Florida Injury Attorneys Blog

Ikuyo Ohigash, 65, was arrested after bicycle accident in Lake Worth, Florida. Police say narcotics were involved when Ikuyo Ohigash rammed her SUV into the rear of a man riding a bicycle along Lake Worth Road at Corrigan Court. This action caused the man to be thrown from his bicycle. The man's name and identity have not yet been released by police.

As an injury lawyer and a criminal attorney, I can tell you that not only does Ikuyo Ohigash face some very serious felony DUI charges, but she also is liable to the man for major monetary damages as a result of the injuries she undoubtedly caused.

Bicycle accidents are very common in South Florida, mostly because we have good weather and people are able to ride bikes all year round.

Regardless, a successful injury case for the bicyclist who is injured in an accident with a car has three elements:

1) The bicyclist must be able to prove that the driver of the car was at fault.

3) The driver of the car must either have insurance or other personal assets which can be used to pay any settlement or judgment.

In the case of Ikuyo Ohigash it appears that the first element is easily proven by an injury lawyer. First of all, police seem to make it appear as though she was DUI. Second, anytime a driver rear ends another, the driver who did the rear ending is presumed responsible. Third, pedestrians always have the right of way, this includes bicyclists.

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Anthony Vesce, 53, and Jim Dorsey, 61, were killed in Sunrise, Florida this week when they were hit by cars as they rode their bicycles along the roadway. Neither accident was related to the other, but it was strange to have two bicycle accidents that resulted in death occur two days in a row. To make this even stranger, both men were killed at around the same time in the morning.

As an avid cyclist myself, I always fear being hit by a car as I ride along the roadway, even though I follow the rules of the road and always wear a helmet. These cases are tragic and are presently being investigated by police.

The first accident occurred on the 1500 block of Flamingo Road approaching Sunrise Boulevard around 6:00a.m. Tuesday morning. In this accident, Anthony Vesce was hit by a white sedan driven by Danielle Caruso, 41. Caruso has not been arrested nor has she been charged with any crime.

The second accident resulted in the death of Jim Dorsey and occurred during the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning. Dorsey was crossing the street at the 2500 block of West Sunrise Boulevard. It is claimed that he was not crossing at an intersection and may have been heading home from a bar.

Since both Vesce and Dorsey were killed in these car accidents, their families should hire an injury lawyer to begin an independent investigation as soon as possible. As a trial lawyer myself, one of the things I find most frustrating is when good evidence has been lost or destroyed because it took the attorneys too much time to get on scene and begin their own investigation.

Continue reading "Anthony Vesce and Jim Dorsey Killed in Sunrise, Florida in Separate Bicycle Accidents" »

A man was killed while riding his bicycle in Sunrise, Florida early this morning. The pre-dawn accident allegedly happened along the 1500 block of Flamingo Road approaching Sunrise Boulevard. The identity of the bicyclist has not yet been released. He was pronounced dead on the scene. An investigation into the cause of the accident is still pending. However, it is known that the driver of the vehicle who hit the bicyclist is a female, she remained on scene, and was not injured. Because she did not flee the scene, the woman has not been charged with a crime. (Photo credit: Danielle A. Alvarez/Sun-Sentinel)

At this stage of this case, investigation and preservation of evidence is the most important thing. While the exact cause of this case is presently unknown, it is clear that bicycles have the right of way.

Since this accident happened in the early morning, one question that comes to mind regards the lighting conditions of the street. Was it daylight outside or still dark? This is important because if it was still dark, the bicyclist may have been required to use a flashing light while riding his/her bicycle.

At this stage of the case, determining what caused the accident is essential. Since one party is dead, the main source of information may come from the driver of the white car. Unless other independent witnesses can be found or there is available surveillance video, the driver of the white car may be the only person who an explain what happened.

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