1 dead in motorcycle crash

The pedestrian was hit by a motorcyclist with a long history of traffic violations.
SPRING HILL- A Spring Hill motorcyclist with three DUI charges on his driving record hit and killed a female pedestrian Thursday morning when he sped through a red light on Spring Hill Drive, authorities say. Investigators had not been able to identify the woman as of Thursday evening. They said she was carrying no identification
and that no family members had come forward. They asked the public for assistance. The woman was the 34th pedestrian killed this year in the Tampa Bay area.
The woman whom authorities described as elderly, had been walking south in a crosswalk on Spring Hill Drive, near the Suncoast Crossing shopping center, about 10:15 a.m. when, investigators said, she stepped into the path of the westbound motorcyclist, who witnesses say was driving much faster than the 40 mph speed limit. She died at the scene.
The motorcyclist was identified as James Paul Conaty, 30, of Spring Hill. He sustained serious injuries and was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Conaty, who was wearing a helmet, was riding a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Gaskins. Authorities will wait for results from Conaty's toxicology report before filing any charges, Gaskins said.
Conaty has a lengthy history of traffic violations, records show, including three charges of driving under the influence- one with an injury and two with serious bodily injuries to others. In the most serious case, in Tampa in 1999, Conaty served 2 1/2 years in prison and was order to pay $510,500 in restitution for a DUI with serious bodily injury. His blood alcohol content was .205, more than double the level at which authorities consider someone to be under the influence. He was
18 at the time. In Hernando County, Conaty has multiple traffic tickets for speeding and careless driving and one count of fleeing a law enforcement officer. He had
been given until Aug. 8 to complete driving school for a charge of passing in a no-passing zone. His license has been suspended in the past but was valid at the
time of Thursday's accident. Conaty also has a lengthy criminal record. He has been
arrested 20 times in Florida and has been convicted of burglary, battery and threatening a witness. Rebecca Torres of Spring Hill was one of the witnesses to Thursday's fatality who said Conaty was speeding.
"He was not going the speed limit at all" said Torres. "I saw her, and then I didn't see her. It was like a second." Terry Jacobson of Wesley Chapel, who was cutting the lawn in front of a McDonald's restaurant near the intersection, described the crash scene as gruesome.
"That," he said, "was one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life."

Times researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this report. Melvin Backman can be reached at mbackman@sptimes .com or (352)754-6114.
St Petersburg Times
Hernando Edition

To help The Florida Highway Patrol is seeking help to identify the woman killed
Thursday on Spring Hill Drive. Anyone with information is asked to call (813) 631-
4020.

Driver in rollover faces DUI charges

SARASOTA COUNTY
- A Bradenton man whose car rolled over when he drove off a ramp of Interstate 75 faces four
criminal charges, including driving under the influence. Sarasota County sheriffs deputies arrested Caleb B. Benson, 25, of the 4400 block of Sanibel Way in Bradenton on charges of DUI causing serious bodily injury and three other charges.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Benson reportedly drove off the northbound ramp of I -75 at
Fruitville Road. Two of four passengers in Benson's vehicle were injured. The Sheriff’s Office reported that Benson, who was not injured, admitted to previously drinking alcohol at a bar.

