News You Can Trust for West Palm Beach Personal Injury Plaintiffs Like You

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.

News Category: All CategoriesWrongful Death ClaimsTrucking AccidentsCar AccidentsGeneral

Car Accidents

• Mother And Daughter Killed In Boca Raton Impaired Driving Accident
  Mar 25, 2012

  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. 

• Mother Of Palm Beach Accident Victim Sues American Heritage School
  Mar 24, 2012

  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.

• 17-year-old Loses License Permanently After Reckless Driving Crash
  Mar 23, 2012

  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.

• Lantana Accident Leaves Four Teens Injured
  Mar 16, 2012

  Four teens are hospitalized after a lucky escape from a fiery overnight car crash in Lantana.

  The South Florida auto accident occurred shortly after midnight on Monday, February 20, 2012 in the Winston Trails community off Jog Road in Lantana. A car collided with a palm tree and burst into flames. Three of the four teen occupants were trapped inside. The other teen was partly ejected.

  Two residents heard the crash and came to the scene. They called 911 and used an Arizona Iced Tea jug to put out the flames. Multiple Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crews arrived at the scene. The three passengers in the vehicle were extricated, and all four teens were taken to Delray Medical Center as trauma alerts.

  The male driver and his passengers have not been identified and there is no word about their condition. The accident is still under investigation. It is not known if drugs or alcohol were contributing factors to the South Florida car crash.

  In February, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm released the results of a study on teen driving. The researchers found that male teen drivers with multiple passengers are six times more likely to engage in reckless or illegal activity than male teen drivers with no passengers. They are also more likely to be distracted.

  During the month of March, Palm Beach car accident attorney David Glatthorn will post articles about teen driving safety on his website. He urges all Florida parents to discuss safe driving habits with their teens.

• Popular Teen Loses Life In West Palm Beach Car Crash
  Mar 15, 2012

  Students at Palm Beach Central High School are mourning the death of a classmate. Daniel L. McCauley, a 17-year-old junior, died from injuries suffered in a West Palm Beach car crash.

  The accident occurred on Wednesday, February 22 at about 2:30 a.m., near the entrance to Okeeheelee Park on Forest Hill Boulevard. The teen was driving a beige 2000 Jeep Wrangler when, for undetermined reasons, he drove off the road. The vehicle went over the raised concrete curb, through a barbed wire fence, and into a culvert where it was stopped when it collided with a utility pole and tree.

  McCauley was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, but it was not enough to save his life. He suffered severe injuries and died at Delray Medical Center about one hour after the West Palm Beach car accident.

  The car wreck is still under investigation. Neither alcohol nor drug use is suspected.

  McCauley was a linebacker on the high school’s varsity football team. He was also varsity wrestler and a top student, well liked by both students and teachers.

  Palm Beach car crash lawyer David Glatthorn and his staff would like to offer our condolences to Daniel McCauley’s family and friends. Unfortunately, tragedies like this are not uncommon. In 2011, 211 teens age 16 and 17 lost their lives in highway accidents. This is a dramatic increase over the 190 deaths for the same age group in 2010.

  During the month of March, we will add articles and blog posts about teen driving to our website. We hope that this information will prevent future Florida teen driving accidents.

• Newspaper Investigation Finds Cops are Florida’s Worst Speeders
  Feb 19, 2012

  A recent investigation by the Sun Sentinel has found that police officers routinely speed on South Florida highways. What’s even more shocking is that many of these officers were off-duty at the time.

  The Sun Sentinel obtained a year's worth of police SunPass toll records. They used a GPS device to figure out how quickly the cops must have been travelling based on the time it took to get from one toll plaza to the next. What they found was that almost 800 police officers from 12 different agencies were driving at speeds of 90 to 130 mph.

  The investigation began after a Miami police officer was caught driving 120 miles per hour through Broward County on his way to a second job. The newspaper found that:

  • 793 different transponders assigned to police officers in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties showed evidence of speeding.
  • 5,100 speeding incidents were recorded in a 13-month period.
  • Many officers were habitual speeders.
  • Twenty percent of police cars reached speeds greater than 90 mph. Some reached speeds as great as 130 mph.

  Why do police officers speed?

  Cops rarely stop other cops for speeding. When police officers are stopped, they are rarely punished.

  How much of a problem is speeding by police officers?

  Since 2004, speeding law enforcement officers have caused at least 320 Florida car crashes and 19 deaths. But, cops are rarely punished for causing Florida highway accidents. Only one officer involved in a high-speed crash served jail time; he was sentenced to 60 days.

  Victims of West Palm Beach car accidents deserve accountability, even if the accident was caused by a police officer. Contact West Palm Beach accident lawyer David Glatthorn at 888-340-2620 to learn more.

• Two Die in Lake Worth Auto Accident
  Feb 16, 2012

  Two men are dead after a Lake Worth traffic accident that occurred when another vehicle crashed into the side of their car. 

  The Palm Beach County car accident occurred on Friday, February 10 at 7:06pm in the 3500 block of South Military Trail in Lake Worth. Forty-three-year-old Allen Holyfield and his passenger, 60-year-old Thomas Tetrault, were in a 1995 Jeep Wrangler that was headed northbound on South Military Trail. As Holyfield turned left onto Clement Street, his car was hit by a white 2000 Crown Victoria. Both men were thrown from the Jeep.

