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Children Injured Riding in Back of Pickup Truck
An auto accident involving a single vehicle injured six children near Davie last week-end. The driver of a pickup truck, who was not licensed to drive, let the children ride in the truck and they were injured as they were thrown about the pickup bed. Luckily, none of the children were seriously injured. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the 34 year-old driver was arrested on "cruelty toward a child, operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, possession of an open container, failure to wear a seatbelt as well as other traffic-related charges". According to the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), most states have enacted laws prohibiting drivers from allowing anyone to ride in the back of a pickup, either an open bed or a covered bed. Yet there were thirty-five children or teens under the age of twenty killed both in 2005 and 2006. Common sense would tell you that if your child must have be strapped into a car seat or seatbelt in car in order to be safe, then it is not safe for them to ride freely in a pick up bed. Labels: Auto Accident, Truck accident
Animals on Highway Cause Two Wrecks, One Fatality
Two auto accidents on Florida's highways this week have been caused by aninals wandering onto the road. A wild hog strayed onto Bridge Road in Hobe Sound, near Jupiter, and was hit by a 34 year-old man from Indiantown. The driver hit the large, black animal on a dark stretch of road and as a result drove off the pavement and struck a power pole. The man was wearing his seat belt, but unfortunately died in the accident. In another animal-related car crash, a 57 year-old man from Merritt Island struck and killed a cow that was crossing Highway 50 in Bithlo. At 1:34 in the morning, Hwy 50 is also a dark road and the driver was unable to miss the cow that had meandered into his path. There were no reports of injury to the driver. Labels: Auto Accident
State Representative Backs Mandatory Driver's Ed Law
Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa, wants to reduce the number of auto accidents involving inexperienced teenage drivers. He is proposing to make driver's education a mandatory requirement for high school graduation. Tampa Tribune's online website, TBO.com, reports According to a Florida Traffic Crash Statistics Report from 2006, drivers age 15 to 19 have the highest crash rate per 10,000 licensed drivers, while 18-year-old drivers have the highest rate of involvement in fatal crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that auto accidents are the number one killer of teens ages 15-20. There were 3,490 teenage auto fatalies in 2006, and 272,000 injuries. Rep. Ambler's bill is also supported by many teenage drivers, one of whom helped write the proposed bill. Teens realize that many of their peers are bad drivers and would gain knowledge and experience by taking driver's ed course, thereby, reducing the number of car crashes and teenage fatalities. Currently these courses are offered at many high schools, but they are only an elective. Labels: Auto Accident
Police Motorcycle Camera Proves the Need to "Move Over"
Last November a member of the Hillsboro Oregon Police Department was on a routine traffic stop when he nearly lost his life in an accident, and the whole thing was recorded by the camera on his motorcycle. The video shows Officer Clint Chrz standing next to a vehicle, talking to the driver on the shoulder of the Pacific Highway. Out of nowhere you see his motorcycle come flying into him. A drunk driver had hit his motorcycle and which then rammed into the the officer. The force of the car crash threw him into the middle of the highway. Luckily another car on the highway saw him lying there and pulled his vehicle up to protect him from on-coming traffic. Whether his helmet saved his life, we will never know, but the officer suffered only cuts, bruises and a concussion. It is because of accidents like that of Officer Chrz that 43 states, including Florida, have enacted the "Move Over" law. It requires drivers to slow down when approaching emergency vehicles and give them the amount of room they need to do their job without getting hit by on-coming traffic. Labels: Auto Accident, Motorcycle accident
Surgeon Removes Healthy Kidney
A surgeon in Minnesota left a cancerous kidney in a patient and instead removed a healthy one. The doctor has promised to stop practicing medicine after his horrible mistake was revealed a day later by pathology reports. Surgeons will now have to double check CAT scans and MRI's before beginning surgery. There is no word on how the patient is doing, or whether he will need a kidney transplant to survive. Most people can live with only one kidney, and now that his healthy one is gone, he might need such a transplant. Therefore, the doctor's mistake has affected not just one person, but perhaps two since that kidney could have gone to someone else. It is also interesting to consider the recourses this patient would be left with in Florida, where one size fits all medical malpractice claims would limit his recovery for his suffering due to this shocking mistake. Labels: Medical Negligence
Legionnaires' Disease Attacks Florida Tourists
Orange County Health Department director Dr. Kevin Sherin has reported two incidents of Legionnaires' disease in Orlando. The out-of-state tourists had both stayed at the Quality Inn Suites just off International Drive near Universal Studios, then travelled to Pinellas County where the disease was diagnosed. The hotel operators voluntarily closed the hotel for a short time on Friday as state inspectors sampled water from the hotel pool and spa. Air quality tests continued to be taken this week. However, it may not be known for a couple of weeks if the hotel was the source of the disease due to the testing process. The Center for Disease Control defines legionnaires' disease as - Legionellosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Legionella
pneumophila. The disease has two distinct forms:
Legionnaires' disease, the more severe form of infection
which includes pneumonia, and
Pontiac fever, a milder illness.
