Posts by Hickey Law Firm
Despite Rule Changes Brazilian Butt Lift Procedure Claims Another Life in Miami
Another person has died in Miami while receiving a popular Brazilian Butt Lift cosmetic surgery procedure. Metro.co.uk reports that 46-year-old New York native Gia Romualdo-Rodriguez traveled to Miami to undergo multiple cosmetic surgery procedures, including breast enhancements and a Brazilian Butt Lift procedure. As Dr. Stephanie Stover worked on Romualdo-Rodriguez at the Xiluet clinic in…
Read MoreFort Lauderdale Woman Tragically Dies in Miami-Dade Boat Crash
A South Florida woman was killed in a boat crash in the waters of Miami-Dade over the weekend. MiamiHerald.com reports that the victim was 28-year-old Claudia C. Contreras. Contreras died on Sunday night when she was riding in a boat that struck a mile marker in the Intracoastal in Miami-Dade. Apparently, at least three other people…
Read MoreNew Research Indicates Even Mild Traumatic Brain Injury May Have Long Lasting Effects
New research indicates that even mild concussions may lead to serious long-lasting effects in the brain and may even play a role in the development of dementia-related diseases. TechnologyNetworks.com reports that the research, out of the University of Virginia school of Medicine, suggests that after concussion and other traumatic brain injury (TBI) the brain may experience…
Read MoreSerious Crash Involving Publix Tractor-Trailer Leaves One Person Hospitalized
A Florida woman was seriously injured in a crash involving a tractor-trailer earlier this week, in a collision that left her car pinned under the big rig. #Crash 9 W Beachline. All lanes of 528 Westbound shutdown. Car vs Semi. One female patient transported to ORMC as a trauma alert. @FHPOrlando on scene. pic.twitter.com/gLPZmp9A8o —…
Read MoreStatutes Of Limitations Apply Despite Potential Court Logjams
The coronavirus pandemic has caused the shutdown of virtually every aspect of society. While many sectors are beginning to open up, Florida’s court system is operating at reduced capacity. WFLX.com reports that Florida’s courts are facing a logjam, with a massive number of pending cases expected to grow into next summer. The WFLX.com article details…
Read MoreReport: Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company CEO Charged Following Boat Crash
Authorities say that on December 31, 2020, Daniel Towriss was piloting a 42-foot boat in the area of Port Everglades when he struck a jetty at high speed. The crash ejected the vessel’s three passengers, including Jarret and Lauren Silagyi, who both suffered serious injuries. Now, authorities are charging Towriss with five misdemeanor criminal charges,…
Read MoreNorwegian Cruise Line Faulty Stairwell Design Causes Fractured Arm
Earlier this week we blogged about a complaint that we filed on behalf of a Norwegian Cruise Lines passengers who was injured on the Norwegian Getaway cruise ship due to faulty stairwell design. But the Getaway is not the only Norwegian ship that suffers from hazardous stairwells. Below, we present an excerpt of a lawsuit we filed on…
Read MoreSerious Boat Crash Leaves Two Passengers With Serious Life-Altering Injuries
Alcohol and boating do not mix. Especially when the vessel’s captain is drinking, the mixture of alcohol and boating can result in serious hazard for the vessel’s occupants. This tragic fact was proved yet again during a boating outing in late 2019 when a boat captain crashed into a jetty, seriously injuring his passengers. The victims…
Read MoreQuestions Remain After July Bimini Crash That Left One Dead and One Missing
A serious boat crash off the waters of Bimini last month left one man dead, his girlfriend missing, and their families demaning justice. The Miami Herald reports that 29-year-old Javier Perez and his girlfriend, 26-year-old Carolyn Alvarez, arrived at Bimini in early July and soon thereafter met another pair, Josbel Fernandez and Violeta Khouri. Fernandez…
Read MoreNorwegian Cruise Lines Ladder Fails Causing Passenger To Fracture Wrist
Anyone who has been in a cruise ship stateroom is likely familiar with the way stateroom bunk beds are arranged. The top bed may be parallel to the bottom bed or perpendicular to it, but the top bunk is always accessed by a ladder of some type. When not properly maintained these ladders can be…
Read MoreHazardous Cruise Ship Doors Lead To Severe Passenger Injuries
Today we take a look at another case that was caused by a cruise company’s negligence. This case resulted from hazardous heavy doors that Carnival Cruise Line uses on its ships. In high winds these doors may move or suddenly close, injuring passengers in a number of ways including causing people to fall over and become injured from…
Read MoreMiami Gardens Crash Leaves Three Dead and One Injured
A serious car crash left three people dead and one other injured last week, after a car reportedly failed to yeild before making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. CBS Miami reports that the crash involved a gray Nissan Altima, which made the left turn as a black Mercedes approached from the southbound…
Read MoreFormer University Baseball Player Arrested For Boating Crash That Killed Former Teammate
