Florida Man Falls 30 Feet Off a Bridge After Blowout

August 6, 2015 / 7:00 am

An entire family was rocked by a sudden blowout on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Saint Petersburg. Their SUV immediately started to spin out and crossed several lanes of traffic before coming to a rest in the inside lane facing oncoming traffic. Luckily no one was injured, but their ordeal was not over.

Fearing for his family’s safety, the husband ordered his wife and daughter to flee while he stayed behind to change the tire on the SUV. With traffic coming straight on, there were several near misses and eventually one vehicle came too close. The man jumped back against the bridge’s barrier wall and lost his balance. He tumbled over the side and down 30 feet into the water below.

“I felt myself falling and I was like before I hit the water, then I knew I was in the water,” said the man as he described his ordeal. “I was going down… Something told me ‘you just got to fight.’” He swam 120 yards to a nearby pylon and held on while rescuers scrambled a boat. A safety officer was crossing the bridge when the accident happened and he was able to call in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for an immediate rescue.

Can An Attorney Help If I’m Injured In A Blowout Accident?

Disaster was averted, and the husband escaped the experience with only minor injuries, but the results of this situation could have easily turned for the worse. A blowout such as the one in this story could have caused this SUV to rollover or collide with another vehicle, and if that had happened, the lawyers of Colson Hicks Eidson are ready. Our lawyers have helped many victims through situations like these. To find out more about what recourse victims have after a blowout, visit our tire blowouts and rollover accidents sections.

Colson Hicks Eidson — Personal Injury Attorneys

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/2065628/man-falls-30-feet-off-bridge-after-his-tire-blew-video/

Trending Stories

February 6, 2025

Latest Updates
and Insights from Colson

Related News & Case Studies

Colson Hicks Eidson was proud to represent Brookfield Properties, owner of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel property in Ft. Lauderdale, during trial in a long-running case brought by David J. Stern, a unit owner in the residential condominium portion of the property, who alleged water intrusion and property damage in his unit. After a three-and-one-half week jury trial in Broward County Circuit Court, the jury returned an across-the-board verdict in favor of our client. 

“Our firm was proud to represent Brookfield Properties in this hard-fought trial, and we are pleased that the jury delivered a clear and decisive verdict in our client’s favor,” Curtis Miner said.

Congratulations to our trial team Curtis Miner, Zachary Lipshultz, Aziza Elayan, and Michelle Roberto, joined by Jodi Kleinick from Paul Hastings.  

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a renowned law firm based in Miami, Florida, that is recognized as one of the top trial firms in the United States. Built on a foundation of over 50 years of dedication forging strong client relationships, Colson Hicks Eidson handles local, national, and international litigation, with cases spanning from Miami, Florida, and throughout the United States, to matters in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe. Learn more at: www.colson.com.

MIAMI (January 22, 2025) – Colson Hicks Eidson is thrilled to announce that three of its partners have been named in the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. This impressive guide selects its lawyers through Lawdragon’s independent journalistic research and submissions process.

Now in its 20th year, Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America recognized Colson Hicks Eidson attorneys Julie Braman Kane, Roberto Martínez, and Curtis Miner for their exceptional work in litigation, plaintiff class action litigation, and white-collar practice areas.

Julie’s work has made a significant difference in the lives of her clients. She has represented plaintiffs in personal injury, commercial, and class action litigation, participating in cases securing hundreds of millions of dollars for clients, including recent resolutions of a data breach class action as well as multiple personal injury and wrongful death matters.

Curtis has tried cases to jury verdicts against auto manufacturers and airlines and has obtained sizable settlements in individual and plaintiffs’ class action litigation, having served as Class Counsel in cases against financial institutions arising out of Ponzi schemes and as part of court-appointed leadership counsel in the Takata Airbags Products Liability Litigation MDL, securing over $1.5 billion in settlements for classes of millions of vehicle owners.

Roberto has secured significant client wins in high-profile cases, including participating in settlements and judgments totaling in excess of $6 billion.

Click here to read the full guide on Lawdragon.

