Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
When 22-year-old Tiffiany Olson died from injuries sustained in a South Florida fatal motorcycle accident on a Palmetto road on Dec. 7, 2005, the only identification she had on her was a driver’s license with an old address. It would take law enforcement six-and-a-half hours to track down her next of kin.
Her frantic mother and brother heard she had been in an accident, but that was it. They checked the local hospitals – nothing. Two hours into their search, a police officer tracked down Tiffiany’s mom at Manatee Memorial Hospital. He handed her an evidence bag containing a few personal effects and advised her that her daughter’s body was at the morgue, which was closed. It was 1:30 in the morning.
After burying her daughter, Olson was determined that no mother should have to face such a wait to hear the fate of their child. From this experience two things emerged, the website To Inform Families First was created and the initiative for Florida’s “Register Your Emergency Contact Information Week” was born.
The goal of this effort is to see every single Florida resident register their emergency contact information in a statewide, secure and confidential, database (linked here) accessible only by law enforcement for the purpose of notification during a critical emergency. As of August 2010, more than 3.5 million Floridians have already registered. The registration process takes only a few minutes and could prevent someone you love from having to bear the agonizing wait Tiffiany’s mom experienced. In some cases, it could even save a life.
Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers at Freeman & Mallard know that confusion often reins after an accident and it can be difficult to know where to turn. In your time of need, an experienced personal injury lawyer can guide you through medical, insurance and lost wages claims, car repairs and the host of other legal entanglements that accompany a serious or fatal car accident. We have successfully and aggressively represented injury victims and their families in West Palm Beach, Hollywood and Margate for years. Call us today to schedule a no-obligation appointment to discuss your case at 1-800-529-2368.