Florida Injury Attorney Blog

The Florida Department of Transportation has joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other state departments of transportation in the nationwide campaign to promote motorcycle safety awareness during the month of May.

Promoting motorcycle safety is essential across the United States, as the death toll for motorcyclists continue to rise each year. Across the nation, 4,810 motorcycle riders died in 2006—5% more than the number of motorcyclists that died in 2005. 88,000 motorcyclists were injured in 2006—1,000 injury victims more than the 87,000 injured motorcycle riders in 2005.

In Florida, 388 motorcyclists died in 2004 compared to 339 in 2003. 6,558 Florida motorcycle riders were injured in 2004—again, an increase from the 5,973 that were hurt in traffic crashes in 2003.

The sunny weather in Florida makes motorcycle riding a yearlong, popular mode of transportation. One reason that motorcycle accidents happen so often is that other drivers forget to watch out for these smaller motor vehicles. Many motorcycles end up in a motor vehicle’s blind spot, which makes them even harder for a driver to see unless they are purposely looking around.

In South Florida, our motorcycle accident law firm represents injury victims and their families in the recovery of the financial compensation that they are owed by the negligent parties. If you contact our Miami motorcycle crash law firm for your free case evaluation, we can explore your legal options with you.

The Florida Department of Transportation offers several safety tips regarding how motor vehicle drivers can share the roads safely with motorcyclists:

• Give a motorcycle the full width of a lane rather than sharing one with them.
• Check your mirrors and blindspots for motorcycles.
• Be aware that certain road conditions that aren’t dangerous to you might be hazardous to a motorcycle rider.
• Don’t tailgate a motorcycle.

Our South Florida motorcycle collision injury law firm has law offices in Miami, Naples, and Hollywood, Florida.

May is Motorcycle Safety Month, Florida Highway Patrol

Share the Road, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:

Safety Tips for Motorcycles, Share the Roads Safely

Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Continue reading "Florida Department of Transportation Declares May Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month" »

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A 33-year-old Florida motorcyclist was injured on her birthday when a car struck her motorcycle. According to the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department, Laurel Hill resident Myria Jacobs was thrown nearly 40 feet off her motorcycle.

The car turned left in front of her as she was heading south on Eglin Parkway and struck her motorcycle. Jacobs hit the car’s windshield and then soared over the motor vehicle until she fell onto the road. Jacobs was not wearing a helmet at the time of the motorcycle accident.

Jacobs, who sustained serious head injuries, was airlifted and taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. As of yesterday, Jacobs condition had reportedly been upgraded from serious to fair.

The driver of the car, Fort Walton Beach resident Elinor Monfils, 74, was cited by police for her failure to yield. Monfils sustained minor injuries in the crash and was treated at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.

Motorcycle collisions can lead to serious personal injuries and even death—especially for the motorcyclist who does not have anything to protect him or her from the impact of colliding with a car, truck, bus, the ground, or a nonmoving steel or concrete object.

Causes of motorcycle crashes include:

• Driver negligence or carelessness
• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Driver inattention
• Defective motor vehicle
• Poor weather and road conditions

Two-thirds of motorcycle accidents are caused by car drivers, who may not be watching for motorcyclists that are sharing the roads with them. Head injuries are the number one kind of motorcycle accident injury.

Even though Florida law does not make it mandatory for motorcyclists to wear helmets, it is recommended that a DOT-approved helmet be used as a safety precaution. Even if a motorcyclist follows all the rules and drive safely, he or she cannot control the behavior of other drivers on the road.

Medical and recovery costs, as well as other expenses associated with motorcycle injuries, can be very expensive. A good motorcycle accident lawyer can evaluate your injuries and your accident for you and determine whether you have grounds to file a motorcycle accident claim or lawsuit.

Birthday ends in cycle crash, Florida Emerald Coast.com, November 12, 2007

Injured birthday cyclist now in fair condition, Florida Emerald Coast.com, November 14, 2007

Motorcycle Safety, MassGeneral Hospital for Children

Related Web Resources:

Motorcycle Safety Foundation

NHTSA, US Department of Transportation

Continue reading "Florida Motorcyclist Is Seriously Injured After Being Struck by Car in Fort Walton Beach Area " »

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In Hollywood, Florida, Shaina Scott, 21, died at Memorial Regional Hospital where she had undergone surgery after the deadly motorcycle crash where she was thrown from her from the motorcycle she was riding on Friday. The driver of the motorcycle, 24-year-old Erick Tenaille, died at the accident scene.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal traffic accident. Larry Ranko, the driver of the Acura, was heading northbound on a southbound I-95 just north of Griffin Road when the deadly crash occurred. Ranko was treated at Broward General Medical Center where he was reportedly in serious condition. The highway patrol is still trying to determine whether to file charges, if alcohol was involved, and why Ranko was driving down the freeway but going in the wrong direction.

In 2006, Ranko pleaded guilty to driving without headlights, driving on the wrong side of the road, and driving to the left of the center line. He also had his license suspended and served two years’ probation for heroin possession in 1997.

Shaina’s roommate and two other motorcyclists were riding along Shaina and Erick when the deadly accident occurred.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 432 people were killed in the U.S. because of wrong-way accidents in 2005.

Florida transportation officials, however, say that the state’s roads are purposely designed to prevent wrong-way accidents. There are signs in red and white warning drivers that they are going the wrong way on the freeway. Medians are set up to prevent someone from entering the highway from the wrong direction.

Because a motorcycle rider doesn’t have anything to protect him or her in a motorcycle collision—especially when crashing into a car, truck, or bus, motorcycle riders and drivers are prone to catastrophic injuries and death when involved in a motor vehicle crash. In Florida, motorcycle riders are not required to wear helmets, which can leave unhelmeted heads exposed the entire time. Tenaille, a Coral Gables resident, was not wearing a helmet on Friday.

Some of the injuries that can occur in a motorcycle accident:

• Broken bones
• Disfigurements
• Severed limbs
• Head injuries
• Severe burns
• Brain damage
• Spinal cord injuries
• Neck injuries
• Back Injuries

The Insurance Information Institute days that 4,787 died in motorcycle crashes in 2006.

Motorcycle passenger dies from injuries in I-95 head-on crash, Sun-Sentinel.com, September 1, 2007

Motorcycle Crashes, Insurance Information Institute

Related Web Resources:

Evaluation of the Repeal of the All-Rider Motorcycle Helmet Law, NHTSA.dot.gov

Continue reading "Motorcycle Passenger Dies After Head-On Collision with Acura in Florida" »

Posted by Paige Trop & Ameen | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Motorcycle Accidents

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