People need to see therapists for many different reasons, and some need help with problems regarding their sexuality.  As is the case with most mental health professions, the state regulates those who provide this help by way of licensing and oversight.  It appears that the state is taking steps to move forward with an investigation into the practices of one state therapist after allegations of a Plantation sexual abuse incident were made.  For now, the therapist at issue is prevented from seeing female patients.

According to several reports, this alleged Plantation sexual abuse occurred in September of 2010, when a female patient asked the therapist if he would be attracted to her if she was not his patient.  He reportedly said yes and the situation led to a sexual encounter.  The therapist also had reportedly shared intimate sexual details with the patient during previous sessions.  The patient had been referred to the counselor after she had experienced sexual fantasies about the previous therapist.  After the encounter, the patient reportedly did not see the therapist again.

Florida Sexual Abuse Statistics

Obviously, the woman involved in this difficult situation is experiencing difficulties on several levels, and we hope that she finds a way to put these challenges in the past.  In addition, while this alleged Plantation sexual abuse does not appear to be anything but consensual, it still violates statutes that govern this profession.  Overall, more than 11,000 Florida sexual abuse allegations are made on an annual basis.

Florida Sexual Abuse Lawyers

If the allegations regarding this Plantation sexual abuse case are true, then it’s possible that the woman who was harmed could file a Florida personal injury lawsuit against the therapist in addition to having the state investigate the practice.  If such a claim was filed and it was successful, it could lead to an award of damages that helps to compensate the patient for her losses.

If you or someone you love has been mistreated in a sexual manner, you need to seek the help of Florida sexual abuse lawyers who have been fighting for the rights of those harmed for many years.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

City buses are the choice for transportation for many for several different reasons, and one of them is that they are generally safe and allow passengers to avoid the stress and risk of driving themselves.  However, when a Florida bus accident occurs, it often leads to several injuries because of the number of people who can be involved in the impact.  Unfortunately, it appears that several people were injured in a Fort Lauderdale car accident that involved a collision between a private vehicle and a Broward Transit bus.

According to authorities, the latest multiple-injury Fort Lauderdale car accident occurred on Wednesday at approximately 3 p.m. in the 1700 block of Sistrunk Boulevard, which is directly in front of Lincoln Park.  The crash involved a Broward Transit bus and a Nissan vehicle.  While no cause for this crash was given by police, several people were injured and two were possibly injured seriously as they were carried away from the scene on stretchers.  Authorities continue to investigate the matter.

Florida Car Accident Statistics

First and foremost, we’d like to offer our hope that the people who were injured in this Fort Lauderdale bus accident are able to recover quickly and fully.  In addition, this Fort Lauderdale car accident will now become part of the overall statistics regarding Florida car accidents.  Every year, 200,000 people are injured and another 3,000 people are killed in these occurrences.

Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyers

Clearly, police will need to determine who was at fault for this Fort Lauderdale bus accident before any legal recommendations could be made.  However, it would seem that the passengers on the bus who were injured would have reason to file Florida personal injury lawsuits regardless of fault, since none of them were behind a wheel at the time of the crash.  If the bus driver was at fault, though, those injured would need to take an additional procedural step before being able to file a lawsuit.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a crash, you need to seek the help of Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers who have been successfully fighting for the rights of the injured for many years.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

We’ve been following the troubling story of a nurse at Broward General who is accused of reusing certain types of medical equipment that’s supposed to be used once and then discarded.  Earlier reports indicate that more than 1,800 patients were exposed to infectious diseases as a result, and now comes word that some of these patients have tested positive for diseases that could have been transferred during this process.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“An undisclosed number of patients at Broward General Medical Center who were treated by a nurse who re-used intravenous supplies have tested positive for infectious diseases, the hospital said Tuesday.

Officials said it’s unknown if those patients were infected because of registered nurse Qui Lan’s unsafe practices, or were infected previously or by some other means.

Broward General is offering to test all those patients for the diseases and, so far, results are back on 254. Hospital spokeswoman Cathy Meyer declined to disclose the number of positive results, saying that in a community with tens of thousands of HIV and hepatitis patients, it’s inevitable some will test positive, even if the hospital is not the source.

“There are going to be positive results. As of now, it’s too preliminary to give results,” Meyer said. “It’s too soon to tell what caused the infections.”

The Fort Lauderdale hospital is phoning those who tested positive and bringing them in for more tests in hopes of determining how they were infected, as well as counseling them on their diseases, Meyer said.

As of Monday, only 533 of the 1,851 were confirmed to have received letters from the hospital urging them to be tested.”

