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Elevators plunging several floors due to a malfunction have injured at least 12 people at The Miami VA Medical Center, an issue that has gone on for more than two years, the Miami Herald reported this week.

The elevators vacillate through the 12-story building, carrying nurses, patients and visitors alike.

In a phone interview with the newspaper, Bill Frogameni, who is a registered nurse at the veteran’s hospital and is the director of National Nurses United Miami VA chapter, said the hospital is meant o be a “place of healing.”

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Last week, the U.S. watched in horror as news spread of a collision in Washington, D.C., between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, marking the deadliest air disaster in over 40 years.

On Monday, a little less than a week later, crews were set to begin removing parts of the passenger jet and helicopter from the Potomac River. Officials told reporters with USA Today that the debris from the passenger jet will be the initial focus of removal efforts, an estimated three-day-long task. After that, the team will focus on debris from the Black Hawk helicopter.

As of Monday, at least 55 people killed in the crash were identified. About 28 of the 67 people killed in the crash were members of the figure skating community who were returning from a development camp for skaters in Wichita following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating national championships. Those on the plane included parents, coaches and athletes, some of whom were as young as 11 years old.

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An elderly pickup truck driver faces charges after police accused him of driving drunk through a liquor store, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage over the weekend in Alachua County, Florida.

The driver was charged with driving under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to court records. The Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg will not be naming the man as he was not charged with a felony.

Police say they were called out following reports of the crash around sunset on Thursday, Jan. 30, to the liquor store, which is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville. When they arrived, they found that the pickup truck had driven through the storefront. Officers conducted a field sobriety test which they say he performed “poorly” on before he was taken to jail.

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An elementary school principal and teacher face multiple charges after police broke up a house party where over 100 minors were drinking, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, 47, of Cocoa Beach, was charged with an open house party, a liquor law violation, and contributing to a child’s delinquency. Both of these charges are misdemeanors in Florida. Hill-Brodigan also faces a felony charge of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. She was granted a $3,500 bond and released Saturday.

Hill-Brodigan is a principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, which is a part of the Brevard County School District.

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Police have released the name of a man they believe is responsible for the death of a 6-year-old on a bicycle who was killed in a Florida neighborhood on Jan. 18, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Francisco Arriola, 53, was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI 3rd violation, operating a vehicle without a license causing death and running a stop sign, according to media. The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 in an Apopka mobile home park about a 20-mile drive northwest of Orlando. The child was riding his bike when police say Arriola, in a 2003 Chevy Suburban, ran a stop sign and hit him.

The child was taken to AdventHealth Apopka where he later died from his injuries.

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Man faces felony charges after police say he is responsible for firing bullets in “celebratory gunfire” incident that killed a woman in Kissimmee Florida on New Year’s Day.

Carlos Manuel Tejada, 44, was charged over the weekend with manslaughter by culpable negligence in the incident that killed 56-year-old Carmen Rosa Neira Ochoa.

Tejada is accused of firing shots into the air around 12 a.m. on Jan. 1 while he was lakeside, directly across from Ochoa’s home where she was sitting on her screened-in back porch with her two daughters. Ochoa was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

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A sixth grader who was it by a car while walking away from her school bus died Thursday from her injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 11-year-old girl was dropped off by her school bus around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in Brooksville, a city in Hernando County about 50 miles north of Tampa, when a woman, 65, in a Toyota Corolla hit her. The child was walking north along the unpaved and unmarked road at the time of the crash, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. It was not immediately clear if the woman was speeding.

The child was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. She died Thursday.

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A fire that broke out Monday night left at least one person hospitalized and several neighbors running from their beds and clamoring for their pets to get to safety.

Firefighters and emergency personnel were called out to the 4200 block of Northeast Ninth Street around 11 p.m. for the flames.

The person who was hospitalized has not been named, but officials told reporters with Channel 7 News that they were airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. The two-story home where the flames began had smoke damage and shattered windows following the fire.

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The Supreme Court of Florida approved Ira H. Leesfield’s appointment to the 11th Judicial District Circuit Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee. The UPL committee is a program within the Florida Bar’s Disciplinary branch and was developed to protect the public from harm caused by individuals attempting to practice law without a license. As part of the Standing Committee on UPL, Mr. Leesfield and other members will give their formal advisory opinions regarding individuals who have been accused of practicing law without a license.

Of the distinguishment, which was bestowed upon him following decades of service to South Florida’s legal community, Mr. Leesfield said he was grateful for the honor.

“I look forward to working alongside my fellow committee members to ensure that the practice of law remains in the hands of qualified, ethical professionals who are committed to serving the best interest of Floridians,” he said.

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With 48 years of experience in personal injury law, Leesfield & Partners has successfully represented victims in medical malpractice cases that could easily fuel anyone’s iatrophobia.

From negligent cruise ship doctors who searched the internet for what to do after they ignored a black box warning label medicine administered to a patient to an obstetrician who used controversial techniques on a laboring mother, Leesfield & Partners has witnessed some of the most egregious medical negligence cases imaginable.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, it’s important to know what your options are and where to turn to for help.

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