Florida Injury Attorneys Blog

Lesa Tavarez, Daemon Drew, and two others were involved in a car accident in The Acreage, Florida that ended with Tavarez dead and Drew and the others hospitalized, according to news reports. No charges have yet been filed and an investigation is under way, but authorities have purportedly indicated that the accident may have been the result of DUI or impairment due to drugs. It is not clear whether 17-year-old Drew, who allegedly ran into Tavarez' vehicle, has retained a private criminal defense lawyer or would potentially face prosecution as an adult if charged.

According to sources, the collision occurred on Friday at approximately 1:13 p.m. at the intersection of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Orange Boulevard in The Acreage, Florida. Reports indicate that Tavarez was making a right turn onto Orange Boulevard in her 2011 Mini Cooper when Drew struck her vehicle with a 2008 Hyundai. Details of the crash are not immediately available, such as whether the crash was a rear-end, side-sweep, or head-on collision or whether speed was a factor. After the collision, reports indicate that the Mini Cooper rolled over. Drew's vehicle apparently continued down Orange Boulevard until his vehicle struck a curb and flipped over as well.

Tavarez's vehicle was reportedly carrying passengers Zachary Dooling, 20, along with a minor whose name and age have not been made public; it is not clear how Tavarez and the passengers were related. Tavarez was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to reports. The three survivors of the crash were airlifted to St. Mary's Medical center for treatment. Police indicated that Seminole Pratt Whitney Road was partially closed for a few hours following the collision but were re-opened that evening.

Unfortunately, this was not the only fatal accident in the area last week. On Tuesday, a three-vehicle crash on Veterans Memorial Parkway injured six people, sources indicate. The names of the injured parties are currently unavailable as Port St. Lucie officials continue to investigate the collision, one of numerous South Florida car accidents to occur recently.

Continue reading "Lesa Tavarez, Daemon Drew Collide in The Acreage, Florida Car Accident; Tavarez Dies" »

Brandon Fritz of Melbourne, Florida was killed in a car accident on Sunday, March 25 when the vehicle he was riding in crashed, causing him to fly out of the window. Five of the 15-year-old's friends, including 16-year-old Zachary Roy, who was driving at the time of the accident, were injured in the crash. An investigation into the car accident revealed that it may have been caused by a tire problem. Investigators have yet to determine whether a manufacturing error may have been at fault.

According to the accident report by the Florida Highway Patrol, the car's other occupants were Lucious McKay, 17, of Bayside High School; Dymond Thomas, 15, of Heritage High School; Alexander Hartfield, 15, of Eau Gallie High School; and Michael McCauley, 15, also of Eau Gallie High School. The group was driving back from a March Madness basketball tournament in Orlando, which they entered as members of the Brevard Elite AAU traveling basketball organization. Roy, Thomas, McCauley, Hartfield and Fritz were in the winning 10th grade division. Alcohol or drugs are not suspected as factors in the crash.

Investigators determined that the tread separated from a rear tire of the Chevy Tahoe as Roy drove on Interstate 95 in Melbourne at approximately 11:44 p.m. on Sunday. Roy lost control of the vehicle, which flipped over several times and hit a Mazda before coming to rest of the shoulder of the highway. Fritz was projected through a window and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical workers. The Mazda that was struck in the accident contained a passenger and driver, who were both treated for minor injuries following the accident.

Fritz was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. His friends later told deputies that Fritz had not been wearing a seat belt because he gave his seat to a friend. "Another kid came along and Brandon was a nice guy and said 'I will sit in the back,'" explained a friend. "There was no seat belt or anything." Fritz was the oldest of three siblings and has left behind an 11-year-old brother and 2-year-old sister.

Fritz was on spring break from Eau Gallie High School, where he played defensive line on the football team and power forward on the basketball team. He was a freshman at the school, which will be offering grief counseling to students when they return from spring break. Derek Smith, the athletic director at Bayside High School said that he had talked to coaches from the other schools as well as Alexander Hartfied and Lucious McKay. He reported that everyone is "fine physically, but mentally are not doing good with the loss of a good friend and teammate."

"I heard about it at 8 a.m.... my friend called and I just broke down and cried and hugged my mom," said Janiel Garcia, who played basketball with Fritz. "Hoops was his passion. He played a little bit of football but he was a basketball player. He had the heart of a basketball player."

John Sutherland Abbott of Eustis, FL collided with Taira and Gabriel Jones in a car accident on March 13, sources indicate. The car accident, during which Abbott's Audi struck Jones' PT cruiser, reportedly killed Gabriel Jones, 3. Authorities suspect that medication may have played a part in the accident. Abbott has not been charged as investigators await the results of a toxicology report. It is not yet clear whether he has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

Florida Highway Patrol reports indicate that the car accident occurred at the intersection of County Road 437 and State Road 44, at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Abbott, 39, was reportedly going northbound down Country Road 47 in his Audi when he crossed the median for unknown reasons and collided with a Jeep. The jeep, driven by 60-year-old Charles Pastore and contained passenger Chewy, Pastore's dog, flipped over on impact. Abbott, still on the wrong side of the road, struck Jones' PT Cruiser next. The head-on collision completely crushed the front of the cruiser.

Taira Jones was reportedly wearing her seatbelt, but Gabriel was not restrained at the time of the accident. Authorities found a booster seat in the back of the car, and it is believed that Taira Jones buckled the girl in but that Gabriel had unbuckled her seat belt while the vehicle was in motion. "She started buckled up, but the girl may have unbuckled herself," said a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson.

