Florida Injury Attorney Blog

Through the end of Labor Day weekend on September 7, police in Florida are taking aggressive measures to search for and arrest anyone found driving while impaired. The crackdown is part of a nationwide campaign called “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. People that are caught speeding or riding in a vehicle without using a seatbelt will also be apprehended.

In Florida, Labor Day weekend is considered one of the deadliest periods of the year for drivers. Last year, 36 people died in Florida traffic accidents during this long weekend and alcohol was a factor in 12 of those fatalities.

Also in 2008, there were over 22,000 alcohol-related Florida car accidents resulting in over 1,100 traffic deaths and over 15,700 injuries. The Florida county with the largest number of auto crashes involving alcohol was Miami-Dade County with 1,898 traffic accidents and 85 motor vehicle deaths involving alcohol.

Sobriety checkpoints have been set up in different locations throughout Florida and saturation patrols will be out in force.

Drunk driving continues to be one of the more common causes of South Florida traffic accidents and the rest of the United States. It doesn’t help that binge drinking continues to be a habit “on the rise” and not just among younger people.

A new study found in the American Journal of Psychiatry is reporting that in the 50-64 year-old age group, nearly 1 in 10 women and 1 in 4 men are “binge” drinkers. Binge drinking is a habit that makes a motorist more prone to cause a drunk driving accident if he or she decides to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

The number of women arrested in the US for drunk driving has also increased. Nationally, about 2,000 traffic deaths a year involve a female drunk driver. 162,493 women were arrested for DUI in 2007, compared to the 126,000 female DUI drivers in 1998.

Drunk driving accidents often result in catastrophic injuries and deaths. A person injured in a South Florida car accident in Miami, Hollywood, Naples, Palm Beach, or Ft. Lauderdale because another driver was intoxicated may have grounds for filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Kicks Off Nationwide Enforcement Crackdown on Impaired Driving. Releases New Report Highlighting Increasing Number of Impaired Female Drivers, NHTSA, August 19, 2009

Binge drinking: It's not just for kids anymore, Los Angeles Times, August 17, 2009

Florida Law Enforcement to Launch Statewide Crackdown on Impaired and Unsafe Driving, Chipley Paper, August 21, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Florida DUI and Administrative Suspension Laws, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

2007 Drunk Driving Statistics, Alcohol Alert

12-year-old Pulio Chirino died today after he was hit by an SUV. Chirino, a West Palm Beach resident, was riding his bicycle to school when the tragic South Florida motor vehicle accident happened.

According to early police reports, the 5th grader was riding his bike into an intersection when the SUV hit him, dragging him at least 25 feet. Witnesses say he was wearing a helmet but that the protective gear fell off during the auto crash. Chirino was flown to Delray Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses say he may have been crossing against the light, meaning that drivers would have had the right of way at the time of the deadly West Palm Beach bicycle accident. A crossing guard wasn’t available to monitor the intersection.

The law enforcement officer in charge of assigning crossing guards to the area says that students who live in the vicinity where Julio’s family has a home usually go to a different school than the one that the 12-year-old attended. However, it is not uncommon for students in Palm Beach County to go to schools in other zones.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2007 Facts:
• 698 pedalcyclists died in US motor vehicle crashes in 2007.
• 91 fatalities were kids belonging to the 14 and under age group.
• 73 of these 91 deaths were young boys.
• About 43,000 pedalcyclists sustained injuries in US motor vehicle crashes.
• 10,000 of these injury victims were age 14 or younger.

While it is important for Florida motorists to exercise caution when there are pedestrians and bicyclists in the area, they must be extra careful around child pedestrians and bicyclists who may not be as experienced as their adult counterparts when it comes to safely navigating their way across streets and intersections and around motor vehicles.

If your loved one is a child pedestrian or a bicyclist who was seriously injured in a South Florida car crash, you should speak with an experienced West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer about your case.

West Palm Beach boy on way to school struck, killed by SUV, Palm Beach Post, April 14, 2009

Children, 2007 Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:
Bicycle Safety, Myths and Facts, American Academy of Pediatrics

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

Continue reading "12-Year-Old West Palm Beach Bicyclist Dies After He is Hit by SUV" »

In Broward County, a 16-year-old bicyclist died this weekend after colliding with a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Griffin Road. Richard Torrent, a Southwest Ranch resident, was pronounced dead at the Florida motor vehicle accident scene.

The driver of the sport utility vehicle, Bryce Stuehrenberg, of Davie, and his passenger, did not sustain any injuries. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the traffic crash, which occurred just after 5am on Sunday.

NHTSA 2007 Pedalcyclist Facts
• Of the 3,214 traffic deaths in Florida last year, 119 of the victims were pedalcyclists.
• Nationally, 698 pedalcyclists died in 2007.
• 43,000 others sustained injuries.
• 153 of the pedalcyclists that died were younger than age 20.
• Traffic victims younger than age 16 made up 15% of all pedalcyclist deaths.
• 17,000 of the pedalcyclists who were injured were teenagers.

