Distracted Lyft Driver Hits And Kills Utility Worker

Near West Palm Beach, a distracted Lyft driver with two passengers in his car struck and killed a utility worker earlier this week due to distracted driving practices.

According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office crash report, a 55-year-old Lake Worth Beach man was driving a 2020 Chevy Malibu in the 3000 block of Southern Boulevard around 4 p.m. when he became distracted causing himself to drift to the left and hit Julio Angel Flores Figueroa, 55, of West Palm Beach.

The sheriff’s office said Figueroa, who was marking utilities in the center median at the time of the crash, was hit by the Malibu’s windshield and tumbled to the pavement.

A Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson, Teri Barbera, confirmed that the driver who struck Figueroa works for Lyft and it is still unclear how the driver became distracted. 

Figueroa was pronounced dead at the scene, while the Lyft driver suffered minor injuries from the car accident. 

Lyft released the following statement about the deadly crash:

“We are heartbroken by this incident. Our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. We have removed the driver from the Lyft platform and stand ready to assist law enforcement however we can.”

At this time, the driver has not been arrested.

“They are very vulnerable. They’re just workers doing their job,” said Irv Slosberg, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives who lost his daughter in a 1996 traffic crash.”

Slosberg knows this tragedy all too well.

“There’s just so many distracted drivers. It’s an epidemic with the distracted driving,” Slosberg said.

Distracted driving resulted in more than 3,000 crashes already this year. According to state traffic data compiled by the University of Florida, six people died as a result and 62 others were seriously injured.

Boca Raton Motorcyclist Killed After Lawyer Rear-Ends Her At High Speed In His Tesla 

51-year-old Ingrid Noon, of Boca Raton, dies after she was rear-ended by a high-speed Tesla driven by Richard “Rick” Dorfman on Boca Rio Road in West Boca Raton early one Friday morning. 

According to Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) traffic homicide investigators, at about 2:11 a.m., Noon was driving her Kawasaki Vulcan S westbound on SW 18th Street within the inner lane, approaching Boca Rio Road.

At the same time, Richard Dorfman, 39, of Boca Raton, was driving a Tesla Model 3 behind Noon within the same lane of travel at a high rate of speed.

Dorfman was driving distracted, and failed to observe Ingrid and impacted the rear of her motorcycle. The impact caused Ingrid to be thrown off the motorcycle and onto the Tesla’s windshield.

Noon was transported to Delray Medical Center where she later died due to injuries sustained in the collision.

Dorfman was transported by ground to Boca Regional Hospital after he claimed to have chest pains immediately after paramedics arrived.

Sources close to the investigation tell Boca Post that the PBSO DUI unit followed Dorfman to the hospital. PBSO indicates that Dorfman may have been under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and that charges for Dorfman are pending.

Boca Post has learned that Dorfman is a member of The Florida Bar (Bar #125664), reportedly practicing law at The Law Office of Richard Dorfman, LLC. While Dorfman may still be legally eligible to practice law in Florida, he apparently traded law for lashes as he is a franchise owner of multiple “Deka Lash” locations, including one in Delray Beach.

Charges have not yet been filed against Dorfman which is typical in these types of cases. It can many months for law enforcement and the state attorney to investigate and prepare the case for prosecution.

Boca Man Crashes $704,000 Ford GT Near Boca Resort Because He Didn’t Know How To Drive Stick

A Boca Raton man crashed his newly purchased $704,000 Ford GT into a palm tree Friday evening because he was “unfamiliar” with driving manual transmissions.

Robert Guarini, 50, a resident of the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, crashed his 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition into a palm tree near The Boca Raton Resort

Guarini just purchased the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition from a recent Barrett-Jackson auction for $704,000 when the show was in Palm Beach County at The South Florida Fairgrounds last month.

According to an accident report submitted by Boca Raton Police Department, Guarini was driving home from The Boca Raton Resort when he reportedly lost control of the car after downshifting. Guarini told police that he was “unfamiliar with how to drive a stick shift”.

Guarini told Police he left the vehicle and got a ride home from Royal Palm Security because he left his cell phone which he needed to call a tow truck. When Police arrived, Guarini was not at the scene. Police spoke to Guarini over the phone and Guarini’s wife showed up at the scene to show the Police the vehicle’s bill of sale as it was not yet registered. From the report, it is unclear if Guarini ever showed back up to the scene.

According to the accident report, The driver “operated MV in a careless or negligent manner”. The officer also marked the driver’s condition as “unknown”.

Guarini was cited for driving with a suspended license (without knowledge, of course) as well as a warning citation for driving an unregistered motor vehicle. The investigating officer did not suspect drug or alcohol use as a contributing factor.

Troopers Investigate Fatal Car Accident On Oslo Road 

An 84-year-old Vero Beach woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning on Oslo Road, officials said. The wreck also left a 34-year-old Vero Beach woman with serious injuries.

The car accident involving two sedans happened about 8:02 a.m. at Oslo Road and 27th Avenue Southwest, Indian River County Fire Rescue Bureau Chief Bill Herrington said. Neither driver had passengers in their vehicle.

The 84-year-old woman was headed east in the first sedan on Oslo Road in the inside lane approaching the red light at 27th Avenue Southwest, according to Florida Highway Patrol. The other woman was traveling north in the second sedan on 27th Avenue Southwest in the left turn lane.

The driver of the second sedan tried to make a left turn onto Oslo Road as the traffic signal had a steady green arrow, troopers said. Troopers said the driver of the first vehicle drove through the intersection and collided with the second car.

The impact pushed the first car into a grassy area on the northeast corner of the intersection. The second vehicle rotated clockwise before coming to a stop, troopers said.

One woman was taken to the HCA Florida Vero Beach Emergency Room in critical condition, officials said. The other woman was taken by ambulance to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce as a precaution.

One of the patients later died from her injuries, officials said.

The wreck blocked the intersection at Oslo Road and 27th Avenue Southwest for about three hours, Indian River County sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Joe Abollo said. Troopers continue to investigate the cause of the deadly crash.