Gabriel Jones was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Taira Jones, who sustained serious injuries, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical center for treatment. Charles Pastore sustained only minor injuries, despite the fact that his vehicle flipped over, and was taken to Florida Hospital Waterman for treatment. His dog was uninjured. Abbott was also treated for minor injuries following the crash.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper explained that the FHP believes "that the driver of the Audi may have been under the influence of some type of medication or prescription. We did draw blood and that blood will be evaluated for any type of substance that was inside. That typically takes 10 to 12 weeks." She did not specify what kind of medication Abbott had supposedly taken. The trooper also said that there was a large amount of alcohol in unopened packages in Abbott's car, and that it appeared that he was delivering it to a business.

A background check on Abbott revealed that he has been issued driving citations nearly a dozen times, including 8 speeding tickets, an open container citation and a careless driving citation. He was also reportedly blamed for causing a car accident on I-4 last year.

Jack Rackley, who works nearby, told the press that he heard the accident and came out to see what was going on. "Two fellows were pulling the back car open where the little girl was in the back seat obviously in the back compartment," he told a reporter. Gabriel Jones was the daughter of Gavin Jones, who used to coach football at Tavares High School.

David Benitez, 16, was killed in a car crash in St. Lucie County, Florida last night. According to news reports, David Benitez was ejected from an SUV after it veered into the median on I-95 and flipped over. After he was ejected, his body landed in the northbound lanes of I-95 where he was horrifically run over by two different vehicles.

Donia Otano, 14, was also seriously injured after she too was ejected from the SUV. Emergency crews responding to the scene found her laying on the median underneath the SUV. It is unknown whether or not she will survive from her injuries.

The driver of the SUV, Midialia Rodriguez, 39, was also hospitalized in serious condition along with two other passengers.

This case sounds like a horrific nightmare all around. I can't even begin to imagine what the families of these people are going through.

However, my purpose in writing this blog is to adress the legal issues and discuss them from my perspective as an injury lawyer.

Given the terrible loss of life and extreme nature of the injuries sustained by those involved, I can tell you that the "victim" parties are entitled to very substantial monetary compensation for their injuries and losses.

Continue reading "David Benitez Killed in Car Accident in St. Lucie County, Florida" »

Hazel Dobard was the driver involved in a rollover crash in Volusia County, Florida. Two children were airlifted to local hospitals in Daytona Beach, Florida and Orlando, Florida. According to news reports, Hazel Dobard was driving on I-95 in her 2001 Honda SUV when she lost control at about 9:45 in the morning.

Hazel Dobard's vehicle ended up rolling over, causing two children to be ejected from the interior. Dobard and four other passengers in the vehicle were also injured and sent to the hospital, although their exact condition is presently unknown. The names of the other passengers have not yet been released by investigators.

However, according to news reports, Hazel Dobard lost control of her Honda SUV after one of the rear tires blew out. The cause for this blow out is not presently being reported and it is not clear if a cause has even been identified yet.

Regardless, this rollover crash poses a number of interesting issues from a legal stand-point. As an injury lawyer, I can tell you that the passengers of the Honda, especially the two children who are in critical condition, likely have a very good claim to make against Hazel Dobard's auto insurance company (assuming she has insurance).

Continue reading "Rollover Crash in Volusia, Florida Leaves 2 Children in Critial Condition" »

An early morning car accident in Miami, Florida has left one person dead and nine injured. The car crash happened on the Dolphin Expressway at approximate 6:44 am. According to news reports, the driver of a 15 passenger van lost control of his/her vehicle, clipped crash attenuators and then rolled over (a crash attenuator is a barrel shaped container present on the sides of the highway design to absorb impact in the event of a car accident).

After losing control, two other vehicles then crashed into the van. So far, it appears as though a total of five vehicles were involved in the crash.

According to Zachary Zalabert, his relative was the driver of the passenger van. It is being reported that the van was full of migrant workers who were being driven to work by down South.

The person who was killed was left in the roadway while investigators did their work. One person with life threatening injuries was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center. Two of the remaining people were also listed in life-threatening condition, five were in serious condition, and one was in stable condition.

Given the death and serious injuries suffered in this case, it is clear that the victims may be entitled to very substantial financial compensation for their damages.

Continue reading "One Dead in Car Crash on Dolphin Expressway in Miami, Florida" »

A roll over car accident took place this morning in Tamarac, Florida. The accident was first reported around 7:30 this morning and involved multiple vehicles. It was also reported that traffic delays were heavy.

At the present time, the cause of this accident and the specifics of what happened are still under investigation. The names of those involved have also not yet been released.

Given the fact that this case involved a vehicle rollover, the potential for serious injury is very real. However, when investigating what caused the accident, police are expected to give tremendous weight to the observations made by eye witnesses and then compare that to the physical evidence present on the scene.

The physical position of the vehicles will be very telling, as will the direction of any tire tread and debris fields created when the vehicles collided with each other.

Given the nature of this case, those involved should each hire an experienced injury lawyer. By obtaining the right legal representation, those involved can make sure that their rights are preserved. Undoubtedly, medical bills will need to be paid, auto repair or auto replacements expenses must be reimbursed, and if anyone is left with long term medical damages, those costs must be recovered as well.

Continue reading "Roll Over Car Accident in Tamarac, Florida Involves Multiple Vehicles" »