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Attorney Speaks For 8 Relatives Injured In I-4 Crashes
Tribune photo by Greg Fight
A member of the Gomez family, no other name given, holds up a photo of his seriously injured brother at a news conference outside Lakeland Regional Medical Center Friday. Attorney William McBride is representing eight members of the Gomez family who were involved in Wednesday's pre-dawn accident on Interstate 4.
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Published: January 11, 2008
Updated: 01/11/2008 03:18 pm
LAKELAND - You can add the Gomez family to the list of mysteries remaining in the aftermath of Wednesday's Interstate 4 disaster.
Orlando lawyer William McBride said eight male members of the Gomez family were hurt in the I-4 crash as they drove in two cars to work in Osceola County. McBride would not identify any of them. He said three of the men remain hospitalized at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, with one in critical condition.
During a murky, multilingual news conference held at noon in the front yard of a house across the street from the hospital, McBride introduced three men he said were injured in the crash.
The Florida Highway Patrol has only one Gomez among the names of the injured it has released. Jeronimo Gomez, 29, was hurt in the second, less destructive crash that occurred in the eastbound lanes of I-4, according to an FHP release.
That Gomez was driving a 1991 Ford.
McBride would not say whether that Jeronimo Gomez is one of the eight he is representing.
He did say the Gomez in critical condition is a brother to one of the men who was at the news conference and a father of four. The two others who still are hospitalized are cousins, McBride said.
A hospital spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on any aspect of McBride's story because none of the hospital's remaining crash-related patients has signed a waiver of federal privacy rules. She did say the hospital treated eight men injured in the I-4 crash and that they did not all have same last name.
It's not clear whether other Gomezes were taken to other area hospitals.
Of the eight I-4 patients treated at Lakeland Regional, five remain hospitalized, said spokeswoman Cindy Sternlicht. Only one is in critical condition, she said.
McBride describes his practice as catering to the Hispanic community. He referred to himself in a news release as "Abogado William," and he made it clear that he is exploring legal action on behalf of his clients.
He translated for the men he brought to the news conference, describing how they blamed smoke from a nearby controlled burn that went awry for the lack of visibility that led to the crash. McBride called for witnesses to the crash to come forward to help his investigation.
He also said he wants to ensure other people involved in the crash know they have legal rights.
McBride said the Gomez men live in Lakeland but would not say where. They are Honduran immigrants working in the United States, McBride said. Asked repeatedly about the immigration status of the men, McBride refused to answer, saying only that he is a personal injury lawyer, not an immigration lawyer.
Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at (863) 284-1409 or wtownsend@tamptrib.com.
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