Resort Injury Lawyer Blog

More details have been discovered about the driver who left a 27-year-old pregnant woman from Massachusetts dead in a poolside cabana at the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

The incident occurred March 18 when Rosa Maria Rivera, of Plantation, Florida, lost control of her car and crashed into the cabana, killing the seven months' pregnant woman.

Rivera reported to a police officer that "she had an argument with her husband at a restaurant and sped off in her car just before the collision," according to a search warrant reported by the Sun Sentinel.

The search warrant lists DUI manslaughter as a potential charge. Rivera said that the argument with her husband took place at Mangos Restaurant and Lounge on Las Olas Blvd., where she had ordered a martini, but didn't finish it before leaving. They had been married for less than one month.

The car's driver reportedly lost control, hit a curb, crossed a sidewalk and continued 20 feet into the cabana. At the time, the driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was reported to be in stable condition. A myriad of legal issues could come into play, from driver negligence causing catastrophic injuries to premises liability and resort tort litigation.

The victim of the fatal tragedy was a teaching assistant for a third-grade special education class in Massachusetts.

A woman has accused a Walt Disney World employee of raping her at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort after luring her there with a Friends and Family hotel rate and free theme-park passes, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

The man charged with sexual battery is a Disney reservations clerk, now on unpaid leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation. The Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating whether the man booked rooms for other visitors with his employee discount and provided them with free admission to Disney parks with his employee pass, to determine if there might be other victims.

The woman first spoke to the accused when she called Walt Disney World reservations to inquire about hotel reservations and theme-park tickets. During the conversation, she mentioned that she was unemployed and wanted to spend her income-tax refund check on a vacation for her children. The man began sending her text messages and offered to book her a room under his Friends and family discount, saying that he was raised by a single mother and understood what it was like to want things, reports the Sentinel.

Records state the woman "made a point to tell [the man] that she was not willing to trade sexual favors for what he was doing."

The man met the woman at her hotel, took her and her children on a free tour of the Magic Kingdom, and then returned to the hotel with them. Reports state that he did not respond to "her hints for him to go." She eventually fell asleep and awoke when she felt him sexually assaulting her.

When he finally left the room, he took $40, her debit card and the key to the hotel room.

Cruise lines must now report to the FBI all crimes aboard cruise ships AND must take actions to protect the crime victims. The new legislation requiring these measures was passed in Congress last month. Once it is signed by President Obama, it will enforce security measures requiring ships to install peep holes on cabin doors and make further changes affecting rail heights, warning devices, and other security measures. Cruise lines will also be required to provide shipboard medical care for victims of sexual assault and medical staff that knows how to collect forensic evidence, reports USA Today. Inadequate premises security is too often the culprit in personal injury cases that occur in tourist destinations, where vacationers naturally let their guard down to relax and 'get away from it all.' Inadequate security and premises liability lawsuits usually involve criminal assaults and violent crime due to negligent security, insufficient lighting, inadequate security equipment, inadequate security personnel, or other causes. The law governing these cases is derived from the general principle that those who own or possess property have a duty to protect users from accidental, negligent, and intentional acts of third parties.

ResortTorts are cases of civil liability for negligent or criminal acts that arise out of a resort, vacation or recreational setting. involve aspects of hotel and motel safety, cruise ship litigation, pleasure boating and jet ski incidents, amusement and theme park liability, aquatic, diving and swimming incidents, foreign travel and medical emergencies, gaming and casinos, aviation (commercial and general), rental car liability, moped, bicycle and motorcycle safety, buses and tour guides, travel industry liability for crime victims, and medical care provided to vacationers. ResortTorts can encompass a vast array of types of cases but they all have one thing in common: tourists, business travelers and locals alike are all exposed to risk while traveling, vacationing or engaging in resort or pleasure activities.

All 1,000 guests at one of Miami Beach's most popular hotels were evacuated Saturday night after a deadly shooting at the Resort and Spa. Guests at a wedding party underway on the top floor of the hotel were among the evacuees, as was Prime Minister of Belize Dean Darrow, who was in the midst of a dinner speech and was accompanied by his own security team, reported NBC News.

Police have not released details of the incident, however both NBC and CBS4 reported details from various sources: Allegedly some men hired prostitutes after checking into the hotel but were also visited by a pimp who shot and killed one of them. The pimp and prostitutes allegedly escaped. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

Inadequate security and premises liability lawsuits usually involve criminal assaults and violent crime due to negligent security, insufficient lighting, inadequate security equipment, inadequate security personnel, or other causes. In negligent security cases, the plaintiff who has been injured due to a criminal act brings an action against the owner or manager of the premises or business. Those who are in control or in a position to prevent the incident where the plaintiff was injured are the parties who are most often defendants. The law governing these cases is derived from the general principle that those who own or possess property have a duty to protect users from accidental, negligent, and intentional acts of third parties.

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