Bicycle Accident Facts
• In Florida, bicyclists younger than age 16 must wear a safety helmet when on the road.
• Wearing a helmet is the best way to prevent head injuries during a bicycle accident.
• A bicycle is considered a motor vehicle, and bicyclists, like car drivers, truckers, bus drivers, and motorcyclists, must obey the rules of the road.

It is important that motorists allow at least three feet of space when overtaking a bicyclist on the road. Drivers of cars, SUV’s, vans, trucks, and buses should also check for bicyclists when they are turning onto another road, backing out of a parking space, or opening a car door.

Teen bicyclist killed in crash in Southwest Ranches identified, Sun-Sentinel.com, November 17, 2008

Bicyclists and Other Cyclists, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:
Helmet Laws for BIcycle Riders, Helmets.org

Florida Bicycle Laws

Continue reading "16-Year Old Broward County Bicyclist Dies in Florida Traffic Accident" »

US Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters says that there were 41,059 motor vehicle-related deaths in 2007—the lowest number of traffic fatalities/per year since 1992—and that 2.49 million people sustained injuries in highway accidents. The number of motor vehicle-related deaths in 2006 was 42,708 with 2.58 million reported injuries.

Peters attributed the decline in overall deaths to safer vehicles, aggressive law enforcement measures, and the federal government’s own efforts to prevent auto accidents. While the total number of traffic fatalities dropped, Peters noted an increase in motorcycle fatalities from 4,837 in 2006 to 5,154 deaths in 2007, accounting for 13% of all traffic fatalities last year. The number of injured motorcycle victims also increased from 88,000 to 103,000.

Other 2007 Traffic Statistics:

• Traffic deaths involving passenger vehicles dropped from 30,686 in 2006 to 28,933 in 2007.

• The number of pedestrian deaths decreased from 4,795 in 2006 to 4,654 in 2007, while the number of pedestrian injury victims increased from 61,000 to 70,000.

• Bicyclist deaths dropped from 772 deaths in 2006 to 698 deaths in 2007, with injuries to pedalcyclists dropping from 44,000 to 43,000 victims.

• The total number of large truck accident-related deaths dropped from 5,027 deaths in 2006 to 4,808 truck accident fatalities in 2007.

• The NHTSA reports that there were 3,214 motor vehicle deaths in Florida in 2007, which is a slight decrease from the 3,357 traffic deaths that occurred in 2006.

The data is part of the 2007 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes and People Injured compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Our South Florida motor vehicle crash lawyers would like to discuss your case during a free consultation.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters Announces Historic Drop in Highway Fatalities and Rate, Dot.gov

Read the Summary of the NHTSA 2007 Report (PDF)

Related Web Resources:

Florida Department of Transportation

Continue reading "NHTSA Says Number of Traffic Deaths Declined in 2007" »

19-year-old Coral Springs resident Christian Anthony Martinez is dead after a car struck the bicycle he was riding on November 19.

Martinez was riding his bicycle on Northwest 39 Street. As he tried to cross Coral Ridge Drive, Martinez was hit by a 2005 Chrysler van driven by Dana Ball, also a Coral Springs resident.

Martinez was taken to North Broward Medical Center where he died from his injuries later that day.

In 2006, 124 bicyclists were killed in Florida. 39 bicycle passengers and 4,227 bicyclists sustained injuries in traffic accidents.

Bicycling, walking, jogging, running, skateboarding, and in-line skating are popular activities in sunny Florida. Unfortunately, the injuries that can result when a bicyclist or a pedestrian is involved in a car accident, bus crash, truck collision, or motorcycle accident can be catastrophic.

Common causes of bicycle accidents include:

• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Failing to yield to a bicyclist
• Failure to see the bicyclist
• Failure to see the motor vehicle driver
• Failure to obey a traffic signal or sign

Many traffic accidents involving bicycles occur at intersections and crosswalks.

If someone in your family has died in a bicycle accident or any other kind of motor vehicle accident that you believe was caused by another party’s negligence or carelessness, you may be entitled to wrongful death compensation for the death of your loved one.

The statute of limitations for a motor vehicle-related death in Florida is two years from the date of death. You must retain the services of an experienced Florida wrongful death lawyer in order to file a successful wrongful death claim or lawsuit.

Bicyclist dies after being struck by vehicle in Coral Springs, Sun-Sentinel.com, November 20, 2007

Related Web Resources:

Bicycle Regulations, Florida Drivers.com

Bicycles, NHTSA

Continue reading "Florida Bicyclist Dies After Being Hit By Car in Coral Springs" »