South Florida Personal Injury Lawyers

Sounding distressed and concerned, NFL star Donte Stallworth pleads for an ambulance in the 911 call he placed just minutes after he struck and killed a man on the MacArthur Causeway.

“Ok, listen, listen…This guy just ran in front of my car and he’s (expletive) laying in the street dude…I, I…,” Stallworth says in the call, released yesterday for the first time.

“So you hit somebody in the street?” the dispatcher asks.

“Yeah, you gotta send an ambulance right now man,” Stallworth responds.

Stallworth is serving a month in jail after reaching a deal with Miami prosecutors earlier this month after the Cleveland Browns wide receiver was charged with DUI manslaughter.  
  
Stallworth struck and killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes with his Bentley after a night of clubbing in Miami Beach in the early hours of March 14. The 28-year-old had a blood alcohol level of .126 when the accident occurred, well over the legal limit of .08. Reyes, a construction worker, was on his way home after working overnight.

In addition to the 30 days in jail, Stallworth will have to perform 1,000 hours of community service, will be on probation for 10 years, and will never be able to drive again.

The call, as well as police evidence photos, were released yesterday. The photos show a gruesome crime scene, with Reyes’ belongings strewn about and Stallworth’s smashed Bentley nearby. 

“He ran in front of the car sir, he like jumped in front of the car,” Stallworth tells the dispatcher. He then expresses the grim situation, saying “Oh no. (Expletive). Oh my God, this guy is…oh…”

Police said Stallworth cooperated throughout the investigation and the football star has continued to offer his condolences to the Reyes family, who he reached a confidential settlement with to avoid a civil trial.

Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL, and his future with the league is uncertain

North Carolina State linebacker Nate Irving is recovering from surgery after being hurt in a car crash.

A WakeMed Trauma Center spokeswoman said Irving was in good condition Monday after surgery Sunday night. Irving was hospitalized with a broken leg and a collapsed lung after running his vehicle off the road at 4:40 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 40 in Johnston County.

State troopers think Irving might have fallen asleep at the wheel before crashing into two trees. Irving has been charged with careless and reckless driving.

It’s unknown if Irving will be able to play this season. The junior was an honorable mention all-Atlantic Coast Conference player last year despite missing one-third of the season because of injuries.

Residents of a South Florida community with tainted Chinese drywall problems are getting full home renovations, while the majority of homeowners in other communities with the problem struggle to find ways to get it fixed.

Some claim that sulfur-tainted Chinese drywall can cause health problems and harm household appliances.

G.L. Homes has begun the long and expensive task of gutting homes it built that contain Chinese drywall. Local 10 has learned 30 homes in the Canyon Isles section of Boynton Beach are currently being worked on.

“They took out every single wall. There was no wiring, no plumbing. It was a gutted home back to preconstruction days,” said homeowner Andrea Suhajcik.

Suhajcik’s 2½-year-old house contained Chinese drywall. She, her husband and four children have been living in a rental for six weeks and plan to be back in their house sometime in August.

G.L. Homes is one of the only companies paying for renovations to homes they built which were found to have the tainted Chinses drywall. The builder is paying the Suhajciks’ rent on another house while their house is being renovated and hiring an artist to repaint murals that were once in the children’s bedrooms.

“They said, ‘No worries. We will take care of this from start to finish,” Suhajcik said.

But the owners of homes built by G.L. are in the minority. Many homeowners in the same situation are finding themselves getting no help from their builders, insurance companies or the state.

“We are in limbo right now. Our house is standing there. It is an empty house,” said Alyssa Quittner.

Quittner’s home is also in Boynton Beach but was built by Northstar. She, her husband and their newborn have moved in with her parents.

Chinese drywall emits gases which corrode copper and other metal and give off a foul odor that some claim makes people sick, Weinsier reported. It has been found in homes in 14 states.

The U.S. Congress is looking into what can be done, but it could take years to remedy the problem.

“Every day, I say thank you,” Suhajcik said.

Before getting behind the wheel Tuesday, remember that you now must wear your seat belt or risk getting pulled over and handed a ticket.

Starting Tuesday, Florida will be considered a so-called “primary” enforcement state, meaning that law enforcement can stop a motorist and issue a ticket by just spotting a driver without a belt.

Florida Highway Patrol officials maintain the amendment to Florida’s seat-belt law, which has been around since 1986, will compel more drivers and passengers to buckle up — and in doing so, save lives.

“What we’re trying to do is change behavioral patterns for motorists so they will buckle up,” said FHP Lt. Tim Frith said from Tallahassee. “We applaud the legislative action because it’s going to save lives>”

Here are a few things to think about as you drive off to work or play today:

The big change involves enforcement. Drivers have been responsible for wearing seat belts for years. But before today law enforcement officers had to stop drivers for another infraction, such as speeding or following to close behind another vehicle, before handing them a citation for not wearing a seat belt.

Now if they spot a driver not wearing a belt, that’s all they need to pull the car over. Good rule of thumb: Everyone in the car should wear seat belts. Young children need child restraints or booster seats. Kids under age 18 and right-side front passengers must wear the belts too.

If you don’t buckle up to be safe, at least do it to save some cash. The non-moving violation won’t put points on your license. But one legislative analysis indicated that the tickets and added court costs and fees could total $93 to $100.

