Panama City Legal Blog

Florida scooter crash results in personal injury, death

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Personal Injury on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.

As most Florida travelers have experienced, there is typically a lot of traffic in late-afternoon hours, with people heading home from work, as well as others who may be driving to sporting events or other social gatherings. If even one driver is negligent behind the wheel, it places that person and all others nearby at risk for personal injury. Many times, collisions have the worst possible outcome.

That was the case in an incident that occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. on a recent Saturday. A collision occurred between a scooter and a pickup truck. The scooter carried two occupants at the time, neither of whom survived.

Tragic Florida crash results in fire, personal injury and death

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Personal Injury on Tuesday, January 8, 2019.

Members of a Florida Pentecostal church were shocked and grief-stricken to learn that a van carrying numerous children and adults from their congregation was involved in a serious multi-vehicle collision. The incident caused serious personal injury to eight people. Sadly, an additional seven people died. When fatal accident victims include children, sorrow is always intensified.

Preliminary investigations show that a tractor-trailer was being driven by a 59-year-old man. The vehicle was traveling northbound, which was the same direction a car in another lane was headed as well. For reasons still unknown to investigators, the tractor-trailer careened across the traffic line and smashed into the car.

Several suffered personal injury in a Florida intersection crash

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Personal Injury on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

It is no secret how dangerous intersections in Florida and other states can be. Even the most alert and cautious drivers are often at risk if nearby motorists are negligent or acting under the influence of alcohol. The latter is suspected as a causal factor in a recent intersection collision that caused personal injury -- one of which was fatal -- to several travelers.

As is often the case in the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident, investigators are still gathering clues to help them answer the many questions that arose when a car traveling southbound just after 3 a.m. on a Sunday somehow wound up in the northbound lane, hitting another vehicle, head-on. The 56-year-old man who was behind the wheel of the car that veered out of its lane was transported to a nearby hospital after the accident but did not survive his injuries. The other vehicle was being driven by a 50-year-old man who suffered critical injuries in the crash.

Your family's options after your child suffers a birth injury

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. on Friday, December 28, 2018.

It can be devastating for a Florida family to learn that their child suffered an injury during the birth process. When a child suffers harm during birth, it can lead to medical conditions that can have long-lasting or even permanent effects on his or her life. If you family is walking through this difficult situation, you do not have to face it alone.

Cerebral palsy and Erb's palsy are two medical conditions commonly caused by injuries during birth. Often, they are the result of the doctor or care provider's actions or negligence. If your child's doctor diagnosed him or her with one of these conditions, it is possible that you could have grounds for a civil claim. Your baby may be the victim of medical malpractice.

Florida policeman facing drunk driving charges after recent stop

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Drunk Driving on Wednesday, December 26, 2018.

During the holidays especially, Florida police often combine efforts from local resources to set up roadblocks and conduct planned traffic stops to check drivers for impairment. One of the state's own officers, however, found himself on the wrong side of a recent investigation known as Operation Wolf Pack. He is now facing drunk driving charges because of it.

A local sheriff's department reported that the officer in question was behind the wheel of his personal vehicle at the time. It was just after 3 a.m. when he was stopped. As all drivers who know their rights ahead of time may do, the officer exercised his personal right to refuse to provide a preliminary breath sample. He did, however, agree to take field sobriety tests, which investigators claimed he performed poorly.

Do you believe that medical malpractice caused your injury?

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Medical Malpractice on Monday, December 17, 2018.

If your doctor commits an act that places your health at risk or fails to do something he or she should do in a particular circumstance, according to accepted protocol and safety standards in the medical industry, you might suffer injury or other adverse health symptoms directly related to your doctor's behavior. Sadly, many Florida residents visit their doctors seeking medical diagnoses or treatments only to wind up in worse condition afterward when their doctors provide substandard care. In fact, some situations have the most tragic results of all when patients die because of medical malpractice.

Florida law allows you to seek financial recovery for your losses if you survive a medical injury. You also have recourse through the law to file a claim on behalf of a deceased spouse, child or parent (if you are an adult child). If you file a personal injury claim regarding substandard medical care, you are tasked with proving your case to the judge or jury.

Tourist personal injury incident involving two Disney buses

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Tourist Personal Injury on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.

Disney guests headed to Epcot did not make it to the park as planned after two resort buses collided with each other. One bus hit the back of the other one, resulting in injuries to people in both buses. Disney is a major attraction with hundreds of guest buses. This specific tourist personal injury incident is still under investigation by authorities.

Between the two buses, there were 51 people heading to the theme park. Florida Highway Patrol states that 15 people were injured. While details regarding the specific injuries that people suffered are not immediately apparent, witnesses posted pictures of the accident scene to social media. Emergency response teams were seen loading an ambulance.

Fatal personal injury in a tragic pedestrian accident in Florida

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Personal Injury on Saturday, December 1, 2018.

Florida Highway Patrol officers are often called to chaotic scenes when motor vehicle collisions occur on the turnpike. Not so common is having such an incident involve a pedestrian, as people on Florida's Turnpike are usually inside their vehicles. On a recent Tuesday morning, however, a fatal personal injury occurred when a car crashed into a person on foot.

The driver of the car later said she had tried her best to swerve to avoid hitting the driver of a landscape truck who was standing on the road at the time. Officials say a garbage can had somehow ejected from the back of the truck moments before the tragedy occurred. The truck driver had exited the vehicle to try to get the garbage can off the road.

Instances of drowsy driving: It's far worse than you think

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. on Friday, November 30, 2018.

Perhaps you binged watched your favorite show last night and didn't get to bed until the early morning hours. Maybe a young child kept you up due to an illness. Perhaps you just couldn't sleep for some unknown reason. Regardless of what caused it, you struggled to get out of bed this morning, and you aren't sure that extra cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage will help.

Even so, you get behind the wheel of your car and head out for the day. Does this sound familiar to you? If so, you join hundreds of thousands of people here in Florida and across the country who drive despite being tired and sleep deprived. In today's society, many people simply don't get enough sleep, but they don't consider it a problem when they drive. The fact of the matter is that drowsy driving is dangerous.

Florida tourist suffers fatal injury while snorkeling

On behalf of Bryant & Higby, Chtd. posted in Tourist Personal Injury on Monday, November 26, 2018.

There are many tourist attractions in Florida that host tens of thousands of guests every year. Property owners and hotel managers are legally obligated to keep visitors as safe as possible on their premises. The same goes for commercial boat companies, which can be held legally accountable if negligence causes a passenger to suffer injury. Sadly, a woman who was on board a charter boat to go snorkeling, recently suffered a fatal injury.

The boat was traveling in the Florida Keys. The woman in question was age 54. While investigations are still underway to determine exactly what caused her to lose consciousness, preliminary reports showed that rescue workers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before transporting her to a nearby hospital.