Misty S. Proffitt, 26 died at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville after the police vehicle, reportedly patrolling in the 8100 block of Old Kings Road South, ran over Proffitt who was lying in the road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

This happened about 3:30 a.m. and there is no explanation as to why she would have been lying in the southbound lane. The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Officer William Scott Carlson, 43, was driving the Jacksonville police patrol car. Carlson was unable to stop once he saw Proffitt, according to the official FHP report.

There is no word on how long the young woman would have been lying in the road. The Florida Times Union reports that witnesses say the police officer was not speeding, though it is difficult to believe there would be witnesses at 3:30 in the morning who would not have tried to get the woman out of the road.

Although News4 does not connect the dots, just last week a man, Randell Proffitt, 25, was lying in the eastbound lane of State Road 100 in Lake Butler around 2 a.m. and was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer. Perhaps the same name with the same spelling, the age similarity, and the rare way they both died is a coincidence.

Pedestrian Deaths
Although this is not a typical pedestrian death, Jacksonville pedestrian accident attorneys are concerned with the fact that Florida has the dubious distinction of being among the top cities in the nation for hit-and-run fatal accidents. Jacksonville is among the top four cities identified by the nonprofit group, Transportation for America, as having the highest number of pedestrian deaths.

The state reports 502 people were killed in Florida pedestrian accidents in 2008, while 7,878 pedestrians were injured, an increase of more than 4% from the previous year.

Nationally, the statistics are even more shocking.

Almost 12 people a day died after a pedestrian/motor vehicle crash in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA says there were 4,378 pedestrians killed in the U.S. in 2008. Typically alcohol plays a major role in traffic accidents involving pedestrians, although there is no indication that it played any role in this death.

Our condolences go out to the family of this young woman. Let’s hope that the investigation continues and some of the mysteries surrounding her death are soon answered.

An article on Boston.com stated that Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa has uncovered many conflicts between academia and business, and Harvard and Emory physicians have reportedly broken the university rules for reporting the amount of money they have collected from Big Pharma. In some cases, the medical doctor is not just a spokesman for the company at gatherings of other doctors, but promotes the drug to patients, raising all kinds of ethical questions about conflict-of-interest.

Now Harvard University wants to tackle the bad public relations. Harvard Medical School has announced that its 11,000 faculty cannot take personal gifts, travel, and meals at ritzy spas and hotels in exchange for giving promotional talks on behalf of drug and medical device makers.

The university is taking a leadership position so that its image is not tarnished and Harvard is not used to market products. The new policy also requires university personnel to report any payment of at least $5,000. And Harvard says that a firewall will be erected concerning continuing education, often sponsored by industry.

Some doctors will find they make a lot less money at the end of the year. But others welcome not being perceived as salesmen for huge drug and device companies.

Doctors will still be allowed to conduct industry-sponsored research and even sit on the board of a drug or device maker. The bottom line is the patient should come first, not the latest drug or device. To promote a drug that later turns out to be dangerous while taking payments from the drug company, could be perceived as medical malpractice.

According to a MSNBC article, a Fleming Island couple has been arrested and is facing two misdemeanor charges of hosting an open house party and serving alcohol to minors. Steven and Janelle Snyder were arrested by agents with the Florida Division of Alcoholic, Beverages, and Tobacco. The party allegedly was held in early June and Ms. Snyder posted pictures on her Facebook page. The Snyders have a teenage son and law enforcement says his friends were invited over to the couple’s home for a graduation party. The Snyders even appeared in the photos.

You may recall Diane Santarelli was charged earlier this year with hosting a number of house parties for underage drinkers and even joining in the party. She faced two manslaughter charges for the deaths of a young teen couple who perished in a Florida drunk driving car accident and fire after one of the parties. But Santarelli, of St. Augustine, was not convicted because the law does not extent to manslaughter charges. Instead of manslaughter, Santarelli was found guilty of having open house parties and contributing to the delinquency of minors. Both of those charges are misdemeanors.

