Motor Vehicle Accidents

Published on: August 7, 2012

Felon Attempts To Evade Broward Police, Kills Two Cyclists

Christopher McConnell and Dean Amelkin lost their lives in a senseless tragedy as they were innocently riding their bikes in suburban Broward County. After spending their night gambling at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood, Obrian Oakley and Sadik Baxter had burglarized several cars in the Rock Creek neighborhood, stealing a drum set, an old iPod and about $2 in change. Concerned citizens took a picture of the crime in progress and called 911 around 7 a.m. As Baxter confronted the citizens, Oakley disappeared in their get-away car.

Driving at speeds of over 110 miles per hours though western Broward County, Oakley attempted to evade police. According to police, Oakley told them that he looked back at the officers pursing him and that was when he hit a Toyota at the Sheridan Street and Palm Avenue intersection, forcing his car to spin out of control. Oakley’s car struck the two cyclists and then came to a halt. Oakley left the scene to hide in a nearby apartment complex. He was arrested at 11:50 a.m. after surrendering himself to police. Oakley has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and with causing a crash involving death or personal injury, along with several other charges.

The men who died were both described as loving, family-oriented men. McConnell was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple blunt force traumas. There are no reports as to whether Amelkin was pronounced dead at the scene or at a nearby hospital. The two were traveling a familiar route with two other cyclists, both of whom were unharmed. Several bouquets of flowers and two American flags now decorate the accident site in an attempt to mask the black skid marks in the road, the dented railing and the damaged trees that remain. The men both leave behind a wife and children. When asked about the crash, Celia Conti of the Cooper City-based South Broward Wheelers bike club stated, “You just realize how vulnerable you are out there. ”
Men denied bond after crash kills two Broward cyclists, www.miamiherald.com August 06, 2012.

Published on: August 6, 2012

St. Lucie Couple Files Wrongful Death Suit Against School After Son’s Death

by Friedland | Carmona

Nine-year-old Aaron Beauchamp died tragically in a March bus crash in St. Lucie County. The school bus Beauchamp was riding in collided with a tractor-trailer on the boy’s ride home from school. The Friedland | Carmona’s report on the accident can be found here. In late July, his family filed a wrongful death complaint against the trucking company, Cypress Truck Lines, Inc.; the driver, Charles Thomas Cooper; and the St. Lucie County School District.

The school district will have 90 days to “investigate and resolve wrongful death claims,” allowing the family to gather information regarding Beauchamp’s death and hopefully settle the matter in a way that “dignifies the full measure of their loss and gives back to the community through the establishment of a charitable organization in Aaron’s name to honor his life and memory.” While the family and the school district attempt to settle, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol and National Transportation Safety Board have all been investigating the accident. The report will be submitted to the State Attorney’s Office to determine if the school bus driver should be cited for a traffic offense or charged criminally for the accident. A preliminary report stated that the driver was inattentive and turned improperly into the path of the tractor-trailer.

The family is seeking compensatory damages, costs, prejudgment and post-judgment interest and other relief that the Court deems appropriate. The crash includes several claims against the truck driver, including, but not limited to: failure to use extreme caution, failure to apply his brakes in a timely manner, failure to observe the bus, failure to appreciate the clear hazard posed by the bus and failure to yield the right-of-way to the bus once it controlled the intersection during its turn. Neither the truck company nor the driver has been charged.

Family prepares lawsuits in fatal St. Lucie County school bus crash, www.tcpalm.com July 24, 2012.

Published on: August 1, 2012

Cyclist Hit On Key Biscayne’s Rickenbacker Causeway, In Critical Condition

by Friedland | Carmona

An unidentified male cyclist was struck by a black BMW as he rode along the Rickenbacker Causeway on Tuesday. The cyclist suffered a head injury and was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The driver of the BMW, who struck the cyclist near the Rusty Pelican restaurant, did not leave the scene of the accident. Police are still investigating the incident to determine who is at fault for the accident.

The Rickenbacker Causeway has been the site of several cyclist accidents. Christophe LeCanne was run over and killed on Bear Cut Bridge two years ago. Aaron Cohen died and his fellow cyclist was injured after a driver slammed into them on Powell Bridge in February. Cohen’s death caused a stir in the community–ridges were added to the road to help caution drivers if they entered the bike lane and Safe Streets Miami, a traffic safety campaign, was created. The campaign is lobbying for more pedestrian crosswalk and bike lanes and “road designs that have ‘lower speed limits, narrower traffic lanes, and traffic-calming measures such as traffic circles and flashing crosswalks,'” according to its website.