Woman indicted in biker's death

Woman indicted in biker's death
By TONY HOLT
Hernando Today

BROOKSVILLE >> Grand jurors on Tuesday indicted a 21-year-old Spring Hill woman on murder and aggravated fleeing charges. Brittany Elizabeth Miles was arrested following a
May 10 accident near County Line Road that killed a motorcyclist. Moments prior to the
accident, Miles escaped arrest along U.S. 19 in Hudson after a Pasco County sheriffs deputy
had her in custody under suspicion of DUI, authorities said. Before her pickup could be towed from the scene, Miles escaped from the back of a sheriffs cruiser, got into her vehicle and fled north along the highway while dragging the deputy a couple hundred feet, according to the Pasco
County Sheriffs Office. During her escape - and while deputies were in pursuit - she plowed
into 67-year-old Henry F. McCain as he was crossing the highway on his motorcycle, deputies said. Miles continued driving a short distance and attempted to elude deputies on foot, but she was arrested near Spring Hill Drive, according to the sheriffs office. The Pasco deputy who was clinging to Miles' vehicle in an attempt to stop her from escaping was hospitalized, but later released, deputies said. Assistant State Attomey Pete Magrino said because Miles killed McCain during the commission of other felonies - including escape and resisting arrest with violence - her most severe charge was upgraded to first-degree murder. Magrino said the State Attorney's Office will not pursue the death penalty against Miles. She faces other charges in Pasco County. Jail records show she was on probation for a drug charge when the accident took place.
The Hernando County case likely will be handled by Assistant State Attorney Bill Catto, said Magrino. Catto, who works out of the Citrus County office, prosecutes the majority of traffic-related homicide cases in the Fifth Judicial Circuit. Miles is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Hernando County Circuit Court. She is expected to be represented by an attorney out of Daytona Beach.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

Tampa Tribune
Pasco edition
June 2, 2011

Man arrested, woman hospitalized after rollover crash

A rollover crash in Floral City put a woman in the hospital and a man behind bars on DUI charges.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Steven M. Dickson, 62, was driving east on County Road 48 near Istachatta Road shortly before 10:30 p.m. Thursday when an animal darted into the road.

Troopers said Dickson swerved to miss the animal and drove onto the south shoulder, where his Chevrolet SSR to overturned.

Both Dickson and his passenger, Deborah A. Dickson, 62, were thrown from the vehicle.

Deborah Dickson was taken by air to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries.

Steven Dickson was arrested after troopers said he smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. His breath test registered at 0.155, which is nearly twice the legal limit, investigators said.

Dickson was taken to Citrus County Jail on charges of driving under the influence with serious injury.

for more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/may/244504/Man-arrested-woman-hospitalized-after-rollover-crash

Man arrested on DUI, drug charges

Man arrested on DUI, drug charges
after crashing car into shoppers
A Sanibel Island man was arrested Monday after his car
jumped a sidewalk at a south Fort Myers store, injuring
three elderly people.
Curtis Vincent Gates Jr., 39, of the 1500 block of Periwinkle
Way, was charged with driving while under the influence
of alcohol or drugs, producing drugs and three counts of
property damage.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Office reports:
About 3:30 p.m., a 1993 Ford Taurus plowed into a cart on
Gates
injured.
the front sidewalk of Dollar General, 8750
Gladiolus Drive.
"The cart slammed one victim into the
door, breaking the glass, and the other was
thrown through the open door onto the
ground inside the store," the deputy wrote.
A woman was taken to a hospital as a trauma
alert because of low blood pressure. Her
husband was brushed by the car and not
seriously injured. Another man also was
The victims are in their late 80s and from Fort Myers,
according to the report. Their names were not immediately
released.
Gates told witnesses his car's brakes went out as he backed
into a parking spot. Instead of checking on the victims, he
checked the brake fluid. He told a deputy the power steering
unit went out
As deputies spoke to him, he put a white pill in his mouth
and said it was Tylenol, then said: "I mean nothing." The
driver continued to talk to deputies and a small white
chunk fell from his mouth to the ground. It was identified
as Xanax.
He passed out in the patrol car on the way to jail and
again at the jail.
Gates failed field sobriety tests but refused to take a
breath test, saying: "(Expletive) it. I can ride my bike to
work for that."
Naples Daily News
Collier County
April 20,2011