Legionnaires' disease acquired its name in 1976 when an outbreak of
pneumonia occurred among persons attending a convention of the American Legion
in Philadelphia. Later, the bacterium causing the illness was named
Legionella.
The symptoms for Legionnaires is similar to many other types of pneumonia so sometimes it is difficult for physicians to diagnose. But the symptoms include a high fever, chills, and a cough. Some people may also suffer from muscle aches
and headaches. Chest X-rays are needed to find the pneumonia caused by the
bacteria, and other tests can be done on sputum (phlegm), as well as blood or
urine to find evidence of the bacteria in the body.
These symptoms usually begin 2 to 14 days after being exposed to the bacteria.
Because the disease is not transmitted from human to human, there is normally no public notice given for cases of Legionnaires' unless there are 2 or more cases from the same location. However, once contracted, it is estimated that approximately 20% die from it. Labels: Tourist Injuries
Semi and Train Accident Closed Local Road
Confusion still exists as to what caused a train to back into a tractor-trailer late last night. The truck-train accident, which happened around 11:00 p.m. last night, closed Landstreet Road near Orange Avenue for almost eight hours. The driver of the semi said he was stopped at the tracks when the railroad crossing gates went up and he proceeded across the tracks. The train, which was backing up, collided with the side of the semi, causing it to roll over on its side. The semi caught fire, but the driver was able to escape with only minor injuries. The conductor, however, who was riding at the back of the train, was sent to the hospital with serious injuries. According to tv news reports, there was some concern over chemicals that were being transported on the train, but it was determined there was no safety risk. Labels: Auto Accident
Mystery Car Going Wrong Way on I-95 Causes Fatalities
Was it the white Mercedes or the black Pontiac traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-95 that caused the multiple car accidents? Florida Highway Patrol is not saying and the investigation may lasts several days, or maybe even a few weeks. All that is known for certain is that the two vehicles were in a head-on crash at about 5:00 am this morning. The driver of the Mercedes, a 54 year-old man from Quebec, and the two passengers in the backseat, a 79 year-old from Quebec and an 83 year-old man from Boca Raton, were killed instantly. The third victim was a 69 year-old woman who was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The 25 year-old driver of the Pontiac survived the collision and was doing better than expected and should survive the accident. There were other accidents related to the vehicle going the wrong way, but not directly involved in the head-on collision. A Delray Beach office saw the vehicle going in the wrong direction and pursued it - headed south in the ermergency northbound lane with lights flashing and sirens on, trying to stop the vehicle. The police officer's car was struck by a white Chevy with four male passengers, stopping the police officer in his pursuit of the wrong-way driver. Everyone in this car crash sustained on minor injuries. Another vehicle, a Honda rental car driven by a New Jersey couple, swerved from the center lane trying to avoid the original Mercedes/Pontiac crash and was struck by a blue Hyundai. All three victims in this accident walked away without any serious injuries. The Delray Beach officer was commended by FHP for trying to stop the car headed south in the northbound lane. Lt. Tim Frith was reported as saying, To pursue a vehicle that's obviously driving in the wrong direction was
certainly heroic, an act of bravery on his part. He was in the
emergency lane flashing his lights, trying to alert other motorists as this
vehicle was approaching, too. It certainly was a dangerous situation. Labels: Auto Accident
Out of Control Vehicle Hits Road Ranger
One of our Road Rangers, those kind folks who help you out for free if you break down on the interstate, was critically injured in an auto accident while performing his noble duty yesterday. The 52 year-old Ranger who patrolled I-95 in the Ft. Lauderdale area was helping someone in a 2001 Mazda change a flat tire. With the orange cones in place and all of his warning signals working, the Ranger was hit from behind by a 2004 Hyundai as he went around the left side of the vehicle. The driver of the Hyundai was apparently trying to change from the inside lane to the outside lane and was unable to control the vehicle. He hit the outside wall first and then rammed into the back of the Mazda and the Ranger. The Ranger was transported to Broward General Medical Center. Labels: Auto Accident