Cyclist hit on Rickenbacker Causeway in critical condition, www.miamiherald.com July 31, 2012.

Published on: July 31, 2012

Pedestrian In Critical Condition After Hit And Run Accident In Downtown Miami

by Friedland | Carmona

An unidentified victim was walking home along Biscayne Boulevard around 4:00 p.m. after a trip to the grocery store when Robert Sinn crashed into him. According to police, Sinn drove his Chevrolet Impala onto the sidewalk, hit the victim, stepped out to look him and then returned to his vehicle and sped away. The car also smashed into a tree and hit a bus stop. An officer who heard a description of Sinn’s vehicle spotted the car later in the day, with severe frontend damage and tree debris on the hood.

The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital and remains in extremely critical condition. Sinn was arrested when pulled over and taken into custody. He was charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident causing seriously bodily injury. However, Sinn blew at 0.00 on the alcohol breath test, but according to police “appeared to be disoriented, sluggish, trouble maintaining balance, had constricted pupils, and his speech was thick tongued.” Sinn acknowledged hitting the pedestrian with his car and inquired as to whether he was okay. Police are looking into all possibilities, including alcohol and medical conditions, to determine how and why the accident happened. Sinn appeared in court and was given a $30,000 bond and a no drive order should he put up the bond.

Pedestrian Hospitalized After Violent Hit and Run Crash in Miami, www.cbsmiami.com July 26, 2012.

Published on: July 19, 2012

Two Miami Men Die In I-95 Crash, Driver Charged With DUI

by Friedland | Carmona

A 2010 crash on Interstate 95 left two Miami men dead, put four in the hospital and police dumbfounded. The crash killed Victor H. Morales-Calderon, 49, and Wuilmer A. Sanchez, 31 and it took police officers nearly two years to charge a suspect. But now police have finally charged a driver in connection with the Nov. 16, 2010 crash.

On Nov. 16, 2010, Morales-Calderon and Sanchez pulled off to a grassy part of I-95 near Sunrise Boulevard to change a flat tire on their Ford Explorer. The other three passengers remained in the Explorer. While Morales-Calderon and Sanchez were changing the tire, a drunken driver crashed his Toyota Camry into the men. The three passengers and the driver were transported to Broward area hospitals to treat their injuries while Morales-Calderon and Sanchez died at the scene.

This week, police arrested Ravindra K. Mahanand, 26, of Clermont, and charged him with DUI death and DUI with serious bodily injury. He was taken to a Broward county jail and booked. The injured passengers have all been released from their respective hospitals.

Suspect arrested in 2010 DUI crash on I-95 that left two dead, www.sun-sentinel.com July 19, 2012.

Published on: July 18, 2012

Tampa Bay Teens Involved In Tubing Accident, One Dead

by Friedland | Carmona

Many teens spend their summer days splashing around in one of the South Florida’s majestic waterways. The days are meant to be wild and carefree, but sometimes the summer days can turn deadly. Yesterday, two teenage girls were tubing in the intercoastal waterway near Tampa Bay when they crashed into a dock, killing one of the girls and leaving the other hospitalized.

The girls, fifteen-year-old Deviny Boese and sixteen-year-old Sarah Doobs, were ridin g on an inner tube that was being pulled by a fishing boat when the boat’s fifteen-year-old driver attempted to make a turn. The girls smashed into the dock and were ejected from the inter tube. Boese died in a St. Petersburg hospital while Dobbs was treated for an ankle injury at another area hospital. The driver and other boat passenger were not injured. While the investigation is still ongoing, authorities have stated that the teens did not have permission to take the boat out into the water.

1 girl killed, 1 injured in tubing accident, www.miamiherald.com July 17, 2012.

Published on: July 16, 2012

Two South Florida Men Die In Plane Crash

by Friedland | Carmona

A charter flight carrying two South Florida men crashed in southern France earlier this week, leaving the families to question what really happened. Robert Helton of Pembroke Pines and Dale Popik of Delray Beach were two of the three crewmembers aboard the plane. A 30-year old female crewmember also perished in the flight. According to Helton’s mother, “We really don’t know what happened, other than they were on a charter flight, on their way to an airport to pick up some passengers.”

