Fort Myers Personal Injury Lawyer - Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

Drowning Death of Toddler in Lee County Update

Joseph Bernardo — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:54:24 GMT

I received an important and insightful response to my May 2 post on this subject. These events do occur to even the most careful and caring parents. It takes so little time for a child to be in danger, whether from a pool, spa, bathtub, lake or so many other things. Awareness, I would think would be the main method to at least help most of these tragic deaths. That will lead to prevention of some , and hopefully all of the primary factors that lead to drowning deaths of children. Not all things can be prevented, of course. Safety is increased though by awareness and prevention. Thank you Catherine. People might like Sam Cook's column today in our local paper, The News Press.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080504/COLUMNISTS02/80504001/1075

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

Florida Dog Bite Victim Awarded $3.7 Million by Jury

Chrissie Cole — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:04:42 GMT

A woman who suffered life-long injuries in a ferocious dog attack was awarded $3.7 million by jurors, Thursday. The jury found Delray Beach city officials partially responsible for the attack, in fact, more so than the dog owners.

The jury assigned 40 percent of the blame to the homeowner and 60 percent to Delray Beach, making the city potentially liable for over $2.2 million dollars in damages.

The woman, whose right arm is almost useless following the attack, said, "She feels good about the outcome, but money can't giver her back her arm."

The jury reached their decision after deliberating for less than three hours. The jurors believe city officials could have helped to prevent the attack. 'Primarily they're saying if you're going to have an animal control officer, make sure they do their job.
Animal control officials responded to a handful of complaints about the dogs being loose, but every time they responded, the dogs were secured on the property. But one code enforcement supervisor, who was called for backup, testified that he found the dogs loose.
'You don't call for backup unless you have a problem with these dogs,' Smith said. 'Had the city acted reasonably ... this incident would not have happened.'

For more information on this topic, please visit our section on Dog Bites.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Surveillance Camera Captures 'Slip-N-Fall' Scam

Chrissie Cole — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:20:07 GMT

A Florida woman is being accused of running a "slip and fall" scam at a grocery store in Sunrise.

Surveillance cameras captured images of the woman losing her footing in one of the aisles and taking a nasty fall. A store worker comes to help her up, when she loses her footing again, falling to the floor.

After viewing the surveillance footage the store manager noticed there was something strange about the slip and fall accident. "When she's falling, she doesn't fall backward, she falls forward," usually when it is a slip and fall, you tend to fall backward.

The manager was doing his own investigation and rewound the tape back just enough to find quite a surprise. The woman, in the same aisle, minutes before the accident appears to be trying to open a bottle of olive oil, unsuccessfully.

The woman puts the oil back on the shelf and leaves the aisle only to return moments later to attempt opening another bottle. The tape then shows her pouring some of the oil onto the floor and she puts the bottle back and leaves the aisle.

Moments later she returns to the same aisle and "slips" on the oil.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Dog Attacks Nine Year Old

Chrissie Cole — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:06:30 GMT

A nine-year-old boy walking home, Saturday afternoon, suffered a dog bite by an American Bull Dog on Mystic Avenue, in New Port Richie.

The boy was transported by helicopter to the hospital with a dog bite on the leg. The dog was taken into custody by Pasco Animal Services while Pasco Sheriff's Office and Animal Services continues to investigate the incident.

If you or a loved one has suffered a dog bite, you can use the form located on the right to contact one of our personal injury lawyers for a free and confidential consultation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Mail Carriers Beware: South Florida Dogs Bite

Christina Cole — Mon, 28 May 2007 02:04:26 GMT

Mail carriers hoping to escape dog bites should avoid South Florida.

Thursday kicks of Dog Bite Awareness Week and the Post Office is releasing helpful information on where the biggest problems are for carriers.

South Florida recorded 71 dog bites in 2006, the fifth worst spot in the nation. The New York metropolitan area recorded no dog bites of mail carriers. While at the other end of the scale, Santa Ana, California, led the nation with 96 bitten carriers.

In 2006, over 3,100 mail carriers received a dog bite. The figures are down from the previous year.

After New York, the next safest areas were Alaska, Honolulu, Maine and Montana. Following Santa Ana's 96 bites were Houston, Sacramento, Los Angeles and and South Florida.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

FL Couple Arrested After Dog Bite

Christina Cole — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 01:53:14 GMT

A Florida couple was arrested after their pit bull, bit a veterinary worker.

