Archive for January, 2009

Subcontractors sued in Jacksonville Construction Accident

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

consIn addition to the Jacksonville wrongful death lawsuit a complaint has been filed for delayed construction and cost in the collapse of a parking garage. The owners of a downtown Jacksonville condominium project stalled by the fatal collapse of a parking garage 13 months ago have sued six subcontractors for at least $36 million in damages.

Lawyers for Berkman Plaza 2 filed the lawsuit last week, accusing each subcontractor of negligence by failing to safely and properly execute its portion of the contract.

Each also is accused of violating the Florida building code.

The lawsuit says the combined negligence resulted in the six-story parking garage’s December 2007 collapse, which killed worker Willie Edwards III, 26, a single father of two.

Berkman’s lawyers say the collapse has delayed construction and cost the company at least $36 million in increased design, construction and financing costs, lost revenue, damage to public relations and other property damage.

(more…)

Posted in Construction Accidents | No Comments »

Another Florida dog bite reminds us to always be careful

Monday, January 19th, 2009

dgesAnother Another Florida dog attack should remind us of the rules when dealing with dogs. Last week a 6-year-old Deltona boy was bitten on the face by his family’s dog.
An ambulance company spokesman says the boy was airlifted to a Daytona Beach hospital after Thursday’s attack. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office reports that the family’s Rottweiler attacked the boy after he either fell or jumped on the dog.

Authorities say the boy’s injuries were not life threatening.

Animal control officers were called to the home.

Children should be taught to never go up to or pet a strange dog. All dogs should never be bothered while they are sleeping, eating or nursing. If a strange dog does approach the best response is to stay still. Dogs have a natural instinct to chase things. If your child is involved in a Jacksonville dog bite or anywhere in Florida you should call an experienced Florida dog bite lawyer.

Posted in Dog Bites & Animal Attacks | No Comments »

Common Sense Reminder: Never leave your car running in a closed garage

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Our Jacksonville senior citizens are victims of accidents everyday. Older drivers should be reminded to never start their cars or leave them running in a closed garage. The Miami Herald recently reported an elderly Davie couple died after leaving their car running in their garage.

Police believe they died from inhaling the carbon monoxide that had filled their garage Saturday night. Their deaths have been ruled accidental.

It appears that 83-year-old Dorothy Roth forgot to shut off the car after helping her wheelchair-bound husband, 88-year-old David Roth, into the house. The garage had all night to fill with gas, which flowed into the home the next morning when the wife opened the door. The couple and their dog were all overcome by the gas.

They were found by their son later in the day.

(more…)

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

First time drunk drivers in six states required to have ignition interlock devices

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

26026911_70622938I hope our Florida lawmakers follow in other state’s footsteps to stop Jacksonville drunk driver accidents. First time offenders of drunk driving will be subject to harsher penalties in six states due to new law that went into effect last week. Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska and Washington state began Jan. 1 requiring ignition interlock devices for all motorists convicted of first-time drunken driving. South Carolina began requiring them for repeat offenders.

The ignition interlocks require the driver to blow into the detector to prove that they are sober before starting the ignition.

The cost of installation, rental and periodic retesting fees are cited as major inconveniences of the new law. Those inconveniences are said to have lessened New Mexico’s drunk driving deaths by 20 percent since the law was enacted in 2005 according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

In Illinois and Colorado, offenders will have the option to install the device or to have their license suspended. Many other states, including California, allow a judge to decide whether to suspend the drunk driver’s license or to mandate installation of the ignition interlock.

(more…)

Posted in Drunk Driver Accidents | No Comments »

Another mortuary mistake: Alabama man given cremated remains of a stranger instead of his wife

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

urnA cremation lawsuit was just filed last month in Alabama.
For two years, an Alabama man thought he had his wife’s cremated ashes. The former Huntsville resident is suing Laughlin Service Funeral Home alleging he was given the remains of a stranger after his deceased wife was cremated in 2006. The funeral home lawsuit was filed electronically in Madison County Circuit Court on Saturday on behalf of Richard Henry Parrott. Parrott seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

“As a result of the defendants (Laughlin Service Funeral Home) negligent and/or wanton actions in handling and delivering the remains of Julia Parrott, the plaintiff (Richard Parrott) has suffered emotional distress and mental anguish and the actions have had a direct effect on the physical health of the plaintiff,” the suit says.

John Purdy, owner of the funeral home, said Thursday he did not know about the lawsuit. Parrott and his lawyer have not notified him about the alleged problem, he said.

For two years the urn remained on a shelf in Parrott’s home, the suit says. Parrott did not discover the cremation mix-up until he was packing to move to Orlando, Fla.

“On or about Oct. 29, 2008, while in the process of moving, the plaintiff (Parrott) discovered, for the first time, a label on the bottom of the urn that stated the urn contained the cremated remains of a stranger,” the lawsuit said.

Parrott hired Laughlin to take care of his wife’s remains on the Sunday she died, the lawsuit says.

The cremation was carried out beginning at 4 p.m. on Dec. 8 through about 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, the lawsuit says. At the funeral home Dec. 9, Parrott signed a release form and picked up an urn that he thought contained his wife’s remains. He returned home and placed the urn on a shelf where it remained for two years.

The funeral home breached its duties to Parrott by either mislabeling the urn or delivering the wrong urn, the lawsuit says.

(more…)

Posted in Funeral Home, Cemetery and Cremation Mistakes | No Comments »

Contact
1-888-360-4LAW (4529)
Free Initial Consultation