Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog

A recent car accident in Royal Palm Beach left two men struggling to get out of their rental car.

And it’s not just the fact that they were stuck in their rental that’s most alarming. It’s the fact that it had flipped over into a canal beforehand. According to News Channel 5, the two rented a 2012 Corvette from Hertz. It all happened as they were driving through the intersection of Okeechobee Boulevard and Folsom Road, just west of State Road 7, just after 5:00 p.m.

Law enforcement officials with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report that the driver of the rental car lost control of the vehicle, slammed it into a guard rail and landed the car upside down into the canal. The two were luckily able to escape and were transported to Palms West hospital and treated for injuries. A witness who was on their way to work saw the accident and called 9-1-1. it has not been determined if any laws were broken in the accident.

Our Royal Palm Beach personal injury attorneys understand that there are plenty of bodies of water here in the South Florida area. Unfortunately, there are about 250 vehicle submersion events each year in which at least one person dies, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In these accidents, nearly half had a major frontal crash, more than 10 percent had a side crash, about 2 percent experienced a major rear-end crash, nearly 25 percent involved a vehicle rollover with no collision and about 15 percent did not involve a collision or a rollover.

Every year, officials estimate that more than 400 people are involved in these kinds of accidents. It is also estimated that nearly 300 of them never make it out.

Luckily, the NHTSA is here to offer you some safety tips to help you to get out of one of these situations.

Submersion Safety Tips:

-Stay calm and remember the following tips.

-Keep your seat belt buckled until you’re ready to get out. A seat belt can help you to stay steady as your try to open the door or break a window.

-As soon as you hit the water, try to open a window before the water gets in.

-Check out the water current before swimming to safety.

-If water has already gotten into the car, wait for pressure to equalize before trying to open the door or break the window.

-Remove all excess clothing that could weigh you down.

-If you live near water or drive near some on your daily commute, which is most of us in Florida, consider getting a hammer-type device to keep in your car. Keep it tucked away near the driver’s seat.
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A recent car accident in Fort Lauderdale sent nine people to the hospital. Six of them were children.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the accident happened on Interstate 95 near Broward Boulevard just after 4:30 p.m. According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the accident happened when a 28-year-old driver sideswiped a Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by 63-year-old driver. Upon impact, the young driver lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the concrete barrier of the interstate. The SUV flipped and came to rest upright on its wheels.

Inside the vehicle were children between the ages of 4 months and 10-years-old. Both of the adult passengers were injured as well. Five of the children and one of the adults were reportedly trauma cases and one of the children and two of the adults were treated as basic life-support cases. All of the occupants were transported to Broward Health Medical Center. The license of the driver has been suspended as he faces violations regarding child restraint, careless driving and having faulty equipment in the vehicle.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys understand that a number of studies illustrate that some of the most dangerous interstate areas lie in the state of Florida, with Interstate 95 being not only the most dangerous in the state but the most dangerous in the country. New Jersey and California also held spots in the top 5 list of most dangerous interstates in the nation. Officials have looked at crash information from the National Highway Safety Administration on nearly 250 stretches of interstate highways to figure out which roads are the most dangerous, and the deadliest, mile-for-mile.

Top 5 Most Dangerous Roadways in the Country:

-Interstate 95: Florida.

-Interstate 76L: New Jersey.

-Interstate 4: Florida.

-Interstate 15: California.

-Interstate 10: California.

To help you to navigate interstates in Florida, there are a few safety precautions that you can take. Being prepared and working to practice safe and alert driving habits can help to reduce your risks of an accident on these busy streets. Review the following safety tips and share them with your friends and family members.

Interstate Safe Driving Tips:

-Keep an eye on your mirrors. Know what’s going on around you at all times.

-Be sure to keep with the flow of traffic. Never travel too slow or too fast.

-Avoid traveling alongside another vehicle. If you’re passing, do so and allow room for others to make it through.

-Never drive in someone’s blind spot.

-Keep your headlights on to increase your visibility to other drivers.

-Always use a blinker when changing lanes.

-Know when your exit is coming up and get in the lane closest to it. Avoid switching lanes at the last minute.