Tractor-Trailer Accident Takes Young Life
A young man from Palm City lost his life in an automobile accident last Friday. The 20 year-old man had stopped at a stop sign in his 2000 Ford Mustang. For some unknown reason, the driver pull into the intersection right in front of a semi tractor trailer. The driver of the semi, a 54 year-old man from Lake Wales, hit his brakes and tried to steer clear of the Mustang by swerving to the left. The tractor veered sideways and struck the left side of the Mustang. The young driver, who was a student at Indian River Community College, was taken to Raulerson Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Labels: Auto Accident, Truck accident
Tourist Bus Collides with Truck
It was reported yesterday that a passenger was killed and many more were injured when the chartered tourist bus they were travelling in collided with a truck. The bus was on its way to the Langerago Music Festival at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in the South Florida Everglades. The bus was on a narrow, two-lane road that connects Interstate 75 to the Reservation. One of the vehicles ended up in a ditch filled with water so the local dive rescue team was called to the scene to assist in the rescue. The Langerado Music Festival is a four-day, nationally-known music festival held at various venues over the past fives years and appears to have found a permanent home on the Reservation. Labels: Auto Accident
This is National Sleep Awareness Week!
Did you know that March 3rd through March 9th is National Sleep Awareness Week? The National Transportation Safety Board has made this designation to bring awareness to the dangers associated with driving and sleep deprivation. The Chairman of the NTSB, Mark V. Rosenker, says that for the past 41 years the NTSB has investigated numerous vehicular accidents that were either directly or indirectly caused from the human fatique. Fatiqued related accidents are on their list of Mosted Wanted List of areas safety improvements and has been since 1990 when they created the list. Mr. Rosenker goes on to say that "Inadequate sleep puts the public at risk. Improving the quantity and quality of our sleep can increase safety and save lives. It takes personal responsibility to ensure that you are well rested before embarking on a personal or professional trip," he added.
So whether you drive as a professional or just for pleasure, increasing the amount of sleep you get before getting behind the wheel can reduce the number of auto accidents and save lives. Labels: Auto Accident
Salmonella Contamination Forces Pancake Mix Recall
The Quaker Oats Company, a Pepsico brand, is recalling Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix, both the original and buttermilk mixes in the 2 and 5 pound boxes, because they may be contaminated with the salmonella. The products have the "best before" dates of February 8, 2009 through February 16, 2009. Most of the contaminated products are still in the distribution phase and have not yet hit store shelves. However, if you have any questions, you can call the Quaker Oats hotline at 1-800-407-2247 or go to their website www.auntjemima.com. The recall does not effect any other Aunt Jemima mixes or frozen products, nor does it effect any other Quaker Oats products. Labels: Food Contamination
Deadly I-4 Crash May Involve Alcohol
Police say alcohol may be a factor in a deadly I-4 crash that resulted in the death of a motorcyclist and an automobile passenger. Early Sunday morning, a BMW was apparently racing a Honda Accord on I-4 when the BMW tried to avoid hitting a motorcyclist, lost control, and rolled over several times. The driver was unsuccessful in her attempt to avoid hitting the motorcycle. In addition, the wreck resulted in 2 passengers of the BMW being ejected from the car; one of them died. This tragedy could have been avoided had the driver not drank alcohol before getting behind the wheel and had she not made the reckless and negligent decision to race another car. There is also no telling if the passengers would have walked away from the accident if they had worn seatbelts. Please follow traffic laws, they are in place to protect us. Labels: Auto Accident, Motorcycle accident
Florida Personal Injury Lawyers
Orlando Wrongful Death Attorneys
(800) 235-7060
Wooten, Honeywell, Kimbrough, Gibson,
Doherty & Normand
Professional Association
236 S. Lucerne Circle at Delaney
Orlando, FL 32801 |
