Florida Injury Attorneys Blog

Jeff Hood of Miami, Florida struck and killed father-daugher duo Carolina Cuadra and Issac Antonio Lopez in a car accident, according to reports. Hood, 45, suffered minor injuries in the crash. No charges have yet been filed as police continue to investigate the incident. It is not clear whether Mr. Hood has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

Reports indicate that the car accident occurred last Thursday at approximately 1:00 a.m. on the Palmetto Expressway, close to the Northwest 36 Street ramp. According to the accident report, Cuadra and Lopez were going to a warehouse to pick up Miami Herald Media Co. newspapers for delivery. Cuadra was a contract newspaper carrier for the paper, for which she worked 365 days a year.

While the pair was headed to the warehouse in Cuadra's 1996 Toyota, Hood allegedly rear-ended their vehicle with his 2002 Dodge pickup. The impact of the crash allegedly smashed Cuadra's vehicle, destroying the car and killing both her and her father. Sources indicate that Hood may have been speeding at the time of the accident, and police reportedly drew blood at the scene to determine whether he had been drinking. The report indicates that Hood was not visibly drunk, and no open containers were found in his vehicle.

Hood is a Miami-Dade County employee, though he was driving his personal vehicle at the time of the accident. Both Cuadra and her husband, Jose, worked for the Miami Herald. Carolina Cuadra left him behind along with her three daughters, aged 7, 13, and 21. It is not clear whether the Cuadra family plans on seeking the services of a personal injury lawyer.

Continue reading "Jeff Hood of Miami, Florida Hits, Kills Carolina Cuadra and Issac Antonio Lopez in Car Accident" »

Gloria Adams, Timothy Dale and Jeffrey Miller were in a deadly Palatka, Florida three-vehicle crash on March 12. Dale, a Putnam Sheriff's candidate, died in the crash, which was reportedly set off by 77-year-old Adams. Miller and Angela Wynn were both injured. No charges have yet been filed as officials continue to investigate the car accident. It is not clear whether Adams has preemptively retained a private criminal defense attorney.

According to the police report, the incident occurred on March 12 just after 10 at night. Adams, while driving down U.S. 17 South in her 2009 Ford sedan, allegedly rear-ended a 1991 Ford Escort driven by 63-year-old Jeffery Miller. It is not clear whether the rear-ending was due to a lapse in attention, a sudden stop on the part of Miller, or some other factor.

As Adams' vehicle struck Miller's vehicle from behind, Miller's vehicle crossed the median, blocking 50-year-old Brown's path. Brown's 2005 Ford struck Miller's vehicle, and the impact caused Brown's vehicle to divert onto a shoulder and flip over.

It is not entirely clear whether Brown was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Adams and Miller were wearing seat belts, as well as Angela Wynn, who was riding in Miller's vehicle. Brown was taken to Putnam Community Medical Center following the car accident, where he was pronounced dead. Adams sustained minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Putnam Community Medical Center for treatment. Miller and Wynn both had to be flown to hospitals: Millar, in critical condition, was flown to Shands Hospital in Gainsville, while Wynn, who was in stable condition, was taken to Orange Park Medical Center.

Timothy Brown, who served as a police officer for 20 years and leaves behind three children, was one of nine Putnam sheriff candidates. Brown was running as a Republican in the primary, which will take place this August. He reportedly has a family history of police officers: both his father and grandfather served on police forces. On his website, he said that he would "provide the people of Putnam County with the level of service we deserve at a cost we can all afford" if chosen as sheriff.

A friend and co-worker of Brown's told the press that Brown was friendly and popular. "If you were around him, you just couldn't help but like him. He always had a smile on his face," the friend said, calling the accident "tragic."

This is not the only fatal car accident plaguing Florida this week. Gregory Todd Travers, 41, died in Davie, FL on Monday when his vehicle spun out of control on State Road 84. Travers' vehicle crashed into a bridge support and flipped over, leaving Travers with lethal injuries. When officials responded to a 911 call and reached the area, Travers' limping German Shepherd reportedly led them nearly a quarter of a mile to the crash site and helped them navigate the wreckage and locate Travers.

"I think the dog definitely meant to lead them there," said Davie Batallion Chief Robert Belizaire to the press. "I think he was out there looking for some help." The dog was taken to the Broward County Animal Shelter following the accident, but was later picked up by Travers' widow.

Judson Quimby struck a Manatee, Florida school bus last Friday, resulting in five students being hospitalized, sources indicate. 80-year-old Quimby was issued a ticket for careless driving in connection to the incident. It is not currently known if more charges are to follow, nor is it known whether Quimby has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

The car accident reportedly occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. last Friday, at the intersection of Manatee Avenue West and 75th Street West. The bus driver, Esmerelda Ramirez, was stopped at the intersection when Quimby rear-ended the bus with some force in his 2002 Dodge intrepid. He then backed up into another vehicle before putting his car into forward gear and hitting the bus a second time.