While it’s impossible to pinpoint how someone contracted a disease, this could lead to significant legal trouble for both the nurse and the hospital.  If you or someone you love has been harmed by professional negligence, you need the help of Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers who know how to sort through complicated fact scenarios and to hold those responsible for injuries accountable.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

We posted yesterday in regards to a nurse at Broward General Medical Center who had reused medical supplies that were only designed to be used once, and how that conduct may have exposed more than 1,800 people to dangerous medical conditions. An update to the story was published today, and the essence of the news is that the police are now getting involved with the case given the possibility that crimes were committed.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“Fort Lauderdale police are investigating a veteran registered nurse who her employers say knowingly violated infection-control procedures at Broward General Medical Center, potentially exposing more than 1,800 patients to blood-borne diseases such as HIV, and hepatitis B and C.

Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said the hospital asked for an investigation of Qui Lan, 59, who Broward General officials last month discovered was reusing catheter tubing and saline bags designed for one-time patient use during cardiac chemical stress tests. No charges have been filed and, as of Tuesday, police had not identified any victims, Sousa said.

Hospital investigators, who questioned Lan after an anonymous report tipped them to her alleged actions, said the nurse told them she was aware she shouldn’t reuse the supplies, which deliver a saline solution intravenously to keep veins open during the stress test.

“But we still don’t know why she chose to do this,” Alice Taylor, chief operating officer of Broward General Medical Center, said Tuesday. “This is flagrant disregard of basic nursing principles.”

It seems somewhat confusing as to how the hospital does not yet know why this was done. Regardless, it is also possible that the medical facility along with the nurse could face civil liability on several fronts. If you have been harmed as a result of an error made by a medical care provider, you need the help of a Fort Lauderdale professional negligence lawyer who understands how to work through complicated liability questions and to hold those responsible for injuries accountable. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Providing medical care at every level involves strict protocols that are designed to prevent unnecessary exposure to dangerous viruses and diseases. One of the most basic is to use disposable items such as saline bags and tubing once and to properly dispose of it so that any contamination that results will be limited to that one piece of equipment. Unfortunately, a nurse at Broward General Medical Center did not appear to follow that protocol, thereby exposing more than 1,800 people to dangerous diseases that includes HIV.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“More than 1,800 Broward General Medical Center patients who underwent heart stress tests since 2004 may have been exposed to HIV and other infectious diseases after a nurse knowingly reused medical supplies intended for one-time use.

Hospital officials said Monday they have identified 1,851 at-risk patients and are urging them to undergo follow-up screening to determine if they were infected.

Since 2004 until this month, the nurse — who was not identified — administered intravenous fluids during chemical cardiac stress tests with used saline bags and tubing. She later acknowledged she knew what she did was wrong, according to hospital officials.

The problem was discovered after someone anonymously called the hospital, spokeswoman Cathy Meyer said.”

The nurse was ultimately suspended, resigned and has been reported to the Florida Board of Nursing, but that action may not allow the hospital to avoid liability if someone contracts a disease based on this conduct. If you or someone you love has been harmed due to medical negligence, you need to contact Fort Lauderdale professional negligence lawyers who have spent more than 20 years fighting for the rights of those wrongfully exposed to dangers. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Medical malpractice cases can be particularly charged in an emotional sense, especially when the person who has suffered as a result of an alleged mistake is a newborn. Tragically, that’s what seems to have occurred to a Fort Lauderdale resident, now 15, as a result of the medical care she was provided immediately after being born. A lawsuit was filed, and a jury recently found the defendants to be liable, awarding $4.3 million in damages.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“Doctors told the parents of newborn Haylee Kroll not to worry when large bruises appeared on her tiny body. Then the baby’s skin turned yellow, her liver showed signs of scarring and a blood clot formed in her brain. A few days later, her parents were advised to make funeral arrangements.

“They’d tell us different things every day,” said Cynthia Kroll, 35, Haylee’s mother. “It was a roller-coaster ride.”

Haylee survived, but her parents say doctors at Coral Springs Medical Center misdiagnosed the virus that struck their baby soon after her April 21, 1994, birth, leaving her with lifelong disabilities. Now 15, Haylee has severe vision problems and permanent cirrhosis of the liver.

Because of scheduling issues, the lawsuit had been often delayed since it was filed in 1996. The case ended in a mistrial in 2007, before going to court again in August.

Once Haylee got sick, the doctors ignored symptoms that pointed to an enterovirus, a usually mild illness that can become deadly in infants without a developed immune system. The doctors also failed to take blood and liver tests that would have quickly identified the virus, said Linda Alley, one of the attorneys who represented the Krolls.

