Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg

Published on: August 6, 2024

FDA warns consumers about dangers of this supplement brand after lawsuit blames it for Georgia man’s death in December 2021

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to steer clear of Optimized Plant Mediated Solutions (OPMS) Black Liquid Kratom after officials allege the product can be linked to health conditions and death.

The FDA’s announcement comes after an investigation into the product following a slew of reports detailing users’ adverse health events and the death of a 23-year-old Georgia man who died in December 2021. Mitragyna speciosa, or kratom, is a plant that derives from Southeast Asia. Though the product is marketed as “all-natural” and is a plant supplement, it has yet to be approved by the FDA.

Some of the reported health concerns linked to the use of kratom include withdrawals, addiction, increased anxiety, digestive issues and restless leg syndrome. This condition causes patients to feel discomfort in their legs and have a compulsion to frequently move or shift them, especially at night or when resting.

Published on: August 5, 2024

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issues statewide alert as part of awareness campaign for child safety

By Leesfield & Partners

Florida public safety partners have banded together to create a “Safe Start to the New School Year with Awareness” campaign ahead of the scheduled return to classes across the state in mid-August, according to a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles press release.

As parents, educators and students alike prepare for the return to school for the 2024-25 school year, FLHSMV and other agencies have begun a campaign to raise awareness around school bus, school zone and crosswalk safety as well as other initiatives to ensure that children can get to and from school safely. With the help of surveys, citation data and safety tips, these groups aim to shed light on the public safety issue.

In the data released by the FLHSMV, there were 11,224 illegal passes of school buses. The data was gathered in a survey of school bus operators by the Florida Department of Education. This was the same year that the Florida legislature passed House Bill 0657 and Senate Bill 0766 which authorized local jurisdictions to implement and operate school zone speed detection systems and school bus passing infraction detection systems. As of 2021, the penalties for passing a stopped bus on the side where children enter and exit doubled as well as the penalties for failing to stop for a school bus.

Published on: August 1, 2024

An outbreak of Listeria prompted the recall of this popular deli meat all over the United States. Here’s What You Should Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak caused the recall of over 200,000 pounds of Boar’s Head deli meat products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services announced Friday.

The recalled products include ready-to-eat liverwurst produced between June 11 and July 17. The company is also recalling other deli meats that were a part of the same assembly line that could have been exposed to the outbreak.

The recall was prompted by a Listeria monocytogenes infection investigation by the Maryland Department of Health and the Baltimore City Health Department. The Centers for Disease Control has identified 34 cases of Listeria from deli meat across 13 states. At least two people died from exposure as of last week and there have been approximately 33 hospitalizations.

Published on: July 29, 2024

E-biker accused of leaving scene after crash that injured man on Central Florida beach, police say.

By Leesfield & Partners

An E-bike rider was charged with a felony after an alleged hit-and-run crash with a man on a Central Florida beach, local police announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old was charged Monday with felony leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and operating an electric bicycle in a manner likely to cause harm after the Memorial Day crash on Ormond Beach, about an hour outside of Orlando in Volusia County, Florida.

The incident took place around 5 p.m. on May 27 and, according to police, the man injured in the event had been playing soccer near where the E-bike rider was speeding. The area where he was riding is set aside for pedestrians. Following the crash, the man who was playing soccer was rushed to the hospital where it was determined he had three broken ribs. The E-biker had left before the police arrived.

Published on: July 29, 2024

Florida driver faces charges after deadly crash Sunday

By Leesfield & Partners

A Florida driver is facing felony charges after police say he was driving drunk, causing a fiery crash that killed the other driver.

The crash happened around 3 a.m. Sunday between a Dodge Durango and a Chevy Silverado pickup truck in Pasco County. The driver of the Dodge was going the wrong way down State Road 56 when he crashed “nearly head-on” with the pickup truck, according to Florida Highway Patrol. Following the crash, the pickup truck overturned and caught fire. The driver of that vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man driving the Dodge Durango and at least one other passenger in that car were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The man was charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage following his release from the hospital, officials said.

Published on: July 26, 2024

FWC urges boaters to be on the lookout for divers-down flags following several incidents on the water this month

By Leesfield & Partners

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent out a public notice urging boaters to keep an eye out for divers-down flags in a month known statistically for a high rate of accidents on the water.