Before deadly crash, car hit 89 mph

A DUI report says a dentist was speeding the night he struck and killed two people. BY DAN SULLIVAN Times Staff Writer TAMPA - Seconds before crashing into pedestrians on the Harbour Island Bridge last fall, killing two, a Riverview dentist hit a top speed of 89 mph, prose­cutors learned. Matthew ,Moye's blood alcohol level — 0.13 percent — exceeded the level at which the state pre­sumes impair­ment, records show."I'm the designated driver tonight," he said at the scene, accord­ing to a police dashboard cam­era. "I was driving those two girls around after having a party. I haven't had anything to drink." Those were among the details included in documents, video and audio files released Mon­day by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office in the case against Moye, 35. He is charged with causing the deaths of Douglas Kozar and Kate Kohlier, who were on a bridge sidewalk early Oct. 30 when Moye's 2011 Cadillac coupe spun out of control and hit them, authorities said. A third pedes­trian broke an ankle jumping out of the way. The three had just left work at the Marriott Waterside Hotel. The records depict a bloody and chaotic scene. Kohlier, 24, died of head inju­ries after she was slammed against the bridge's wall. The impact threw Kozar, 23, over the wall, and he landed in a "rope­like retaining fence," the Medi­cal Examiner's Office reported. Heart lacerated, he died at the scene. A data recorder that police recovered from the Cadillac put the car's speed at 89 mph sec­onds before the crash. The speed limit on the bridge is 30 mph. Twelve weeks earlier, Moye had been cited for driving 90 mph in a 45 mph zone. He pleaded no contest, paid $341 and attended the Advanced Defensive Driving School, county records show. That was his seventh speeding ticket, state records show. The night of the fatal crash, Moye had two people with him in the car: his wife, Kelly and a friend, Rachel Sady, both employees of his dental practice. The three had attended a Hal­loween party at the Sheraton Hotel staged by 13 Ugly Men, a Tampa social and charitable group. Moye’s wife told investigators that the party was "lame" and that the three were headed to another party at Jackson's Bistro. Officers noted that Moye wore black contact lenses as part of a Halloween costume. Outside the contacts, his eyes appeared red and bloodshot the report said His breath smelled of alcohol. Moye refused to take a breath test, police reported. At the scene, he was initially unaware anyone had been hurt An officer wrote in his report that Moye became argumentative. "Why do you keep looking at me?" Moye reportedly said. "I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was pass a cab and lose con­trol." Kelly Moye sat on a bench and complained about damage to the car, the report stated It's unclear whether anyone told her about victims. "I told Matt not to drive," she told police. “I told him he shouldn't of drove. But look at my car. ... My poor hundred thousand car is totaled I worked so hard for that" Matthew Moye began to fight with police officers, hitting an officer's hand and pushing his chest, the report said. Officers wrestled him to the ground and put him in handcuffs. His wife jumped on an offi­cer's back and was also hand­cuffed, the report said. The pas­senger, Sady, was handcuffed after she tried to walk away. Nei­ther woman has been charged. In statements to detectives, the two said they did not remem­ber much about the crash. They said they had not seen Moye drink that night "Honestly, I drank more than probably everyone else in the car," Kelly Moye said, "so I really don't know what happened." Her husband faces seven charges: two counts each of vehicular homicide, DUI man­slaughter and DUI with prop­erty damage or personal injury, and one count of battery on a law enforcement officer. No trial date has been set. While the criminal case is pending, a judge ordered Moye not to drive or consume alcohol, and to remain home between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7a.m. He is still a practicing dentist with an active license. At the crash scene, after he was read his rights, Moye complained profanely, about his treatment by police and said he planned to sue, according to video. His demeanor changed when, finally, an officer told him that two people had died in the acci­dent. "Are you serious?" Moye asked "I'm very serious," the officer responded. The officer started to explain that Moye would be required to submit to a blood draw. "You're kidding me," Moye said The officer said he knew it was a shock. "It's a HUGE shock," Moye said Staff writers Colleen Jenkins. Jessica Va nder Velde and Alexandra Zayas and items researcher John Martin contributed to this report. St Petersburg Times Pinellas County March 1, 2011

"Deadly Alligator Alley Crash"

