Best & Anderson, P.A.

The sunshine and warm Florida temperatures attract millions of visitors each year. With that large number of visitors, come more automobiles and, unfortunately, more accidents. This is not to say that the accidents are caused by tourists because that is certainly not the case. Excessive speed, alcohol and fatigue all contribute to the number of accidents on Florida's roads each year. If you are involved in a car accident in Florida, there are certain bits of information you need to know about the basic laws in Florida concerning fault and liability following a car accident.

Negligence resulting in a Florida car accident is grounds for a lawsuit. If you are injured as a result of a car accident in Florida, then you should seek legal advice in order to receive the compensation you deserve. If you just deal with the insurance company of the other driver in a Florida car accident, you may be cheating yourself out of money to which you are entitled. Experienced car accident and personal injury attorneys such as David Best and Dutch Anderson of Best & Anderson, Attorneys at Law in Orlando, Florida can help advise you on what course of action to take following your accident.

Even though it is sometimes difficult to show negligence in a Florida car accident, we will work diligently to get all the facts surrounding the case. You also have to prove that you suffered damages if, indeed, you did, either personal injury or property damage. In addition, if you are involved in a Florida car accident, we will also look for compensation for such things as mental anguish and inconvenience.

Florida has a “No-Fault” clause attached to insurance claims for a Florida car accident. This means that you can collect from the "at fault" driver for such things as significant bodily damage, permanent injury or scarring and death. If you are responsible in any way for the Florida car accident, the court may reduce the amount of your settlement by the amount in which it finds that you are responsible. We will work to reduce this amount to zero so that you do not have to pay any money.

If you have been involved in a vehicle accident in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact the Auto Accident/Personal Injury Attorneys at Best & Anderson today to schedule your initial consultation.

According to Thomas A. Sharon R.N.:


Issue #32 C-Diff: The Newest Hospital Acquired Scandal
October 16th, 2007 · No Comments
The hospital acquired C-diff is a new strain of the bacteria normally found in the human bowels and has become virulent, causing severe diarrhea. Of course the elderly and newborns are the most susceptible because of the resultant dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. When it comes to outbreaks of infectious disease the one environment left in our society where epidemics are rampant with no controls in sight is the hospital.
Although hospitals by nature draw people with infectious disease, there is a concentration of professionals with the skills to prevent or at least quickly contain the outbreaks. That is why an uncontrolled epidemic is scandalous. To wit, there is a set of standards requiring continuous action to identify, contain, and prevent epidemics. Yet the number of deaths per year due to hospital acquired infections is on the rise, accordance to the Center Of Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).
Moreover, this new bug called “C-diff” is proliferating in hospitals at an alarming rate. The mortality rate is even more disquieting and this new scandalous outbreak is like to cause the death rate due to hospital error to skyrocket even further.
The epidemiology experts are telling us once again that it all boils down to hand washing between patients and maintaining sterile technique during invasive procedures. There is great concern that since the C-diff causes severe diarrhea, there is likely to be a higher incidence of fecal contamination of sterile fields, food, equipment, linens, etc.
Finally, the overriding question for the legal community is “What constitutes provable negligence when the cause of death or protracted illness is HAI?” The answer is that there are standards of care regarding the infection prevention and control (IPC) process and the sterile technique of invasive procedures. In this blog we shall focus on the former, leaving the latter for the next issue.
First, every institution must have an IPC department with a set of policies and procedures for identifying potential and real outbreaks. Such activities include but are not limited to:
1. identifying the source of the outbreak with cultures;2. providing appropriate isolation;3. keeping statistical data;4. identifying risks and risky behaviors;5. screening for MRSA and C-diff prior to elective surgery
The following is a portion of an actual infection control report provided to a hospital board of trustees and provides clear insight as to current standards of care.
Infection control measures already instituted
· Regular hand washing demonstrations on wards· Continued hand washing audits· Continued MRSA screening for all elective orthopedic patients and for patients admitted from nursing homes· Invitation to DOH [department of health] team to review MRSA procedures (scheduled for first week in July)· Continued intravenous access monitoring and audits· Prescription of all antibiotics to be restricted to 5 days with the prescription extended only after consultation with a microbiologist· Monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions by pharmacists initially on 48 hour ward and to be spread to other wards in the future after audit results available and when pharmacy staff are up to full strength (current sickness has reduced pharmacy availability)· Curtailing of use of Co-Amoxiclav
The use of broad spectrum antibiotics has been implicated in the appearance of C. difficile. Co-Amoxiclav has been shown to increase this likelihood when compared to organism specific, narrow spectrum antibiotics. After seeking microbiological advice, this antibiotic has been withdrawn from general use and will only be available on a named patient basis or in specific cases, such as animal bites or in life-threatening circumstances.
Infection control measures proposed
· A specific team to be created for the insertion of CVP lines and IV feeding lines· Possible regularization of, and reduction of, visiting times (PPI forum audit results supports restriction of visitors to 2 at any one time and standardization of visiting times across wards)· Web-based training material to be available to all SWGHT staff with introduction of infection control in mandatory training requirements
Principle risks identified
· Ward managers not taking responsibility for hygiene standards in their areas of clinical activity· Continued lack of permanent microbiology consultant staff· less than optimum allocation of microbiology consultant time to facility.

As reported by the Orlando Sentinel on 10/25/07:

Eight serious injuries and illnesses -- none apparently life-threatening -- were reported at Central Florida theme-park rides in July, August and September.Third-quarter reports from Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando, received this week by the Orlando Sentinel from the Florida Bureau of Fair Ride Inspections, include one involving a 68-year-old woman who fractured both legs and an arm at the Peter Pan's Flight ride at Magic Kingdom. The woman fell July 29, stepping onto the moving walkway at the ride's entrance -- the third rider injured in a fall there in two years.Florida's major theme parks, including Orlando's Wet 'n Wild and Tampa's Busch Gardens and Adventure Island, file quarterly "occurrence reports" with the state, listing serious injuries or illnesses at rides.

Generally, the theme parks report injuries or illnesses that lead to overnight hospital stays. The individuals are not identified.Others reported at Disney World: a 42-year-old man broke his left ankle after jumping out of a Kilimanjaro Safaris vehicle at Disney's Animal Kingdom on July 16; a man, 63, was stricken ill at Mission: Space at Epcot on July 19; and a 56-year-old man lost consciousness on the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride at Epcot on Sept. 3.At Universal, a 14-year-old girl broke her arm at the Camp Jurassic climbing nets at Islands of Adventure on July 17; a 16-year-old boy suffered upper-back pain at Islands of Adventures' Dueling Dragons roller coasters Aug. 11; and a man, 57, suffered chest pain at Universal Studios' Revenge of the Mummy on Aug. 19.At SeaWorld, a woman of unreported age suffered an irregular heartbeat Sept. 15 at the Journey to Atlantis ride.