Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

July 25, 2022

News: Driver arrested on DUI charge following 4-vehicle crash in Citrus County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A driver involved in a crash in Citrus County was arrested after authorities said he drove while impaired.

According to the Citrus County Chronicle, 29-year-old Aaron Michael Walnum of Homosassa was taken into custody and booked into county jail on a misdemeanor charge of DUI involving property damage.

The accident happened July 17 at the intersection of West Norvell Bryant Highway and Pine Ridge Boulevard. The Florida Highway Patrol said Walnum’s car struck the back of another vehicle, causing a collision that involved two additional vehicles.

July 22, 2022

Disney World Brawl Results in 3 Arrested and 1 Hospitalized | Florida Disney World Injury Attorneys Whittel & Melton

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Three people were arrested on misdemeanor battery charges and one person was treated for minor injuries at the hospital in Orlando Wednesday evening following a Disney World brawl outside of the Magic Kingdom.

The brawl at Disney World involved two families, according to a report from the blog Walt Disney World News Today.

Apparently, one family was in line for Mickey’s PhilharMagic Concert when a woman in the party left the line to get her cell phone that she left behind in her electric conveyance vehicle. She attempted to rejoin her family in line, but a separate family would not let her back in line and allegedly pushed her back. Once the show concluded, a confrontation happened between the two families outside.

Fights may not be frequently reported at theme parks, but they definitely do happen, even at magical places of adventure like Disney World.

In fact, just this week, a California-based amusement park called Knott’s Berry Farm had to close its doors early due to “multiple” teen fights happening. This prompted a new “chaperone policy” on Fridays and Saturdays where guests under the age of 17 have to be accompanied by chaperones over the age of 21 at all times. If anyone is found to be violating the theme park’s new “Code of Conduct,” then they will be promptly removed from the park.

Last year, A Las Vegas man was sentenced to six months in jail for a 2019 family fight that happened in Disneyland’s Toontown. A video taken by a bystander at the park showed a man spitting on a woman and then physically assaulting her. Multiple parties joined in the fight, which ultimately injured an elderly woman in a wheelchair.

Another brawl happened in 2019 at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, involving “unruly teenagers.”

If you have been involved in a brawl at Disney World or any other Florida theme park, then our Florida Disney World Injury Attorneys at Whittel & Melton encourage you to preserve all evidence. Keep any photos or videos taken while you were on the property as well as any receipts from purchases you made. You might not think that these things are useful, but they can provide crucial details that can help show what happened, including whether or not you were consuming alcohol (which could affect your credibility), help refresh your memory of what you were doing at the time, and any other relevant details of your day that could help depict a clear picture of what happened. Continue reading

July 22, 2022

News: Hudson woman dies after vehicle crashes into tree on US 41

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL – A single-vehicle accident in Hernando County early Tuesday morning left a driver dead, according to state troopers.

The Suncoast News reports the crash occurred on U.S. 41 near Southern Hills Boulevard at about 2:30 a.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a woman lost control of a sedan while driving south on U.S. 41 and crossed the center median. Her vehicle entered the opposite shoulder, hit a ditch and then crashed into a tree.

July 21, 2022

News: Sumter County rollover accident kills 22-year-old driver

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

SUMTER COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a rollover accident in Sumter County claimed the life of a driver, reports the Villages-News.

According to the FHP, a 22-year-old woman was driving a pickup truck on State Road 44 near County Road 243 west of Wildwood when the crash occurred Friday morning at 11:10 a.m.

Investigators said the woman was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway, causing her vehicle to enter the median and overturn. The woman, a Wildwood resident, was ejected from the pickup and killed. Her name was not released. State troopers said she was not wearing a seat belt at the time.

July 20, 2022

News: 60-year-old pedestrian fatally struck by pickup truck in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – State troopers are investigating the death of a pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle in Marion County early Sunday morning, according to a report by WKMG.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the victim was attempting to cross in the area of State Road 200 and SW 60th Street in Ocala at about 12:10 a.m. when he was struck by a pickup truck going west on SR-200. The pedestrian, a 60-year-old Ocala man, died at the scene. His name was not released.

The FHP said the man was walking within the westbound lanes of SR-200 at the time he was hit.

July 19, 2022

News: New Port Richey woman killed in 2-car collision on U.S. 19

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said one person was killed and several others injured in a collision in Pasco County on Friday night.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the incident took place on U.S. 19 north of Eden Avenue shortly before 11 p.m.

State troopers said a 27-year-old Hudson woman lost control of her sedan while driving south on the highway, swerved across a median and entered the path of a northbound sedan, causing a crash.

July 18, 2022

News: State troopers searching for driver who injured scooter riders near Crystal River

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CRYSTAL RIVER, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is seeking the public’s help in finding a driver who injured two scooter riders earlier this month.

According to the Citrus County Chronicle, the incident occurred July 10 as the two victims were riding a scooter on U.S. 19 near Northwest Sixth Avenue near Crystal River.

The FHP said the driver of a northbound vehicle hit the rear of the scooter as it traveled in the outside lane at about 9:25 p.m. and both riders were ejected. The two, both residents of Hudson, sustained serious and minor injuries.

July 15, 2022

News: Bicycle rider dies after being struck by car in Pasco County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – A man riding a bicycle was fatally struck by a car in Pasco County Tuesday night, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to WFLA, the incident happened on Wire Road in Zephyrhills where two bicyclists were headed north shortly after 9 p.m.

The FHP said a 17-year-old girl driving a Ford Mustang came up behind them near Otis Allen Road and hit one of the bicycle riders. The victim, a 24-year-old man from Zephyrhills, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. The other bicyclist, a 20-year-old Zephyrhills man, was not struck.

July 15, 2022

Camp Lejeune Victims Can Obtain Justice Soon | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Attorneys Whittel & Melton

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

From the 1950s through the 1980s, military, civilian contractors, other employees and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina were provided tainted drinking water containing poisonous levels of industrial chemicals. Studies conducted have confirmed that the exposure of these toxic elements can cause birth defects, miscarriages, infertility, cancer, and other diseases.

In the 1980s, environmental regulations forced the Marine Corps to further test their water supply systems at Camp Lejeune, which showed the water was flooded with toxic chemicals – Trichloroethylene (TCE), Perchloroethylene (PCE), and benzene. These highly toxic chemicals were in the water for on-base family housing, barracks, administrative offices, the base hospital, and schools. To further put this into perspective, the water supply on base was often a thousand times higher than what the EPA maximum safety standards.

Once the water contamination issue was discovered, the USMC ignored the issue and continued to allow residents and workers consume the contaminated water. In 1987, the facility was finally shut down. From 1953 to 1987, it is estimated that 750,000 to 1,000,000 people consumed the toxic water at Camp Lejeune over the 35-year period.

July 14, 2022

News: Pickup trucks involved in fatal collision after driver runs red light on U.S. 19

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said two pickup trucks were involved in a fatal collision in Citrus County on Monday afternoon.

According to a report by Ocala-News, the incident occurred on U.S. 19 near W Dunnellon Road at about 3 p.m.

The FHP said a 47-year-old man was driving a pickup truck northbound and went through a red light at the intersection. The vehicle collided with the side of another pickup that was making a left turn under a green traffic signal.