Florida tourist injury lawyer

Key West injury attorney Millions of people every year seek a sunny respite in South Florida, visiting places like Miami, Key West, Naples, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. While Florida is as safe as any other state in many respects, there are some higher risk areas on the roads, at some resorts and, of course, in the waters. Although you might purchase insurance on flights or hotel stays, those usually only cover losses from delays, cancellations, or theft. If you’re seriously hurt while on vacation in South Florida, you will need to work with a local injury attorney who can handle your claim for damages.

As a Fort Myers tourist injury attorney, I help people from all over obtain financial compensation for the injuries they sustained here on vacation due to someone else’s negligence.

Some examples of South Florida tourist injuries in recent months:

Just recently, a woman and her adult son from South Carolina were killed in a Florida crash when the car they were in collided with a flat-bed tractor-trailer at an intersection that had an inoperative traffic light, according to the AP. The adult son’s wife and two young children, who were also in the vehicle, were injured but survived.
Earlier this year, a tourist from Mexico was seriously injured in a Naples hit-and-run car accident while she was bicycling. She was badly hurt, and returned to Mexico for treatment of her injuries. Although police initially closed the case for lack of evidence, an injury lawyer she hired obtained additional evidence (surveillance video from a nearby business) that resulted in law enforcement re-opening the investigation.
Last year, an Indiana couple filed a $100 million Florida injury lawsuit against a boat operator who was allegedly drunk when he caused a South Florida boating accident resulting in the woman suffering a serious, lifelong traumatic brain injury.

Accidents that occur while you’re on vacation in Florida can lead to serious injuries. In addition to crashes, bicycle accidents and boating injuries, tourist injuries can stem from:

Swimming pool accidents.
Amusement park accidents.
Hotel injuries.
Parasailing injuries.
Festival and concert injuries.
Trade show and convention injuries.
Sexual assaults and other violent attacks.

There are several things you can do immediately after an incident (if you’re able) to preserve your chances of recovering full financial compensation for your losses. These include:

Seeking immediate medical attention.
Reporting the incident to local police and/or premises owner/manager.
Documenting the scene with photos/videos.
Collecting witness information (names, phone numbers, addresses of people who saw what happened).
Seeking legal representation.

If you’re not able to do these things, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a case. It does mean you’d be wise to seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Fort Myers tourist injury lawyer Federal job site safety regulators declined to fine an Orlando water park after closing an investigation into a series of electric shocks sustained by guests and workers earlier this year, but personal injury lawsuits could still be filed if any guests were hurt. Five lifeguards were reportedly hospitalized and several visitors were shocked, but media reports do not indicate anyone suffered a serious or lasting injury.

Florida theme parks are a significant draw in the Sunshine State, and owners/operators owe their guests a substantial duty of care to ensure they are not faced with unreasonable danger.

In this case, guests and lifeguards at Universal Studios’ Volcano Bay water park reported feeling the shocks – in the water and on the wet pavement near it – for hours before the park shut down.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concluded the danger arose from a grounding rod that was mistakenly driven through an electrical conduit way back when the park was being constructed. This led to damage to the electrical wiring, resulting in an electrical current being fed through the ground – ultimately reaching water and wet ground surfaces. Electrical readings on the sidewalk’s edge of the water measured between 20 and 30 volts of electricity.

Even 2nd graders know water-plus-electricity is a dangerous combination. This can be true even at relatively low voltage. As explained by The Ohio State University’s Department of Physics, the body’s actual resistance to an electric shock depends on the point of contact (where on the body it happens) and the condition of the skin (whether it’s wet or dry). That is why a 75-volt shock can be just as deadly as a 750-volt shock. Continue reading