Articles by Terry Spencer

Florida Highway Patrol Report Confirms Driver Killed by Faulty Takata Airbag

A Florida woman died because a faulty air bag ruptured and fired shrapnel into her head during a crash she should have survived, a report released Jan. 17 by the state’s Highway Patrol said. Nichol Barker, 34, of Holiday, Florida, …

Florida Lawmakers to Reconsider Texting While Driving Ban

Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Wysocky says it is hard to separate texting drivers from drunken drivers as he cruises down a suburban interstate highway. Both weave. They speed up and slow down for no obvious reason and get too …

Florida Nursing Home to Congress: Patient Deaths After Hurricane Irma Not Staff’s Fault

A Florida nursing home under investigation for the deaths of 13 patients after Hurricane Irma says in a letter to Congress that staff members did everything possible but couldn’t overcome a lack of power to the central air conditioner. In …

Florida’s Everglades City Pushes Toward Recovery After Irma’s Hard Hit

Two months after Hurricane Irma’s storm surge slammed through tiny Everglades City, the mountains of debris that lined the streets have been reduced to scattered piles and the occasional abandoned stove or refrigerator. The community church held its first indoor …

What Went Wrong at Florida Nursing Home Where 8 Residents Died

The first 911 call from the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills didn’t sound ominous: A nursing home patient had an abnormal heartbeat. An hour later, came a second call: a patient had trouble breathing. Then came the third call. A …

8 Patients Killed in Florida Nursing Home After Irma-Related Power Outages

Eight patients at a sweltering nursing home died after Hurricane Irma knocked out the air conditioning, raising fears about the safety of Florida’s 4 million senior citizens amid power outages that could last for days. Hollywood Police Chief Tom Sanchez …

Why the Number of Coastal Homeowners with Flood Insurance Has Been Shrinking

Amanda Spartz nearly did not renew her home’s flood insurance policy after her first year in Florida. Two hurricanes came close to the Fort Lauderdale suburbs last year, but they didn’t hit and her home isn’t in a high-risk flood …

Police Video: Florida Officer Told Venus Williams She Caused Fatal Crash

A police officer told tennis star Venus Williams she likely caused a crash in Florida that fatally injured an elderly man last month but didn’t cite her, saying it appeared the actions of a third driver left her in a …

Florida Police Rescind Determination of Fault in Venus Williams Crash

Tennis star Venus Williams legally entered an intersection but was cut off by another car, setting off a chain of events that seconds later resulted in a fatal crash with a third car, police say video released Friday shows. The …

Tennis Star Venus Williams Sued by Family of Florida Man Over Fatal Car Accident

Tennis star Venus Williams is being sued by the estate of a Florida man who died after a car crash police say she caused. An attorney representing the family of Jerome Barson, 78, filed the lawsuit Friday in Palm Beach …