September 17, 2012 A 17 year old senior’s hair was ripped out in wood shop class by a drill press machine on Wednesday afternoon at Deltona High School in Orlando, Florida, reports the New York Daily News. The Florida shop teacher is under investigation for not enforcing safety rules in class and for lack of supervision. The girl’s mother, who is also a teacher in the district, said that her daughter’s teacher should not have let her daughter operate the machine when her hair was down. The teen admits that she should have tied her long brown hair back in a ponytail. Her hair remained tangled in the machine until a classmate tugged it free. Discussions continue about implementing new … Continue reading
Boy on bike killed in Disney bus crash
September 12, 2012 The family of a 9-year-old boy killed in a Walt Disney World bicycle accident at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, has settled a lawsuit today with the company, according to CF News 13. The lawsuit was filed on October 12, 2010, claiming that Disney’s behavior was negligent. The suit claimed that Walt Disney World failed the boy and caused his death because the company failed “to design a road that would keep him safe from harm.” The family‘s attorney said that “[Disney] created a foreseeable zone of danger where they knew children and pedestrians would be.” That “foreseeable zone of danger” was along Big Pine Road inside Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and … Continue reading
After Sandusky case, new laws take effect on reporting sex abuse
July 25, 2012 Following Jerry Sandusky’s conviction on 45 child sex abuse charges, many states have reacted to the Penn State scandal with new laws about reporting child sexual abuse, according to The Palm Beach Post. About a dozen states have already enacted new laws, including Florida. The Protection of Vulnerable Persons law, SB 1816, which takes effect on October 1, mandates that schools and universities report sexual abuse. Failure to report suspected child abuse will now be a third degree felony, instead of a misdemeanor; and if officials don’t report the abuse, universities could face fines of $1 million and lose state funding. Florida’s law “is really a symbolic statement to say to people, ‘This is important and you … Continue reading
Small plane crashes into grocery store
April 4, 2012 On Monday evening an experimental plane crashed into a Publix grocery store at a Florida shopping center, reports MSNBC.com. Five people were injured with burns as fire shot through the roof and the store. Moments before the plane hit the roof of the supermarket, calls to 911 said that the single-engine plane showed signs of trouble. The plane had taken off from DeLand Municipal Airport, and then it suffered engine failure. The crash occurred at about 7:20 p.m. at the Northgate Shopping Center in the 200 block of International Speedway Boulevard, a half-mile from the DeLand Municipal Airport. “It was horrific,” said a customer. “When I turned around, I saw the ceiling caving in. Once the tiles … Continue reading
Royal Caribbean conference held in Florida, addressed accident
January 25, 2012 Half of Royal Caribbean’s ship captains were in Florida last week for the company‘s annual Fleet Operations leadership conference, according to USA Today. The international Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Caribbean, one of the world’s largest cruise lines, is calling this month’s Costa Concordia accident “a defining moment in the history of the modern cruise industry.” He said that the Florida conference gave them “an opportunity to underscore both our excellent 42-year safety record and more importantly to emphasize the imperative of keeping our record intact into the future.” “We will need the results of the authorities’ investigations to truly understand and respond to all of the implications,” the CEO wrote on his blog. “But we … Continue reading
Gene Hackman hit by motor vehicle while cycling in Florida Keys
January 16, 2012 Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman suffered injuries after being hit by a pickup truck on Saturday afternoon in the Florida Keys, according to the Daily Mail. The 81-year-old legendary star was struck while riding his bicycle on Islamorada Street, called the Old Highway, in Tavernier, Florida, around 3 p.m. The truck came up from behind, and the impact knocked Hackman off his bike. He was thrown onto a grassy shoulder, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Because he was on an island, he was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital on the mainland. Early reports that Hackman had suffered serious head injuries were dismissed by his spokeswoman. She said, “Gene Hackman was taken to … Continue reading
$6.5 million settlement reached in Florida sex abuse case
November 23, 2011 After four years of litigating against corporate defendants, Gary T. Iscoe, one of the partners at Steinger, Iscoe, & Green, feels that justice was finally served in a Port St. Lucie sex abuse case. Since 2007, four young girls had been victimized by a pedophile at Village Green Head Start in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The case was settled last week, and the families of the children were awarded a $6.5 million settlement, according to News CBS12.com. “I think that they’re relieved. I think that it gives them a little bit of closure,” said attorney for the victims, Neil Anthony of Steinger, Iscoe & Greene. The pedophile is now in prison serving 20 years for “lewd and … Continue reading
Police Say Florida Teen Not Involved in Case of Abused Disabled Adults
October 21, 2011 A 15-year-old girl who had been missing from West Palm Beach, Florida, since July turned up last week in the Philadelphia home where four mentally disabled adults were found locked in a squalid basement. According to The Palm Beach Post, the missing girl had been living near the home in an apartment with the teenage son of two of the alleged abductors. In addition, six more juveniles and four adults — none of them disabled — were found at another location in connection with the abductors. Police say that neither the Florida girl nor the abductors’ son will be charged with the alleged crimes against the four mentally disabled. Instead three adults are being charged with stealing … Continue reading
4 Burned in Bananas Foster Explosion at Florida Restaurant
June 15, 2011 When a bananas foster dessert exploded Saturday night at the Ozona Blue Grilling Co. in Palm Harbor, Florida, four family members from Windermere were burned. Two of the burn victims–women aged 25 and 56–had to be taken by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. Palm Harbor Fire and Rescue spokesperson Liz Monforti told Tampa Bay’s Fox affiliate that a waiter used too much alcohol when making the sweet dish, which is traditionally prepared tableside in a skillet with bananas, butter, and cinnamon, doused with rum that’s then ignited, and served atop ice cream. The flaming liquor reportedly spread quickly and spilled onto a family sitting near the dessert. The family included a couple who were dining with their … Continue reading
New Report: Cell Phones, Microwaves May Cause Brain Cancer
June 1, 2011 Cell phones have been rumored to cause cancer for years now, but there’s not yet been a study substantial enough to support that claim. A statement on Tuesday from the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that wireless phone use may be carcinogenic to humans. The agency puts cell phones in its “possibly carcinogenic” category 2B, which also contains the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust. The new study says that the same goes for microwaves and radar, all of which use a type of electromagnetic radiation that the agency says may be linked to an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer. The finding follows a week-long meeting of cancer experts in … Continue reading
