Palm Beach County’s seat belt violation fine is $101, Miami Dade County’s fine is $114, and Broward County’s fine is $115. The state and counties also impose additional fees.

The 2-day seat belt campaign, called "Staying Alive on 95 & Florida Roadways,” kicked off on Tuesday when the Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law went into effect. The law, named after two teens that were not wearing seat belts when they were killed in Florida car crashes, lets police pull motorists over just because they aren’t wearing seat belts.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the new law is expected to prevent 6,200 serious auto accident injuries and save 262 lives. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Florida motorists had a 79% safety belt compliance rating for 2007.

Nationally, in 2008, the NHTSA reported seat belt use at 83%—an increase from 2007 when 82% of US motorists wore seat belts. In May, the US Department of Transportation reported that if seat belt use in every US state was at 90%, 22,372 serious injuries and 1,652 deaths could be prevented every year.

Florida Car Accident Lawsuits
Regardless of whether or not you were using a seat belt, you could be entitled to receive Florida car accident compensation if your injuries occurred because another motorist or another party was negligent. If you were injured in a motor vehicle crash in Miami-Dade County, Broward County, or Palm Beach County because the seat belt you were using was defective or malfunctioned, you may be able to file a Florida products liability claim against the vehicle maker or the seat belt manufacturer.

Examples of sea belt defects that may be grounds for a defective seat belt lawsuit:

• Inertial unlatching
• Defective webbing
• Too much seat belt slack
• Seat belt retractor defects
• Seat belt failure
• Poor seat belt design or placement
• Seat belt system failure

Law enforcement plans 48-hour seat belt blitz, Sun-Sentinel.com, June 30, 2009

'Stay Alive on 95' Program Kicks Off Before Holiday Weekend, WOKV.com, June 30, 2009

New Study: Higher Seat Belt Use Could Save Many Lives, NHTSA, May 14, 2009

Related Web Resources:
The Dori Slosberg Foundation

Florida Highway Patrol

The Broward County truck crash occurred after a motorist in a vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign and cut off Brown’s large truck, a 1998 Freightliner truck. To avoid hitting the vehicle, Brown swerved his 18-wheeler truck off the road, which overturned. Brown is now a quadriplegic.

National Casualty Company, Brown’s insurer, wouldn’t pay his benefits, so Brown sued the company for uninsured motorist benefits. Prior to the civil trial, Circuit Judge Cheryl Aleman ruled that under the National Casualty Policy, Brown was entitled to uninsured motorist benefits.

Uninsured Motorist Benefits
Uninsured motorist benefits provide coverage to an injured person when the person that caused the motor vehicle accident does not have any or enough insurance to cover the claim being made. Uninsured motorist benefits may also be applied in Florida motor vehicle crashes involving hit-and-run drivers. If your insurer is refusing to pay your uninsured motorist benefits following a Broward County motor vehicle accident, an experienced South Florida personal injury lawyer can help you obtain the benefits that you are owed.

While Florida’ Personal Injury Protection coverage mandates that motorists carry a minimum $10,000 in coverage so that drivers have some coverage regardless of who is at fault, this may not be enough.

Catastrophic injuries, such as spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries may require a lifetime of costly medical care, services, and procedures. The victim may also no longer be able to earn a living. For example:

Quadriplegia
Quadriplegia involves paralysis from the shoulders down. This is the most serious kind of spinal cord injury (SCI). Not only must a person with quadriplegia receive medical attention as soon as possible, but physical and occupational therapy, drug therapy, respiratory therapy, surgery, and certain assistive devices may be required.

Paralyzed former Pahokee trucker wins $14.6 million judgment, Sun-Sentinel, June 23, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

In South Florida alone, C-sections made up 41% of the births in Palm Beach County and 43% of the births in Broward County. Yet some South Florida doctors deliver 75% of their babies by C-section. At Holy Cross Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale and Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, 50% of deliveries are by cesarean.

