Legal Blog & News
The Florida Legislature passed a claims bill that would compensate a former Palm Beach County basketball star for the injuries he sustained as a result of a Wellington bus accident. In Florida, if someone is injured by a state or local government agency the law caps damages at $300,000. To get the rest of the money, injured victims must find a lawmaker to file a claims bill in the Florida Legislature. There, it must be approved by both House and Senate committees. And then passed by the House and Senate and signed by the governor. As you can see, this process takes an extremely long time, and often, the injured may never get fully compensated.
This incident happened all the way back in 2005, and the young man is now just getting compensated for his injuries. Back in 2005, a young man by the name of Altavious Carter was a 14-year-old freshman at a South Florida high school. At that time, he was already 6 feet 4 and a standout basketball player.
On the day of the accident, he was a passenger in a van driven by his assistant basketball coach. The coach stopped at a red light in Wellington, Florida, when suddenly, a Palm Beach County School District bus traveling 48 mph plowed into them from behind. Both Altavious and his coach were wearing their seatbelt, but due the impact of the crash, they went flying to the back of the van still attached to their seats.
Altavious was then rushed to Wellington Regional Medical Center by ambulance and was eventually sent to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where they treated his injuries. As result of harsh impact of the Wellington bus accident, Altavious broke his neck and his coach was temporarily paralyzed.
At some point after this horrendous incident, Altavious hired a Florida personal injury lawyer to sue the Palm Beach County School Board for their negligent actions which left him severely injured. Eventually, Palm Beach County School Board agreed to settle the claim for $790,000. And 12 years after the accident, the Florida Legislature has finally done the right thing and agreed to compensate the young man for the terrible injuries he sustained.
Lowe’s is one of the world’s largest chain stores filled with retail home improvement merchandise and appliances, making that “DIY” project you have been wanting to do finally possible. But, as you walk down its isles, there are many hazards that could cause injury to you or your loved ones. For example, merchandise could fall […]
Everyone at some point in their life has ridden an escalator. Escalators are commonly used at airports, theme parks, sports stadiums, and large buildings. When stepping on an escalator most people don’t think twice about the potential dangers a faulty or negligently maintained escalator can cause. According to the CDC, elevators and escalators kill around […]
Slip and falls happen every day at grocery stores such as Publix, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, etc. According to NFSI, over 1 million people visit the emergency room every year because of slip and falls. These falls may be the result of wet floors or some other dangerous condition. In this unfortunate situation, our Fort […]
Hit and run crashes have spiked in Florida. Hundreds of hit and run crashes happen every day and unfortunately, these drivers are not taking responsibility for their actions. When these hit and run drivers decide to flee the scene, injured victims are less likely to get necessary medical care. Families of these hit and run […]
In 2017, most people are well aware of the importance of wearing seat belts. According to a recent study, seat belt use rate is hovering around 90% for all drivers and passengers. This a great statistic because seat belts are known to save lives. Research has shown that using a seat belt will reduce the […]
The Florida Legislature passed a claims bill that would compensate a former Palm Beach County basketball star for the injuries he sustained as a result of a Wellington bus accident. In Florida, if someone is injured by a state or local government agency the law caps damages at $300,000. To get the rest of the […]
