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Sure, you can find news about West Palm Beach personal injury and accident cases by searching Google News and similar sites. But for real, in-depth analysis, David Glatthorn Law provides the news that you can use.The National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) is investigating a fatal school bus accident in St. Lucie County.
The Florida school bus accident occurred on March 26, 2012 at 3:50 p.m. The bus, a 2005 International school bus, was carrying 30 students home from Frances K. Sweet Elementary School in Fort Pierce. The driver, 56-year-old Albert Hazen turned left from westbound Okeechobee Road toward Midway Road and into the path of a 1998 Peterbilt semitrailer loaded with sod. The driver of the tractor-trailer could not stop in time. The truck crashed into the school bus and overturned. The bus spun 180 degrees.
One child, 9-year-old Aaron Beauchamp, died in the crash. Fourteen other children were injured. The driver and eleven injured children were taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce. One child was taken to St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie. Five children were listed in critical condition at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. One child, 11-year-old Joseph Yannucci, was still hospitalized as of April 5. He was in critical, but stable condition. The uninjured children were taken to St. Lucie County's Emergency Operations Center, west of Fort Pierce.
FHP and NSTB are investigating the crash. The preliminary report says that weather and road conditions were not factors in the deadly St. Lucie bus crash. Alcohol and drugs are not considered factors; however, the driver was tested for alcohol. The report blames the accident on driver inattention. No charges will be filed until the investigation is complete.
A teenage girl is recovering from serious injuries after a "car surfing" accident in Palm Beach Gardens.
“Car surfing” refers to the act of balancing on top of a moving vehicle. In most cases, one teen drives and another climbs to the top of the car and tries to keep his balance while the vehicle is in motion. In some instances, drivers have attempted to climb on top of their own cars. In another variation, teens ride a skateboard while holding on to a moving vehicle.
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Huntoon was injured on Friday, April 27, 2012 when she was car surfing on the trunk of a 2008 Toyota Corolla that was driven by her friend 16-year-old Megan Jacobson. Megan was driving on Gardenia Drive. As Megan turned the corner onto Ilex Drive, Hannah was thrown off the vehicle. When Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue crews reached the scene, Hannah was unresponsive.
Hannah was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach for treatment of severe head injuries.
Staff members at St. Mary's Medical Center say that they see two or three patients a month who are injured in car surfing accidents. Most of these accident victims suffer severe head injuries. The only treatment is aggressive brain surgery.
Hannah is a sophomore at Palm Beach Gardens High School. It’s too early to know the long term effect of her injuries.
The Palm Beach Gardens car accident remains under investigation. Car surfing is illegal in Florida and charges are pending against the driver.
A 49-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured after a three-vehicle accident on I-95 near Hobe Sound.
The Florida motorcycle crash happened at 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11. Christopher Michael Bottoms of Port St. Lucie was riding his 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle south on I-95. He was in the center lane near Bridge Road when the 2003 Ford pickup truck in front of him started to slow down. The motorcyclist was not able to brake in time to avoid the pickup. He struck the Ford in the right rear and the motorcycle overturned and slid into the outside lane.
There was a tractor-trailer in the outside lane. The 53-year-old truck driver from Port St. Lucie tried to slow down and avoid the motorcycle, but he could not avoid a crash. The 2012 Freightliner hit the motorcycle. Bottoms was thrown onto the right shoulder of the road. He survived the accident, but sustained severe injuries.
Bottoms was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach where he was listed in serious condition. The other drivers were not injured.
Bottoms was charged with careless driving.
When a motorcycle crashes into a larger vehicle, the motorcyclist is at an extreme disadvantage. Because motorcycles lack the safety features of cars and trucks, the driver often sustains serious injuries. Many times these accidents are fatal to the motorcyclist.
It is important that motorcyclists talk to a Palm Beach accident injury attorney before dealing with the insurance company. Insurance companies often take advantage of motorcyclist stereotypes and try to blame the victim even when he’s not at fault.
A West Palm Beach woman is in serious condition after an accident caused by a suspected drunk driver. Police have identified the male driver who caused the fatal West Palm Beach car accident as 35-year-old Jose D. Sanchez of Royal Palm Beach.