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a renowned law firm based in Miami, Florida, that is recognized as one of the top trial firms in the United States. Built on a foundation of over 50 years of dedication forging strong client relationships, Colson Hicks Eidson handles local, national, and international litigation, with cases spanning from Miami, Florida, and throughout the United States, to matters in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe. Learn more at: www.colson.com.

A federal judge in Florida denied UnitedHealthcare’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a cancer patient seeking coverage for proton beam radiation therapy to treat his tongue cancer. The patient, Carlos Morera, alleges the insurer wrongfully denied benefits under his healthcare plan, forcing him to pay approximately $195,000 out of pocket for the treatment.

Stephanie A. Casey, a partner at Colson Hicks Eidson, represents Morera and successfully argued that the case should proceed.

“We look forward to presenting the merits of this case at trial. Proton beam radiation therapy has long been recognized as the standard of care for these types of cancers,” she said.

The court’s decision allows Morera to continue his fight to recover treatment costs. Read more about this case on Law360 here.

MIAMI (November 20, 2024) – Colson Hicks Eidson has been named to the 2025 edition of the “Best Law Firms” by Best Lawyers®, recognized at both the national and metropolitan levels. Seven of the firm’s attorneys were also named to the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers® across multiple practice areas.

“We are committed to delivering exceptional representation for our clients. This continued recognition of our firm’s core practice areas highlights the success of our efforts,” said Dean C. Colson, Managing Partner of Colson Hicks Eidson.

Best Lawyers® ranks top lawyers and law firms through a peer review process, using feedback from lawyers, clients, and professional references, along with firm data. Rankings are organized into regional and national tiers.

National Tier 2

● Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs

Metropolitan Tier 1

Miami

● Bet-the-Company Litigation
● Commercial Litigation
● Criminal Defense: White-Collar
● Insurance Law
● Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
● Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
● Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
● Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
● Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs

Metropolitan Tier 2

Miami

● Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a renowned law firm based in Miami, Florida, that is recognized as one of the top trial firms in the United States. Built on a foundation of over 50 years of dedication forging strong client relationships, Colson Hicks Eidson handles local, national, and international litigation, with cases spanning from Miami, Florida, and throughout the United States, to matters in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe. Learn more at: www.colson.com.

MIAMI (November 12, 2024) – Colson Hicks Eidson announced today that managing partner Dean Colson has been recognized in Florida Trend’s 2024 edition of the Florida 500, a publication highlighting the 500 most influential executives across various economic sectors in the state.

The publication notes that Dean’s credentials include chairing the state university system’s Board of Governors, the board of trustees for Florida International University, and the board of trustees for the University of Miami.

Dean is renowned as a top trial lawyer in the U.S. with 40 years of experience in complex civil litigation, personal injury, product liability, and professional malpractice. He has successfully represented large plaintiff classes and handled multimillion-dollar cases, including high-profile litigation such as the AeroPeru airplane crash and a Ponzi scheme settlement.

Dean has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service through various leadership roles. He has been actively involved with the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, supporting access to the arts. He’s also been president of the Orange Bowl Committee and chaired the Super Bowl XXIX Host Committee. He served on the Florida Commission on Ethics and chaired the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. He previously served as President of the Dade County Bar Association and as a distinguished member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors. Most recently, the Coral Gables Community Foundation recognized Dean at its 2024 Annual Gala with the Education Award.

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a renowned law firm based in Miami, Florida, that is recognized as one of the top trial firms in the United States. Built on a foundation of over 50 years of dedication to forging strong client relationships, Colson Hicks Eidson handles local, national, and international litigation, with cases spanning from Miami, Florida, and throughout the United States, to matters in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe. Learn more at: www.colson.com.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has launched a new Whistleblower Non-Prosecution Pilot Program. It reinforces the recent efforts of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s new Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program.

The local pilot program offers non-prosecution agreements in exchange for the early and voluntary self-disclosures of criminal conduct.  The Department’s pilot program offers financial rewards to a whistleblower who provides original and truthful information about corporate misconduct that results in a successful forfeiture.  

Both pilot programs require the prompt disclosure of truthful and complete information.   

At Colson Hicks Eidson, our attorneys have advised and represented clients across the full range of internal investigations, government inquiries, enforcement actions, whistleblower actions, and civil and criminal trials.  For further information, contact us at 305-476-7400 or info@colson.com.