One reason for the rise in C-section births is that hospitals and obstetricians in South Florida are worried that they could be sued for medical malpractice if anything goes wrong during delivery. Most doctors won’t allow a woman to deliver a baby naturally if she’s already had a C-section. Mothers that are obese or that are suffering from diabetes or other health issues are normally urged to undergo C-sections. Multiple births and breech births are often performed via cesarean. Doctors and parents may even opt to have a C-section delivery in order to accommodate their busy schedules—picking out the most convenient date for the baby’s birth.

Yet while cesarean births may prevent certain immediate risks, other side effects could come into play. Babies delivered by C-section may end up in intensive care, and anesthesia reactions and infections from the surgery can occur. Moms that deliver by C-section more than once risk abnormal placental growth that could lead to complications.

According to Boston University School of Public Health researcher Eugene Declercq, some doctors that perform C-section deliveries would be hard pressed to offer medical reasons for why they did not deliver the babies naturally. Some insurance companies are even calling on doctors to ease up on the number of C-section births because of the expense and the possibility of future complications.

Obstetricians and gynecologists, like other medical providers, can be held liable for medical malpractice if error or negligence led to a baby getting hurt or suffering from health problems. Examples of complications that can lead to a birthing malpractice claim include:

• C-section complications
• Preeclampsia
• A ruptured uterine
• Toxemia
• Forceps injury
• Failure to properly monitor the fetal heart rate
• Failure to perform C-section as soon as it is needed
• Errors involving vacuum extraction

Florida is second in nation for C-sections, Sun-Sentinel, June 8, 2009

South Florida C-section rates too high, Examiner.com, June 9, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Understanding C-Sections, Parents.com

Repeat Cesareans May Put Babies At Risk, EmaxHealth.com, June 10, 2009

4,816 people took the survey. Results show that nearly 60% of teens and 49% of adults in their 20’s say they text while driving. 13% of older adults—drivers in their 50’s—say also practice this dangerous habit.

The American Medical Association calls texting while driving a “public health risk." Not only does text messaging reportedly increase the time a motorist spends not focusing on the road by 400%, but in many cases, a driver that responds to or downloads a text message may have to take one if not both hands off the steering wheel, as well as both eyes off the road—increasing the chances of becoming involved in or causing a deadly Florida car crash.

The National Safety Council wants all US states and the District of Columbia to impose a total ban on texting and talking on a cell phone while driving. The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis estimates that 636,000 auto crash, 2,600 fatalities, 330,000 injuries—12,000 of them catastrophic ones—can be attributed to use of the cell phone while driving. These figures rank cell phone talking and texting up there with the kinds of behavior that are considered common forms of distracted driving. Florida also currently does not have any laws restricting or banning the habit of talking on a cell phone while driving.

Distracted driving is a leading cause of South Florida motor vehicle accidents. It is a form of negligent driving that can be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit if you or someone you love was seriously injured because a motorist was texting, talking on a cell phone, reading, doing their nails, putting on makeup, eating, or otherwise distracted while operating a vehicle.

Survey: 26 percent admit to texting while driving, CNET News, May 20, 2009

New Florida Bill Aims to Ban Texting While Driving, The National Safety Commission, February 18, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Cell Phone Driving Laws, Governors Highway Safety Association

National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use, National Safety Council, January 12, 2009

Autopsy results from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s office indicate that Denis, who has autism, died of serotonin syndrome—a life-threatening condition that can occur when a mix of drugs causes the brain to make too much serotonin, which regulates a person’s mood.

Serotonin Syndrome Symptoms can include:

• Nausea
• Hallucinations
• Rapid heart beat
• Poor coordination
• Blood pressure fluctuation
• Overactive reflexes
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting

If not treated quickly, this condition may become fatal.

On May 23, 2007, Denis and a number of other people from the group home traveled by van to get a haircut. While in the parking lot, he started kicking and biting staff members. They restrained him and soon after he became unresponsive.

Quesada’s Florida wrongful death lawsuit contends that Rainbow Ranch owner David Glatt stopped taking Denis to Jackson Memorial Hospital after the boy was admitted to the group home in 2006. Instead, Kaplan began treating him. She says that Glatt switched her son’s medical care without her consent.

