Car Accidents

Analysis: Florida Highways Among Most Deadly in the U.S.

May 30, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

“Steer clear of the state of Florida,” the lead sentence of a recent Forbes.com article reads. The reason? Our traffic safety is atrocious, particularly on South Florida highways. Of those that had the most car accident fatalities in the last decade:

Florida U.S. 1 – 1,079 deaths
Florida U.S. 41 – 772 deaths
Florida U.S. 27 – 614 deaths
Florida U.S. 441 – 442 deaths
Florida U.S. 17 – 420 deaths
Florida U.S. 98 – 465 deaths

Six of the top 10 deadliest highways in America are right here in the Sunshine State. The Forbes writer referred to these as “death tollways.” The numbers were based on a recent analysis of federal data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by a company called GeoTab. Continue reading ›

Driver Cited in I-75 Fort Myers Car Accident That Led to Amputation

May 20, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A crash on I-75 that led to catastrophic injuries for one North Fort Myers woman has now led to a careless driving citation for a St. Petersburg man.

According to The News-Press, the 30-year-old victim, a mother and foster parent, stopped on the side of the highway to help another motorist who had lost control in a rainstorm and struck a guardrail. She let the stranded motorist sit in her vehicle as she went to retrieve a blanket from her trunk. It was then that another driver swerved and struck her, pinning her against a vehicle and the guardrail, ultimately requiring her to undergo a leg amputation.

The citation of the driver does not necessarily have a direct impact on any future claim for damages, as the criminal and civil litigation will be separate procedures. However, it could potentially be used by plaintiff attorneys as evidence of driver negligence. Continue reading ›

Report: U.S. 41 Fort Myers is No. 2 Most Dangerous Road in Country

May 14, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Anyone who lives in Fort Myers knows U.S. 41 is a nightmare for motorists. Lanes are narrow. Traffic volumes are atrocious, especially at rush hour. There are few crosswalks and drivers routinely speed or tap away at their phones as they weave in-and-out of traffic. Worse, there is very little alternative, as the thoroughfare, also known as Tamiami Trail, is one of the main in the Southwest Florida. Car accidents occur with regularity.

Perhaps it should surprise none of us, then, that it is ranked as the No. 2 most dangerous road in the country. Further, most Floridians would probably not be shocked to learn that four of the top five most dangerous roads are in Florida, as reported by NBC-2, which detailed the findings of a new study by Geotab. Six of the top 10 most dangerous highways are in Florida.

While car accident rates have spiked everywhere in these last two years, with increasing driver distractions and lower gas prices, Florida has been acutely affected.

Study: Florida No. 2 Worst State for Distracted Driving

April 30, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Florida is second only to Louisiana when it comes to the worst states for distracted driving. That’s according to a new study conducted by an online insurance company that used an app called EverDrive to measure behaviors like speeding, aggressive turning, sudden acceleration, hard braking and other dangerous movements while the motorist’s phone was being used behind the wheel. Study authors made sure to exclude measurements of movements that occurred in the car when the phone was in sleep mode or when it was used in hands-free mode (which we know still is not as safe as you might think).

The analysis proved that more than 90 percent of drivers across the country with cell phones have used them while in a moving car at some point in the previous month.

When it came to state rankings, Florida was placed at No. 2. This was based on data from 2.7 million trips and 230 million miles driven, according to the company. Continue reading ›

Texting and Driving: Nothing to LOL About

April 24, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

April is distracted driving month.

Officials with the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, the Florida Sheriffs Association and AAA are teaming up to promote Distracted Driving Awareness month, and urging drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

Last year in Florida, approximately 50,000 crashes involved a driver who was distracted. It’s an action that substantially impairs reaction time, resulting in an estimated five crashes in this state every single hour. Continue reading ›

Rideshare Insurance Mandate Passes Florida Senate

April 12, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Florida senators overseeing the state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee approved a bill that would establish regulations and insurance mandates for popular ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft.

SB 340 passed by a margin of 7-2.

If the bill makes its way through the entire state senate, it would establish a statewide regulatory framework for all drivers of the ridesharing service. This would include parameters regarding how much insurance coverage drivers would need to carry when they are not covered by the rideshare service’s plan. Continue reading ›

More Children Injured, Killed in Car Accidents, Data Shows

March 31, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Car accidents are increasingly common in the U.S. A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that unfortunately, children are not immune to the risks.

As you may know, motor vehicle crashes are on of the main killers of children under 14, who comprise about 19 percent of the total population. Of the more than 35,000 people killed in traffic crashes in 2015, 3 percent were children. What’s especially troubling is that there were 1,132 children reportedly killed in car accidents in 2015, and this marked a 5 percent increase from the 1,073 who lost their lives in 2014.

What this means is that every day, three innocent children were killed in crashes. Another 487 were injured, amounting to 178,000 for the year. Of those fatal crashes in which we know the status of child restraint use (775 cases), 39 percent weren’t wearing a seat belt or properly strapped in to a car seat. We also can’t overlook the fact that children made up 4 percent of all pedestrian accident fatalities (223 out of 5,376) and five percent of all bicycle accident deaths (44 out of 818). Additionally, 16 percent of child crash victims died in alcohol-related crashes. Continue reading ›

FHP: Hit-and-Run Crashes in Florida on the Rise

March 25, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A recent analysis by The Tampa Bay Times, looking at figures from the Florida Highway Patrol, reveals hit-and-run crashes in Florida are on the rise.

This creates a troubling situation not just for law enforcement companies, but for victims who are injured by someone else’s negligence with no one to hold accountable. Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers know there are sometimes a few different avenues to pursue in these cases, but it does often make the process more difficult.

Last year, there were more than 99,000 hit-and-run crashes in Florida, representing a 26 percent uptick since 2013, when there were about 78,660. Some of these were simple fender-benders, while others were major collisions, resulting in serious personal injury and death. In fact, 179 people did lose their lives in these crashes. Continue reading ›

Takata Pleads Guilty to Defective Airbag Fraud

March 17, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The Japanese auto product manufacturer pleaded guilty recently to fraud as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in which it agreed to pay $1 billion in penalties for concealing an airbag defect that’s been blamed for at least 16 deaths and dozens of injuries.

However, this is likely not the end of the story. For one thing, there are pending civil lawsuits in Miami alleging product liability resulting in serious injury and wrongful death.

Additionally, Ford recently issued a safety recall of approximately 32,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada to replace defective Takata airbags in newer models. The automaker reported that while it was unsure whether any accidents or injuries were connected to the defect, the issue was certain airbags had been shown not to fully inflate in the event of a crash. In some instances, the airbag even became detached from the wheel. Continue reading ›

Structural Integrity of Florida Bridges Reviewed

March 15, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Thirty-seven years this May is the grim anniversary of the collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg. In 1980, the southbound span, which opened in 1971, was destroyed when a freighter collided with the pier during a thunderstorm. This caused some 1,200 feet of the bridge to go tumbling into Tampa Bay, taking six cars, a truck and a Greyhound bus with it. In all, 35 people were killed. Only one man survived the bridge collapse.

Liability was later deemed to be on the shoulders of the shipping company, though it called into question the structural integrity of bridges statewide. These are the kinds of incidents one must anticipate: Crashes, natural disasters and everyday erosion.

Recently, reporters from The Washington Post conducted an analysis of the structural integrity of bridges nationally, creating a database searchable by county. Continue reading ›