The driver of the car behind Quimby drove off without getting out of the vehicle. No one was able to provide a description of the vehicle or provide any other information.

Of the 17 students on the bus, 5 were sent to Blake Medical Center with minor injuries. The names and ages of the children were not released, but it is known that they all attend Manatee School of the Arts, which teaches middle school through high school (normally 11-18 years of age). It is not known whether all of the children have been released from the hospital.

Ramirez did not sustain any injuries, but Quimby told officers that his chest hurt following the accident and was also sent to the hospital. He was later released. The school bus itself sustained $2,500 worth of damage.

The incident is the third of its kind since January. On March 1, a pickup truck rear-ended a school bus at the intersection of 27th St East and 11th Ave East. The school bus, #563 in the Manatee school district, was stopped to pick up Freedom Elementary students at approximately 7:45 a.m. and was struck while students were boarding the bus. Photos from the scene of the car accident show that the pickup truck must have been moving with some speed, as the hood is completely smashed against the back of the bus and the front bumper is lodged underneath the bus.

24 students, from ages 6-10, were on the bus at the time, and 8 were sent to either Blake Medical Center or Manatee Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. Neither the bus driver nor the pickup truck driver were injured. It is not clear why the truck driver failed to stop for the bus and what kind of charges he or she faced in connection to the crash.

The first accident of the year occurred on January 5, when Charles Orr, school bus driver, smashed into a 18-wheel truck after turning around in his seat to reprimand a student. The accident occurred on State Road 64 near Interstate 75 in Manatee County at around 4:45 p.m., as the driver was dropping off Manatee School District middle school students. Orr was knocked unconscious on impact. After the crash, the bus started to roll down a hill and students ended up jumping out of an emergency exit. A bystander was able to stop the bus, but 21 students were sent to the hospital for treatment for ailments ranging from abrasions to broken bones.

A massive car pile up on I-75 near Gainesville, Florida has killed 10 people and injured at least 18 others. According to news reports, the massive car accident was initially caused by heavy fog and smoke. News outlets are reporting that the smoke may have come from an intentionally set brush fire. After crashing into each other, one after the other, a number of the involved vehicles burst into flames. (Photo: Fox News)

The fire was so intense that one tractor trailer was reduced to its metal skeleton, while the tires of other vehicles were burnt completely off, leaving only bare metal wheels.

For those who are unfamiliar with brush fires, I can tell you that they are actually quite common in Florida. I myself have witnessed many brush fires on Florida's roadways.

Unlike brush fires that occur naturally, most brush fires in Florida are intentionally set by farmers looking to fertilize and clear land to prepare for new crops.

I myself have even seen how these fires are set. Described briefly, farmers basically drive along the border of a field in a tractor that is specially fitted with a fire spitting receptacle that is aimed at the base of the brush being targeted.

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Carol Sun was killed in a Palm Beach Gardens, Florida truck accident early this morning. Another person, Patricia Bao-Tran Le was also injured. Carol Sun and Patricia Bao-Tran Le were both only 17 years old.

According to news reports, Carol Sun was a passenger in Patricia Bao-Tran Le's Toyota 4Runner when they were rear-ended by a semi tractor-trailer near PGA Boulevard.

The impact was so intense that their 4Runner was split in two. I can't even begin to imagine how horrific the impact must have been.

To make matters worse, this is the second South Florida read-end collision to result in a traffic fatality this week. Early Monday morning, O'Neil Jahlil Fields was killed when his car was rear-ended by another driver on I-95.

Given my perspective as an injury lawyer, there are a number of extremely important issues that must be addressed in this case.

First, the driver of the tractor trailer must be held accountable for causing this terrible accident. In my personal opinion, if you drive trucks for a living you should be held to a higher standard of due care.

Plain and simple.

Second, under Florida law, there is a presumption of guilt when a person rear-ends another vehicle. In other words, in rear-end crashes, the driver who did the rear-ending is presumed to be responsible for causing the accident.

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O'Neil Jahlil Fields was killed in a car accident in West Palm Beach, Florida early this morning. According to news reports, O'Neil Jahlil Fields was in a Nissan which was stopped on I-95, possibly due to running out of gas, when it was rear ended by a Lexus.

The Lexus was allegedly driven by David Bohorquez, 44.

Since this case is still being investigated, there are number of discrepancies being reported in the news. Specifically, it is unclear whether another person, Kaylana Marie Wilson, age 17, was in O'Neil Jahlil Fields' car or in David Bohorquez's car.

In one report, Wilson was listed as the driver of Fields' car. In another, she was listed as the passenger in Wilson's car.

Regardless, she fortunately did not sustain any life threatening injuries.

Car accidents that involve death are very different from non-lethal accidents. Because the human and emotional loss is so great, these cases are taken extremely seriously by the attorneys involved.

However, before any car accident case can be won on behalf of the victims, injury lawyers must answer three main questions. They are:

Continue reading "O'Neil Jahlil Fields Killed in I-95 Car Accident in West Palm Beach, Florida" »