Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Lawyer

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.