Kaplan prescribed and refilled four drugs for her son: anti-psychotic drugs Zyprexa and Seroquel, anti-seizure drug Depakote, and tranquilizer Clonazepam. Even though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved all of the drugs for use on kids and some of the medications are accompanied by strong warnings, Quesada’s medical malpractice lawsuit contends that Kaplan failed to make sure that her son did not experience any side effects from taking the drug.

Her complaint also contends that the psychiatrist only examined Denise once between May 26, 2006 and May 23, 2007 even though there were warning signs that he may have been experiencing medication side effects. Teachers at his school found the boy sleeping through class. in 2006, he had to be taken to the emergency room twice. The Rainbow Ranch group home is no longer in operation.

Currently, the Department of Children & Families is examining the way psychiatric drugs are used on foster children. This probe comes one month after the death of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers, a foster child that committed suicide.

Mother Claims Drug Cocktail Killed Her Son, CBS4, May 20, 2009
Lawsuit says too many psychiatric drugs killed boy, Miami Herald, May 20, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Serotonin Syndrome, Psychcentral.com

More Florida foster kids than thought are given mental-health drugs, Miami-Dade, May 28, 2009

Florida Department of Children and Families

Frankie Kennedy, who is president of the Southwest Florida ABATE motorcycle safety group, says that there are now over 1 million motorcyclists with licenses to ride in Florida—a significant increase from the 40,000 motorcyclists with Florida licenses in 2001. The month of May is also a time of year when more riders start to get on Florida’s roads and highways—long holidays and the summer vacation months play a role in this increase in riders—which also increases the chances that a Florida motorcycle accident may occur.

Kennedy is quick to note that 85% of motorcycle accidents resulting in a motorcyclist’s death occur because another driver was at fault. In Lee County, Florida alone, there were 278 motorcycle accidents that occurred in 2008 that resulted in 20 motorcycle rider deaths. In 2007, there were 530 motorcycle deaths that occurred throughout Florida.

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month is not about placing blame on anyone. It is about reminding the drivers of cars, trucks, and buses, as well as motorcyclists, that they share Florida’s roads with one another. This means that motor vehicle drivers must allow motorcyclists a full lane to ride and not try to share a lane with them. They must also check their blind spots for motorcycles, as well as give a motorcycle enough space when following behind one so that the rider can stop abruptly in the event of an emergency.

Motorcyclists, in turn, have to remember that they share the roads with larger vehicles. Not only must they wear protective gear or clothing to minimize any potential injuries during a Florida motorcycle crash, but they also must make sure that they are visible to other motorists—this means avoiding a motor vehicle driver’s blind spot and wearing clothing that is bright enough so that they are as visible as possible to other drivers—especially at night.

Motorcyclists should also ride safely and refrain from speeding. Taking proactive steps to prevent a Florida motorcycle accident from happening could save not only a motorcyclist’s life but also the lives of other motorists sharing the roads with them.

Sharing the road safely, Wink News, May 18, 2009

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, WCTV, May 4, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Motorcycle Safety, Florida Department of Transportation

Motorcycle Safety Awareness, NHTSA

The victim, a 54-year-old woman, has a 5-year-old’s mental capabilities. Nursing home workers had reportedly warned McDermott numerous times not to have any contact with the resident. On the afternoon of April 30, however, McDermott was seen touching the female patient’s breast.

Sexual abuse of any kind, whether between adults or an adult and a child is a crime and a cause of serious personal injury. If your loved one was sexually abused by another nursing home patient, a nursing home worker, or a visitor to the long-term care facility, you may be able to hold both the perpetrator and the nursing home liable for civil damages.

Nursing homes are supposed to take care of residents and protect them from becoming the victims of violent crimes. Failure to provide this care and protection can be grounds for a Florida nursing home neglect lawsuit.

Many elderly and sick nursing home patients have a hard enough time taking care of themselves let alone fending off a sexual assailant. Unfortunately, the victim may be too scared or is unable to voice his or her fears or report the incident.

