Car Accidents

Southwest Florida car accident prevention goal of increased enforcement

December 17, 2008 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Reducing deaths and injuries from car accidents in Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers, Naples and Cape Coral, is the goal of an enforcement blitz announced this week by the Florida Highway Patrol.

The auto accident attorneys and staff at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, urge motorists to use extra caution on our roadways this holiday season and want you to know there are certain things you can do to protect your rights in the unfortunate event that you or someone you love is in an accident this holiday season.

The patrol has announced it will start a statewide traffic enforcement operation focused on speeding and aggressive drivers.

“The purpose of this traffic enforcement initiative is to reduce traffic- related deaths and injuries in Florida,” said Col. John Czernis, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. The blitz has been dubbed Operation Safe Ride. “The Florida Highway Patrol will continue a zero tolerance police toward hazardous moving violations, such as speeding and aggressive driving.”

The patrol announced it will use all available personnel for the operation, which will target violators by use of RADAR, LASER, motorcycles and marked and unmarked patrol cars. Troopers piloting FHP aircraft also will be used to target violators.

Enforcement will be focused on every Interstate, including I-75, Florida’s turnpike and other major state roads.
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Young Driver Program offered to prevent car accidents in Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral

December 3, 2008 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for persons ages 15 to 24. Car accident attorneys at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, want you to know Lee Memorial Hospital offers a free Young Driver Program.

“All too often young people don’t recognize potential consequences without some tangible proof,” according to program organizers. “The program will educate young drivers on different legal issues involved with driving and also how to stay focused on driving and the responsibilities that go along with the driving privilege.”

The Young Drivers Program will be held at Lee Memorial Hospital in the auditorium once monthly. Class will be from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. and is FREE to young drivers and their parents. To register for the program please contact Syndi Bultman (239) 336-6797.
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Preventing holiday traffic accidents goal in Southwest Florida

November 27, 2008 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Increased patrol will be aimed at reducing car accidents and drunk driving crashes this Thanksgiving holiday as authorities seek to reduce serious injury and wrongful death on Florida highways.

“The Thanksgiving Holidays are typically a time of heavy traffic as people travel to spend time with their families so we urge everyone driving on our highways during the holiday period to drive carefully,” said Colonel John Czernis, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “Allow yourself plenty of time to reach your destination safely, drive sober and buckle up on each and every trip. The holidays are a time for celebration, but we cannot forget safety behind the wheel.”

The patrol cites failure to drive carefully and wear safety belts, along with drunk drivers, as primary causes of accidents through the holiday.

“Since Thanksgiving always produces a high volume of traffic, the Florida Highway Patrol will increase its presence on Florida roadways during the upcoming five-day holiday period,” Czernis announced.

The patrol said it will use troopers normally assigned to administrative duties as well as auxiliary and reserve troopers to patrol high-volume roadways.
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Thanksgiving Holiday is year’s deadliest on Florida Roads

November 24, 2008 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A surprise fact and a cautionary message for Florida motorists: The Thanksgiving Holiday is the year’s deadliest for car accidents and other crashes on Florida roads, according to a five-year average of fatalities compiled by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Everyone at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, wishes you a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday and urges you to use extra caution while traveling to spend time with friends and loved ones.

On average, 53 motorists are killed — 21 of those as victims of DUI crashes or other alcohol-related accidents — on Florida roads each Thanksgiving.

“It’s an extremely busy holiday period and the beginning of the holiday season,” said Capt. Mark Welch of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Welch noted the length of the Thanksgiving Holiday (120 hours measured Wednesday through Sunday) is the big reason for its high tally of fatal accidents. But heavy traffic and the long-weekend’s place at the gateway to the holiday season should make motorists extra cautious.

“Our message to the motoring public is to give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, drive the speed limit, wear your seat belt and don’t drink and drive,” Welch said.

Christmas and New Year are at the bottom of the list of deadliest holidays, with 34 and 31 deaths respectively. However, New Year is often the shortest holiday period measured at 48-72 hours. It’s fatality rate puts it at the top of the list along with Memorial Day for the holiday with the deadliest rate — one road fatality every two hours.

“We all like to get together with our friends and our families but just do it responsibly,” said Brenda Gellinger of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. “Have a designated driver, or stay put or call a cab.”

Click here for advice about what to do after an accident.
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Car accidents, pedestrian and bicycle crashes can be caused by distracted text messaging

November 21, 2008 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A 15-year-old girl suffered head and back injuries after she fell off a horse.

A 13-year-old girl burned her arm, leg and abdomen cooking noodles.

President-elect Barack Obama’s aide, Valerie Jarrett, fell off a curb in Chicago and sprained her ankle.

The culprit? Text messaging.

There is increasing evidence that text messaging is contributing to serious injury, according to retired EMS Captain Jay Anderson, who cited the examples above in a recent paper released by the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition.

Anderson, who also is the executive director of “Stay Alive … Just Drive,” said the first public awareness of the dangers of text messaging came in June 2007 on a rural highway in upstate New York, when five young women just out of high school died in an accident. Records indicate a text message was sent from the driver’s phone 38 seconds before the first 911 call.

The American College of Emergency Physicians recently warned that being distracted by text messaging at inappropriate times, such as while cross the street, can result in serious injury or death.

“People assume that driving while text messaging is the most dangerous,” Anderson said. “(But) physicians from around the country now cite rising reports of injuries involving texting while walking, bicycling, boating, rollerblading or jogging.”

Two deaths have been reported in California as a result of people walking into traffic while texting.

“We tend to believe we’re capable of multitasking, but in fact we are not,” Anderson said, noting it only takes a split second at 45 mph for everything to change. “Awareness is the key to understanding how one second can change a life forever.”

Anderson and the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition provided the following 5 safety tips:
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Florida Traffic Deaths third-highest in nation

November 4, 2008 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Florida motorists were more likely to die in a car accident or other traffic crash in 2007 than anywhere else in America except California and Texas.

But statistics recently released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did have some good news — for the first time in at least a decade Florida’s traffic fatalities declined for the second year in a row, from 3,357 in 2006 to 3,214 in 2007.

Nationwide, deaths declined to 41,059 in 2007 from 42,708 in 2006. The decline was attributed to proactive measures by law enforcement and safer vehicles.

It is important to take certain steps to protect your rights after an accident. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed, you can contact a lawyer with experience in representing Florida accident victims, like those at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers.

Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, has been representing Florida accident victims for four decades and will meet with you free of charge to discuss your case — in your home or hospital room or at any of the firm’s offices in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Sebring, Port Charlotte, Venice and Arcadia.

The weekend — Friday to Sunday — continued to be the most dangerous time on the road with overnight Friday and Saturday (midnight to 3 a.m.) the most deadly time of the week, according to the data. Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. also saw significant spikes in fatal accidents.

Tourist season — November to May — saw a large increase in the number of accidents corresponding with increased traffic and congestion. March was far and away the most dangerous month on the road with 25,000 crashes and more than 300 fatalities.

Area accident statistics for 2007:
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