Miami Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Miami Bar Hit With Lawsuit

June 26, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

June 25, 2013, Miami, FL- When a hundreds of die-hard Miami Heat fans gathered at the Shucker’s Bar and Grill on Biscayne Bay June 14th to watch their favorite team duke it out with San Antonio Spurs for a NBA title, they had no idea that they were in danger. But when the crowd jumped after the Heat scored a basket the deck gave way and at least a hundred people were plunged into the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay, leaving two people in critical condition and dozens of others injured. Now, a Miami couple has filed the first of several anticipated personal injury lawsuits against the bar.

Property accidents, which are too common, rarely make national headlines, but this particular incident took place during a pivotal game in the national basketball playoffs and demonstrates how quickly a seemingly innocuous night on the town can turn tragic.

The wooden deck which jutted 25 ft. onto the water collapsed in a V-shape plunging patrons, chairs and tables into the four-foot deep water. Patrons who managed to escape the fall jumped into the water and offered aide to the injured people. Emergency crews took over two dozen people to the hospital where two of the victims were listed in serious condition.

Thousands Undergo Unnecessary Surgeries

June 24, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

June, 21, 2013, Miami, FL- A new special report shines the spotlight on the surprisingly large number of medical patients who have had unnecessary procedures that have a negative impact on their lives and subject them to painful, disabling, and sometimes deadly complications.

According to the report, which appeared in USA Today, doctors in perform tens of thousands needless surgeries; they estimate that 10 percent to 20 percent of operations in cardiac specialties and spinal injuries are unnecessary. Hysterectomies, knee replacements and caesarians are also commonly performed even though they are not required to improve the patients health.

The report states that many of these needless procedures are performed so unethical doctors can defraud insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid. These unnecessary surgeries cost insurers and the federal government billions of dollars and those costs are then passed on to consumers and taxpayers.

DJ Involved in Fatal Crash

June 17, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

June, 12, 2013, Miami, FL- A forceful rear-end collision that early Sunday morning that sounded like an “explosion” left two men dead and a North Miami DJ in critical condition.

The police report states that a Toyota Corolla traveling east was slowing for a traffic light at Southwest Eighth Street and Douglas Road at 1:20 a.m. when it was rear-ended by another vehicle, a Toyota Camry, driven by local DJ Ervens Prudent, 26.

A witness, who was working in the area, told local station WSVN-TV, “We were wrapping up work, just finished working, and we just heard this great, crazy explosion.” Javier Suarez said. “We saw a car right there on Eighth Street just going around [in circles], doing 360 [turns], and it was really bad. We saw a fire on the floor, and that’s about it. The cops came, and [fire] rescue.”

Nine Injured in Boating Accident

June 12, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

June 10, 2013, Miami, FL- Boating is a favored past time in Miami and the Keys; it a great way to relax and unwind, but there is always the chance a boat being involved in a collision with another vessel or running into obstructions in Florida’s busy waterways.

On Sunday, June 9th two boats making their way to a sand bar near Elliot Key collided just after 6:00 p.m. ABC news reported. Officials are unclear what caused the two vessels, a 28 ft. boat carrying 2 people, and a 36 ft. boat carrying 16 people, to collide, flinging passengers into the water.

“It was a violent collision,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino told the Miami Herald. “We’re very fortunate no one was killed.”

Accident Leaves Miami Firefighter Critical

June 5, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

June, 4, 2013, Miami, FL- Motorcyclist love to be on their bikes and want nothing more than to ride, but other motorists can make the roads very dangerous for them. This a reality that a veteran Miami firefighter learned Monday after he was struck by a truck while on his way to work, leaving him critically injured and his colleagues in shock.

Police say that Hector Seiglie was riding along Dixie Highway South at 22nd Avenue at 6:30 a.m. when he was struck by a pickup truck.

One eyewitness, Mario Sanchez told WSVN-TV what he saw, “And the pickup truck just hit him, and I saw the gentleman on the ground.”