Signs that a Florida nursing home resident may have been the victim of sexual abuse:
• Sexually transmitted disease
• Bruises on the inner thighs
• Pain or bleeding or itching in the anal or genital areas
• Depression
• Personality changes
• Fear of certain people
• Timid behavior
• Making comments about sexual behavior

Man charged with molesting fellow nursing home resident, TBO.com, May 5, 2009

Elderly Often Unrecognized Victims of Sexual Abuse, Senior Journal, November 9, 2004

Related Web Resources:
National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

Nursing Home Guide, AHCA

Two of the motor vehicles that hit him, a small car and a tractor-trailer, did not stop at the crash site. Bordas was not using a helmet at the time of the deadly Florida traffic crash.

Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Getting thrown off a motorcycle can be fatal for the rider, especially if he or she is not using a helmet. Examples of catastrophic injuries that can occur to motorcyclists:

• Facial injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Skull fractures
• Broken legs
• Broken feet
• Hand injuries
• Organ damage
• Permanent disabilities
• Spinal cord injuries
• Road burns
• Lacerations
• Road rash

A truck driver, car driver, bus driver, or another motorist responsible for causing a Florida motorcycle accident can be held liable for personal injury or wrongful death.

Motorcycle Accident Facts
• The Federal Highway Administration says that in 2007 there were 7.1 million motorcycles riding on US roads.
• The Insurance Information Institute says the number of motorcycle deaths have increased every year over the last decade.
• 13% of all traffic deaths and 4% of all occupants who were hurt in 2007 motor vehicle crashes were motorcycle riders.

Crash kills motorcyclist on I-95, Miami Herald, May 5, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Outlaws Motorcycle Club

Motorcycle Crashes, Insurance Information Institute

Federal Highway Administration

Florida state motorcycle laws, American Motorcyclist

The Florida wrongful death lawsuit accuses the 28-year-old’s father, David Wayne Irby, of negligence for allegedly allowing his son to operate the ATV even though he knew his son had been drinking. The older Irby had been hosting the party where his son drank. The complaint was filed by the decedent’s mother, Bonnie McCabe, on behalf of her son’s estate.

McCabe’s Florida wrongful death lawyers say that McCabe wants any money received from the lawsuit to go toward her son’s children, Chase, now 5, and Gavin, who was born after his father’s death. They contend that David Jason Irby’s blood alcohol limit was about three times above the legal limit of .08% when he got behind the wheel of the ATV and that allowing him to operate the all-terrain vehicle was like letting him get behind the wheel of a regular motor vehicle while drunk. The estate also plans to sue the ATV owner for Irby’s wrongful death.

In Florida, a person or business can be held liable for serving alcohol to a driver who is visibly drunk and/or for allowing him to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Even if the drunk motorist doesn’t sustain injuries as a result being involved in a drunk driving accident, other parties who are injured as a result of the drunk driver’s negligent behavior can file a personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit against the social host responsible for serving the alcohol.

Steps people who are serving alcohol can take to make sure that people don’t drive drunk:

• Make sure you stay sober so you can keep an eye on how much alcohol your guests are consuming.
• Don’t let people who have had too much to drink get in the driver’s seats of their cars.
• Assign designated drivers or call cabs.
• Stop serving people alcohol when you can see that they are clearly intoxicated.

Wrongful death suit filed against father of Indiantown ATV accident victim, TCPalm, April 17, 2009

The trouble with drunk friends, Insure.com, February 13, 2009

Related Web Resources:
NHTSA

ATV Dangers, CBS42, December 26, 2008

The Broward boy may have been taking up to three of the four psychiatric drugs prescribed to him at the time of his suicide. Three of the drugs prescribed to him came with FDA “black box” label warnings cautioning about children’s safety when using the drugs. Three of the drugs are not approved to be administered to young children, although they are used for “off label” purposes, which allow doctors to prescribe the drug even without formal approval.

Dr. Sohail Punjwani, the psychiatrist who may have treated Gabriel, had reportedly been included on a list of doctors in Florida that the Agency for Health Care Administration had red-flagged for engaging in prescribing practices that were “problematic." His name was on the list during every quarter that regulators have monitored the prescription of psychotropic drugs.

