Tampa Bay Injury Law Blog » Pasco County

Father shakes child to Death

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:54:53 +0000

Jeff Spohn of Land O Lakes was charged last week with first degree murder of his 18 month old daughter that he said had died from a head injury back in mid 2007 at his Wesley Chapel home. When investigation finally tested the young girl’s body, the trauma was not as described by Spohn. Spohn, who is 33, was indicted last week in Pasco by a grand jury. Shaken-baby syndrome, Pasco sheriff’s office spokesman Kevin Doll has said about the death. Upon further review of the body, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office determined over the summer that Ryanne’s death was a homicide. It was determined that Ryanne died of cerebral trauma, the result of a battering as stated by Hillsborough County Associate Medical Examiner Leszek Chrostowski. Physician Randall Alexander also found that the force of Ryanne’s injuries were not as what Jeff has stated in his report.

Bay Area Motorcycle Deaths Continue With Accident In Pasco County

James Dodson — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:53:43 +0000

A horrific accident in Pasco County claimed the life of a young New Port Richey man. Local media outlets report Sean Reyes, 20, was killed yesterday when his motorcycle collided with a car near Trouble Creek Road in Pasco County.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, young Mr. Reyes was speeding west on Trouble Creek Road, when the vehicle, which was north on Weasel Drive, turned onto Mr. Reyes’ path. The accident investigation continues.

My associate, Sean Conahan and I have previously talked about The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a national group of motorcycle safety advocates, which publishes safety materials for the consumer, riders and non-riders alike, and has published a specific website forcardrivers.com which offers safety information for vehicle operators and tips on how to safely share the road with motorcyclists, as well as safety information for riders..

This unfortunate incident is another in what appears to be an alarming number of bay area motorcycle fatalities for 2008. This particular incident, as reported by the media, brings up a number of legal issues that are seen in t-bone collisions. The speed of the vehicles, and the possible failure to yield the right of way, are two obvious issues just from the limited information reported.

We, at the Law Office of James W. Dodson, P.A. send our condolences to the families of both Mr. Reyes and the driver of the car.

Boy Dies After Go Cart Crash

James Dodson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:16:05 +0000

A 10-year-old Land O’ Lakes boy died Monday afternoon from injuries he sustained in a go cart crash in Land O’ Lakes, Pasco County. According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office investigation, as reported by local media, Austin Carter was injured on Sunday when a go cart he was riding in, which was being pulled by another child on an ATV, lost control. Austin then crashed into a concrete pole and was knocked unconscious.

Austin was airlifted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa where he was pronounced dead Monday afternoon. Sheriff’s deputies report that nobody involved was wearing safety equipment.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission in a report dated January 7, 1998 estimated that there were 125, 900 go cart related injuries in the United States between 1985-1996, with the majority of those resulting from crashes with stationary objects. A posting on the Brain Injury Resource Foundation website indicates that researchers continue to rely on that report, as well as additional data, in their investigation of the number and causes of head-trauma injuries suffered by children.

No parent should experience what the Carter family is going through, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the Carter family, as well as Austin’s extended family and friends. Our thoughts also go to the boy who was driving the ATV and his family.

We at The Law Office of James W. Dodson, P.A., are cognizant of the sensitive issues involved and merely comment on tragedies of this type to inform the public and hopefully prevent something like this from happening to another family.