Helton was working as a pilot aboard the Glstream G-IV plane when it veered off the runway during a landing attempt on a small runway in Le Castellet, France. The plane, which is owned by Universal Jet Aviation of Boca Raton, can hold up to 16 passengers, but had no passengers aboard when it crashed. According to French news reports, “the plane touched down at a high rate of speed, raced by the control tower and veered left off the runway.” The plane burst into flames and the cockpit of the plane was destroyed.

French authorities are investigating the crash and the bodies have been taken to the morgue in Marseilles for autopsies. The plane’s black box is in possession of the French national police. At this time, Universal stated that its main focus was supporting the needs of the crew’s family. A special air police unit of the National Gendarmerie is investigating the accident.

Families grieving for 2 South Florida men killed in plane crash in France, www.sun-sentinel.com July 15, 2012.

Published on: July 13, 2012

Speeding Car Crashes Into Lehigh Acres Home

by Friedland | Carmona

Early yesterday morning, Jamie Alonso Giron Cardona crashed his BMW into the side of a Lehigh Acres home. Florida Highway Police Sgt. William Harris stated that the police believe Cardona was speeding down Parkdale Boulevard when he lost control of the vehicle and smashed into the house. Cardona crashed into the house, which is located at the intersection of Creuset Avenue South and Parkdale Boulevard just off Homestead Road, around five o’clock in the morning.

Police believe that due to the high rate of speed, Cardona lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the house. Following the accident, the car was completely totaled, with wreckage littered one hundred feet from the crash site. The impact destroyed the front end of the car and the entire had to be extracted with a cable before it could be towed away.

Rescuers had to remove the top of Cardona’s car in order to extract him from it; he was later pronounced dead as a result of the crash. Fortunately, no one currently resides in the residence and there were no other reported injuries. Carmona was alone in the vehicle at the time. The home appears to have over $10,000 in damage after the accident left a gaping hole in the side of the house and damaged a portion of the roof.

Man killed after crashing into Lehigh home ID’d, www.newspress.com July 12, 2012.

Published on: July 11, 2012

Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission Releases Annual Report

by Friedland | Carmona

Florida is the nation’s leading boating state, with almost one million registered boats. However, that also makes Florida one of the top ten states for boating accidents. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released its annual report on 2011 boating accidents and deaths today, revealing a staggering number of deaths and accidents.

Sixty-seven people died in boating accidents in 2011 and over four hundred and thirty people were injured in boating related accidents. According to the Conservation Commission’s report, the man cause of death was falls overboard. Investigator Andy Bickel stated that wearing life jackets could have prevented the high number of drowning deaths. Lastly, the report revealed that alcohol and drugs were involved in almost fifteen percent of boating related accidents this past year.

The highest number of boating related deaths occurred in Monroe County, which encompasses the Florida Keys, and had the highest number of accidents. The Conservation Commission has reported that almost thirty boating deaths have already occurred this year.

67 boating deaths reported in Florida in 2011, www.miamiherald.com July 11, 2012.

Published on: June 18, 2012

Drivers “Lucky To Be Alive” After Fiery Broward Truck Crash

by Friedland | Carmona

Two tractor-trailers were involved in an early morning fiery crash on U.S. 27. The accident left West Broward Highway closed for hours as crews worked to extinguish the flames and clean up the wreckage from the accident. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the flaming accident, but one of the driver’s dogs passed away when a car hit him after he escaped the truck’s cab.

Rafael Ferrer Rodriguez was driving southbound on U.S. 27 when he pulled his tractor-trailer to the side of the road to check on his tires. He moved the truck onto the shoulder of the highway and into the stopping area. The stopping area, which is mostly paved and then feeds out into a grassy slope, is exceptionally narrow for the highway and Rodriguez was unable to pull completely off of the roadway. As he stepped out and headed toward the rear of the truck to put up his emergency signal, he saw another truck speeding towards him in the right lane of the highway. Jose Soto Perez struck the left side of the trailer and both immediately erupted into flames.

Perez was able to escape the cab of his truck before fire and rescue crews arrived. Rodriguez was struck when the parked trailer swung to the west side of the road. Rodriguez refused to go to the hospital and only suffered minor injuries. Perez was sent to Broward Medical Center to tend to his injuries. “‘It had the makings of being much worse,’ said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles. ‘Both men are very lucky to be alive.'”

‘Lucky to be alive’: Truck crash on U.S. 27 destroys two big rigs, spares drivers, www.miamiherald.com June 07, 2012.