WESTERN BROWARD (CBS4) – One person was killed, two others injured in a pre-dawn accident on Alligator Alley. Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said the accident happened around 2:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-75 near Mile Marker 31. Nineteen year old Bartley Gorman, who was driving a red Dodge pick up truck, rear-ended a Toyota 4Runner being driven by 51-year old Harry Dontfraid from North Ft. Myers. On impact Dontfraid lost control, went off the road and plunged into a canal. “The two occupants of the vehicle that went into the canal were both able to get out of the vehicle however one was able to get to the bank, but the second wasn’t able to and drown,” said Wysocky. According to Dontfraid, his passenger did not know how to swim. Dontfraid and Gorman, who is from Auburndale, were taken to the Cleveland Clinic in Weston to be treated for their injuries. The FHP has not released the name of Dontfraid’s passenger. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. “We’ll get some blood drawn to see if alcohol was involved, we’ll see if somebody may have fallen asleep,” said Wysocky, “That will all be part of our investigation.” for more information please visit: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/03/23/one-dead-two-hurt-in-alligator-alley-crash/

"Clearwater man accused in two hit-and-run crashes just blocks apart"

CLEARWATER — A Clearwater man was drunk Tuesday night when he crashed into two vehicles in two separate accidents within a mile of each other and didn't stop at either, according to arrest reports.
Stephen M. Provenzano, 24, of 300 Gunn Ave., No. 2, was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.
According to Clearwater police, Provenzano had a blood alcohol level of 0.184, more than twice the limit at which a driver is presumed impaired in Florida.
Both crashes happened around 6:45 p.m. Police said Provenzano was southbound on Belcher Road when he hit a Lincoln Navigator near NE Coachman Road. A 6-year-old girl riding in the Navigator sustained a minor injury to her leg, police said, and the crash caused major damage to the sport utility vehicle.
Provenzano kept driving south and hit another vehicle a few blocks away, near Cleveland Street. He fled from that accident, too, and went to his home about a quarter of a mile away, police said.
He was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday morning after posting $5,750 bail.


for more information please visit: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/clearwater-man-accused-in-two-hit-and-run-crashes-just-blocks-apart/1159158

"Two motorcyclists injured in fatal crash identified"

Police on Thursday identified two motorcyclists who were injured in an accident that killed a man late Tuesday night. Robert Moore, 38, and Nicole Moore, 41, both of Holiday, were airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg after the accident that happened around 11:15 p.m. on U.S. 19 near Tookes Road. On Thursday evening, Robert Moore was in serious condition and Nicole Moore was listed as stable, according to a hospital spokesman. James Perrini, 68, of New Port Richey died at the scene. Richard Warth, 50, of Dunedin suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene. According to Tarpon Springs police, the four motorcyclists were riding northbound together on U.S. 19 when Perrini hit the back of Warth's 2004 Harley-Davidson, which caused the Moores to lose control. They were ejected from their motorcycle. None of the motorcyclists were wearing helmets. Friends of Perrini's said the group was returning to Pasco County from a birthday celebration for a friend in Palm Harbor. An investigation is ongoing. Police said alcohol may have been a factor.


for more information please visit: http://www.tampabay.com/news/two-motorcyclists-injured-in-fatal-crash-identified/1158011

"Dump truck driver arrested for DUI"

Florida Highway Patrol officials arrested a man who they say was driving a dump truck under the influence in Sept. and caused a crash which killed one person and injured three others.

Officials say Daniel Arends, 49, was arrested because of his involvement in a traffic crash that occurred on Sept. 21, 2010, in which he was operating a dump truck on Ridge Road at the intersection of Galen Wilson Blvd. under the influence of diazepam, nordiazepam, and oxycodone.

Investigators say Arends was traveling at a high rate of speed, 68 mph in a 45 mph speed zone, when the front of his dump truck collided with the rear of a Chevrolet pick-up truck.

The impact caused a chain reaction and the Chevrolet was forced forward into the rear of a Ford Mustang and a Saturn SUV. All three vehicles impacted by Arends were stopped for other traffic at the time of the crash.

