Jacksonville Personal Injury Blog

More and more cases are occurring of the prescription drug Byetta causing severe conditions of pancreatitis. About forty cases of patients developing some kind of pancreatitis have been reported to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to date.

Forty is indeed a high number of innocent victims suffering from a paramedical drug that was meant to help lower their blood sugar levels as type-2 diabetes patients. The initial dose of Byetta, generic name Exenatide, is injected under the skin subcutaneously, either in the thigh, abdomen, or upper arm.

Severe cases of hemorrhagic pancreatitis in which the pancreas becomes inflamed and bleeds, as well as necrotizing pancreatitis where the inflamed pancreas destroys itself, are the most common issues being reported in association with the use of dangerous drug Byetta.

In 2008, the first serious side effects of the Byetta defective drug were seen when four patients needed to be hospitalized and two patients died as a result of taking the medication.

Continue reading " Defective Drug Byetta Connected to Pancreatitis " »

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Posted In: Defective Drug , Personal Injury , Pharmaceutical Litigation

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According to an article, rescuers had to cut part of a roof off of an SUV after it crashed off I-95 near St. Augustine south of Jacksonville last weekend. It was the only way to remove the two injured people inside. They were taken to Flagler Hospital after they were extracted from the vehicle which had crashed into some trees.

There are very few details on what exactly happened or how the vehicle ended up wedged in the trees on the side of the road.

There is a lot of construction on I-95 and this unfortunate car accident in Florida serves as a good reminder about the steep drop-off that can occur around the road’s edge. Construction zones often contain dangerous drop-offs where the contractors fail to build up the replacement dirt outside of the white line.

If a tire catches the exposed dirt shoulder, it can jerk the vehicle in the direction of the drop-off and throw the driver off, causing him to over-correct his vehicle in the opposite direction, often into oncoming cars or trees.

Drivers on undivided rural highways with high speed limits are particular locations for these drop-off accidents, though they can occur anywhere. Even a drop-off of two inches or less can cause this sort of loss of control resulting in a Florida hazardous road accident.

Continue reading " Florida SUV Traffic Accident on I-95 Injures 2 " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Personal Injury

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It was March 14, about 7:15 a.m. Mario Reyes, 59, was rushing to his job as a construction crane operator. According to a report, he crossed the six-lane MacArthur Causeway, in Miami near a crosswalk, when he was hit and killed by a Bentley being driven by Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Donte Stallworth.

According to Miami Beach police, Stallworth said he flashed his light to warn Reyes. But police also note he was driving about ten miles over the posted 40 mph zone.

They are investigating blood tests to see whether alcohol played a part in the pedestrian accident in Florida. No charges have been filed against Stallworth, who stopped his car after hitting Reyes.

Reyes was hit in the far left lane, just outside of the cross walk.

According to 2008 Florida Statutes, pedestrians must follow traffic signals at intersections and should not walk outside of designated areas that are for cars only. Following this simple procedure should help lower the chances of car accidents in Florida from occuring.

Drivers must stop and remain stopped to allow pedestrians to cross a roadway. When there is no sign, the driver of the vehicle is supposed to yield the right-of-way so the pedestrian can cross the roadway.

But pedestrians are not supposed to “suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.”

Pedestrians outside of crosswalks are supposed to yield the right-of-way to vehicles.

Continue reading " Florida Pedestrian Accident Involving NFL Player " »

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Posted In: Pedestrian Accidents , Personal Injury

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Charges may be filed against a 22-year old motorcyclist from Georgia who was involved in a car accident in Florida last weekend that took the life of a pregnant woman.

According to an account from the Florida Highway Patrol, 32-year-old Vanessa Parker Sinclair, who was eight months pregnant, was on I-95 near the intersection of State Road A1A in Nassau County north of Jacksonville when a motorcycle approached her vehicle quickly from behind.

Witnesses say Ms. Sinclair tried to get out of the way of the motorcycle driven by Jen Young Lee, 22, of Savannah, and traveled from the middle lane to the right lane. Unfortunately, the motorcycle was trying to pass on the right side at the same time. When Sinclair discovered what was happening, she diverted the car back to the middle lane, but lost control of the Chevrolet. It rolled and she was killed along with the baby she was carrying.

Sinclair became one of about 10,000 fatalities every year from rollover accidents in Florida. Fortunately the children in the back were not seriously injured. Lee broke his leg when his motorcycle overturned but was hospitalized in fair condition.

Investigators must determine if there was excessive speed, if the vehicle was road worthy and try to recreate the Florida car accident with the help of witnesses.

Continue reading " Flordia Car versus Motorcycle Accident Kills Pregnant Woman " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Motorcycle Accident , Personal Injury , Wrongful Death

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Last September, a Florida tractor-trailer driver slammed into a school bus in north Florida killing a 13-year-old girl. It turns out he was on his cell phone. Some heroic passersby pulled the children from the bus before it caught on fire. Two of the children were critically injured.