In their advisory, FWC encouraged boaters to avoid distraction and watch out for divers-down flags. These flags and buoys are essential warnings to approaching vessels that there are people in the water. These flags must have the divers-down symbol and be prominently displayed. When spotting a flag of this kind, boaters must operate at idle speed within 300 feet of the flag when in open water or within 100 feet when in inlets and or navigational channels. Divers must stay within the outlined distance of their flags.

Recent Incidents

Published on: July 19, 2024

At least one person died following crash between car and bicyclist Thursday in Miami Gardens

By Leesfield & Partners

A bicyclist died Thursday morning after being hit by a car in Miami Gardens, officials say.

Emergency responders were called to the scene at 6:15 a.m. near Miami Gardens Drive and U.S. 441 after a driver in a black Nissan lost control of their car near Northwest 182nd Street. The car went off the road into trees before landing on a side access road, hitting the bicyclist.

The bicyclist died at the scene, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Published on: July 19, 2024

Child’s heat-related death in Arizona car acts as stark reminder for parents to never leave children unattended in parked cars

By Leesfield & Partners

Safety is always at the top of parents’ minds. It seems that around every corner is a new hazard they must be on the lookout for. From choking hazards, gun-related incidents, car accidents and drownings that are more prevalent than ever before, the statistics are enough to send any parent into a spiral.

This week in Arizona, a family is suffering through the reality of one of those unthinkable fears after the father of a 2-year-old girl left her in a car parked in their Arizona driveway. In a summer that saw record-breaking heat, the father told police he left the child in the parked car with the engine running because he did not want to wake her. The father was allegedly distracted by video games and putting away groceries. He was occupied for about three hours before he checked on the little girl, according to reporting from national news outlets.

Police investigating the child’s death say that the father – who has since been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse related to his daughter’s death – regularly left the little girl and her two older brothers in the car and added that he knew the car would shut off when in park for more than 30 minutes. The temperature in Arizona on the day of the child’s death had reached 109 degrees.

Published on: July 18, 2024

‘Nearly as slippery as ice:’ Leesfield & Partners secures a $300,000 settlement for a client who suffered a violent fall at a Florida resort

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners attorneys, including Partner, Justin B. Shapiro, and Trial Lawyer, Evan Robinson, recently secured a $300,000 settlement for a client who suffered a traumatic fall at a Florida resort, causing him to shatter his wrist so severely it required painful reconstructive surgery with the implantation of metal hardware.

Our client fell in the bathroom of the resort’s main pool area, which employees described as being “constantly wet” from guests tracking in water from nearby showers, pools and hot tubs. Although a drain in the bathroom floor should have allowed this water to pass through it, the drain was not functioning properly on the day of our client’s fall, leaving a pool of dirty water that created dangerous, wet conditions. To make matters worse, the resort installed tiles in the bathroom that were so smooth and slippery when wet that our expert engineer who examined and tested the tiles described them as being “nearly as slippery as ice.”

On the day of our client’s fall, the bathroom floor was soaked with dirty water and littered with wet toilet paper and towels. The fall resulted in our client shattering his wrist, requiring him to undergo reconstructive surgery and the installation of metal hardware. Moreover, as a result of his fall, our client was diagnosed with De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis Syndrome, a condition that causes extreme pain and dysfunction due to nerve damage in the hand and wrist.

Published on: July 18, 2024

Pedestrian hit, killed while walking with children by two cars in Ohio, officials say. As more cars are on the road, it’s important to stay vigilant.

By Leesfield & Partners

An Ohio grandmother was struck July 8 by a car backing out of a driveway, then a passing SUV, resulting in the woman’s death.

The woman, 72, was walking down the sidewalk with two children, a toddler and a 7-year-old, around 11:30 a.m. when a car backed out of the driveway. A passing SUV also hit the grandmother. She sustained fatal injuries while the toddler had minor injuries, according to reporting from local news outlets. The 7-year-old was not injured.

The grandmother is being hailed a hero online by family members who said in a post honoring her that the children, who are her great-grandchildren, were “still here because of her.”