Miami Waitress Dies in DUI Collision

May 22, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

May, 21, 2013, Miami, FL- A young Miami waitress’s life was cut short last week after she and a friend were involved in head on-collision after a night of celebration in the Florida keys.

Kristin Rivera, 22, and her friend Didier Miles, 24, went to the Keys for an annual bash frequented by South Florida servers on Monday, May 13th. But they were both drinking and one of them wouldn’t return to Miami-Dade alive.

Miles and Rivera, who was a passenger, were allegedly fleeing the scene of the prior accident in a Honda Element when Miles crashed head-on into a Mom’s Taxi Dodge van. The police report stated that Miles drifted from the far right lane in the northbound lane across a left turn only lane into Charles Akullian’s taxi which was in the in the right lane of the southbound lanes.

Should I Hire Miami Accident Attorney?

May 17, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

May, 14, 2013, Miami, FL- Traffic accidents are common enough that they seem routine, and many are just simple fender-benders that can be easily settled in no time by exchanging phone numbers or insurance information. But there are many accidents that entail fatal or catastrophic injuries which come at a great cost to the victim.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles estimates that 1,400 residents of the state are killed on an annual basis. In Miami-Dade County there are approximately 48,000 traffic accidents, resulting in an estimated 35,000 injuries, according 2005 statistics from the Florida DMV.

Many of these accidents are the direct result of another person’s negligence; close to 500 traffic collisions in Miami-Dade are caused by intoxicated drivers. But there are a whole host of other dangerous behaviors that motorists engage in that can have dramatic effects on another person’s life.

Miami Road Debris Accident Kills One

April 26, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

April, 22, 2013, Miami, FL- Accidents by their very nature and definition occur due to unforeseen circumstances. People frequently cause accidents because of distraction, inattention, or other negligence. But on some occasions accidents are caused by road debris or other obstructions, like a recent fatal collision on the Florida turnpike which killed an adult and injured a 13 year-old girl.

Last Saturday, April 20th, Amalia Ramirez-Marquez, 46, was driving south on the Florida Turnpike near Southwest Eight Street with her 13 year-old daughter when she encountered some debris in the road. Ramirez-Marquez attempted to avoid the debris but was unable to, she and lost control of her vehicle. The 2001 Mazda spun around onto a grassy median then slammed into a tree, CBS Miami reported.

The female driver was killed on impact. Her daughter was taken to a Miami hospital in stable condition.

Miami Woman Dies in Turnpike Accident

April 24, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

Miami, FL- A member of a Miami church was killed Saturday night on the Florida Turnpike just outside Orlando when the van she was traveling in lost control and ejected her.

North Miami resident Merlenda Chery, 47, was one of at least 19 people headed to Orlando for a mission trip, when the van driver lost control on the Florida Turnpike.

Authorities believe the tread one of the tires separated causing the rubber to peel away from the rim, which sent the van careening down the busy highway were speeds can range from 50 mph to 75 mph. The van rolled-over several times, though police are unclear at this time how many times, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Miami Beach Car Accident after a night on the town

January 30, 2013 | Wolfson & Leon

MIAMI BEACH – In devastating act of irresponsibility, a young woman got in her car drunk and drove off after a night of partying. This proved to be a horrible decision as shortly thereafter she ran over a gentleman that was leaving his place of work. He was a chef. And a good one. The Shore Club was lucky enough to have him. And by all accounts, he was a gentleman.

But today, he is dead at the hands of the party girl who tweeted and facebooked her joyful drinking pleasures and exploits. However, after what was probably her life’s most sad act, she ran. But a witness followed her and caught up with her after calling the police through 911.

She was arrested and charged. Out on bail, she avoided the press. At this point, this is yet another example of how drinking and driving intersect with lives that are truly minding their own business. Florida law provides for punitive damages when drunk driving accidents happen. And the wrongful death statute allow certain survivors to recover. But nothing can repair the damage an accident like this causes. Lawyers have a job to do. But there is a limit to what can be repaired.