Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
At least two people, including one high school student, died after a Monday, Oct. 5, crash involving a school bus in Central Florida.
The crash occurred around 6:15 a.m. involving a school bus from Winter Haven High School and two other vehicles, The Miami Herald reported. The bus rolled over in the crash.
A 10th-grade student, whose name has not been released, was killed as well as a driver from one of the other vehicles involved in the collision. The driver of that vehicle, a Jeep that caught fire following the crash, was not released. WFLA, a local news station, reported that the student was 16 and the driver of the Jeep was 26 years old.
About 39 people were aboard the bus at the time of the crash, including 37 high schoolers, the bus driver, and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter.
About 22 students were evaluated by paramedics at the scene. Several others were taken to the hospital via a combination of a medical helicopter, ambulances, and private vehicles, authorities told the newspaper. At least one person remained in critical condition following the collision.
Just days after the fatal crash, another collision occurred, causing residents to question the safety of road in that area, WFLA reported. This year, the Florida Department of Transportation completed a study for widening of that road. Officials with FDOT told WFLA that they are “in the design phase” of that project following the study.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, a second collision involving a car and a tractor-trailer occurred.
Information about whether anyone was injured in the second crash was not immediately available.
A neighbor who told reporters he heard the siren called the area a “zoo” with multiple dangerous wrecks.
When speaking to reporters, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that the road is “under built for the volume” of people driving in the area and that there are plenty of roads in the county that should be expanded.
Leesfield Shapiro extends our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones impacted by this collision.
Leesfield Shapiro
With five decades of experience representing injured individuals and grieving families affected by these crashes, our attorneys understand firsthand how quickly a distracted driver, a construction hazard, or another person’s reckless actions can change lives forever. Over the years, Leesfield Shapiro has worked tirelessly on behalf of clients to ensure that they receive the best possible outcome in their cases. Many of these results have earned the firm both state and nationwide recognition as our attorneys continue to advocate for justice on behalf of our clients.
Over 50 years, our attorneys have secured historic verdicts and settlements for those injured in Florida accidents, including a case in which a drunk driver’s recklessness left a family forever changed. In that instance, a 23-year-old woman was on her way to the airport to attend her medical school’s orientation when a drunk driver going down the wrong way on I-95 hit her family’s car in a head-on collision. Tragically, this young woman died as a result of her injuries.
Also in the car was the woman’s then-21-year-old brother who suffered neurological and orthopedic injuries. Following the crash, he was left unable to speak, needing a wheelchair and round-the-clock care.
At trial, a jury awarded the family a $95 million verdict with $57 million awarded to the son and $38 million to the parents. This case marked the largest motor vehicle accident verdict in Miami-Dade County history.
“The result in this case shows what hard work and creative lawyering can do for clients with devastating injuries,” said Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield. “Along with co-counsel Aaron Davis, we are happy to settle with two defendants and to obtain this record verdict for them.”
Previous Cases
Previously, Partner Justin B. Shapiro handled the case of a minor who was hit and severely injured by a distracted driver after his school bus driver instructed him to cross the street. In that case, our minor client was waiting at the corner of the intersection just after 6 a.m. to wait for the school bus.
While it was pitch-black outside, the driver stopped in the middle of the road and turned on the vehicle’s flashing lights before signaling for the waiting children to cross the street where there was no designated crosswalk. Trusting their school bus driver, the group of children began to cross the street. A speeding driver then hit our client, causing him to be knocked unconscious and needing to be airlifted to the hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a traumatic brain injury.
Not only should the speeding driver have taken more care, but an investigation by Leesfield Shapiro revealed that the school bus driver was in violation of state law by failing to ensure there was at least 200 feet of visibility in the direction of oncoming traffic. She also failed to stop in the lane that was the furthest to the right and instead stopped in a middle lane, leaving the children vulnerable to this kind of incident.
Mr. Shapiro secured a confidential settlement for the minor and his family, which was over the insurance coverage of the at-fault vehicle.
Leesfield Shapiro obtained an $8.5 million settlement following a $27 million arbitration award for the family of a young woman who was killed by a pickup truck driver while trying to cross the street. The woman, a wife and mother of two, was visiting Florida from her home in Toronto, Canada, when she was crushed by a pickup truck. The driver in that case claimed to not have seen her.
In a case also handled by Mr. Shapiro, the maximum recoverable amount set forth in the defendant’s insurance policy limits for a woman who was horrifically injured while walking back to her office following a midday break. The woman in that case was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when a pickup truck driver made an illegal left turn, claiming to not have seen her. Her injuries included skull fractures and brain hemorrhages in addition to injuries to her left leg.
A $6 million settlement was secured for the client in that case.
In another bus accident case handled by the firm, Leesfield Shapiro attorneys secured $3 million for a family of a special needs adult killed in a rollover crash on a cruise ship excursion. The family in that case was traveling on a cruise ship when they booked an excursion to explore at one of the vessel’s scheduled stops. Due to a faulty vehicle and negligent driver, the bus the family was on was involved in a grisly rollover crash that caused their son to be ejected from the vehicle. He died from his injuries.
A pedestrian-involved case handled by Leesfield Shapiro resulted in a $2.9 million recovery our client who was injured due to a driver’s negligence.
The firm settled a pedestrian case in which our client was hit while walking on the sidewalk by a driver who was distracted by a cellphone. That case was resolved with a $1.5 million settlement.
In a case against a bus company involving the tragic death of a pedestrian, Leesfield Shapiro secured a $1 million recovery for the victim’s family.