The driver of the Chevrolet, Ruben Q. Echevarria, 59, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mustang, Darynn J. Magee, 24, and the occupants of the Saturn, John C. Shelak, 62, and Bonnie J. Shelak, 59 were injured in the accident.

Arends was charged with DUI manslaughter, three counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, and manslaughter by culpable negligence. He was transported to the Pasco County Jail and issued a $50,000 bond.

For more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/march/214834/Dump-truck-driver-arrested-for-DUI

Former UCF student found guilty and convicted of DUI manslaughter

A 23-year-old former UCF student was sentenced to 18 months in prison Nov. 20 after killing a 19-year-old UCF student while driving under the influence.

Malcolm barnes pled no contest in an Orange County court for DUI manslaughter charges he faced from an accident in October 2006.

barnes was driving on the wrong side of Alafaya Trail between State Road 50 and University Boulevard near UCF when he hit Andrew Brannon, who was on a motorcycle, head-on, said Cpl. Diane Riberdy of Florida Highway Patrol.

Brannon, despite wearing a helmet, died at the scene, said Riberdy, who was the first deputy to arrive at the scene.

For more information please visit: http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/former-student-found-guilty-1.2099785

If you've been injured in a motorcycle accident because a motorist was driving under the influence, please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com/

Help sought in what the Florida Highway Patrol call a hit-and-run 'outbreak'

In the final chapter of their lives, John Eaton and Kevin Hill shared something in common.

Both motorcyclists died tragic deaths in separate crashes when, after an initial wreck, a second motorist in each case ran them over and left them to die.

Eaton, 46, of DeLand, and Hill, 47, of Sanford, are two of five people killed in the last month in what Florida Highway Patrol officials called an "outbreak" of fatal hit-and-run crashes this year. There have been 13 fatalities from hit-and-runs in Central Florida this year and troopers have only solved three, FHP Sgt. Kim Montes said at a press conference Thursday.

Three of those fatalities occurred in Volusia County.

Families of the victims gathered at the FHP headquarters in Orlando to support troopers' efforts in asking the public's help to solve these crimes.

"These are people . . . left to die on the side of the roads by cowards," Montes said. "They are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. They are people with families."

On Wednesday alone, troopers worked 19 nonfatal hit-and-run accidents and these cases show the number of this type of crash is on the rise, Montes said.

Hit-and-run crashes have left mostly pedestrians dead but motorcyclists, bicyclists, vehicle drivers and passengers have also been killed, Montes said.

Drivers that run most likely are under the influence of alcohol and drugs, have suspended driver's licenses or are wanted for other crimes, she said. These are not valid excuses to leave somebody on the side of the road, Montes said.

Jamie McWilliams, whose 20-year-old son was killed by a hit-and-run driver on private property seven years ago, agreed.

"There is no excuse to leave someone out like they were last week's trash," said McWilliams, who lives in the Orlando area.

Montes said someone might have information they may consider unimportant, but it can be the information they need to "complete the puzzle" of evidence to catch criminals.

"For some of these cases we need the public's help so these families can have closure," Montes said.

For more information please visit: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlHEAD02112009.htm

If you've been injured in a motorcycle accident because of a hit-and-run, please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

Man thrown off motorcycle after being struck from behind was run over by a second vehicle.

A motorcyclist thrown onto the northbound lanes of U.S. 17 in DeLeon Springs when his motorcycle was struck from behind by a vehicle was run over by a second vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The second vehicle, a pickup, did not stop after hitting and killing John C. Eaton, 46, of DeLand on Sunday night, said Sgt. Kim Montes, an FHP spokeswoman.

"We know that the pedestrian (motorcyclist) in the road was still alive but he was struck by the unknown pickup before he was able to get off the road," Montes said.

"We need the public's help in finding the vehicle and the driver, maybe a neighbor coming home with a pickup with damage on the front of their vehicle or if they used to keep their vehicle in the driveway but is not there this morning, we urge them to give us a call. We need to know."

