Miami Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Texting-And-Driving Accident Reignites

January 22, 2014 | Wolfson & Leon

A video broadcasted on ABC News has gone viral. It depicts a driver in Florida losing control of his vehicle, swerving onto a sidewalk and hitting a tree before his car flips onto its roof.

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The video was captured by a police cruiser’s dash-cam. The police officer just happened to be following Michael James Woody’s vehicle when the accident occurred. Woody, who was uninjured, told the officer that he was texting behind the wheel.

Fortunately, the accident happened at night when the sidewalks were not in regular use, but the video comes at a time when Floridians are debating whether or not the recent texting-and-driving ban, implemented last year, has been effective in curbing the number of car accidents related to texting.

Lawsuit Over Helicopter Crash Refiled

January 14, 2014 | Wolfson & Leon

In 2012, billionaire real-estate mogul Jeffrey Soffer was involved in a helicopter crash that claimed the life of his friend Lance Valdez, an attorney from Florida. The crash occurred in the Bahamas at an exclusive club. The original story that emerged stated that David Pearce, who is a licensed helicopter pilot, was landing the craft when an unexpected burst of wind disrupted the landing, causing the crash.

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The story went on to detail that Valdez’s widow, Dari Pastouhkova Gogoleva, received a $2 million payment from the insurance company as compensation. She also signed a release, promising not to sue anyone onboard the aircraft. Since then, new details have emerged that could change everything.

Miami Woman Arrested After Hit-And-Run

January 8, 2014 | Wolfson & Leon

Ismael Martinez and his son, Fidel Durante, were working on a concrete project on the side of the road when the accident happened. CBS Miami reports that it was early in the morning, and they were walking from their work truck to the project site when the driver of an SUV lost control of her vehicle and hit the two pedestrians. Durante was clipped and only received minor injuries, but his father was not so lucky.

The SUV ran over Martinez, throwing him to the ground and nearly severing his leg. The driver quickly drove away and was nowhere to be found when the police and paramedics arrived. Martinez was taken to Ryder Trauma Center for treatment. His surgeons performed four surgeries in an attempt to save his leg, but a series of serious infections forced them to amputate below the knee.

Two weeks later, Martinez says that he is starting to feel better. Until the past few days, he wasn’t able to sleep for more than a handful of minutes because of the excruciating pain that the surgeries caused him. He says that he can’t remember much of the accident; the only thing that he can remember clearly is the moment that impact occurred.

Personal-Injury Suits And Criminal Charges

January 2, 2014 | Wolfson & Leon

More than a year ago, a Jehovah’s Witness congregation’s bus trip turned tragic when their bus driver became lost and crashed into an overpass. The bus was carrying 32 church members on their way to a gathering in West Palm Beach. Their driver, Ramon Ferreiro, took a wrong turn and ended up at Miami International Airport.

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In the confusion, he began to travel the wrong way down a road near the airport and tried to drive the 12-foot-high bus under an 8-foot-6-inch-high overpass. Additionally, Ferreiro was driving at twice the speed limit. The impact tore open the roof of the bus and instantly killed one of the passengers. Two other passengers died at the hospital.

2 Florida Car Accidents

December 23, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

Car accidents are a regular fixture in the news, especially in Florida, which has one of the highest numbers of car accidents in the nation. Even though these accidents are seen almost every day, accidents that involve and injure children are still particularly shocking and saddening to read about. Unfortunately, we have seen two such accidents recently in Florida.

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The first accident occurred last week, when a red 2013 Dodge Dart hit 12-year-old Shania Jackson. The Sun Sentinel says witnesses told police that the driver didn’t break and hit the girl hard enough that she was thrown down the street. The car’s headlight was broken in the collision, but the driver didn’t stop.

Mother Of Arizona Hot Shot

December 19, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

After 19 “Hot Shots” firefighters were killed in a wildfire over the summer in Arizona, an investigation was launched into the incident. The report concluded there was not enough evidence to establish negligence.

The 19 deaths were ruled accidental, but the mother of one of the firefighters isn’t convinced. According to CBS News, Marcia McKee filed suit against those who were in charge of planning the operation.

McKee says that the suit is her last resort to get answers from the authorities within the firefighting organization. She feels that there is more to the story that isn’t being released, which was a concern that rose during the investigation when investigators said that they couldn’t find much information about the operation at the time of the deaths.

Avoid Car Accidents With Pedestrians

December 19, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

Arizona’s Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently updated its Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, which was originally established in 2003. The program intends to increase the infrastructure for pedestrians and bikers along the state highway system in order to allow more people to take advantage of multiple methods of travel.

The new plan rolls out at the same time that many cities are reporting their highest number of pedestrian accidents ever. KVOA News reports that a car recently struck an 18-year-old woman as she was crossing the street. People who live near the intersection where the accident occurred said that there is a lack of lighting along that road and not enough marked crosswalks.

The ADOT plan’s update will focus on improving safety by modernizing walkways and increasing driver awareness. At Wolfson & Leon we care about pedestrian safety. Below you will find some tips to help avoid causing an accident with a pedestrian. If you have been injured in a car accident with a negligent driver, we can represent your interests in court. To discuss your case, Call Us At 305-285-1115 Today!

Woman Tweets About Drinking

December 2, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

Whenever someone drinks and drives, it can be safely assumed that they are being negligent. But in today’s culture, permeated with social media, we no longer need to assume.

CBS Miami reports that the driver responsible for a drunk-driving accident, Kaila Mendoza, was tweeting about drinking just before she got in her car. She wrote “2 drunk 2 care,” letting everyone know just how negligent drunk drivers really are.

Her twitter account is littered with other references to alcohol, along with tweets and pictures that discuss drug use. The families of her victims found it difficult to read the tweets.

Personal Injury Suit Filed

November 22, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

Over the past few years, Florida health care regulators pressured parents of disabled children to place them in nursing homes, drawing increasing controversy. The U.S. Department of Justice views this as overreaching its boundaries and has filed suit against the state. But that’s not the only suit that state agencies have to worry about.

The Miami Herald reports that Doris Fry filed suit against several agencies she says were complicit in the death of her 14-year-old daughter, Marie. Marie had severe cerebral palsy and suffered from seizures. Her mother worked hard to provide in-home care for Marie, but state officials decided that Doris wasn’t fit to care for Marie because of her own disabilities.

The state removed Marie from her mother’s care, but a judge disagreed with the decision and ordered them to return Marie to her mother. The judge also charged the Agency for Health Care Administration to pay for in-home care, but the money never came. Without the money that the judge earmarked for Marie’s care, child welfare workers returned to the home and decided that Doris couldn’t afford adequate care for her daughter. They went to a different judge, who ordered that Marie be taken to a nursing home.

Two Pedestrian Accident Victims

November 15, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

Auto accidents occur all the time in Florida, but none are as deadly as those between a car and a pedestrian. Negligent driving is generally to blame, and accidents that involve pedestrians often turn into hit and runs. This week, NBC News reports that two separate accidents killed two pedestrians in Miami.

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The first accident claimed the life of 78-year-old Fannie Ash who was struck as she walked across the street. The driver that hit her left the scene of the accident, but he was quickly found and arrested by Miami police.