The Florida State Attorney’s office is charging a former university-level baseball player with manslaughter after he allegedly caused a boating crash that killed his former teammate. PNJ.com reports that 26-year-old Walker O’Connor, a former baseball player for the University of West Florida, allegedly struck and killed 25-year-old Brandon “BJ” Harmon on June 13. According to…
Read MoreNew York Man Charged With Homicide Following Florida Boat Crash
Authorities have charged 51-year-old Mark Dominic Passero with vessel homicide as a result of a boating crash that killed 83-year-old Robert Strickler several months ago. Vessel homicide occurs when a person kills a human being while operating a vessel in a reckless manner that is likely to cause great bodily harm or death.. Robert M.…
Read MoreConstruction workers impaled with steel bars, critically injured at construction site in Brickell
Six construction workers at a Brickell construction site were injured and two were in critical condition Wednesday after a heavy load of rebar fell from a crane. An injured worker is lowered on a stretcher at the construction site where City of Miami Fire Rescue responded to a rescue call in the Brickell neighborhood of…
Read MoreTopeka Kansas Man Sentenced to 12 Years For Cruise Ship Murder of His Girlfriend
A Kansas court has sentenced a Topeka man to 12 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend aboard a Carnival cruise ship. FoxNews.com reports that in December 2019, 55-year-old Eric Duane Newman pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree. He had been accused of killing his girlfriend Tamara Tucker…
Read MoreEx Los Angeles Attorney Found Guilty Of Killing Ex-Wife Aboard Cruise Ship
For the second time within the past week, a man is making headlines for being convicted of killing his romantic partner aboard a cruise ship. NBCLosAngeles.com reports that 62-year-old Lonnie Loren Kocontes was convicted of killing his 52-year-old ex-wife Micki Kanesaki while on a Mediterranean cruise in 2006. Kanesaki’s body was recovered by the crew…
Read MoreSlip and Fall on Carnival Cruise Ship’s Pool Deck
Williams v. Carnival Corporation, 2020 WL 837177 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 20, 2020): Carnival allowed a large puddle of water to accumulate on the open deck. Carnival’s puddle caused the Plaintiff to slip and fall and sustain severe and permanent injuries. Carnival filed a motion for summary judgment. The Court denied Carnival’s motion for summary judgment. …
Read MoreSlip and Fall on Carnival Cruise Ship
Cruise lines often seek to defeat passenger negligence claims by filing motions for summary judgment. These motions ask the court to rule in favor of the Defendant without a trial and throw the Plaintiff’s case out. A recent order by United States District Court Judge, Cecilia Altonaga, explains how a cruise line Defendant’s motion for…
Read MoreTrip and Fall on Carnival Pride Cruise Ship
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued its opinion in Carroll v. Carnival Corporation d/b/a Carnival Cruise Line, No. 17-13602, U.S. App. LEXIS 11860 (11th Cir. Apr. 15, 2020). Carroll v. Carnival Corporation is a trip and fall case. Elaine Carroll tripped over the leg of a lounge chair while she was walking through…
Read MoreCrusise Ship Doctor Dies of Coronavirus
The head doctor of the cruise ship Costa Fascinosa died of coronavirus after receiving treatment for the virus in Santos, Brazil. Maritime-executive.com reports that the deceased doctor was 70-year-old Paolo Mudanò of Genoa, Italy. Mudanò and other Fascinosa crew members have been quarantined off the coast of Santos, Brazil since March 19, as local authorities…
Read MoreDifferences Between COVID-19 and Legionnaires Disease
COVID-19 and Legionnaires’ Disease share several aspects in common. Both conditions have symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Both illnesses are particularly dangerous for individuals over the age of 50, or those with chronic lung diseases, weakened immune systems or smoking habits. However, the two illnesses differ in the way they spread and…
Read MoreCelebrity Infinity Suffers Fatality
The Celebrity Infinity cruise ship is in a holding pattern off the coast of Florida, filled with crew members who have not been able to leave the ship during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After the successful docking of the Holland America ships Zandaam and Rotterdam yesterday, it is still unclear what will happen to the ships’ crew…
Read MoreThe Troubling Truth About The Zaandam – Four Passengers Have Already Died
Just days ago the officials with Holland America expressed hope that its troubled ship, the MS Zaandam, would dock at Florida on March 30. Now that plan is in significant doubt after company officials reported that four passengers aboard the ship have died and two more have tested positive for coronavirus. Every day it seems that…
Read MorePromising South Florida Teen Killed in Boat Crash
South Florida resident 18-year-old Lucas Alvarez was killed in a boating crash late last week, in what was a tragic end to a promising life. MiamiHerald.com reports that Alvarez, a senior at Palmetto Bay’s Westminster Christian School, was a passenger in a 23-foot Pathfinder open fisherman vessel when it hit a boat marker. The force…
Read More