-When entering an interstate, pick up speed gradually to match travelers already on the roadway.
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A recent teen car accident in Boca Raton left an 18-year-old driver seriously injured. According to News Channel 5, the accident was a single-car crash that happened about a half a mile from the teen’s home. It happened when the teen’s vehicle drifted out of its lane and into two trees just before 1:00 a.m. The driver was taken to Delray Medical Center and was last listed in critical condition.

Our Boca Raton car accident lawyers understand the risks that these young drivers face on our roadways. They’re not equipped with the experience behind the wheel that you and I are. For this reason, they face some serious risks for car accidents. As a matter of fact, car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens nationwide. They have higher risks for accidents than any other age group of drivers.

We can help though. By talking with these young ones about the risks and the dangers they’ll face on our roadways we can help to keep them alert and safe behind the wheel. We should all talk to them about the importance of safe driving habits. These talks can save lives.

In the state of Florida, there were more than 235,460 car accidents in 2010, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Of these accidents, more than 2,440 people were killed. Another 195,000 people were injured. Nearly 110,000 were property damage-only accidents.

Teens had a lot to do with these accidents, too. In 2010, there were nearly 100 teen drivers killed on our roadways. Another 64 teen passengers were killed in Florida, too. There were also nearly 11,000 teen driver injuries and another 8,000 teen passenger injuries that year. In total, there were nearly 30,000 teen car accidents. From 2009 to 2010, there was absolutely no change in the number of fatalities among teen drivers. This is all despite the overall decrease in the total number of accidents and fatalities among all drivers.

To help to bring these risks down, parents, guardians and educators are urged to sit down with the teens in their lives and talk to them about the real dangers that they’re going to face behind the wheel.

Warn them about the consequences of driving while distracted, driving under the influence and driving aggressively. It’s important to offer these young drivers plenty of supervised driving time, too. Set a good example by driving on your best behavior when these young ones are in the car. It’s also a good idea to enact some household driving rules. Consider enacting a curfew. Accidents are more likely to happen during the evening hours when it’s dark outside. You’re also encouraged to enact a passenger limit. With each young passenger present in the vehicle with your teen driver, their risks for an accident increase.
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“Most people think that sleepiness and drowsiness are only due to lack of sleep, but there are other factors that affect your levels of alertness throughout the day,” said President Sam Fleishman, MD with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Some of these factors include staying awake for more than 16 hours in a row, not getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night or having your nightly sleep regularly disturbed. All of these factors can make you awfully sleepy and they can increase your risks for a drowsy driving-related car accident in Coconut Creek and elsewhere. The truth of the matter is that about 60 percent of drivers say that they’ve driven a car while feeling drowsy at least once in the last year, according to EHS Today.

About a third of these people say that they’ve actually fallen asleep behind the wheel during this time. Nearly 15 percent say that they’ve been drowsy while driving at least once in the last month. More than 10 million drivers admit to getting into an accident because they were drowsy or actually fell asleep at the wheel, according to DrowsyDriving.org.

Our Coconut Creek car accident attorneys understand that drowsy driving is a bigger problem than many realize. Oftentimes, drivers think that they can push through the sleepiness and that it’s not going to affect their driving abilities. That’s not true! One of the worst things that you can do when you feel drowsy behind the wheel is to try to fight through it. Coffee, caffeine and other stimulants will only last so long. There are more effective ways to treat, and to even prevent, drowsiness behind the wheel.

Exhaustion and fatigue can impair your ability to drive, even when you don’t feel sleepy. The more fatigued you get, the tougher time you have paying attention and the slower your reactions.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nearly 17 percent of traffic accidents in the U.S. that happened between 1999 and 2008 had at least one fatigued driver involved. Studies have even concluded that fatigue can have some of the same effects as being drunk.

So what do I do to help to prevent these kinds of accidents?

-Get yourself on a health kick. Avoid nicotine, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits and get your daily exercise.

-Get enough sleep. You want at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

-Set up your sleep space. Make sure that you bedroom is quiet, dark and it at a comfortable temp.

-For greatest effectiveness, use caffeine as needed – instead of daily – and use it in moderation.

-When making long drives, take frequent breaks. Typically a 15 to 20 minute break to get out and stretch will suffice.
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In the state of Florida, a court can decide to put an ignition interlock device (IID) on a person’s car if they’ve been convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) with a breath-alcohol concentration (BAC) of up to 0.14.

