According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“A teenager who lost control of his car and smashed into a tree has been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of his friend, police said Wednesday.

Michael Fernandez, now 18, and Ryan Smith were on their way to pick up their caps and gowns at Flanagan High School on May 29, 2009, when Fernandez lost control of his 2006 Scion and struck a tree in the median on the 100 block of Northwest 136th Avenue.

Smith, a respected member of the Flanagan Falcons high school baseball team, died from his injuries.

Police at the time said speed appeared to be a factor in the accident. According to court records, Fernandez was driving with a suspended license at the time, though he may not have been aware of the suspension.”

While officials have said little publicly about why charges were filed, criminal cases are generally not initiated unless there is strong evidence that urges prosecutors to move forward.  The family of the deceased may also have legal rights and options.

If you or someone you love has been harmed in an auto accident, you need the help of Florida personal injury attorneys who understand what it takes to gather the evidence necessary to successfully fight for the rights of those wronged.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“A woman was injured and a young boy died Friday night in a four-car pile-up, police said Saturday.

The child’s name was not released. He died at Memorial Regional Hospital.

The accident, which remains under investigation, occurred near 11 p.m. at University Drive and Pembroke Road.

According to authorities, Jorge Pascual, 36, of Miami Gardens, was driving a 1999 Ford Explorer when he “failed to slow and/or stop” and rear ended a 2002 Kia driven by Gary Finn, 49, of Aventura.

A front-seat passenger in the Kia, Patricia Berrio, 53, of Miami, was also taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she was listed in serious condition.”

Two other vehicles were also hit in the crash, and investigators have yet to rule whether alcohol was a factor in the incident.  While the finding that alcohol was a factor would certainly affect the situation, the probability remains that the driver of the Ford Explorer was liable for hitting another vehicle from behind.

If you have lost someone you love due to driving negligence, you need the help of a Florida personal injury attorney who can handle the legalities of the situation more than capably while you concentrate on your family.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“An unknown white vehicle is believed to have triggered a multivehicle crash that killed a woman and injured three other people Friday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The victim was identified as Ashley Bonilla, 18, of Port St. Lucie.

The crash occurred about 4:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95, south of Sheridan Street. Three lanes were closed for several hours.

The white vehicle, possibly a small SUV or minivan, changed lanes and caused a Dodge pickup truck to spin out of control, hit the center wall and come to a stop in the inside lane, FHP said.

A Nissan Sentra hit the truck, stopped in the travel lane and was struck by a Mitsubishi Lancer.

The occupants of the Sentra and the Lancer got out of their cars and walked to the median.

A southbound Honda Accord veered to the left and crashed into the pickup, pushing it into Bonilla and another person, according to FHP.”

It’s unknown at this time whether police will seek the original driver for charges.  What is known is that if you or someone you love has been injured or worse in a collision, you need the help of Florida personal injury lawyers who have years of experience in successfully fighting for the rights of those wronged.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“The Florida Highway Patrol said Friday that a man wanted for a fatal crash on Interstate 95 in Hollywood was arrested in Southern California.

The San Diego Police Department arrested Jacob Paul Payne, 23, of Hallandale Beach, on an out-of-state warrant at 11:15 p.m. PST on Thursday, according to Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Wysocky.

No date for his extradition to Broward County has been set, Wysocky said.

Investigators say Payne was behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade that smashed into a Ford Expedition driven by Keisha Pryce, 32, of Hollywood, on Nov. 16. The crash left Pryce’s body burned beyond recognition.

An arrest warrant was issued for Payne late last month on charges of vehicular homicide, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, and leaving the scene of an accident.”

Not only is this driver in a world of criminal trouble, but he could face civil liability as well.  If you or someone you love has been harmed by someone else in an auto accident, you need the help of Florida personal injury attorneys who understand how to hold those responsible for this harm accountable.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“A 75-year-old woman died Sunday from injuries she suffered when a car struck her and two others in a Pembroke Pines parking lot last week.

The woman was Patricia Wardrop, 75, of Weston, police said. The Pembroke Pines Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the crash.

According to police, the accident happened at 12:30 p.m. Friday in front of Fuddruckers at the Shops at Pembroke Gardens, near Interstate 75 and Pines Boulevard. A car jumped a curb and struck the three pedestrians.

He said the car was driven by Josephine Curatolo, 65, of Pembroke Pines, who may have hit the wrong pedal while she was in a parking spot. The car accelerated out of the parking spot and through shrubbery before jumping the curb, police said.”

Police are still attempting to piece together what led to this terrible accident, and have encouraged anyone with information to contact them.  In the meantime, the family of the deceased is left to work through this tragedy alone.  If you or anyone you love has been harmed in a collision, you need the help of Hollywood auto accidents lawyers who have the expertise necessary to allow you to grieve properly.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“A 27-year-old man was killed Saturday after an SUV struck him as he crossed State Road 7.

