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First, the good news: The risk of becoming seriously ill as a result of an infection from dangerous strains of E. coli or salmonella dropped sharply last year.

But the bad news: Food-borne illness arising from lesser-known infections is on the rise. Specifically of concern are bacteria such as Vibrio and Campylobacter.

That’s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently released its “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” The agency notes food-borne disease represents a substantial and yet mostly preventable health burden on the U.S.

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A 24-year-old Hollywood man was killed and his girlfriend seriously injured in a Florida boating accident in which the vessel, cruising along the Intracoastal Waterway, slammed into a concrete dock. The decedent was thrown from the boat, his head striking the sea wall behind a private home, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Two others on board, including the girlfriend of decedent, were seriously hurt and had to be transported to nearby Broward Health Medical Center by emergency crews. A fourth person on board was unhurt.

Although the investigation is in the early stages, authorities say the boat was moving alongside another vessel, which had six people on board. One witness indicated the two boats were “splashing” each other, and both were reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed. There is some indication two people might have been operating the boat on which decedent was aboard, and investigators are examining whether alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

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One of the most powerful tools an attorney has are words. Understanding their most efficient use comes with extensive knowledge and experience.

Failure to properly use them could result in negative consequences, ranging from reprimands to new trials.

Such was the case in Smith v. Hopper, an Arkansas Supreme Court case in which justices were divided over whether a defendant was entitled to a new trial after plaintiff’s lawyer misrepresented a certain fact to the jury during closing arguments.

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A woman seriously injured when a train ran off a section of damaged train tracks and into her workplace will have to endure a second trial after a federal appeals court ruled the lower court had not made a proper finding of proximate cause.

In Harris v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., trial court granted summary judgment to plaintiff on the issue of defendant’s liability, and held a trial only on the issue of damages (denying her the right to seek punitive damages at the outset). Jurors awarded her nearly $3 million for her medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

It had been established the rail company had breached its duty of care in failing to properly inspect and repair that section of track.

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More than a dozen people injured or killed due to the negligence of government workers and/or agencies in Florida will finally receive the payment promised in settlements or litigation, some having waited years for legislative approval.

The reason for the wait has to do with damage caps imposed by the state on injury claims against the government. In cases where the government’s sovereign immunity protection is waived, the most a plaintiff can expect to receive is $200,000.

However, in cases where there has been a catastrophic injury or death, that amount barely covers medical expenses. Sometimes, that amount isn’t enough even for that, let alone loss of earnings or damages for pain and suffering. The only way a higher amount can be paid – even if the government agency concedes negligence and agrees to pay it – is with legislative approval. That means a bill must be introduced and approved by state lawmakers.

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The case of Reckis v. Johnson & Johnson is a victory not just for a young girl and her family, who endured unimaginable suffering and whose lives have been forever altered, but also for consumers nationwide.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justices recently affirmed a $63 million judgment in favor of the family – $50 million for the girl and $6.5 million for each parent – following a case that began with a slight fever and a few doses of ibuprofen.

The girl was just 7 when she complained to her dad of a stuffy nose. He noticed she was warm too. Like countless other parents in the same situation, he purchased a bottle of Children’s Motrin, produced by a subsidiary of defendant manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. He read the label on the bottle and noted nothing alarming.

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A man who was severely injured after a building collapsed on him at a Florida construction site was awarded $64.5 million by a jury in Hillsborough County recently.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, plaintiff in Matthews v. Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC was injured in 2009 when a building under construction collapsed on him – all 11,000 pounds of it. It crushed his legs, his pelvis and his internal organs.

He was just 25 at the time of the incident.

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Spectator sports are a year-round form of entertainment here in Florida, whether it’s minor league baseball or hockey tournaments or auto racing. Many parents and students also enjoy attending school sporting events, and for the most part, these events are fun for everyone.

But when a facility fails to protect the safety of its patrons, serious injury can occur. In these instances, it may be appropriate to explore the possibility of a premises liability lawsuit. The relative success of such litigation will depend on a host of factors, not the least of which is whether the facility was privately or publicly owned, and whether it was offered free of charge for recreational purposes.

It may seem a strange consideration, but F.S. 375.251 specifically shields property owners from all but the most egregious forms of negligence when they have made their property available to the public free of charge for recreational purposes. The idea is to encourage landowners to open their property for public use, such as picnicking, hiking, nature study, water skiing, sporting events, motorcycling, pleasure driving, boating, fishing or camping.

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The family of a Florida high school student who suffered permanent brain damage as a result of oxygen loss after collapsing on a school soccer field has won the right to continue their civil lawsuit against the school district.

Continuation of the case, Limones v. Lee County School District, which had previously been dismissed via trial court’s summary judgment favoring defendant last year, hinged on whether the school employees owed a reasonable duty of care under F.S. 1006.165 to diagnose the need for, locate and use an automated external defibrillator.

What the law says is the every public school that is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association has to keep a defibrillator on school grounds and all employees and volunteers who may reasonably be expected to use the device need to know how to use it.

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Florida authorities have long recognized how dangerous it is for motor vehicle drivers to get too close to those on bicycles.

That’s why in 2006, they initiated a law requiring drivers to give bicyclists at least 3 feet of clearance when passing them.

When it first passed, the measure was hailed as a necessary move to protect those on two wheels. However as the years have worn on, the effectiveness has been questioned.

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