Many parents assume their children will drink outside of the home and they would rather keep them off the roads. But allowing minors to drink is against the law and some parents have found themselves the target of civil lawsuits for the death or injury of minors who have been drinking at the host’s party. A FL wrongful death lawsuit is enough of a deterrent for most parents to follow the law.

The sludge resembled pudding and covered three miles of Pensacola Beach, according to the Miami Herald. One visitor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said he witnessed quart to half-gallon size pools of oil.

Since then, 1,300 people workers have made progress cleaning up the beach on the 66th day since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent contamination of the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil is being seen far west in Walton and Escambia counties in the Florida Panhandle, and beach-goers are warned not to touch the oil and any dead or dying wildlife that may be smothered with the gooey mess.
Gulf Coast counties say they are incredibly frustrated with BP because the check isn’t in the mail. Residents there pulled permits to erect barriers to stop the oil from coming onto the Destin beaches, specifically the Destin Pass waterway, an area treasured by boaters and beach-lovers.

But it has been costly. The county had planned on using a containment boom, an air net, and barges to stop the flow of crude. At the same time, expectations were that BP was financing the clean-up equipment with $2 million, but the check hasn’t materialized. BP says there is a process in place and it’s working on getting the funds.

Out in the water, strips of oil are now floating between Pensacola and Destin, drifting away from Louisiana and Mississippi. The most western county of Florida, Escambia County, has double red flags flying on the beach, a sign to stay out of contaminated waters.

For animal lovers, a beached dolphin, rescued Wednesday and taken to be rehabilitated in Panama City, died on Thursday.

As Florida oil spill lawyers who are currently investigating claims of injury and loss associated with this environmental tragedy, we will meet with you for a complimentary consultation of your situation if you have experienced economic loss or other calamities due to the oil spill.

FiercePharma takes a look at the biggest CEO salaries in Big Pharma. Following a mega-merger in 2009, Fred Hassan’s salary was bumped into first place. Formerly of Schering-Plough, Hassan made close to $50 million last year as the highest paid pharmaceutical CEO.

Novartis’ Daniel Vasella moved to the number four spot, up three places. But we won’t see him next year. Vasella stepped down as CEO of Novartis in January.

Why should we care? A good deal of wealth is built on the backs of company employees who lost their jobs during mergers. Research, development, and high salaries all keep the prices of essential drugs artificially high and out of reach of the average American, especially someone without insurance. Ultimately, we all pay in increased hospitalizations for those who go without medications. The high cost of medication and health care is one factor that is also driving home foreclosures.

Americans spent about $251.8 billion on prescription drugs in 2005, accounting for nearly 42% of global pharmaceutical sales. In the last decade the wholesale price of more than 150 popular brand name drugs rose an average of 35%. This is an escalation that is unsustainable.

The state’s Oil Spill Task Force decided that was the only way it could gauge the economic impact on the state. The electronic file requested would include every business, individual, and government claim throughout the state and it is to be updated weekly. The data should indicate whether the claim has been approved, denied, or is pending.

This promises to be an accounting nightmare.

As businesses in the state suffer during the high months of the tourist summer season, the losses need to be compared to the money BP is sending to help those ailing businesses. For individuals, the losses need to be balanced with the claims paid by BP. Besides tourism, fishermen, shrimpers and oyster men, guide boat owners, and the businesses that serve them, are all impacted.

As a result of the impact on our state’s businesses, Florida will lose revenue from drops in tax payments and fees.

Gov. Crist wants all Floridians and businesses to be compensated. In his letter to BP’s Operating Officer, Doug Suttles, Crist says he has spoken with Floridians around the state and many are concerned they have not yet received the money they requested.

“As you know, I am still deeply concerned about the process our citizens and businesses must face in order to receive relief for their losses.” Florida economic loss attorneys are also concerned about the financial loss to the state.

The governor is asking Suttles to work with the Florida Office of Policy and Budget and the Florida Department of Revenue to provide the data. Meanwhile BP stock hit a 14-year-low on Friday, June 25, as it worries about the soaring cost of cleanup.

The group has lobbied, and Congress has passed, the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. It requires that an alleged sexual assault victim be given the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hot-line as well as a rape exam and medications to prevent sexually transmitted disease. Ships will be required to install peep holes on cabin doors and will be required to report all crimes to the FBI. A trained forensic medical examiner must be on-board each ship who can handle forensic evidence.

