South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is investigating in the wake of the deaths of two middle schoolers at a sleepover, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported June 3. Loretta Wilson was non-fatally poisoned in the incident that resulted in the death of her 11-year-old daughter Amber and Amber’s friend, 12-year-old Caitlin Brondolo. Loretta Wilson was released from the hospital June 1, a day after the girls were found dead.

The Sheriff’s Office has retracted initial reports that Wilson told them she left her car running in a closed garage overnight because she couldn’t shut it off. A spokeswoman said their office was the source of the confusion, but did not elaborate. After the incident, investigators found the car shut off and the keys in the home’s kitchen. The spokeswoman said an expert was called to examine the car, but detectives still plan to interview Wilson in connection with the deaths.

The retraction leaves important questions about the incident unanswered. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a well-known danger that kills about 440 people in the United States every year and sends about 15,000 others to emergency rooms. Running but parked cars are one common source of carbon monoxide gas; others include generators, space heaters, and indoor charcoal and wood fires. Carbon monoxide can be breathed but doesn’t carry oxygen into the body, causing dizziness, confusion, lethargy, nausea and vision problems. Because these symptoms are common and can harm decision-making, victims may not realize they are being poisoned until it’s too late.

If Wilson had left the car running overnight in a closed garage, as originally suggested, she could have been found negligent -- a word used in the law for failure to exercise a reasonable degree of care. Not only could she have been charged with a crime, but she would have been liable in any Deerfield Beach wrongful death lawsuit brought by other relatives of the victims. Close family members in Florida have the right to sue people whose carelessness or deliberate actions cause the deaths of their loved ones. That’s true whether or not Florida prosecutors have chosen to file criminal charges related to the death.

If you’ve lost a loved one through someone else’s bad decisions, Cohn, Smith & Cohn would like to help. Our Jupiter wrongful death lawyers can’t bring back a lost person, of course, but we can help clients throughout South Florida demand justice and defray some of the serious financial problems a death can cause. In a Opa-Locka wrongful death lawsuit, we can help clients recover the financial costs of the death, including funeral costs, medical bills and lost income, as well as compensation for their own grief and losses. To learn more about your rights at a free, confidential consultation, please contact us via email or call our main Broward County office at (954) 431-8100.