Distraction among those behind the wheel is a serious problem in Florida. Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation calculate some 42,000 crashes in the Sunshine State were attributable to distraction. That’s almost certainly a low estimate because distraction is not as easy to to track or quantify as, say,…
Articles Posted in Car Accident
Tire Blow-Out Precedes Man’s Fall From Florida Bridge
A 43-year-old man was lucky to be alive, let alone escape with only minor injuries, after he lost his balance on the Sunshine Skyway bridge while changing a tire, sending him plunging over a railway and down about 30 feet to the water below. Authorities say the man stopped on…
Social Media Posts Examined in Personal Injury Cases
Car accident victims – those who are able and well enough to engage in social media after the accident – must be cautious about the things they post after the accident. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to go over some ground rules with your attorney, once you’ve secured…
UIM Policy for Pedestrians in Back-over Accident Offset by Driver’s Insurance
A husband and wife out for a leisurely stroll in their neighborhood would never return home the same again. It was a summer day in Maryland in 2009. As they passed a residential driveway, a driver in his 20s backed out of the driveway without looking. In so doing, the…
Auto Insurers Sued in Florida for Substandard Accident Repairs
Dozens of auto insurers are facing a federal lawsuit brought in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando by hundreds of auto shops in 36 states alleging the insurance industry forces unfair, illegal and unsafe auto repairs for consumers in order to reduce expenses. Insurance industry…
Automaker Blames Driver for Deadly Crash that Killed Actor
In car accidents, as in life, events often unfold as a result of a series of actions or inaction. What this means for accident lawyers is there is often more than one responsible party in these cases, and that’s why litigation stemming from a seemingly simple crash can end up…
Jones v. Alayon – Challenging the Seat Belt Defense
Florida law – specifically F.S. 316.614 – requires all front seat passengers and anyone under the age of 18 to be restrained by the proper safety belt system, whether that’s a seat belt or a car seat or a booster seat. There are a few exceptions (school buses, farming vehicles,…
Fatal Florida Van Crash Investigated by Federal Authorities
An overloaded 15-passenger van careened off a rural Florida highway and into a water-filled ditch, killing eight passengers and wounding 10 others. The group was on an unlit stretch of road in Glades County shortly after midnight, on their way back to Fort Pierce following a church revival on the…
Golnick v. Callender – Proximate Cause of Injury Crucial in Crash Cases
Prevailing in an auto accident case means you have to prove more than negligence of the at-fault driver. It means you have to show the injuries you sustained – those for which you are seeking compensation – were the proximate result of that crash. This can be especially challenging for…
Townsend v. Pierre – Liability of Property Owners For Obstructive Landscaping
In order to operate their motor vehicles safely, drivers need to be able to see what’s in front of them – and coming at them from the side. Part of this is the job of traffic engineers and city planners. However, it’s also up to property owners, both commercial and…