This will make reporting a sexual assault on-board a cruise ship much easier that it’s been in the past. Too often vacationers let their guard down on cruise ships. When an assault occurs, the cruise line has no interest in implicating itself and often fails to collect basic evidence from the victim. Without evidence, and with a perpetrator who is ferried off the ship, there is little chance of convicting a rapist or violent criminal.

Still unresolved is the issue of the complexities from different countries that are involved in international cruises. The ship may be registered in one country, while the alleged perpetrator is a citizen of another.

The hot-line number is 800-656-HOPE. Online one can contact the group through online.rainn.org. The bill was promoted by Rep. Doris Matsui and Sen. John Kerry.

For those teenagers who like to drink, and nearly half say they do, adults will face more serious charges if they supply the alcohol. As we’ve seen so many times, teens go to house parties where adults allow and even encourage drinking, only to die in a car accident leaving the party. House Bill 33 stiffens the penalties for anyone caught giving alcohol to underage drinkers. After the second offense, the party host would be subject to a first-degree misdemeanor.

Lawmakers wanted to make the offense of being a party host a more serious offense after Diane Santarelli was charged with partying with the kids. Two teens who were intoxicated left her house party and died in a car crash. She was charged with manslaughter, but the law just was not there for the jury to convict, so she was acquitted. This new law gives juries what they need to jail the offending parent.

Another law will allow heavier trucks on our Florida Roads. HB 1271 authorizes the Florida Department of Transportation to permit trucks that weigh up to 88,000 pounds, up from the current weight limit of 80,000 pounds. Critics say trucks are already big enough, especially when they collide with passenger vehicles, and an increase of 10 percent makes driving more dangerous. 263 Floridians died in truck collisions in 2008.

Among other laws, students in sixth grade will now be required to take a civics course beginning in 2012. Students will have to learn about the different branches of government and the U.S. Constitution. That is a good thing.

Most people can name all of the American Idol judges but cannot name even one justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Our hearts go out to the accident victims in this case. All were elderly and on an educational trip called Exploritas, affiliated with South Florida Community College in Avon Park.

The bus had been traveling northbound on US 27 when 81-year-old Betty Adams collided with it in her Mercury Sable. Adams reportedly tried to make a left turn in front of the bus, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. She was not injured but the bus hit the car and then rolled off the road at least twice. Several occupants of the bus were ejected.

Traumatic injuries can result from a bus accident because of its high center of gravity, which makes it more prone to a rollover. In addition, not everyone on a charter bus may think to wear their seat belts as they would in a passenger vehicle.

The FHP investigation into the at-fault driver will include the bus driver as well as the condition of the bus, chartered by Sunburst Charters. If the bus was defective in some way or the driver was negligent, those injured may be able to file a claim against the bus company. If there was road construction or debris on the road, a claim could be made against the local government. A Florida auto accident attorney will always conduct a thorough investigation to ensure your rights are preserved.

What could be seen on shore? Tar balls, oil remnants, and oil sheen, says the forecast. Other areas of Florida are paying attention to the computer model too. It says the western coast of our state has about a 20 percent chance or lower of being hit with the oil. Other parts of southwest Florida, such as Fort Myers, have a less than one percent chance.

The NOAA trajectories also show that the oil plume is currently 42 miles off the shore of Panama City, and 251 miles from St. Petersburg, Florida. A westward current will continue for the next few days.

Florida tourism officials and the governor want to stress that all Florida beaches remain open! Even Pensacola Beach is open except to swimming and wading.

All of this shows how unpredictable the currents around our state can be. Satellite pictures are available to see the oil patterns here.

The 50 to 70 percent chance of rain Monday, June 5, along with three to five foot seas are expected to hamper some of the recovery efforts on and offshore.

The Florida oil spill economic loss lawyers at Farah and Farah continue to offer help to those businesses and individuals who are devastated by this horrific act on the part of BP. If you have suffered damage, personally and professionally, call our offices for a free consultation to explore your options.