Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
A Fort Lauderdale car accident sent three people, including a Fort Lauderdale police officer, to the hospital recently.
The accident happened on a Tuesday morning just after 9:00 a.m. near the 100 block of North Andrews Avenue, according to The Palm Beach Post.
The police officer’s patrol car received front-end damage from the collision with a Lincoln Navigator SUV. The SUV flipped on its side. The last vehicle involved in the accident was a Nissan Murano. An innocent bystander was injured in the accident as well. Police have charged the man in the Navigator for failing to yield to a police vehicle. The officer was reportedly responding to a domestic violence call at the time of the accident.
Our West Palm Beach car accident attorneys ask that everyone be extra cautious on our roadways during the summer months. Motorists should be on the lookout for law enforcement vehicles, emergency responders and construction crews. All of these vehicles travel to their own tune on our roadways and must be accommodated effectively to avoid an accident.
The driver of the Navigator was taken to Broward General Medical Center. The Fort Lauderdale police officer and the driver of the Murano were taken to Broward General.
The man driving the Navigator reportedly was also ticketed for driving with an expired tag and for having no proof of insurance, according to 7 News. The driver that Navigator had to be pulled from his SUV with the jaws of life.
“Once the front-end of the officer’s vehicle struck the passenger side of the other vehicle, it caused it to roll over, which subsequently struck the front of another vehicle,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Travis Mandell.
Police have yet to determine whether the officer’s lights were on. They’re say they are still investigating.
According to the Sun Sentinel, more officers have been killed in car accidents in the past 14 years than from gunfire. It is estimated that approximately 20 South Florida officers have been killed in motor-vehicle accidents. In contrast, nine were shot to death.
“Cops are the world’s worst to suffer from the ‘invincibility syndrome,’ ” said Ron Kelley, a retired Osceola County sheriff’s deputy who now contracts with police departments to provide training. “They get uniformed and a car with all the horsepower and because they have sworn to protect and serve, they go beyond their capacity.”
An exact number for law enforcement accidents doesn’t exist because agencies use varying criteria for defining law enforcement accidents.
“It’s not the cop’s emergency,” said Kelley, “It’s somebody else’s emergency. You’ve got to get there safely.”
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles offers you these tips to keep you safe near emergency response vehicles:
-When traveling on a two-lane roadway, you are required by law to slow down to a speed that is 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit. If the speed limit is 20 miles per hour or less, you must slow down to 5 miles per hour.
-If you encounter one of these vehicles parked on an interstate or a roadway with multiple lanes of travel in the same direction, you must leave the lane closest to the stopped vehicle as soon as safely possible.
-If you’re unable to switch to the appropriate lane, you MUST slow down to at least 20 mph below the posted speed limit.
-Failing to abide by these rules can result in a fine and points on your license.
If you or a loved one has been in a car accident in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or the surrounding areas, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-529-2368.
Additional Resources:
Crashes are leading cause of death among South Florida police officers, by Jerome Burdi and Dana Williams, Sun Sentinel
More Blog Entries:
Florida Ranks 37th Nationwide in Driving Skills, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, June 11, 2011
New Report Ranks Florida First in Fatal Pedestrian Accidents, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, June 7, 2011
Decreased Number of Roadway Fatalities not to be Taken Lightly for West Palm Beach Car Accidents, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, April 9, 2011