Montes said troopers are examining Eaton's body to see if any debris or paint color from the vehicle could be found on his clothes.

According to Montes, Eaton pulled out of the Brass Rail Pub at 4485 N. U.S. 17 on Sunday night and was headed north when a Dodge pickup struck his motorcycle from behind. The northbound Dodge pickup stopped, Montes said. The crash happened about 6:45 p.m., according to EVAC ambulance officials.

Eaton was thrown into the northbound lanes of U.S. 17 when the unidentified hit-and-run pickup struck Eaton as he tried to get out of the way.

Anyone with information is asked to call FHP investigators at 407-737-2213.

For more information please visit: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newWEST02110309.htm

If you've been involved in a motorcycle accident please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

Man on speeding scooter slams into pole in Melbourne after an early morning police chase

A 34-year-old man who Melbourne police say led officers on an early morning chase while riding a motor scooter was injured after slamming into a light pole.

The crash happened at about 4:25 a.m. in the 700 block of U.S. 1 after the unidentified man hit the pole while going at least 50 mph, officials say. The southbound lanes of U.S. 1 were briefly closed before dawn as Melbourne police carried out an investigation.

“We attempted to stop a motor scooter for a suspected DUI when he fled,” said Sgt. Scott Mostert of the Melbourne Police Department.

“He was riding a scooter but it can be classified as a motorcycle. We believe he was going more than 50 mph. He’s injured but it doesn’t appear to be anything life threatening.”

Charges are pending in the case.

For more information please visit: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20091022/BREAKINGNEWS/91022003/1006/NEWS01/Man+on+speeding+scooter+slams+into+pole+in+Melbourne

If you've been involved in a motorcycle accident please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

A 26-year-old motorcyclist dragged a trooper about 5 feet while trying to flee a traffic stop

The trooper stopped Stephen David Young about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday after seeing Young riding the Honda motorcycle without eye protection, an arrest report states. Florida law requires motorcyclists to wear an eye-protective device.

When the trooper approached near Dale Mabry Highway and Lemon Street, Young tried to accelerate but the Honda stalled. The trooper put Young in a bearhug to get him off the motorcycle, but Young started the motorcycle again, the report states.

The trooper was dragged, suffering a cut and bruise.

Troopers chased Young for about four minutes, with Young turning off his lights, ignoring stop signs and trying to hide in a carport.

Young faces charges including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and attempting to elude police, driving under the influence, and driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license.

He remains in jail with bail set at $18,750.

For more information please visit: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/22/trooper-dragged-motorcycle-highway-patrol-says/news-breaking/

If you've been involved in a motorcycle accident please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

A Panama City, Fla., man was killed Wednesday night when he was thrown from his motorcycle

George M. Hogg, 34, was riding his Kawasaki motorcycle south on the road "at a high rate of speed" about 11:15 p.m., police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said. As Hogg approached the curve near Third Street, he lost control of the motorcycle, Foltz said.

The motorcycle crossed Pontchartrain Drive and went over three curbs in the parking lot of the Capital One bank before Hogg was thrown off, Foltz said. The motorcycle came to rest in the parking lot of a vacant building nearby.

Hogg, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead of massive head injuries, Foltz said.

Authorities will conduct toxicology tests to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.

For more information please visit: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/10/florida_man_killed_in_slidell.html

If you've been involved in a motorcycle accident please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

Twenty-year-old Sean Stiller of Cassadaga is suing Halftime Sports Bar, alleging he wrecked his motorcycle after he was illegally served alcohol

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 8 by Miami attorney Mark Feinstein, alleges Halftime served Stiller alcohol in the hours before his July 1 motorcycle crash, even though the bartenders knew he was not 21.

After spending weeks in a coma at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Stiller is living now at a rehabilitation hospital in Jacksonville. His attorney said his medical expenses currently exceed half a million dollars.