On Thursday, March 19, according to a report, a similar incident occurred in a Jacksonville tractor-trailer accident, but with a less tragic ending.

The bus was on a field trip in downtown Jacksonville, Thursday morning. The kids, from Lake Forest Elementary, were going to the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.

The truck hit the rear of the bus. The tractor-trailer smashed its front right headlight in the process, but did not injure any students.

Ten students had to be transported to hospitals to be checked out. The driver was seen at a hospital as well. Fortunately, none of the injuries were serious in this bus accident in Jacksonville.

One mother picked up her child at the scene at Union and Davis Street at about 11:30 after hearing about the accident. Her child was shaken up and she took him home.

The question as to what caused this tractor-trailer to rear-end a school bus needs to be answered.

The First Student bus company has a contract to carry students in Duval County. The company said “The safety of our students is our No. 1 priority…regardless of whether they’re in the classroom or in a school bus headed to an event.”

Continue reading " Jacksonville Tractor-Trailer Accident Involving School Bus Injures Students " »

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Posted In: Bus Accident , Truck Accident

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This would qualify as a freak accident.

A passenger on a motorcycle traveling in the Jacksonville area was hit by a ladder that fell from a pickup truck, according to a report. The 59-year old woman is in the hospital with critical head injuries from the Florida motorcycle accident.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the female passenger was sitting a bit higher than the driver on the Harley on which they were riding, and that’s why she took the brunt of the hit.

The couple is from West Virginia. The woman was not wearing a helmet.

The driver of the truck that improperly secured its ladder has been identified. No word yet on whether charges will be filed, but that certainly should be a consideration in addition to seeking the help of a top motorcycle accident lawyer in Jacksonville.

It is inexcusable for a ladder to fall off a truck and not have any backup rope to at least keep it with the vehicle so an auto accident in Florida like this doesn’t happen.

No word on the insurance condition here, but what do you do if you find out the driver doesn’t have insurance?

Continue reading " Jacksonville Motorcycle Accident Passenger Hit by Falling Ladder " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Motorcycle Accident , Personal Injury

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People are losing their homes and desperate for some help refinancing. That’s why many unscrupulous loan scams are surfacing nationwide. Fraud is up 26 percent over a year ago, according to a Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI) report, an information services company working with real estate and banks.

And Florida trails only Rhode Island as a center for fraud, which can happen a few ways. Some scam artists may be accessing the public files to find homeowners in distress. Others simply put ads on the internet or in public places to attract business.

Whether you have been a victim of mortgage fraud or even securities fraud in Florida, it is important to get your questions answered so you can get your life back on track.

A classified ad or solicitor on the phone promises to refinance your home for a reasonable fee. You’ll be able to live there, they promise. All you have to do is fork over some money and the mortgage company will make it simple for you.

Once the phony loan scammers “help” you, they may decide to take your payments, which they promise will allow you to stay in your home. In reality, some are pocketing the money and not paying the lender.

Continue reading " Florida Mortgage Fraud At The Top " »

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Posted In: Fraud Victims , Personal Injury

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Last week, a 2-year-old Jacksonville, Florida girl died in her driveway when her father backed up his SUV and didn’t see her.

Kainaat M. Umnair was in the driveway at her parents' home on the Southside, according to an account. It was about 2 p.m. when the little girl reportedly ran toward the car, according to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The girl’s mother tried to stop her but she had another child in her arms and was unable to catch up with her.

The girl was rushed to Shands Hospital but died from the weight of the vehicle.

Pedestrian accidents in Florida in driveways are the kind of story we keep reporting because unfortunately these incidents keeps happening.

The same day this girl was killed, a two-year-old was rolled over and killed in Fort Worth, Texas. Her mother forgot something inside the house and left her daughter and three others outside in an SUV. A child got into the driver’s seat and put the car in reverse then fell out of the vehicle.

A toddler hit by an SUV last November died after she was run over on a sidewalk in Los Angeles. A 16-month-old boy was recently killed by his father’s SUV in the Northwest Washington area.

Continue reading " Jacksonville Driveway Accident Kills Two-Year-Old " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Pedestrian Accidents

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This proposal to tighten seat belt requirements has never passed in the Florida Legislature before.

In Florida, not wearing your seat belt will bring you a $30 fine for an adult, and a $60 fine for a child not properly restrained. The law applies only to the front seat passengers and to cars manufactured since 1968.

You will receive that ticket only if you are pulled over for another reason. Seat belts alone are not enough of a reason to pull someone over, which is referred to as a primary infraction.

Now a number of proposals are on the table for Florida to join the 25 other states that consider not wearing a seat belt a “primary” enforcement law- meaning an officer can pull you over and give you a ticket just for not wearing your seat belt.