The accident occurred at about 6:34 p.m. on Sunday, March 25 on Forest Hill Boulevard near Casa Del Monte in suburban West Palm Beach. Sanchez exited Casa Del Monte and attempted to turn west onto Forest Hill Boulevard. He missed the road and hit the median curb several times. He then mounted the median and crossed into eastbound traffic. Sanchez’s Nissan crashed head-on into a car driven by 55-year-old Kathleen Richmond of West Palm Beach.
Sanchez was extricated from his vehicle by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crews. He was flown to Delray Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Ms. Richmond was also taken to Delray Medical Center where she is listed in serious condition.
The Palm Beach County car accident is still under investigation, but sheriff’s officers at the scene suspected that Sanchez was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
Twenty-nine percent of fatal Florida car crashes involve drivers who are under the influence of alcohol. Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater are more likely to make dangerous turns, drive in the wrong direction, and ignore the rules of the road. It is unfair that innocent victims must pay for the poor choices made by these drivers.
If you or a loved one is a victim of a West Palm Beach drunk driving accident, make sure your rights are protected. Contact a Palm Beach personal injury lawyer to learn more.
A young man is dead and six others are injured after an SUV rollover on Interstate 95 in Brevard County.
The Florida highway accident occurred at about 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, March 25 on I-95 near the Pineda Causeway in Melbourne. Fifteen-year-old Brandon Fritz of Melbourne was one of six teens riding in a 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Zachary Roy, 16, of Melbourne. They were on their way home from a basketball tournament. Roy was driving south when the tread on one of his tires separated. Roy lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a 2012 Mazda that was also headed south. The 55-year-old driver, Ronald D'Haeseleer of Vero Beach, and his 17-year-old passenger, Alexander D'Haeseleer, suffered minor injuries.
The SUV spun to the west shoulder of the highway, where it overturned several times. Roy and four passengers, Lucious McKay, 17, Dymond Thomas, 15, Michael McCauley, 15, and Alexander Hartfield, 15, all of Palm Bay, were seriously injured. Brandon Fritz was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. Fritz was the only one in the vehicle not wearing a seatbelt. He had offered to sit in the back of the SUV so another teammate could ride in the vehicle.
The accident is still under investigation. Crash investigators will closely examine the remaining tires on the vehicle in order to determine the cause of the tread separation. The most common cause for tread separation is underinflated tires.
Palm Beach car accident attorney David Glatthorn urges parents to speak to their teens about the importance of safety belts and show teens how to check tires for proper inflation. These simple steps may save your teen’s life.
One man was killed and two others were seriously injured after a head-on crash in Boynton Beach. The accident may have been caused by a medical emergency.
The Boynton Beach car crash occurred at noon on Tuesday, March 13 on Hagen Ranch Road north of Boynton Beach Boulevard and west of Boynton Beach. Steven Cohen, 69, was headed north on Hagen Ranch Road in a Nissan sedan. A Lincoln SUV headed south crossed the yellow line and crashed head-on into Cohen’s car. Cohen died at the scene of the Palm Beach County accident.
Police believe that the accident occurred when the southbound driver, 80-year-old Jack Stevens Hayden of Boynton Beach, suffered a medical emergency. Hayden was severely injured in the crash and was taken to Delray Medical Center for treatment. Hayden died of his injuries on March 27.
Medical conditions that contribute to West Palm Beach car crashes include sudden events like heart attacks and strokes or known conditions like diabetes and epilepsy. If a physician believes that a driver may pose a danger to the public, he is required to file a form with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. However, many drivers must determine for themselves whether they are fit to drive. Many drivers facing this difficult choice choose to protect their personal independence rather than public safety.
If you have been injured in a Palm Beach County car accident caused by another driver’s medical emergency, consult a West Palm Beach car crash lawyer about your rights.
An 80-year-old man has died after a West Palm Beach accident involving an SUV and a motorized wheelchair.
The accident occurred at 6:25 p.m. on Friday, March 23 at the intersection of Ardell Way and Purdy Lane. Benjamin Perez, an 80-year-old from Palm Springs, was attempting to cross Ardell Way in his power chair when he was hit by a 22-year-old female driver. The driver had left a nearby business. Traffic was stopped on Purdy Lane, but the woman drove through a gap in the stopped cars. She did not see Perez. Perez was knocked out of his chair by the collision. He was taken to Delray Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the SUV was not injured.
The accident is still under investigation.
Wheelchair users are at high risk of becoming Palm Beach accident victims. Drivers should look out for wheelchair users, but those who use wheelchairs should also take safety precautions.