If a driver is busted with a BAC of 0.15 or higher in the state then the convicted driver is ordered to have one of these devices installed on their vehicle, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Drivers who have been convicted of drunk driving in many other states have to have an IID installed on their vehicle after the first drunk driving conviction regardless of their BAC level. While many safe driving advocates push for stricter laws in the state to help to reduce the risks of car accidents in Lantana and elsewhere, other countries like France are getting very serious about the issue.

According to Motorway America, France is requiring all drivers to have two separate breathalyzers in their vehicles. This order started on July 1st, but won’t be heavily enforced until November 1st.

Our Lantana drunk driving car accident attorneys understand that drunk driving accidents account for about a third of all fatal crashes in the state. Every year, there are more than 10,000 people killed in these crashes. That’s a fatality every 51 minutes because someone wasn’t responsible enough to get a sober ride home. The truth of the matter is that these kinds of accidents are 100 percent preventable. Drivers are asked to be cautious, safe and responsible for the remainder of the year to help reduce everyone’s risk of a motor vehicle accident.

In France, the new regulation is meant to make sure that drivers have two breathalyzers, a warning triangle and a high-visibility safety vest in their vehicle at all times. Whoever is busted without these could face a fine, although there’s some leniency in enforcement until November. Are you planning on visiting France? You’ve got to abide by the new law, too. So make sure that you talk with your rental car company to make sure that their vehicles are equipped in accordance with the law.

IIDs have four components that make them effective. They have a breath alcohol sensor in the vehicle that records the driver’s BAD and will provide a warning if alcohol is detected. It also has a rolling retest system which will require the driver to retest their BAC every 20 to 30 minutes. A good IID also has a tamper proof design in the engine part of the unit. Typically these devices are checked every month or two. Lastly, an IID should also have a data-recording system that keeps track of the driver’s BAC readings and test compliance records to make sure that the offender is actually using the device.
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Some would have said that advanced crash avoidance technologies may be just what we need to help to reduce the risks of car accidents in Weston and elsewhere.

But it all depends on which technology you’re talking about. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), adaptive headlights, and other similar avoidance alert systems have the ability to brake autonomously — producing some of the largest reductions in auto accidents.

Others, like the lane departure systems, aren’t showing as good of results. As a matter of fact, IIHS officials say that these technologies could be making accidents more likely. Technologies like the blind spot protection haven’t shown any clear effects on accident patterns yet, officials report.

“As more automakers offer advanced technologies on their vehicles, insurance data provide an early glimpse of how these features perform in the real world,” says Matt Moore, vice president of HLDI.

Our Weston car accident lawyers reduced accidents means fewer insurance claims. According to the recent study from the IIHS, there were clear reductions in the number of property damage liability claims as well as claims regarding collision insurance. In the study, both 2010 and 2011 vehicles were included, depending on when the automaker started including these technologies in their vehicles.

How do forward collision avoidance technologies work? Well, these systems notify a driver when they’re gaining on traffic and may crash. Some of the newer systems are even equipped with the ability for the car to brake autonomously. With this technology, reduction in claims were seen for both damage and injury accidents. Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Acura vehicles were examined in the study. All of the vehicles with this technology produced reductions in the frequency of accidents by more than 10 percent.

The lowest reduction was seen in the Volvo vehicles. Experts believe that it’s because many of these vehicles were also equipped with lane departure technologies, which typically have a negative effect on the accident risks.

These technologies still need to be investigated. It’s clear that some help to reduce the risks of accidents, while officials are still questioning others.

If you break down all of the numbers, crash avoidance technology actually does help to reduce the risks of car accidents on our roadways, but it’s all depending on which ones you have as there are some that are actually increasing your risks.

There’s still nothing more important and nothing safer than cautious and alert driving. Drivers are asked to be cautious behind the wheel whether or not your vehicle is equipped with crash avoidance technology. Safe driving habits are still the number one line of defense against a potentially fatal car accident. Be safe out there!
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A teenage driver was recently ordered to one year behind bars after a car accident resulted from text messaging behind the wheel. The case was one of the first of its kind in the nation, as we reported on our Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog.

