As another languid summer in Tampa Bay draws to a close and children prepare to return to school next week, drivers should prepare to be particularly careful on the roads during the early morning and afternoon commutes. In recent years, there have been far too many incidents of motorists striking children walking along high-traffic roads in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, among others, on their way to school or the bus stop.
A San Francisco company remains under investigation for the deaths of five women who suffered fatal burn injuries last week as they were trapped in a burning limousine.
As college students, families with young children, and snow birds from the north flock to Florida, Tampa Bay area roadways such as US 19, Gulf Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard become particularly susceptible to accidents involving motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Mere weeks after Carnival passengers arrived in Mobile, Alabama, some have already hired attorneys and filed lawsuits against the mega-liner. That a life-threatening outbreak did not occur on the impaired ship was purely a matter of luck.
n March 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning to consumers about inflatable spheres, stating that they create the risk of suffocation and drowning. One major concern with the product’s design is that users have no way to escape in the event of an emergency; the spheres are air-tight and may only be opened from the outside. For this reason, the CPSC warned that the product “significantly heightens the risk of injury or death when a person inside the ball experiences distress.”