Blayne William Lewis was crossing the southbound center lanes on the 3400 block of State Road 7 at about 7:30 p.m. when a silver Dodge Caravan SUV struck him, according to the Davie Police Department. His hometown was unavailable.

The driver, a woman whose name has not been released, continued driving until her SUV was struck by three other vehicles, said Sgt. Rob Choquette, spokesman for Davie police. The three other cars that struck the SUV did not stop, Choquette said.”

Not only is a loss of life unimaginable for the family of the deceased, but it’s also shocking that so many vehicles involved in a terrible collision failed to stop.  This investigation could take a significant amount of time given all of the potential violations involved, but that doesn’t mean that you should hesitate to enforce and protect your legal rights if you’ve lost someone you love.

Contact the Hollywood auto accidents lawyers who understand how to preserve your rights in complicated situations that could involve multiple layers of liability so that you can focus on helping your family move past this sort of tragedy.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“The bridgetender is cooperating with police, the FDOT said. The agency would not comment further, because of the ongoing police investigation.

Nolan isn’t the first to fall to his death from a South Florida drawbridge.

In October 2003, Savitiri Motwane, 82, was killed after the Sunrise Boulevard drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale opened while she was walking across. Motwane clung to a rail, but lost her grip and fell from the metal span onto the concrete sidewalk. Investigators at the time said the bridgetender did not see Motwane.

Three other people have died on the Sunrise Boulevard drawbridge since 1988. Two of the deaths happened as people tried to cross the bridge on foot; the other fatality occurred when a man fell through the crack between the road and the metal span.”

How this can occur more than even once is a mystery, but there is clearly negligence involved on the part of at least one if not more than one party charged with safely managing the bridge.  If you have lost someone due to the potential negligence of a public entity, you need to contact the Hollywood wrongful death lawyers who can pursue these types of cases properly so that you can concentrate on coming together as a family and handle what needs to be handled in the aftermath of a sudden loss.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“An 80-year-old man fell to his death from a drawbridge as it opened over the Intracoastal Waterway, police said.

The man, whose name has not been released, somehow got stuck walking across the drawbridge around 3:45 p.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Sheridan Street, police Lt. Manny Marino said.

“It was heartwrenching,” said Gigi Bordes, 34, of Miramar, who saw everything from her car.

Bordes said she and her daughter saw the man clinging to the bridge as it lifted him up.

She flagged down a police officer, who rushed in the man’s direction, she said.

It was too late. The man let go and fell about 60 feet onto the concrete bridge, Bordes said.”

At this point, investigators are only beginning with their work to determine how something like this could happen.  While the bridge operator is cooperating with investigators, it’s difficult to imagine how an 80-year-old man traveling on foot could move quickly enough from one end of the bridge to the middle without being noticed.  However, more facts are sure to be brought to light soon.

In the meantime, if you have lost someone you love as a result of any sort of public negligence, you do have legal rights that need to be enforced by a Hollywood wrongful death attorney who understands how to hold those responsible for unnecessary loss of life accountable.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the Miami Herald:

“The Broward Sheriff’s Office is searching for a hit-and-run driver that killed a Hollywood woman Friday morning in Dania Beach.

Renae Maureen Lettiere, 50, was crossing the westbound lanes of Sheridan Street in the area of U.S. 1 about 5:39 a.m. when she was struck and killed, according to BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepción.

Investigators say the car they are looking for is a dark-colored, four-door Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 with right, front-end damage to its spoiler, bumper and headlight area.”

While getting some sort of description of the vehicle is a positive start, police are asking the public for help in finding the person behind the wheel. In the meantime, the fallout from the accident must be handled, and hopefully the driver will be found and brought to justice.

If you or someone you love has been injured or worse in a hit-and-run accident, you should not give up hope if you have not yet identified the responsible party. Instead, contact the Hollywood auto accidents lawyers who have been helping victims of hit-and-run accidents for more than 20 years. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

As such, we’d like to offer some input as to what sort of damages could be included in a successful action that’s brought for wrongful death.

1. Lost earnings - If the person killed earned an income, the court will generally look at the person’s average income in recent years and apply that number, sometimes with inflation added, to the prospective earnings the victim would have brought in for the rest of his or her working life.

2. Costs - Obviously, if a person is killed in an accident, any medical bills, funeral and burial costs and other issues of this nature that arise are figured into the damages award.

3. Loss of companionship - If the person killed was married, some courts will allow for the addition of a damages award for loss of companionship, which is also known in some circles as a loss of consortium.

4. Other costs - It’s also possible that if a surviving spouse must take on additional costs for insurance coverage and/or child care that a court will take this into account when coming to a final figure.

As you see, the damages involved with a wrongful death case can be substantial. Clearly, no damages award will ever completely provide the recovery that those who have lost a loved one desire and deserve, but if someone you love has been wrongfully killed, you need the help of a Hollywood wrongful death lawyer who has more than 20 years of experience in fighting for the rights of clients just like you. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.