Bagen Law Blog

Dense fog and smoke left for a terrifying and tragic scene on I-75 after ten people died as a result to multiple pile ups.

It was a scene out of a Hollywood horror movie: mangled cars, twisted, burned cars, the sounds of screams and moans that seemed so distant and far away. A fog so thick, that police officers only had to listen to shrieks and calls for help to tend to those who needed help.

The mixture of heavy smoke and fog that clouded the area of south of Gainesville on Interstate 75 is said to have come from a brush fire that was intentionally set nearby. As a result of dense smoke, at least a dozen cars and six tractor-trailers were involved in a pileup where 10 people died.

Gainesville resident Steven R. Camps was caught up in the accident where he and some friends were driving home several hours before dawn. Upon entering the scene, he said, “You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy,” he said. “If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of the world.”¹

There is something that all parents can agree on – being a child in today’s world is vastly different than when you were growing up. Bullying in schools is on the rise and it’s taking on different forms thanks to smart phones and online messaging applications. Parents breathe a deep sigh of relief seeing their child get off the bus at the end of the day with no tears, bruises, or torn clothes. It’s a sad, sad world where every corner in school could be one that your child is backed into.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, close to half of all children will experience school bullying at some point while they are at primary or secondary school. At least ten percent of children are bullied regularly.

It’s scary to let go, hand your child your car keys, and wave goodbye. You have been driving for some time so you understand the dangers and perils out there on the road ahead. How do you explain that to a teenager who knows everything?

Driving is not what it used to be when you first learned how to. The introduction of smart phones and texting has increased the risks by a staggering amount. Just how much? According to statistics provided by NegligentDriving.org, distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens. While 90% of teens admit that they don’t drink and drive, nine out of 10 say they have seen passengers distracting the drivers or drivers using cell phones.

A prominent heart surgeon in Jonesborough, Tennessee, stood in front a judge this week accused of orchestrating a plan to use his surgical team to feed a drug habit.

According to prosecutors, Doctor William Walker wrote several prescriptions for a variety of high-powered drugs to his nurses and surgical techs. His team would then get the prescriptions filled and hand the pills back over to the doctor.

Walker faces 37 felony charges but will not spend a day in jail even if he is convicted. At most, Walker will spend one to six years on probation.

A Jacksonville man was charged with drunk driving and a hit and run accident. Oscar Adolfo Gomez was driving with his children, ages 5, 6 and 9. Police said that they stopped Gomez because he was weaving all over the road around 9 p.m. on Friday. When police questioned him after being pulled over,they noticed the strong alcohol odor and slurred speech. They also matched his car to the same one that was involved in a hit and run accident earlier that evening.

Horace Robinson, 60, drove his car into the side of a Wal-Mart store on Southwest Archer Road on November 1. Robinson was driving a gray PT Cruiser convertible by himself when he drove his car into the side of the store at 8:40 a.m. Officials are not quite sure why Robinson drove into the Wal-Mart, though rescue officials say that witnesses saw Robinson stop at the stop sign to the west of the main doors and slowed down and then accelerated into the side of the building.
In a news release, rescue officials said that Robinson “did not appear to have been wearing his seat belt, which may have caused him to slide down under the dash.” Robinson had to be extracted from his vehicle and was unconscious for most of it but he woke up later in the process. He was taken to Shands at the University of Florida. Robinson was reported to be in stable condition.
Robinson had a wheelchair symbol on his license plate that indicated the driver of the car had a permanent disability and needed a disabled person parking permit. This is just another reminder to wear your seatbelts!

Kristin Leigh Cruz, 37, of Hawthorne County was severely injured when her small car overturned several times early Friday morning. She was driving a 2005 Volkswagen Golf eastbound on the four lane when she went into the center median and rotated counter clockwise. Her car over turned many times while crossing over westbound lanes. The accident happened at 2:14 a.m on Southeast Hawthorne Rd. east of Alachua County Rd 325. Cruz was taken to Shands at the University of Florida.
Cruz was the only person involved in the accident. She was wearing her seatbelt and alcohol was not a factor reports FHP Trooper Matthew B. Cranston. Luckily she was ok although critically injured.

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is most often caused by a sudden impact that can change your life in an instant. A traumatic brain injury can effect everything from your ability to get out of bed in the morning to your personality and how you interact with others. A brain injury is vastly different from a broken leg or a punctured lung. It is an an injury that can potentially limit every element of your life. If you or someone you know has developed a traumatic brain injury, it is important to understand what it means and whether or not you have a personal injury case.

Top Florida officials announce that crime in the state is down during the first six months of 2011 as compared to the first half of 2010.