Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Blog

On April 18, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives voted to pass HB1063 which allows the bill to go on to the Florida Senate for debate.  HB1063 repeals no-fault insurance in Florida as we have known it since the 1970’s when no-fault insurance for car accidents first...

Steven Higgins died on April 17, 2017 after being struck as a pedestrian on the sidewalk of Beacon Road in Lakeland, Florida.  The accident happened at approximately 4:44 p.m. when a 2001 Nissan Sentra driven by Steven Statterfield lost control of his vehicle and struck a street...

Jonathan Riley, 31-years-old, pulled over into the bicycle lane of US 98 South in Lakeland, Florida on April 17, 2017 and attempted to flag down other drivers when he was hit by another car.  The accident happened at approximately 2:45 a.m. when Melissa Corbin claims that she...

Debra Pfaff was driving a 2002 Ford Excursion on South Florida Avenue when she struck the rear end of a Citrus Connection city bus on April 11, 2017.  The accident happened in front of the IHOP restaurant by south Lakeland.  Pfaff was not wearing a seatbelt and was taken to...

The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) issued an alert for a recall on infant hats sold at Tractor Supply between January 2017 and March 2017.  The recall is identified as number 17-122 with the CPSC.  The hats are being recalled because the button at the top of the...

State Senator Jeff Brandes introduced SB340, which includes among other things, a requirement for primary automobile liability insurance carried by the drivers of ridesharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, rather than the ridesharing services themselves.  The bill also...

Elnora Parris Smith died in a car accident in Auburndale, Florida on April 3, 2017.  Smith was 83 years old.  The accident was reported have happened when she attempted to make a left hand turn from Alabama Lane onto US92.  Smith was driving a 2004 Buick and was hit by...

William Britton died as a result of a car accident in Winter Haven, Florida on March 28, 2017.  Britton was speeding on Cypress Gardens Boulevard in a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe when he crashed into a 2016 Nissan Rogue driven by Irene Foldvary near the intersection with Helena...

Rachel Nicole Tew, 23-years-old, died on March 27, 2017 after an accident on Deeson Road in Lakeland, Florida.  Tew was a passenger in a 1999 Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by Haley Carnley.  The accident happened at approximately 9:15 pm. as Carnley attempted to stop for...

Due to constant political pressure, the Florida Legislature is considering proposals for cutting Medicaid benefits to recipients.  Legislators in both the House and the Senate are proposing to save the state’s money by reducing the amounts that hospitals can get paid from...

Jacquell Bradwell and Kathryn McKenrick died as a result of a car accident on US 27 in Frostproof, Florida on March 21, 2017.  The accident happened at approximately 8:45 p.m. when Bradwell’s 2000 Ford Expedition crossed over the center median on US 27 at Collany Lane and...

Hyundai Company Logo Hyundai Motor America issued a recall on March 8, 2017 of 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonota gasoline and hybrid sedans due to a front seat belt assembly that may be defective.  Hyundai indicates that the anchor pretensioner may not fully latch when the linkage is...

A semi-truck accident was reported at the intersection of US98 and Autumnwood Grove Boulevard in Lakeland, Florida on March 17, 2017.  The intersection involved is the entrance to Polk State College.  The accident happened at approximately 8:00 a.m.  No further details...

Florida became the first state to completely legalize “autonomous” or “self-driving” cars in 2016 for use on public roadways with a unanimous vote.  Since then, there have been at least two deaths on public highways involving vehicles driven in full...

Ali Habeil sustained serious injuries while riding a motorcycle in Lakeland, Florida on March 9, 2017.  This motorcycle accident happened at approximately 5:30 p.m. on the southbound side of US98 at Marcum Road when Ginger Myre made an improper U-turn directly in Habeil’s...

A semi-truck struck a cement mixer on US17 in Winter Haven at the intersection with Winter Lake Road.  The collision occurred at approximately 7:45 a.m. on March 9, 2017.  The semi-truck was hauling a load of sand at the time of the collision and flipped on its side as a result of...

Police chased after a suicidal man driving a pickup truck in Winter Haven resulting in the man’s death and an injury to a third person in another vehicle.  The police chase ended on U.S. 27 between Cypress Gardens Boulevard and Thompson Nursery Road.  News reports...

Jeffrey Scott Phelts died in a car accident in Lakeland, Florida on March 4, 2017.  He was driving north on South Florida Avenue when he crossed over into oncoming traffic near Orange Street.  The accident happened at approximately 5:30 p.m.  The other driver involved...

A total of $51,813.591 was awarded among six family members involved in a 2013 car accident in Marion County.  They were struck from behind while at a red light at the intersection of SE Maricamp Road and 31st Street in Ocala, Florida when Nathan Pyles failed to stop. The...

Several cars were involved in an accident at US98 and Ernest Smith Boulevard in Bartow, Florida.  Accident photos are shown in The Ledger and on Twitter.  This is the second day in a row that a major car accident has occurred at this intersection. Traffic Light On High...