Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

• Cruise Line Reports Over 700 Passengers Sick

  Bob Carroll | November 17, 2006 5:08 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Over 25% of the passengers sailing from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on the trans-Atlantic Carnival line appear to have been infected by norovirus. This is not how anyone would want to end their Roman holiday. More than 700 fall sick on cruise shipFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - More than 700 passengers and crew members aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms, cruise...

• Mailing A Fruitcake Has Its Risks

  Bob Carroll | October 14, 2006 6:47 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Post office wins fruitcake suit was the headline that caught my eye.When I came across this story carried by the Associated Press I thought it was a variation on the tort reform effort to label many lawsuits as frivolous. It turns out the lawsuit, although lost by the plaintiff, was a trip and fall claim based upon an alleged defect in the Post Office and the conduct of a postal clerk. The...

• Fire At Hazardous Waste Storage Site Left To Burn Itself Out

  Bob Carroll | October 06, 2006 3:30 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  It may seem reasonable to collect hazardous materials or wastes in one location - until the location experiences a major fire. That is exactly what the New York Times reports is happening in North Carolina. And, 17,000 people have been moved out of harm's way. Blaze in North Carolina Prompts Huge Evacuation A fire at a chemical storage plant in Apex, N.C., a suburb of Raleigh, produced a plume...

• Department Store Dummies On A Rampage

  Bob Carroll | August 19, 2006 6:25 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Department store dummies have caused their share of injuries, believe it or not. After reading this compilation of dummy lawsuits you may be more wary of these supposedly inanimate objects as you walk the aisles of your favorite store. "Attack of the Mannequins" might sound like a horror film title, but a Southern California woman insists it could be a documentary.Diana Newton sued J.C. Penney...

• The Big Dig Defect Was No Secret

  Bob Carroll | July 13, 2006 7:03 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Structural building defects that suddenly take a live or lives have many fathers.My experience in cases where a death or serious injury occurs because of a structural defect parallels what is being reported in the New York Times about the Big Dig tragedy in Boston. Investigation almost always reveals advance warning and multiple responsible parties who each failed to do what was required.Wide...

• The Florida Body Of Water Rule

  Bob Carroll | June 30, 2006 10:15 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  If a young child drowns in a lake, is the owner of the body of water liable? The owner of a body of water is not liable merely because a child may be too young or of insufficient intelligence to understand the open and obvious danger of the water; the responsibility for the care of such children remains with their parents and caretakers. The body of water cases in the State of Florida are...

• Handicapped Ramps Can Be Dangerous

  Bob Carroll | June 11, 2006 5:58 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Lately, I have noticed more frequent injuries occurring when handicapped access features of buildings and parking areas are improperly constructed. One example, is the ramp that far exceeds the maximum slope specified in building codes. Another is the lack of safety barriers which is the situation in this report from the Columbia Daily Tribune. Lawsuit filed after injury at downtown Walgreens...

• The First Hurricane Victim Of 2006 - A 13 Year Old Boy

  Bob Carroll | April 18, 2006 6:39 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The hurricane season is not yet upon us, but a hurricane of a different sort has injured a young boy at Cypress Gardens. The parents of a 13-old boy who fell from a roller coaster ride at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park are suing the amusement theme park for negligence. On Feb. 25, 2006, Martin Llamas fell off the Triple Hurricane -- a $2 million wooden roller coaster in operation since...

• School That Stradles Busy Highway May Not Be Such A Hot Idea

  Bob Carroll | February 10, 2006 4:21 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Can a school be legally liable if one of its students is struck by a vehicle while crossing a public highway between a dormitory and a building housing the cafeteria, mail center, and bus stop? According to a new appellate court decision in Florida:The school's decision to place its dormitory buildings on either side of a busy urban highway, requiring its students on one side to cross the...

• Insurance Company Wants Out Of Case

  Bob Carroll | February 07, 2006 5:26 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Is insurance sometimes just a masquerade? That is the question a judge in Tampa will have to answer. The story on TBO.com could be headlined, Now You See It, Now You Don't. Colony Insurance Says Club Slaying Is Not CoveredTAMPA - The insurance company for an Ybor City nightclub where a man was fatally stabbed in June says it should not have to pay if the club loses a wrongful death lawsuit.On...