On the surface, it’s tough to argue with. Everyone knows seat belts help save lives when Florida car accidents occur. Backers of primary enforcement say an estimated 124 lives will be saved every year and 1,700 serious injuries.

But there is another good reason to make the failure to buckle up a primary enforcement – about $35 million good reasons. The federal government will withhold highway dollars from Florida without the primary enforcement law.

Florida has until June 30th to comply. Two bills are in the legislature that will change the law and perhaps save some lives.

Continue reading " Florida Seat Belt Enforcement May Get Tougher " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Law & Information , Personal Injury

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According to a report, the 17-year-old girl was driving in the Ortega area of Jacksonville. She says she was “just glancing at” her cell phone which was on the car seat.

She was not injured in the accident that followed, but 44-year-old Anthony Merrett is in critical condition after she pinned him against a wood chipper. He was working with a tree trimming crew along the side of the road when he was hit in this pedestrian accident in Florida.

Teens are notorious for texting, talking on the phone, and generally being distracted by anything on the console. They do not have the reaction time or capabilities of an experienced driver. Teens don’t want to hear that, but it’s true.

Charges may be filed in this very serious case.

Last month, a bill was introduced in the Florida legislature that bans texting while driving. In fact, it bans reading, manually writing, or typing and sending messages on cell phones.

Continue reading " Jacksonville Pedestrian Accident Caused by Cell Phone Use Injures Man " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Law & Information , Pedestrian Accidents

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According to a report, 22-year-old Antonio Creech was visiting his sister at the Eureka Gardens apartments two days before Christmas 2007 when he was shot and killed along with another man.

Now his parents, James and Cheryl Creech have filed a Florida premises liability lawsuit against the property owner, Flagship Property Managers. They say money won’t do anything to change the fact that they'd rather see their son again.

Antonio had never been in the trouble with the law. He loved playing football and played the trumpet in his high school band. James says about his wife, “I can’t do nothing for her but hold her.”

Flagship had a problem property. There had been seven murders in seven months. Even with the violence, there was no security, no gates, no guard and not enough lighting. A property owner has an obligation to keep anyone visiting or living on the property safe.

Flagship failed to establish security policies and procedures or work with law enforcement or independent consults to ensure that the property is as safe as it can be. That certainly would include adequate lighting, gates and security patrols and security systems including closed-circuit TV and alarm systems.

Continue reading " Jacksonville Negligent Security of Apartment Leads to Death of Young Man " »

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Posted In: Personal Injury , Premises Liability

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The news does not appear to be good for the three men still missing off the west coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.

One man has been recovered, but three are still missing.

The Coast Guard received a call early Sunday morning that four boaters did not return from a fishing trip off the coast of Clearwater, Florida. The four men are hard to miss, they include Oakland Raiders linebacker Victor “Marquis” Cooper, Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith, William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler. Beakley and Schuyler were former University of South Florida players.

The four set out about 6:30 Saturday morning for a fishing trip in the Gulf and their 21-foot boat was anchored about 35 miles off shore. While the weather was calm in the morning, winds picked up and seas rose up to 14 feet. The men raised the anchor and Schuyler, speaking from his hospital bed, said that’s when the boat overturned.

The Coast Guard found Schuyler Monday sitting on top of the overturned boat. With water reported to be about 61-degrees, Schulyer likely survived because a) he had on a life jacket and b) he stayed with the boat. He is now recovering in the hospital from dehydration and hypothermia as a result of the boating accident off Florida's coast.

We are hoping for the best for the other men. What are the lessons to be learned here?

First, a 21-foot boat is no match for an eight foot wave, much less a 14-foot wave.

Boaters should always wear life vests, as everyone did onboard here. A vest will keep you floating a little longer, increasing your survival time. Typically someone can survive two to seven hours in water that cold before hypothermia sets in.

Always let someone know when you will return and give them a float plan. Constantly check the weather to monitor conditions that can change on a dime.

Continue reading " Capsized Boat and Fading Hopes For NFL Players " »

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Posted In: Boating Accident

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Two car accidents in Jacksonville recently raise questions about whether police are putting the public first when it comes to safety on the roads.

Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford is asking the public for patience as a criminal probe tries to uncover what exactly happened that led to a collision between an officer’s car and an 86-year-old man driving a truck.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the police chase launched by Officer Marcus Kilpatrick. He was traveling 98 mph through a residential area and near a school in a 40 mph zone to follow someone with tinted windows!

A witness said in a report that she saw Officer Kilpatrick go over and switch on his emergency light after the crash, in violation of policy that requires both lights and / or sirens when pursuing someone in an emergency situation. Tinted windows do not constitute an emergency.

A change in the police chase policy may result from the accident.

Continue reading " Jacksonville Car Accidents Bring Up New Pursuit Policies " »

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Wrongful Death

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