“Most counties that you look at are going to be at the $100 mark, but it’s going to vary,” Frith said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration anticipates that 124 lives will be saved in Florida each year thanks to the toughening of the seat belt law. In 2007, 1,878 people died in traffic accidents on Florida’s roads. That total was down from prior years, when the count exceeded 2,000 deaths.

According to an Orlando Sentinel analysis, 57 percent of people killed on Florida’s highways during the past few years did not wear their belts, while about 39 percent killed in wrecks did wear the belts. In the remaining 4 percent of fatal accidents, it wasn’t clear if those killed were wearing seat belts.

In Central Florida counties last year, roughly 65 percent of the 225 people killed in traffic accidents did not have seat belts on.

NHTSA figures show that Floridians wear seat belts nearly 82 percent of the time, which is slightly lower than national average of 83 percent. But consider that less than a decade ago — in 2001 — seat belt compliance among Floridians was less than 70 percent

Lauren Sanchez still remembers the senseless drunk driver who smashed into her family’s car five years ago. Memories of the swift broadside impact and her father’s rotator cuff injury wedged firmly in her thoughts when she penned a high school play for the senior graduating class last month.

Performed before an audience of 400 students and parents on the eve of prom night inside Archbishop McCarthy High School’s basketball gymnasium, Sanchez’s 10-minute cautionary tale warned seniors against drunk driving and irresponsibility.

The school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions club commissioned Sanchez to pen a sketch outlining the dangers of drunk driving, the first student in Archbishop’s history to wield that responsibility. In addition, SADD members presented visitors with graphic slideshows of car wrecks and shared anecdotes from surviving mothers of deceased teenagers.

Sanchez’s play pulled no punches either. The play features two implied deaths, one from alcohol poisoning and one from a fatal car accident, plus underage drinking.

The premise: After Lauren’s eponymous character promises to keep her mother posted throughout prom night, she visits a hotel after-party with boyfriend Johnny for beer and dancing. A partygoer blacks out from alcohol poisoning as two policewomen enter the scene and break the bad news: a classmate en route to buy snacks died in a fatal collision with a drunk driver.

“I wanted the shock factor of the keymaster, Nick, getting killed by a drunk driver,” said Sanchez, 18, of Miramar. “I think the whole audience felt the impact of that scene. With every line I wrote, I keep thinking back to my car crash.”

When and why did you decide to write this play?

I’m a member of the Drama Club and they asked me to help out with a SADD play two months ago. I wrote the script and cast the actors. I was also responsible for the choreography and the props as well.

What is the message students should derive from your performance?

It isn’t OK to drink and drive and you shouldn’t be pressured into anything you’re not comfortable doing because it can have horrible consequences.

Would the graphic images of car wrecks be more or less likely to convince students to make the right choice?

It definitely can because you see how destructive it is, and it’s not a pretty sight. It’s all because of a choice, a stupid decision that could’ve been prevented.

Who are your personal heroes?

My parents. My father is an immigrant, and through great sacrifice and hard work, they gave me the greatest life possible.

How honored are you to be the first student to pen this mandatory play?

I feel pretty honored because I saw it come together nicely. We hadn’t had time to rehearse too much, but then people told me they liked it, so that was awesome, very fulfilling.

Which subjects are you planning to major in at college, and why?

Nursing. We’ll see what happens with my acting career. I’ll keep acting and performing in general, because it teaches you about human psychology. I’ll probably commit to nursing as a career, though.

Which clubs or extracurricular activities are you planning to pursue in college?

I’ll be enrolling at Barry University’s Drama Club and any choir ensembles they have. My dad is an alumnus at that college.

Where would you travel on your dream vacation?

I have a place I go already: Long Boat Key in Florida every summer with my Dad’s side of the family. It’s already perfect.

What tops the list of things you must accomplish in this lifetime?

Marry a man who loves me for me and whom I love. Then, travel around the world providing volunteer medical aid to third-world countries.

What message do you have for those students planning to drink and drive during prom?

Be prepared to pay one way or the other if you plan to drink and drive. Good luck with your conscience.

Traffic homicide investigators are looking into a fatal crash in Apopksa this morning, according to WESH.com.

The driver of a pickup truck was killed after hitting a tree near Lakeview Avenue off of U.S. 441 in Apopka.

Reports show the crash occurred around 6 a.m. this morning.

Two men were found dead in a car pierced with bullet holes, WPTV-Ch.5 reports.

At around 10 p.m. Sunday, West Palm Beach police were dispatched to a report of a traffic accident along Tamarind Avenue near Banyan Boulevard near the downtown area.

The car, a late-model Mitsubishi, was sitting damaged near a street corner. When officers got closer, they found bullet holes in the vehicle. And inside they discovered the bodies of two men, WPTV reports.

It is unclear if the victims were shot in a “drive-by” manner from another vehicle, or if they had been shot at a different location and managed to drive as far as they did, WPTV reports.

No names have been released. Investigators are not saying anything about possible suspects.

 A 14-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being run over by an SUV on Saturday.

Witnesses told Local 10 the teenager was hanging off the side of the SUV while his mother was driving along Northwest 43rd Court in Oakland Park.

When the woman stepped on the brakes the boy fell off, and she mistakenly ran him over.

The teenager was rushed to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale where he is listed in critical condition.

No charges have been filed.

A man is in critical condition after his motorcycle crashed near the intersection of 140th Avenue North and Orange Boulevard near The Acreage late Thursday night, according to SunSentinel.com news partner WPTV-Ch.5

The man was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center.

No further information is available.