The couple has been charged with culpable negligence and keeping a dangerous animal.

The dog, Kane, was confiscated in February, after he attacked an animal control officer and tore his pants. But a judge returned the dog agreeing with the owners and their lawyers, that the dog had been provoked into biting the animal control officer.

The couple maintains, Kane, is a gentle animal. The dog didn't just bite someone, he contends, obviously the Veterinarian caused the dog to get upset.

A Spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Animal Control says the worker suffered a painful bite on the face and may require plastic surgery.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Woman Attacked at Florida Dog Show

Christina Cole — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:19:44 GMT

After attacking a woman at a dog show in Melbourne, Florida, Animal Control agents took a large Akita into custody.

The dog attacked a 70-year-old woman injuring her left ankle. Witnesses told police the dog started to drag the woman before many men pulled the animal off her. Captain Brown, spokesman for Brevard County Animal Services, said there was no clear reason for the attack.

This dog breed is not known for the propensity to bit, but still, it is obviously an animal and that is the bottom line.

The Akita was not one of 200 dogs competing in the Space Coast Kennel Club of Palm Bay competition. Police say the dog's owner was given several citations by animal control agents, including one for a bit causing injury.

The dog will be subject of a dangerous dog hearing in 10 days, said Brevard Animal Control.

The victim is listed in good condition at Holmes Regional medical Center.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Man Suffers Multiple Dog Bites

Christina Cole — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:59:14 GMT

A man suffered several dog bite wounds on Thursday when he was attacked by a group of pit bulls that had escaped from their yard, reports Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

The man was transported to Northside Hospital for treatment.

When Officials arrived on the scene, they found Smith pounding on a neighbor's door, shouting for help, after being attacked by three pit-bulls. One dog turned to attack a deputy who fired his gun and all three dogs took off down an alley. Another dog returned and charged the deputy but he was scared away by his siren. Eventually the dogs returned to their yard through a broken fence.

They eventually returned to their yard through a broken fence, deputies said.

Their owner, was cited with a county ordinance violation for dogs running at large. Deputies said he voluntarily surrendered the pit-bulls to animal control.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Woman Suing National Retail Store for Slip & Fall

Christina Cole — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:57:39 GMT

A woman is suing a national retail store after slipping and falling while shopping at their store in June 2005.

Aline E. Valentin-Dansmuir, a customer at Big Lots, slipped and fell on an unknown substance. The lawsuit, filed January 10th, states "The substance was on the floor in the nature of a hidden danger, trap, snare, or the like."

The suit also states Valentin Dunsmuir has suffered permanent injury to her body chemistry, psyche and body. Additionally, due to her injuries she has incurred several medical expenses.

The Lawsuit states Big Lots was negligent for allowing the substance to stay on the floor and the accident probably would never have happened had the substance not been there. Valentin-Dansmuir is seeking compensation for her injuries, attorney fees and court costs and expenses.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Three Dog Bites in One Week

Christina Cole — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 22:53:10 GMT

During a vicious dog attack in Cape Coral, a man lost part of his finger. But this is just one of three aggressive dog attacks in Cape Coral in this week. City officials are currently working on a solution to the problem.

The unprovoked displays of dog aggression in Cape Coral parallels the fact that more dogs are roaming the streets unattended and some of which are proving to be very dangerous.

On Thursday, a dog bit the fingertip off of a construction workers hand. Officers with Animal Control impounded a pit bull and pit bull mix shortly after the incident.

Many Cape residents are concerned and want to know if three dog bites in a row are simply a coincidence or if it is the beginning of an alarming trend.

Ria Brown of Animal Control Services says, "I believe it is a coincidence. There are dogs running loose every day but these dogs just happened to cause a problem."

However, the real problem is that more dogs are running the streets in Cape Coral. In 2006, officials saw an 18 percent increase in complaints about stray dogs from the previous year.

Brown added dogs alone are not to blame for the recent spike of unpredictable canines.
"People let their animals run loose. When that happens, you've got a formula for disaster. People can be hurt and the animals can be hurt," said Brown.
Brown explained the dog that bit the construction worker will likely be euthanized. Animal Control fined the owner of one of the dogs $175 for violations. Officers are still looking for the owner of the second dog.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole