Motorcycle Accidents

A report has been issue detailing the dangers of parasailing that led to the death of a Georgia woman on vacation in Clearwater Beach.

Alejandra White, 27, and Shaun Ladd were parasailing above the beach on Sunday, September 5, when the tether connecting their harness to a towboat broke, according to WRDW. Ladd fell into the water and White was dragged by the runaway parachute into the beach area and onto a volleyball court where she hit a post. She was hospitalized but died days later. Ladd was not injured.

White and Ladd, who were engaged, were from the Atlanta area.

Bay News 9 reports the parasailers were about 50-feet above the water when a winch attaching them let loose and they slipped to the end of the line. That’s what caused it to snap according to a preliminary report from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Fortunately for Ladd, he was able to release himself from the line.

The U.S. Coast Guard is also investigating and has the parasail vessel and all equipment involved secured as part of its investigation.

Parasailing Accidents
The Parasail Safety Council estimates that in the U.S. over the last 10 years there have been 384 accidents which resulted in 22 deaths and 78 serious injuries.

In 2001, on Clearwater Beach, a mother and her teenage daughter were killed when the line broke in a storm and in 2007, a teenage girl died in south Florida.

That highlighted the fact that the industry falls under little regulations concerning, for example, when not to take customers out on the water. In this case, witnesses report there was a big storm filling the horizon accompanied by strong winds.

As we write this story, the head of the Parasail Safety Council, Mark McCulloh, writes, “I no longer believe that voluntary regulations are working, or will ever work.”

This is not the last we will hear about this industry and certainly not the last we will hear about this Florida wrongful death.

Florida motorcycle accident attorneys Farah & Farah, P.A., are pleased to announce the creation of Florida-MotorcycleAccidents.com—a free public information site which exclusively covers motorcycle accidents and the issues that matter to motorcycle accident victims.

Motorcycle accidents have a greater potential to kill or seriously injure riders, yet very few media outlets devote any time to the issues that concern motorcyclists. Florida-MotorcycleAccidents.com offers motorcycle accident victims an online source of news concerning motorcycle accidents, safety issues, insurance settlements and other pertinent information.

Read the rest »

Health officials report the first case of swine flu appears to have happened in Clay County, according to a report. A probable case was identified Sunday and is just one of 15 in Florida that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating.

As a result, an elementary school in Clay County, Oakleaf School K-through-eighth grade, will be closed for a few days, mostly as a precaution while the school cleans the classroom and the bus the student rode on. 1,650 students will be affected. The ill student is recovering.

Two swine flu cases are confirmed in Lee and Broward counties in South Florida, but the other probable cases are found in Orange, Indian River, Okeechobee, Miami-Dade, Alachua, Seminole and Palm Beach counties. Hillsborough County has six probable cases.

One of the confirmed cases struck a girl visiting the Orlando area from Mexico. She is the third confirmed case in the state and is recovering. The other case was an 11-year-old boy from Lee County and a 17-year-old girl from Broward County.

We are glad to report that the cases do not appear to be serious. The Pinellas county patient was not even hospitalized. Everyone with suspected cases in the state range in age from 7 to 75 and four cases are female, five male.

People can find out more by calling the state at 1-800-342-3557. We are very fortunate that this version of the flu does not seem to carry with it a death toll. So far in the U.S., one two –year-old boy, who had recently come to the U.S. from Mexico, died in a hospital in the states.

As personal injury attorneys in Florida, we would like to remind the everyone that whenever you are in public, be sure to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warn or hot water. That’s a very good habit to get into. Stay well everyone!!

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that antilock brakes on motorcycles could save lives.

Antilock brakes are already found on cars and trucks. Typically they are found on touring bikes and a limited number of motorcycles. They add a cost of about $1,000.

Without them, riders who need to stop their bikes abruptly can lock up the wheels or fishtail. The Insurance Institute found that equipping motorcycles with them resulted in a 38 percent lower crash rate.