The blood clot damaged parts of Haylee’s brain, leaving her with a learning disability that affects her school work.”

As you see, a medical mistake can lead to a lifetime of consequences. If you or someone you love has been harmed as a result of negligent medical care, you need the help of Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers who understand how to hold those responsible for these mistakes accountable. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

We posted last month regarding the case of a deputy with the Broward Sheriff’s Department who was convicted of two misdemeanor battery charges and placed on two years’ probation after he ogled two women who had been arrested after late-night stops. Now comes a report that there had been several other citizen complaints regarding Deputy Charles Grady that led to no outward action by the department.

According to the Sun-Sentinel:

“The deputy’s departure and conviction came after two strippers, following unrelated early-morning traffic stops, said Grady had ogled their chests and pawed at their clothes.

Those were far from isolated allegations. A review of Grady’s service record by the Sun Sentinel turned up complaints from women over the years who claimed the deputy had berated, belittled, molested, fondled, hog-tied or pepper-sprayed them.

In 2000, his supervisor questioned his mental well-being. In 2006, the Sheriff’s Office paid $7,500 to settle the complaint of a female drunken-driving suspect who claimed negligence and nerve damage after Grady reportedly hog-tied her in a holding cell.

Still the deputy kept his badge, job and gun.

The record shows that time and again, Grady’s internal affairs investigations were closed out as unfounded, or he was exonerated. State prosecutors routinely declined to bring charges against him.”

The official stated reasons for the lack of prosecution ranged from a lack of independent witnesses to a lack of physical evidence. Regardless, news of a potential cover-up by the department could only lead to additional legal scrutiny from those harmed by the deputy and the department that continued to employ him. If you or someone you love has been harmed as a result of police misconduct, contact the Fort Lauderdale professional negligence attorneys who have been holding individuals and public entities accountable for their wrongful actions for more than 20 years. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Last month, we posted in regards to a terrible explosion that occurred at a hyperbaric facility in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea that left two people critically injured, one of whom was a 4-year-old boy. Since then, there have been few real updates as to the story or the victims, but tragically, an update was provided today. The boy has passed away from the injuries he suffered during the explosion.

According to the Miami Herald:

“The 4-year-old boy injured in the explosion of hyperbaric chamber that killed his grandmother died Thursday.

Francesco Martinisi’s family had brought him to the United States from Italy for medical treatment that could not be easily obtained at home. On May 1, the hyperbaric chamber in which he was receiving therapy at a clinic in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea exploded.

The boy’s grandmother, Vincenza Pesce, 62, died of her injuries a day after the blast at the Ocean Hyperbaric Oxygen Neurologic Center. Francesco, seriously burned, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Pesce had been keeping her grandson company inside the pressurized oxygen chamber, where he was getting therapy for cerebral palsy. His father had flown home to Italy to see his newborn son, Francesco’s brother.

Francesco, who suffered burns to more than 90 percent of his body, was taken to Jackson’s burn unit.”

The amount of suffering this boy endured is nothing short of unspeakable, and his family has also endured a terrible loss. If someone you love has been killed due to the negligence of another person or entity, you need the help of Fort Lauderdale wrongful death lawyers who have more than 20 years of experience in making sure that the rights of those killed are properly and vigorously enforced. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles E. Grady Jr. pleaded no contest recently to charges that he ogled women during traffic stops last year. The plea was accepted and Grady will do no jail time. However, he does have to undergo psychological evaluation in accordance with the plea agreement with prosecutors.

According to a story published in the Sun-Sentinel:

“Grady, 39, resigned from the Sheriff’s Office on April 1, two days after prosecutors filed two misdemeanor battery charges related to incidents reported during drunken-driving traffic stops last September and December.

As required for the plea deal, Grady relinquished his state law-enforcement certification April 6. He had been with the agency for 12 years and worked with the DUI task force.

He said that on Sept. 19, Grady was called out by another deputy to give a field sobriety test to a 38-year-old Boca Raton woman after she was pulled over about 3 a.m. near the Solid Gold strip club where she worked as a dancer.

When Grady took her to a holding cell, Schulson said, Grady pulled her shirt away from her chest and stared at her.”

Clearly, the criminal prosecution of this situation has run its course, but the victims of these despicable acts could still have civil liability options if they so choose to pursue them. We are all trained to assume that police officers do not break the law or violate someone’s rights, but that’s unfortunately not the case. If you or someone you love has been harmed by police misconduct, contact the Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys at the law firm of Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation. The firm has been fighting for the rights of those harmed by others for more than 25 years.