Being visible is the best way to avoid a Palm Beach traffic accident. Wheelchair users should wear clothing that is bright and noticeable. Because wheelchairs are low to the ground, it is a good idea to mount a flag on the wheelchair to increase visibility. If the wheelchair is used outdoors at night, it should have reflectors. The user should also wear reflective, light-colored clothing.
Wheelchair users should plan their routes to avoid obstacles and heavy traffic. They should avoid construction areas that may require riding on the street, and they should always cross roads at intersections where the chair can be easily seen.
Mr. Liborio Ferrarella and his family were on their way to share dessert and coffee with relatives when the unthinkable happened. An impaired driver ran a red light and crashed into his vehicle. His wife and daughter, Angelina Ferrarella, 85, and Donna D'Angelo, 54, both of Boca Raton, died at the scene of the crash. Mr. Ferrarella and other passengers, Carlo D’Angelo, 56, and Peter D’Angelo, 19, were seriously injured. They were taken to Delray Medical Center. All three are in stable condition, but Peter has a broken jaw and will need surgery.
The Palm Beach County accident occurred west of Boca Raton just after 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 9, 2012. Nineteen-year-old Joanne Luu was driving a 2003 BMW north on State Road 7. She failed to stop for a red light at the intersection with Sandalfoot Boulevard and crashed into the side of Mr. Ferrarella’s vehicle. She and her passenger, Daniel Maplethorpe, 26, sustained only minor injuries.
The Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office report indicated that the driver and her passenger may have been impaired by drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the crash. Charges may be filed against Luu, pending toxicological results.
Ms. Luu has caused a public outcry over obscenity-laden posts on her Twitter account that refer to the accident. In her posts, she claims that she did not cause the accident and did not run a red light.
Palm Beach accident attorney David Glatthorn would like to offer his condolences to the Ferrarella and D’Angelo families.
Last February, American Heritage soccer star Melissa Bergstein was killed in a car crash. Melissa’s mother, Nicole Van Den Bergh, is filing a West Palm Beach wrongful death claim for her losses.
The accident occurred early in the morning on Sunday, February 13 2011. Melissa’s boyfriend, school wrestler Mateo Londono, and two other wrestlers had qualified for the state championship. The couple had celebrated with the team; they were on their way home with Mateo’s 13-year-old brother Martin. Mateo was driving a 4-door Nissan on Lantana Road when he lost control of his car. The car struck the median and then crashed into a palm tree. Melissa was not wearing a seatbelt and sustained serious injuries; she died the next day. The Londono brothers sustained minor injuries. Neither alcohol nor drugs were involved in the crash.
Ms. Van Den Bergh has filed suit against American Heritage High School, assistant wrestling coach Eric Popper, Mateo Londono, and Mateo’s father. She believes that the former coach was “improperly socializing with students” at the celebration after the wrestling tournament.
A wrongful death is a death that occurs because of the negligence or wrongful act of another person. Families of wrongful death victims may recover damages for medical expenses, funeral expenses and pain and suffering. In some cases, they may also claim punitive damages. If you have lost a loved one and have questions about your rights, contact a West Palm Beach wrongful death attorney.
Reckless deriving costs thousands of lives a year. Driving recklessly is one of the top causes of fatal car crashes in Florida and across the United States. One judge has decided to send a message to young people that reckless driving won’t be tolerated in his state. Chief Magistrate William Guglietta of the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal has banned a 17-year-old from driving for the rest of his life.
Seventeen-year-old Lyle Topa had three friends in his car when he crashed into a tree last October. He and the friends were coming from a party where they had been drinking. Topa was driving on a suspended license. All four teens sustained serious injuries. Sixteen-year-old John LaMotte was in a coma for weeks.
The judge delivered the sentence after Topa pled no contest to speeding, violating seat belt laws, and overtaking where prohibited. The judge agreed to drop several other charges, including leaving the lane of travel, failure to maintain lane, and the graduated license violations of having too many passengers in the car and being out past the designated curfew.
Judge Guglietta hopes that the harsh sentence will make other teens think twice before engaging in reckless driving.
It may seem that the punishment is especially dramatic. After all, part of growing up is learning responsibility. However reckless driving accounts for 70% of accidents in Florida. As a West Palm Beach personal injury attorney, I’ve seen the consequences of many Florida highway accidents. The loss of a license is nowhere near as severe as the loss of a loved one.
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