A request has been made for a case that was filed in another state to be transferred to Florida. The case involves car accident injuries suffered by a member of a collegiate women’s rowing team in a collision that occurred in this state while she was traveling with her team in a van that her coach was driving at the time. Sadly, in addition to the young woman’s personal injuries, there was also a fatality in the crash.
Records show there were 11 teammates in the van when the coach who was driving reportedly failed to yield a right-of-way on a left turn. The coach drove into oncoming traffic and the van collided with a pickup truck. A sophomore member of the rowing team died in the collision. The team member who has filed a lawsuit against the school and the coach suffered numerous severe injuries, including a broken pelvis and a traumatic brain injury.
Police who responded to the scene of the collision cited the coach for failing to yield a right-of-way. He resigned from his 34-year coaching career following the tragedy. The rower who filed the lawsuit against him seeks more than $15,000 in damages. The coach and the school have requested that the case be heard in a Florida court as opposed to Connecticut, which is where the young woman filed her claim.
Surviving car accident injuries does not always result in a full, physical recovery, especially when there is trauma to the brain. Recovering victims are entitled to seek financial recovery for their losses against any person or people deemed responsible for their injuries because of negligence. An experienced Florida personal injury attorney can provide a recovering victim with support to gather and present evidence in court.
Falling, especially in public, is often considered an embarrassing event. Unfortunately, many public places have serious hazards that could put you and other visitors at risk of tripping, slipping or otherwise falling. In many cases, embarrassment may be the least of the resulting troubles as a fall could lead to serious injuries.
If you fall due to a hazard on another person’s property, whether it belongs to a homeowner or business owner, you could suffer serious and lasting effects from the ordeal. Even if the harm does not present itself immediately, you could end up having to contend with the effects for a considerable amount of time.
Injuries resulting from falls
The exact injuries that can result from a fall can depend on various circumstances, such as the height from which you fell, the surface you landed on, how your body landed, the cause of the fall and much more. Some common injuries that result from fall incidents include the following:
- Broken bones: It is common for people to break bones during a fall as their full body weight lands on a hard surface or as they instinctively reach out to catch themselves and land awkwardly.
- Strains and sprains: Again, on instinct, your body may twist or move is a sudden way in an attempt to avoid a fall once you slip or trip, but this jarring movement could cause sprains or strains.
- Chest and organ damage: If you fall and your chest takes most of the force, you could suffer broken ribs, damage to your airway, pulmonary bruising, damage to your diaphragm and much more.
- Spinal injury: Landing on your back or in a way that jars your back is another possibility from a fall, and doing so could result in ruptured discs, spinal fractures, dislocated vertebrae, spinal cord damage or cracked vertebrae.
- Traumatic brain injuries: Hitting your head as the result of a fall is a major concern. You could experience a traumatic brain injury or skull fracture that has substantial effects on your life for a lasting period of time.
Though embarrassment can certainly stem from a slip and fall or trip and fall accident, severe pain and lasting consequences from injuries can as well. If you suffered harm as the result of a fall on someone else’s property due to a hazardous condition, you may want to consider your legal options. You may have reason to file a premises liability claim in order to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages permitted under Florida state law.