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Tour Bus Safety in Focus as SWFL Tourist Season Peaks

February 24, 2018 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

NBC2 is reporting at least 10 people were injured after a hit-and-run accident involving a tour bus.

While our Fort Myers injury lawyers regularly see hit-and-run collisions and underinsured/uninsured motorist accidents, collisions involving tour buses occur less frequently. However, like collisions with tractor-trailers or other large commercial vehicles, such accidents often result in very serious or fatal injuries.

And, from a legal standpoint, collisions with commercial vehicles are always complex cases, particularly when multiple victims are involved.

Florida Nursing Home Rights in Focus

February 22, 2018 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Elder care advocates are moving forward with a plan to add a nursing home bill of rights to the Florida Constitution.

Our nursing home neglect attorneys remain alarmed by the state of the nation’s nursing home industry. But perhaps nowhere in the country faces as many challenges as Florida with its aging population. And yet when lawmakers address nursing home issues, it’s more likely than not they are aiming to reduce funding, or supervision, or both.

From fall prevention and treatment of bedsores, to basic emergency planning, the risks are real when it comes to dangers posed by the for-profit nursing home industry.

Fort Myers Man Dies in Fork Lift Accident

February 20, 2018 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

FOX4 is reporting a fork lift accident claimed the life of a 57-year-old landscaper working at a farm on South Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers.

The man was reportedly repairing the fork lift at the time of the incident and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

Work injuries are a common threat in Fort Myers and landscapers are at particularly high risk. Common causes of forklift injuries include forklifts falling from unsecured trailers or docks, workers being struck by forklift, forklifts being driven off docks, workers struck by falling materials, and workers getting crushed between two vehicles. OSHA estimates nearly 100 employees are killed each year in forklift accidents and more than 35,000 are seriously injured.

Drunk Driving, Distracted Driving, Unusual Road Conditions Create Crash Risks

February 14, 2018 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Recently a North Fort Myers woman was arrested and charged with drunk driving after authorities say she nearly caused a secondary accident after she drove through the marked crime scene of a serious injury crash.

Our personal injury attorneys have spent more than 40 years representing those injured or killed in collisions with drunk drivers. We know too well the pain and suffering caused by motorists who get behind the wheel after having too much to drink. It is a leading cause of traffic collisions nationwide– typically blamed for about one-third of fatal crashes each year. In 2016, Florida reported 3,174 road deaths, with 1,342 of those deaths involving a drunk driver.

In this case, the 41-year-old driver was found to be in possession of marijuana and had a blood-alcohol limit of .154, nearly twice the nationwide legal limit of .08.

Motorcycle Accidents a Winter Danger in SWFL

February 12, 2018 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

While many associate the summer months with higher risk for motorcycle riders, the risk of motorcycle accidents actually hits a peak about this time every winter in Florida.

The weather up north is at its worst. And so is the traffic in Southwest Florida.

Daytona Beach Bike Week takes place March 9 to March 18. And SWFL motorcycle winter riding season is entering its prime.

Southwest Florida Roads Growing Deadlier

February 10, 2018 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

It’s high season in Southwest Florida, which means heavy traffic, frequent fender benders and an increasing number of serious and fatal traffic collisions.

The News-Press is reporting Southwest Florida saw more than 100 traffic deaths last year for the second year in a row.

Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers remind locals and visitors alike that South Florida roads are consistently among the nation’s deadliest across the board– including car accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents and motorcycle accidents.

$3.27M Vaginal Mesh Verdict Affirmed

February 18, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

In recent years, tens of thousands of woman have come forward to report they have suffered severe physical, emotional and financial losses and distress as a direct result of poorly-designed, improperly-tested transvaginal mesh products. The complications reported are devastating. An increasing number of courts are finding these companies liable for designing a defective medical device, failing to warn patients of the danger they faced and causing severe physical pain and mental/ emotional trauma.

Recently, one such transvaginal mesh lawsuit was weighed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which affirmed the trial court’s verdict in favor of the plaintiff for $3.27 million.

Like so many victims in these cases, this started when plaintiff began seeking treatment for symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, or SUI. This involves unintentional urination during activities such as laughing, sneezing and coughing, and pain during intercourse. The condition continued to worsen, and her physician recommended a number of treatment options. One of those was surgical implantation of a transvaginal mesh device called the Tension-Free Vaginal Tape-Obturator, a device made by Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The device is a sling made with laser-cut mesh, and was a second-generation version of an earlier device made by Ethicon, which meant it was able to bypass the kinds of rigorous testing the U.S. Food & Drug Administration typically requires for new medical devices. Continue reading ›

Fatal Motorcycle Accidents in Florida Up 23 Percent

June 8, 2016 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The number of people killed in Florida motorcycle accidents is on the rise.

Florida reported that from 2014 to 2015, the number of people killed on motorcycles went from 449 to 554. That’s a more than 23 percent increase, according to early statistics gleaned from accident reports across the state.

Despite only accounting for 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the state, they account for 19 percent of those involved in deadly crashes. That is deeply troubling to our Fort Myers motorcycle safety advocates, who have for decades fought for the rights and well-being of riders. Continue reading ›

Alligator Alley Guardrails Criticized

May 15, 2016 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Guardrails are intended to keep motorists and passengers safe from careening into embankments, bridge parapets, signs, lights, signal supports, boulders, utility poles, drainage ditches, trees or bodies of water more than two feet deep.

Generally, they do a good job. Cable guardrails, also sometimes referred to as cable barriers, installed on Florida’s turnpike and I-75 on Alligator Alley served to slash the number of canal crashes along those roads significantly, according to reports.

But now, there is concern that new Alligator Alley guardrails will harm motorists, accident victims, workers and emergency responders. Continue reading ›

Florida Hit-and-Run Accidents Spike in Fort Myers, State

February 20, 2016 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Hit-and-run accidents in Florida are on the rise, according to new data from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Authorities say there were 9 percent more drivers fleeing the scene of serious accidents last year than in 2014. When compared to 2013 figures, there was an astonishing 17 percent hike.

Florida law requires drivers to stop immediately at the scene of a crash that results in injury or death. Continue reading ›