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• Single Car Wreck Kills Five Men in Ocala

  Jenny Albano | January 28, 2008 1:00 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  On Saturday, January 26, a car smashed into a tree killing five young men in Ocala.A car traveling at high speed down a private airport runway ran off an embankment and was airborne for 200 feet before smashing into a tree early Saturday, killing all five young men in the vehicle, the Florida Highway Patrol said.Investigators were unsure if the car was driving alone or if the vehicle was racing...

• Controlled Burn Causes Pile Up

  Craig Cannon | January 09, 2008 10:26 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  A controlled burn in Lakeland caused a massive car and truck accident in Polk County on Tuesday. Apparently a controlled burn got out of control and caused smoke to mix with fog which created extremely limited visibilty along I-4."Firefighters on Tuesday had battled a controlled burn that got out of control and charred 250 acres, producing smoke that combined with the fog to cut visibility...

• Spin Master Recalls Aqua Dots

  Jenny Albano | November 09, 2007 12:41 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  Spin Master, in conjunction with the CPSC, is recalling about 4.2 million Aqua Dots because children have become unconscious and hospitalized after swallowing the beads.The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested. Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory...

• Curent Status of PIP Car Insurance

  Craig Cannon | October 05, 2007 12:56 PM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  An excellent summary of the current status of PIP insurance in Florida can be found in the Ocala Star Banner. Essentially PIP expired on October 1, 2007. The Florida Legislature did not attempt to renew the law before it expired, choosing to address the issue this week in a special session. There are currently two different bills being floated in the legislature. One is supported by the...

• Fentora Linked to Four Deaths

  Jenny Albano | September 14, 2007 1:09 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  Four deaths have been linked to the recently approved painkiller Fentora. The deaths are said to be due to improper use, and the FDA says it is monitoring the situation.The FDA approved the drug in September for use only by cancer patients already taking morphine or other prescription narcotics for their pain. Fentora contains fentanyl, which is similar to morphine, but far more potent.Two of...

• Valrico Man Critically Injured in ATV Accident

  Courtney Mills | August 14, 2007 2:59 PM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  A 16-year old was riding on an ATV in Lithia and crashed into a tree. Reports indicate that Chris Anthony Casanova was riding on his ATV, failed to make a turn and ran head-on into a tree.The exact reason for the accident was unclear at the time, although speed did appear to be a factor. The operator was wearing a bike helmet, but suffered nonetheless very serious injuries in the accident. He...

• New FDA Program to Enhance States' Food Safety

  Jenny Albano | August 01, 2007 11:20 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  The FDA announced they have launched a new national program to make sure state run regulatory programs for manufacturing, processing, and packing food are more uniform, equivalent, and are of high quality.As of now, program regulations can vary from state to state. The FDA thinks these variations can lead to inconsistencies in the oversight of food safety. The national program's regulations...

• PIP Car Insurance

  Craig Cannon | July 20, 2007 8:04 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  I have written several times now on the state of PIP Insurance in Florida. In my opinion if PIP is allowed to sunset on October 1, 2007, automobile drivers in Florida will be allowed to drive without any insurance coverage whatsoever. This would be a disaster.It finally appears as if Governor Crist and the Florida CFO, Alex Sink, agree with me. Apparently the CFO has been looking at the PIP...

• Nine People Sue TB Infected Lawyer

  Jenny Albano | July 15, 2007 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  Nine people have filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against Andrew Speaker, who may have infected them with tuberculosis when he took a commercial flight from Prague to Montreal.Of those who are suing Speaker, eight people were passengers on the flight and the ninth is a brother and roommate to one of the passengers. Andrew Speaker, an Atlanta personal injury attorney, caused an international health...

• $30,000 Verdict for Trip and Fall Victim

  Craig Cannon | June 15, 2007 2:13 PM | 0 CommentsGainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach, FL

  The City of Ocala appealed a jury verdict awarding $30,000 to Cathleen Donner for pain and suffering and medical expenses after she tripped and fell on uneven slabs of sidewalk in downtown Ocala. Donner suffered a fractured nose, broken teeth and knee injuries that later required surgery as a result of the fall. When the jury ruled in her favor in March, she thought her case against the City...