents filed a complaint against Mease Countryside Hospital and the doctors who treated their daughter. They claim that a potent mixture of drugs and medical negligence caused her death. A few minutes after the girl went into surgery on August 13, 2010, she developed pulmonary edema, which caused a buildup of excess fluid in her lungs. The fluid accumulated so much that the girl went into cardiac arrest, and, despite doctors’ efforts to resuscitate her, she died two days after the surgery.
James O. Cunningham
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.