Stiller was 19 years old this summer when he wrecked his motorcycle at the intersection of Cassadaga Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway. He had been on his way home to Cassadaga around 2 a.m., after spending time with friends in DeLand.

When he didn't show up at home, his friends searched for him, but couldn't see him or his motorcycle lying off the side of the road at the intersection. He was discovered by a bicyclist about three hours after the crash.

His mom, Katie Stiller, said her son fractured almost every bone in his face, and had trauma to his brain, broken ribs, punctured lungs, a lacerated liver, and ant bites from lying, unconscious, in the grass.

The lawsuit asks for damages exceeding $15,000, the statutory threshold for Circuit Court.

For more information please visit: http://www.beacononlinenews.com/news/daily/2126

If you've been involved in a motorcycle accident please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

31-year-old Riverview man has been arrested on a charge that he was drunk when his Pontiac Grand Prix struck and killed a motorcyclist in July

Robert Cooper II, of 10403 Hallmark Blvd., was charged with driving under the influence in the death of Phillip L. Newcomb, 41, of St. Petersburg. Cooper was arrested Monday morning.

Cooper was driving west on 54th Avenue North, east of 79th Street North, about 11:20 p.m. July 4 and went over the center concrete median, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The Grand Prix then struck a sign post and continued into the eastbound lane into Newcomb's path, the patrol said. Newcomb's 2007 Yamaha motorcycle hit the front of the Grand Prix, and Newcomb, who was not wearing a helmet, was killed.

For more information please visit: http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/06/riverview-man-faces-dui-charge-fatal-st-pete-crash/

If you've been injured in a motorcycle accident because a motorist was driving under the influence, please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

Police in Ocala, Florida took notice early Tuesday morning of a naked motorcyclist's erratic riding

Mike Rolls, Marion County sheriff's captain, was on duty when he passed a nude man riding a silver motorcycle near Ocala's Interstate 75 nearly thirty minutes after midnight, the Associated Press reports. "I thought the driver of the motorcycle was not wearing clothing," Rolls reported as he began his pursuit.

When the bare rider drove through a red light, the police officer pulled the man over and later identified him as Dante Krauss.

Krauss, 45-year-old, reported that he didn't know where he had been that night, and had no explanation for his nakedness. He did, however, admit to having a few drinks.

After providing the streaking biker with a shirt and shawl, Rolls placed the man under arrest and brought him to the Marion County Jail, where authorities say Kraus registered a .178 blood-alcohol concentration.

Krauss was charged with his fifth DUI, and was later released on $20,000 bail.

Research by Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimates that one arrest for DUI is made for every 88 episodes of driving with a blood-alcohol concentration that is over the U.S. legal limit.

For more information please visit: http://www.avvo.com/news/naked-motorcyclist-collects-fifth-dui-452.html

If you've been involved in a motorcycle accident please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com

The Labor Day holiday is more than a week away but law enforcement is already hitting the roads in search of impaired motorists

If you're caught driving over the limit, you will be under arrest.

If you're driving in Alabama, Florida, or Georgia, you may want to think twice before getting behind the wheel. Troopers along with other law enforcement agencies will be out in full force watching for motorists driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Kevin Cook of the Alabama State Troopers says, “We're going to be doing driver's license checkpoints, with our task force zero, our bat mobile is going to be in play on this regular line patrols and just a general increase in numbers in order to inhibit the impaired driver.”

Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there. Undercover, motorcycles and unmarked cars...law enforcement will be watching for any illegal or unusual driving behavior.

Cook says, “Speeding, aggressive driving… when people ingest alcohol they don't think straight and reaction times get slowed. It's things that we take for granted that we do normally with regular muscle memory that gets totally distorted.”

For more information please visit: http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/54616207.html

f you've been injured in a motorcycle accident, as a result of a drunk driver, please call our office 24/7 for a free case evaluation. 1-866-LAW-FRAN - for more information please visit http://www.lawfran.com