Personal Injury Claims Involving Fatal Car Accidents in South Florida

More Americans have been killed in car accidents in the U.S. than in all wars in which this nation has fought.  When you step back and think about it, that is truly a staggering figure.  However, it is often too easy to just hear this and think of the number of statistics. While it is a very large number, each auto accident is a separate event that had devastating effects on the surviving friends and families of the victims.

When a loved one dies in a car accident, there is often a loss faced on so many different levels. There is the shock in the wake of the accident that will fade to all kinds of emotional distress.  There are also various other types of loss.  This is what is referred to in our code as economic and non-economic damages.  If you are wondering where you have heard these terms recently, the have been in the news a lot, as our state supreme court has just struck down the remainder of the 2003 tort reform law limiting damages on medical malpractice cases on grounds that it is unconstitutional. There are also claims made on behalf of the estate of the decedent, and there are sometimes claims made directly by the surviving spouse, if any.  As our Broward car accident lawyers can explain, Florida law allows the surviving spouse to file what is known as a loss of consortium claim.  In a case entitled Gates v. Foley, the Florida Supreme Court issued a ruling about this companionship between the husband and wife.  This holding means that if there is a serious personal injury or death of one spouse that interferes with that relationship between the husband and wife, this can be the basis for the non-injured spouse to file a loss of consortium claim.

According to a recent news article form Fox News, a contestant on America’s Got Talent was killed in a car crash before the episode in which he auditioned was slated to air. While the final rounds of the show are aired live, the earlier auditions are prerecorded in cities around the nation.

Authorities have said the 29-year-old contestant, Dr. Brandon Rogers, was sitting in the front passenger seat of a car when it crashed in Maryland.  First responders were called to the scene and did what they could to stabilize Rogers before rushing him to a local level-one trauma center.  Unfortunately, his injuries proved too severe, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital the day after the tragic car accident. The crash occurred around 4:30 a.m.  He had been asked to audition for the show after producers saw a video he had posted of him singing online.

It should be noted that there have been no reports of negligence in connection with the driver of the car in which he was riding as of the time of the report. However, one thing to keep in mind is that in a car accident, it is very difficult for a passenger to found liable in connection with an accident.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

‘America’s Got Talent’ contestant dies in car accident before episode airs, June 14, 2017, By Fox News

More Blog Entries:

FHP Launches Program to Help Solve Hit-and-Run Crash Cases, April 3, 2017, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer Blog