Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Drunk Driver Kills Tampa Woman
A woman is dead, and a man is in jail, following an alcohol-related wreck on MLK Boulevard. The wreck occurred on Martin Luther King near the Interstate 75 interchange. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 21-year-old driver was intoxicated and speeding when he smacked into a pickup truck which was making a legal… Read More »
If You Are Harmed by A Crime On Business or Public Property, Can You Recover Damages?
In late September, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that victims of the Parkland shooting can only recover $300,000 from the Broward County School Board because, even though the school rendered inadequate security (which ultimately lead to the injuries in the shooting), there is a sharp limit on how much government agencies can be forced… Read More »
Police Dogs Are Violently Mauling Many Innocent People Each Year, Including Here in Florida
While rarely fatal, police dog bites often produce severe injuries, and, according to this recent expose by The Marshall Project, bite thousands of Americans every year, including innocent bystanders, the dogs’ handlers, and even the police officers themselves sometimes. In fact, police dog bites were the number one cause of hospital visits due to… Read More »
When Dangerous Products Are Also Deceptively Advertised: The Latest Study On E-Cigarettes
E-cigarettes have been marketed as a safe alternative to regular cigarettes. As a result, they are now the most prevalent form of tobacco use amongst young people. Yet while some of their potentially harmful ingredients – such as diacetyl, heavy metals, nicotine, ultrafine particles, and volatile organic compounds – have recently received a significant… Read More »
Investigation Finds That Products Manufactured by Amazon Itself Are Exploding or Bursting into Flames, And Continue to Be Sold
In September, several senators sent a letter to Amazon demanding that a number of hazardous products sold on the company’s website under its own label, “AmazonBasics,” be recalled after a CNN investigation found that they remained for sale even though they had exploded or caught on fire, causing severe damage and danger to consumers…. Read More »
If Synthetic Marijuana Case Is Heard by Florida Supreme Court, Manufacturers of Intoxicating Products Could Be Held Liable for Car Accident Deaths
The appeal of a civil case involving three people who were killed in a car accident here in Florida caused by a driver who was under the influence of synthetic marijuana (known as “spice”), and who hit their car with his while he was under the influence and speeding, causing their deaths, could now… Read More »
A “Pandemic” Of Catastrophic Injuries Resulting for Millions Who Work from Home Due to Setups
For many, having to suddenly switch to working from home due to COVID-19 has caused a number of serious injuries. Many of those who began working from home in March believed that they would only be doing so for a few weeks and therefore neither they nor their employers arranged for an appropriate ergonomic… Read More »
First Appellate Court Finds Amazon.com Strictly Liable for All Products It Fulfills On Its Website, Delivering Justice for Plaintiffs
Amazon.com has once again lost on the issue of defective product liability; this time at the appellate court level, which provides national implications for plaintiffs around the country who have been injured by the products sold by third party vendors on its website, including here in Florida. In August, a California Court of Appeals… Read More »
Top Workplace Injuries, Teleworking, & Returning to Work During the Pandemic
According to a new report from Liberty Mutual Insurance, the top 10 causes of workplace injuries are costing US businesses more than $1 million per week, or almost $60 billion per year, and make up almost 90 percent of the total cost of all workplace injuries. These are also the main causes that lead… Read More »
Florida Nursing Homes May Once Again Be Open to Visitors—A Move Many Are Calling Outright Dangerous
Florida is reportedly en route to opening up its nursing homes to visitors, and many have concerns that this is not only premature, but downright dangerous. Gov. Ron DeSantis created a task force composed of elder care industry trade group leaders, one resident, and state officials that, in late August, submitted a list of… Read More »