District Court Judge Stephen Abany said that he sentenced the 18-year-old driver to do the time because he wanted to urge other young drivers to “keep their eyes on the road.” The teen driver was found guilty on charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle causing serious injury while texting as well as motor vehicular homicide. The driver had no prior record. His license has also been suspended for 15 years.

Abany says that he chose the sentence based on rehabilitation, public safety, punishment and deterrence, with his focus on deterrence.

In the state of Florida, teens are allowed to text and talk on cell phones behind the wheel as they please. There’s no law prohibiting them from doing so. We’re one of the few states that has yet to enact such law.

In the state of Massachusetts, it was written into law back in 2010 that it was illegal to injure someone in the event of an accident because a driver was texting. In 2010, federal officials reported that there were nearly 3,100 people killed in distraction-related car accidents. Teen drivers are at some serious risks for these kinds of accidents. According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were nearly 2,000 teen drivers killed in car crashes on our roadways during 2010. Many of these accidents were the result of driver distractions.

Our Hollywood accident attorneys understand that there were nearly 200,000 teen drivers injured in car accidents throughout 2010. Many of these injuries could have been prevented if teens were a little more aware of the risks that come along with irresponsible driving habits. Unfortunately, these young drivers think they’re invincible on our roadways.

We’re in the summer season and that means that teen drivers can be found all over our roads, They’re out on summer break and they’re ready to have some fun! Unfortunately, the more time they spend behind the wheel, the greater the risks for car accidents. Be sure to talk with the teen in your life about the very real dangers that we all face on our roadways. The dangers and these risks can be easily minimized with some safe and responsible driving habits.

Safe Driving Tips from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV):

-Drive like you own the car, not the road.

-Be sure to obey all of the posted speed limits. Speed is one of the top causes of car accidents among teen drivers.

-Obey traffic lights and stop signs.

-Always use your turn signal to ensure that other drivers are aware of your intentions. Predictability helps to reduce the risks for an accident.

-Be cautious of the more vulnerable travelers on our roadways, like pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.

-Keep distractions out of the driver’s seat and keep the music down.

-Be aware of the road conditions, traffic congestion and the weather forecast.

-Be on the lookout for potholes, especially after rainy weather.

-Always be a safe and courteous driver.
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A fatal drunk driving car accident in Fort Lauderdale landed a driver behind bars for 25 years, according to 7 News. The accident happened back in February of 2011 when the 34-year-old driver struck the vehicle of a 23-year-old man and ended up taking his life.

Just three months after the fatal accident, the driver was pulled over again and was charged for driving on a suspended license. Jurors recently sentenced him to 25 years.

“I hate that man. I hate him. I will never forgive him. Drunk driving has become an epidemic,” said the victim’s father.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand that the driver was considered a habitual offender, meaning he had charges on his record spanning from robbery and kidnapping to other drunk driving convictions. Prosecutors asked for a 30-year sentence and the judge agreed to 25. With the driver is behind bars he won’t be able to devastate another family like this. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the same severe punishments. As a matter of fact, drivers who are involved in these accidents who return a BAC of .08 or higher are four times more likely to have been involved in a previous drunk driving-related incident.

Drunk driving accidents are taking the lives of far too many innocent drivers every year. According to the most recently released statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 10,000 people across the nation who were killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents in 2010. The truth of the matter is that all of these accidents could have been prevented and all of those who were killed could be here with us today if drivers practiced a little more responsibility behind the wheel.

Drunk driving car accident-related fatalities in 2010 accounted for about a third of all roadway fatalities for the year. There were more than 700 people killed in alcohol-related crashes in the state of Florida during the year. Florida proved to be one of the most dangerous states in the country for these kinds of accidents. They accounted for 30 percent of all traffic fatalities for the year.

Nearly 60 percent of the drivers who were involved in these accidents throughout the year were really intoxicated. Nearly 7,000 of the drivers involved in fatal accidents who had been drinking had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or greater. That’s nearly twice the legal limit.

Remember, these are preventable accidents. Be smart and figure out which sober ride you’ll be taking home, whether it’s with a designated driver, a taxi, a bus, etc. Whatever you do, getting behind the wheel after drinking should never be one of your options. It’s a decision that can return some fatal results.
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