About 300-400 of Florida’s 17,000 doctors that prescribe drugs to kids on Medicaid are included on the list. Punjwani says he doesn’t remember Myers, but that he may have been one of a number of people to treat the boy. He says that anti-psychotic drugs are routinely used to treat insomnia and mood instability.

Also, per Florida law, a judge or a parent must give consent before a foster child can take a psychotropic drug. Broward Circuit Judge Lisa Porter approved Myer’s medications even though a court-appointed guardian disagreed.

The Miami Herald reports that it has seen records indicating that an older boy may have sexually molested Myers. Last Thursday, after getting into an argument with his foster dad’s 19-year-old son, Myers went into a bathroom and used a detachable showerhead to hang himself.

The 7-year-old had been prescribed the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug Vyvanse, anti-depressant drug Lexapro, and anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa. The latter two may have recently replaced with Symbyax.

Florida lawmakers in 2005 had approved a law curbing the use of dangerous, mind-altering drugs on children. Also, doctors are responsible for making sure they provide the correct drugs and their dosage to patients. They also are supposed to make sure that children and other patients are not given drugs that can lead to adverse side effects. Over two million people a year are hospitalized, injured, or killed in the US because of adverse drug reactions.

You or your family may be entitled to Florida medical malpractice or wrongful death compensation.

7-year-old boy prescribed powerful drug before suicide, Sun-Sentinel, April 22, 2009

Related Web Resources:
4000 kids under 10 on mood drugs, The Australian, December 3, 2008

Antidepressant Medications for Kids: Information for Parents and Caregivers, 4therapy.com

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

Video footage shows the former St. Petersburg kindergartener in the classroom while making a mess, stepping on a desk, and punching assistant principal Nicole DiBenedetto. St. Petersburg cops are also seen telling the girl to calm down. By this time, however, the girl, then 5, suddenly becomes quiet and sits at the assistant principal’s table. Yet three cops reportedly stood her up, placed her hands behind her back, and put handcuffs on her wrists. The girl is seen screaming.

She was placed in the back of a police car until the State Attorney’s Office told police that they would never prosecute a 5-year-old. The girl was then released to her mother.

Akins’s Florida personal injury lawsuit accuses the defendants of malicious prosecution, negligence, violating her daughter’s civil rights, failing to have the proper procedures instituted for dealing with disciplinary issues, and inadequately training school staffers to deal with such incidents. The complaint also says that the school should have taken steps to calm down the former kindergartener, rather than leaving her with the assistant principal, who she was scared of because of another incident that occurred that year.

Akins had reportedly complained to the school that she didn’t like the way the assistant principal dealt with her daughter and found her to be too harsh. Police had been called to the school to deal with her daughter’s behavior at least once before.

Florida schools are supposed to make sure that the students placed in their care are not harmed in any way. This includes making sure that systems are in place to keep children safe, properly training teachers and other staffers to deal with those placed under their charge, and making sure there is adequate security on the premise so that no one can assault or inflict any other kind of harm on the school kids. Failure to exercise these duties of care can be grounds for a Florida personal injury lawsuit. A premises liability claim might also be made if there were unsafe or hazardous conditions on the school property, such as toxic substances, defective playground equipment, electrical hazards, or other dangers that could cause injury or death to a student.

Lawsuit filed over 2005 Pinellas school handcuff incident, Sun-Times News Group, March 31, 2009

Video shows police handcuffing 5-year-old, St Petersburg TImes, April 22, 2005

Related Web Resources:
Watch the Video

Pinellas County School Board

According to police, they were fighting over a blanket. While the medical examiner determined that Beltran’s cause of death was asphyxiation by smothering, questions are being raised as to whether inadequate patient supervision contributed to the elderly man’s death. According to the Department of Children and Family’s local spokesperson, one of the patients was supposed to be supervised every 15 minutes.

