Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Lawyer

June 17, 2013

Tampa Bay Swimming Pool Drowning Accident Lawyer :: Toddler Dies after Near-Drowning in Pinellas Park Pool

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A two-year-old girl who managed to crawl through a doggie door and fall into a backyard swimming pool Friday night in Pinellas Park died on Sunday from near-drowning injuries.

The girl passed away around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning at All Children’s Hospital, according to Pinellas Park police.

A family member discovered the toddler floating in the pool around 4:20 p.m. Friday.

Police claim the child was not breathing. Emergency responders took the girl to St. Petersburg General Hospital where they were eventually able to resuscitate the child. However, she was still unconscious when she was later taken to All Children’s Hospital.

A new report recently released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows that children under the age of five years old account for more than 75 percent of all swimming pool and spa submersion fatalities in the United States. Government data also indicates that more than 78 percent of all pool and spa submersion injuries in the U.S. involve children younger than 15 years old. The CPSC Pool Safely Campaign also highlights that African-American and Hispanic children between the ages of 5 and 14 are at a higher risk of drowning.

June 10, 2013

Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Attorney :: One Killed, Two Injured in U.S. 19 Collision

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A Tarpon Springs man died Sunday in Clearwater after he lost control of his car, injuring two other drivers.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 20-year-old was travelling southbound at a high rate of speed in his 2003 Honda Accord in the outside lane of U.S. Highway 19 when he lost control. The Honda flipped and crossed over the grass median, where it smashed into a van heading northbound, driven by a 36-year-old St. Petersburg man.

The Honda overturned and landed on top of a 1996 Mazda Miata driven by a 50-year-old Brandon man.

The deceased was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the Honda Accord and struck by the van.

Troopers said each of the vehicles involved in the crash came to a stop in the northbound lanes of U.S. 19, just north of Hammock Pine Blvd.

The 20-year-old driver of the Honda Accord was pronounced dead at the scene. The 36-year-old driver of the van was taken to Largo Medical Center and the 50-year-old driver of the Mazda Miata was taken to Mease Countryside Hospital, both with minor injuries.

The accident is still being investigated by the FHP.

It can be devastating to lose someone close to you unexpectedly due to another person’s negligence or wrongdoing. This experience can be made even more difficult when having to figure out how to pay for expensive medical bills or funeral costs. Depending on the circumstances surrounding a loved one’s death, family members may be able to recover compensation to ease financial strain by filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent or reckless party. While no amount of money will be able to bring back your loved one, it can provide you with a sense of closure so that you can focus on healing and moving on from this tragedy.

May 6, 2013

Tampa Bay Auto Accident Attorney :: Tampa Woman Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash on I-75

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 40-year-old Tampa woman died Saturday morning after her car struck a tree on the shoulder of an Interstate 75 off-ramp.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the woman was driving south on an exit ramp from I-75 toward E Martin Luther King Boulevard around 2:43 a.m. when she missed a curve, sending her 2006 Hyundai Sonata crashing into a tree on the shoulder.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman was wearing a seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation.

Single-vehicle collisions often involve vehicle rollovers and collisions between a car and a stationary object, like a tree, guard rail, center divider or any other impediment. Single-vehicle auto accidents can be caused by many things, such as swerving to avoid another vehicle, losing control of the car or even auto defects. Despite the circumstances surrounding the collision, if someone else’s negligence caused or contributed to the accident, you may be able to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit to recover compensation for your suffering.

April 24, 2013

Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Lawyer :: Worker Crushed By Elevator at St. Pete Beach Resort

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 45-year-old Tampa Bay area man working on an elevator shaft was crushed to death Wednesday morning at the TradeWinds Island Resorts.

The man was vacuuming water from the bottom of the elevator shaft at the Jacaranda Beach Villas, condominiums on the grounds of the resort with another worker when the elevator fell from the second floor and killed him. The accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. The other man was working outside the shaft and was not injured.

At this time, no one is entirely sure what caused the elevator to fall. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, hotel maintenance locked the elevator in place with a key, and the power was supposed to have been cut.

Hotel officials could not explain the tragedy.

Sadly, this man is not the first to have been killed in an elevator-related accident this year. Last month, a man was found inside an elevator shaft at Tampa International Airport after he apparently fell to his death. This particular accident remains under investigation.

State law does require elevators to be inspected annually. In Florida, inspections are conducted by private companies certified by the state.

The TradeWinds Islands Resorts’ elevators were inspected Monday, and all of them passed. No reports of any violations were found on the elevator that killed the worker.

The inspector’s report did note water at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Officials claim that this can happen naturally as the ground water table rises.

TradeWinds hired an environmental cleanup company to remove the water. The deceased and another worker from the company came Wednesday. The men had filled two barrels with water from the elevator before 10:30 a.m. when the elevator fell.

St. Pete Beach firefighters were called to the scene at 10:37 a.m. Not long after, the St. Petersburg Technical Rescue Team recovered the man’s body.

April 2, 2013

Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Attorney :: Riverview Man Killed in Red Light Running Accident

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 40-year-old Riverview man was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday morning after another driver apparently ran a red light and crashed into the man’s driver’s side door.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office believes the driver accused of running the red light was travelling at about 60 mph, 15 mph over the speed limit, and failed to stop at a red light at Crescent Park Drive.

As the deceased man was maneuvering a right hand turn while the light was green on Falkenburg Road, the other driver rammed his Dodge pickup into his Pontiac.

The driver accused of causing the crash has not been charged. He was taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Investigators took a blood sample from the man at the scene of the crash and do not believe at this time that alcohol was a factor in the collision. Deputies are currently investigating the accident further.

Injuries caused by a driver’s failure to stop at a red light are usually quite severe due to the fact that accidents of this kind occur at higher rates of speed because drivers are usually rushing through the intersection. Every year, red light accidents account for nearly 1,000 deaths and another 100,000 injuries. If you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one due to this type of accident, you may be entitled to compensation for damages.