  Allen Holyfield died at the scene. Thomas Tetrault was taken to Delray Medical Center by Trauma Hawk, but he also died from his injuries.

  The driver of the Crown Victoria, eighteen-year-old Johan Martinez, was also injured. He was taken to JFK Medical Center in Atlantis where he was treated and released.

  The accident is still under investigation. No charges have been filed.

  Turning left is the most dangerous move for a driver. In Florida, a driver must signal his intent to make a left turn at least 100 feet before reaching the intersection. The driver must yield to any pedestrians, bicycles or vehicles coming from the opposite direction. For this reason, a driver making a left turn is almost always liable to the driver coming from the opposite direction. But, there are exceptions. The other driver may be liable if:

  • The car going straight was speeding or going too fast for road conditions.
  • The car going straight ran a red light.
  • It was safe to turn when the driver began the left turn, but something unexpected happened and the driver had to slow down or stop the turn.

  David Glatthorn Law extends our sincerest condolences to the families of the victims.

• Some Surprising New Facts About West Palm Beach Car Accidents
  Feb 15, 2012

  Everyone knows that reckless young men have the highest risk of dying in a West Palm Beach car crash, right?

  Actually, no. While young male drivers, ages 16-23, have a car accident death rate that is four times higher than average, one group has a higher fatality rate: elderly women. The death risk for a woman in her eighties is five times the average rate, and she doesn’t have to be driving. This high risk is because elderly women are less likely to survive car crash injuries.

  This fact comes from Traffic STATS, an interactive website developed by Carnegie Mellon University for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The database contains over one million demographic variables. Data can be sorted by factors such as time of day, vehicle type, age, season, geographic area, and more.

  Death risk is measured in deaths per passenger mile, so users can get an accurate risk assessment. For example, while there are five times more car crash deaths than motorcycle accident deaths, the number of motorcycle deaths per mile driven is 30 times greater than car accidents per mile. This means a motorcyclist has a 30 times greater risk of dying in a Florida traffic accident than the occupant of a car.

  Some more facts from Traffic STATS:

  • Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a Florida car crash than female drivers.
  • The morning rush hour is the safest time to drive. The most dangerous time is 2:00am, when bars close.
  • The safest passengers are four-year-olds in a car-seat.
  • Vans are twice as safe as cars; school buses are 50 times safer.

  Palm Beach accident attorney David Glatthorn encourages you to be a conscientious driver. To contact David Glatthorn for a free consultation, call 888-340-2620.

• Man Injured in Palm Springs Motorcycle Accident: Who Caused the Crash?
  Feb 10, 2012

  A Wellington man is recovering from serious injuries after a motorcycle crash near Palm Springs.

  The Palm Beach County motorcycle accident occurred on Friday, February 3. Twenty-two-year-old James Swan was riding his motorcycle northbound on Military Trail near Palm Springs. He was at the intersection of Military Trail and Broadway Street when a 2005 Ford van made a right turn off Broadway and headed directly toward the motorcyclist. Swan tried to avoid the van, but ended up crashing into its right side. The motorcycle flipped. Swan, who was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, sustained serious injuries. He was flown to Delray Medical Center for treatment.

  According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report, the accident was caused by 61-year-old Richard McBrayer Sr. of Lake Worth, when he invaded Swan's right of way. However, McBrayer disputed the police report. He claims the motorcyclist was speeding at about 65 miles-per-hour.

  Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon scenario. Many people believe the stereotype that motorcyclists are reckless. For this reason, Florida motorcycle victims are often unfairly blamed for their own accident injuries.

  What can accident victims do when drivers tell two different stories? Car accident victims can take steps to protect their claim as outlined in Florida accident attorney David Glatthorn’s book, The Florida Accident Workbook: Tools, Tips & Tactics to Resolve Your Injury Claim. Accident scenes are often full of clues that police, insurance investigators, and Palm Beach car accident attorneys can use to determine what actually happened, but it is important that victims do what they can to protect their claim. 

• One Driver: Five Florida Auto Accidents in Five Minutes
  Feb 07, 2012

  A Fort Meade man was arrested after causing five separate Florida car crashes in less than five minutes.

  The five Florida traffic accidents occurred in Polk County on Monday, January 23 between 2:45pm and 2:50pm. Forty-seven-year-old Curtis Gunter was driving a green Kia Sorrento when he crashed into a second vehicle near Flamingo Drive in Bartow. Gunter then got on State Route 60, where he headed east in the westbound lanes. As he approached North 91 Mine Road, Gunter caused two more crashes. The fourth crash occurred near Rifle Range Road just west of Dusty's Camper World.

  Several witnesses called the police to report erratic and wrong-way driving. A police officer was sent to the scene to stop the driver. He was placing a spike strip on the highway near Rifle Range Road, when Gunter drove his Kia into the officer’s patrol car. The fifth crash stopped the SUV, and the reckless driver was arrested.

  None of the crashes involved serious injuries. However, all of the cars sustained property damage.

  Gunter was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and with reckless driving. He was booked into the Polk County Jail. Police believe that impairment was a factor, and the driver may face additional charges.

  When car crashes involve multiple vehicles, it may be difficult to get a fair insurance settlement, even if one driver is clearly at fault. The insurance company will only pay damages up to the limit of the driver’s policy. These damages are often paid on a first-come, first-serve basis. You may need a Palm Beach auto accident attorney to ensure that you get your fair share. To learn more, contact attorney David Glatthorn at 888-340-2620.