Not only must US nursing homes make sure that they provide each resident with the proper medical care and attention that they need, but nursing workers are responsible for making sure that patients are not a danger to themselves or others. This may mean providing additional supervision, as well as separating certain patients from the rest of the resident population. When failure to execute these responsibilities leads to injury or death, the Florida nursing home can be held liable for nursing home neglect or wrongful death.

Unfortunately, the deadly incident involving Beltran and Knauf is not that uncommon, especially as findings indicate that there are more mentally ill patients living in US nursing homes today than there were several years ago. Elderly patients are particularly at risk of getting hurt when they are around younger, stronger residents that may not be aware of what they are doing and cannot be held responsible for their actions.

Examples:
• In 2003, a 23-year-old mentally ill nursing home resident was accused of starting a fire that caused the deaths of 16 other patients. She was found incompetent to stand trial.

• In 2006, a 77-year-old male nursing home resident died after his roommate, 62, allegedly beat him with a bathroom towel bar. He too was found incompetent to stand trial.

Deadly nursing home fight may have been result of neglect, News-Press.com, March 13, 2009

Suffocation ruled cause in deadly nursing home fight, NaplesNews.com, January 21, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Nursing home patients endangered by mentally ill, Boston.com, March 22, 2009

Nursing Home Compare, Medicare.gov

Lymon went into a coma and stayed at a hospital for months. She continues to require 24-hour specialized care, needs help to walk and eat, and is still undergoing speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Prior to the Florida truck crash, Lymon could speak six languages and was working for the Florida Institute of Neurologic Rehabilitation. Now, her family has to help Lymon bathe, use the bathroom, dress, and perform other regular tasks. The jury award will help the family provide for Lymon’s special needs.

The Polk County jury found Bohn and Bynum Transport Inc. 100% liable for causing the Florida truck crash. While the defendants say that Bohn had a green light when he drove into the intersection, a witness claims that it was Lymon who had the green light.

The Florida personal injury team for Lymon's family says that because Bohn had just finished a 24-hour shift as the battalion chief for the Polk County Fire Services, driver fatigue was a likely factor. Her attorneys contend that the transport company failed to make sure that Bohn took the federally mandated number of hours of work off before beginning his shift.

Lymon’s verdict is considered one of the largest personal injury verdicts awarded by a jury in Polk County, Florida.

Woman deserves $65M for crash injuries, jury says, Newschief.com, March 20, 2009

Polk Jury Awards Woman $65 Million in 2007 Crash, The Ledger, March 18, 2009

Documents Supporting $65 Million Verdict, The Ledger, March 18, 2009

At this time, it is not known whether Reyes was crossing the street legally or if Stallworth had broken any traffic laws. Miami Beach police administered alcohol and drug tests to Stallworth, who is cooperating with the investigation. No criminal charges have been filed against him for the Miami pedestrian accident. Driving records from the state of Ohio show that Stallworth was convicted twice for speeding in 2008.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 1,700 to 1,800 pedestrian accidents occur each year in Miami-Dade County—especially in the areas of South Miami Beach, Liberty City, Little Havanah, and Little Haiti. While the Miami-Dade pedestrian safety program has helped reduce pedestrian accidents, there are, unfortunately, Florida motor vehicle crashes that still result in pedestrians dying or sustaining serious injuries.

Throughout the US in 2007, 4,654 pedestrians died in motor vehicle crashes while 70,000 others were injured. Over 2/3rds of the victims that died were males. While in Florida, of the 3,214 traffic deaths that occurred that year, 531 of the victims were pedestrians.

Ways Motorists Can Prevent Pedestrian Accidents:

• Don’t drive drunk.
• Don’t drive above the speed limit.
• Yield the right of way to pedestrians.
• Pay attention to the road so that you notice whether there are any pedestrians crossing the street at non-intersections.

Police investigating fatal crash say lab results for NFL's Donte Stallworth could be ready soon, Sun-Sentinel, March 16, 2009

Evaluation of the Miami-Dade Pedestrian Safety Demonstration Project, NHTSA, February 2009 (PDF)

NFL Player Kills Miami Pedestrian, May Be Charged, CBS4.com, March 15, 2009

Related Web Resource:
NHTSA