The Institute studied eight motorcycles with antilock brakes and found there were 6.6 fatal crashes per 10,000 registered motorcycles without antilock in 2005 and 2006. The bikes with antilocks had a 4.1 per 10,000 fatal crash rate. A second study found antilock brakes reduced collision claims by 21 percent. Read the rest »

Students at Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns County in north Florida are mourning a senior who was killed this week in a motocross track accident in Flagler County, Florida.

Bennet “Ben” Gordon Geiger Jr. was just 17 years old. He had been riding motocross for two years, experienced at jumping the motorcycle tracks. He was on a practice ride at the Pax Trax Motocross in Bunnell Tuesday when his motorcycle flipped on top of him after a jump.

Geiger also helped the school maintain athletic fields. Ben was just a great kid, and a dedicated and involved student, says his principal.

Big John Scott who had Ben in his Bible study and in his high school class, said online that Ben was “Quite possibly the funniest kid I ever met. Your friends are just ruined today.”

“Riding dirtbikes must have been his biggest love, I remember him talking about it all the time. At least he died doing what he loved best. “Only the good die young,” says Nina Alvarez online.

Read the rest »

A new traffic control technique got underway this week in Central Florida that is aimed at catching those among us who feel compelled to run red lights.

You know the people who cross in your path and if they were two seconds later would have T-boned your car.

Seven of the most dangerous intersections in Orlando will have the cameras and lasers placed on poles about 12 feet high. They will take images as the vehicle approaches an intersection, taking a still photo and video of violators.  

Read the rest »

The Dram Shop Act begins with the ancient word “dram” that refers to a unit of weight equal to 1/8 of an ounce in apothecaries’ weight.  A dram shop became known as a place where liquor was sold. 

Generally, dram shop laws today refer to the liability of any establishment that sells alcohol to a minor or to someone who is visibly intoxicated, and then causes death or injury to a third party.

They are used to sue adults who knowingly allow teenage parties at their home where liquor is involved.

In Florida, the Dram Shop Act statute says that a person who sells or provides alcohol to an underage person, may be liable for injury or damage resulting from that intoxicated minor’s actions. 

Read the rest »

An accident on the Buckman Bridge in Jacksonville has sent a motorcyclist to the hospital in critical condition.  

26-year old Frank Belarde was on the bridge when he reportedly lost control of his motorcycle and slammed into the back of a northbound Florida Highway Patrol cruiser.

Belarde is in Shands-Jacksonville with life-threatening injuries. He may be charged with drinking and driving. 

Luckily the trooper Tyra Keplinger was not hurt in the wreck, but her Ford Crown Victoria was not so lucky. It sustained about $3,000 in damage.

Read the rest »

It took a tragedy to sparked an important change in Florida.  

Christine Olson got a call to her Bradenton, Florida home the evening of December 7, 2005. Her son told her there had been an accident and she needed to go to Manatee Memorial Hospital. Christine’s daughter, Tiffany, had been on a motorcycle with her boyfriend of nearly one year, Dustin Wilder. They rode his 2002 Kawasaki motorcycle to St. Petersburg to attend a bike meet. 

Christine got in the car and prayed the entire time that her daughter was okay.  When she arrived, Christine was told her daughter was not there. She and her son frantically called other areas hospitals and were shocked to find they would not release any information.

Read the rest »

Expect to see motorcyclists in bright chartreuse jeans riding down the highway.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Florida Rider Training Program have launched a statewide “Motorcycle Conspicuity Campaign” to promote motorcycle visibility.

The departments are encouraging risers to “Ride Proud/ Dress Loud.“    The ad material shows a biker with chartreuse chaps on that match his motorcycle. Another has a bright yellow slicker and a corresponding canary yellow Harley.  

The state will put on a presentation in Orlando and one in Tampa at the end of August.  

Bikers are encouraged to wear brightly colored upper-torso apparel and reflective gear on their clothing, along with vibrant-color decals on the motorcycle.     Typically riders wear black, grey beige or other nondescript color, which are difficult to see. 

That’s the number one complaint of motorists who hit and kill motorcyclists every year – they didn’t see them. 

This move is designed to make motorcyclist more visible or conspicuous so they are less likely to have their right-of-way violated.

According to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in 2007 there were 550 motorcycle fatalities in the state and nearly 9,000 injuries involving motorcycles.

Read the rest »