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An investigative report on the state of Florida’s nursing home industry brings sobering news.

A series of reports by the Naples Daily News, Fort Myers News-Press and the USAToday Network, reveal Florida agencies responsible for investigating serious cases of nursing home neglect and abuse rarely fulfill their critical mission.

Of 54 nursing home deaths reported by other state agencies to have resulted from nursing home neglect or abuse in the past 4 years, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration rarely took action. The AHCA is the state agency tasked with keeping nursing home residents safe. Yet in three quarters of nursing home neglect deaths reported by the Florida Department of Children and Families, the agency took no action against the home. The AHCA admitted to failing to even investigate 10 of the deaths. It’s unclear whether 18 other deaths were reviewed as the deaths are not even mentioned in the agency’s inspection reports.

It’s a staggering revelation that illustrates why it’s so vital that loved ones properly review a home when placing a loved one. Our nursing home injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Naples also urge those visiting nursing homes to speak up about concerns.

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As we reported recently on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, we bring more new products into our home during the holidays than at any other time of the year, which increases defective product injury risks, particularly among children.

Our child injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral know their are some identifiable risks associated with many products marketed to children, and understanding those risks can go a long way toward keeping your child safe. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 19, claiming more than 12,000 young lives each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 9 million children are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year after unintentional injury. The most common causes include transportation accidents, suffocation, drowning, falls and animal bites.

In some cases, a product defect may lead to child injury risks. Lack of sufficient age-use warnings may also result in child injury. In other cases, a product is inherently dangerous. Riding toys, such as a bicycle, scooter, dirt bike or skateboard, are the leading cause of toy-related injuries. Those gifting such presents to a child should always check with the parents first, and such gifts should always come with necessary safety gear, including helmets.

Good Housekeeping’s rank of the 20 most dangerous toys of all time include an easy bake oven, fidget spinners, hover boards, lawn darts, slip-n-slides, toy crossbows, toy guns, sling shots, trampolines and even a Cabbage Patch doll.

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As part of our focus on road safety as we enter 2019, it’s important to note the vulnerable road users at highest risk of being involved in a serious or fatal traffic accident in Southwest Florida.

As we reported recently on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, Lee County and Collier County continue to see an increasing number of traffic deaths. 

Through Christmas Day, more than 12,000 traffic collisions have been reported in Lee County this year, injuring nearly 5,000 motorists and claiming 86 lives. More than 100 traffic fatalities were reported in Lee County in both 2017 and 2016, compared to 71 traffic deaths reported in 2011. 

Lee County is nearing 100 traffic deaths for the third year in a row.

The News-Press reported a series of fatal traffic accidents that claimed five lives the week before Christmas, including the death of a 58-year-old safe-cycling activist. The 58-year-old rider was struck on U.S. 41 as he cycled northbound ahead of a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck, which rear ended his bicycle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Our injury lawyers in Southwest Florida know Lee County traffic collision risks have increased substantially in recent years. Other holiday traffic deaths this year include:

• A 19-year-old pedestrian was killed in a crash on State Road 82 at Buckingham Road.

When it comes to auto insurance, Florida and Maine tell a tale of rags and riches.

Florida has more uninsured motorists on the road than any state in the nation and ranks dead last in the nation when it comes to required auto insurance. Maine has a spot near the front of the pack in both categories. The New Year is often a time when we make commitments,  drop or extend insurance coverages, and make other changes to the paperwork of our lives. 

Our car accident attorneys in Fort Myers and Naples know unless you’ve taken specific steps to assure you are protected, it’s very likely the auto insurance premiums you pay each month could be for a policy that is worthless in the event you are involved in a serious or fatal traffic collision. We’ve been reporting a lot recently about the dangers of holiday traffic and the increased risk of motor-vehicle collisions as we head into tourist season. While we hope you read the road advice and heed the safe-driving warnings, updating your auto insurance policy is vital to protecting you and your family in the event of a collision.

Uninsured Motorist Collisions in SWFL

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Cape Coral drivers would do well to avoid Santa Barbara Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway. Both the intersection and the roads themselves.

As part of an ongoing series on Cape Coral traffic, The News-Press looked at the city’s most dangerous traffic hotspots. Heavy traffic was the common denominator. Each of the six most dangerous intersections handled between 40,000 and 100,000 cars per day in 2017.

Recently we wrote about the dangers of intersection accidents in Southwest Florida. While it’s true intersections are always dangerous, Southwest Florida’s relentless growth is making the dangers even more acute as roads and traffic infrastructure struggle to keep up with the demands.

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Long-awaited pedestrian safety improvements are coming to downtown Fort Myers. But residents will first have to weather a storm of construction headaches.

Wink News reports the Florida Department of Transportation held a public meeting about the downtown Fort Myers construction project. The Cleveland Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project will run from Winkler Avenue to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. In addition to road resurfacing and remarking, FDOT plans to construct a raised median and five mid-block crossings with overhead mounted pedestrian signals. These signals are called High-Intensity Activated crosswalk beacons, or pedestrian hybrid beacons.

Florida is the most dangerous state in the nation for pedestrians and Southwest Florida has been cited as being particularly deadly. Much of the risk can be attributed to poor design and lack of adequate infrastructure planning during the area’s early boom years. Home to just 27,000 residents in 1970, For Myers has tripled in size. Two years ago, Smart Growth America’s report “Dangerous by Design,” identified the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area as the nation’s most dangerous for pedestrians.

The same report identified Florida cities as the seven-deadliest in the nation.

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No discussion of road risks would be complete as we head into the holiday and winter tourist season without talking about teen drivers.

Traffic deaths are the leading cause of accidental death among teens. Your child is more likely to be killed in a traffic accident than by any other means. Each year, 2,500 teenagers are killed and about 300,000 are treated in hospital emergency rooms following a motor-vehicle collision, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The start of the school year and the start of the new year are the most popular times for teenagers to get their driver’s license and hit the road.

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City drivers are being reminded of the return in seasonal traffic after a spate of serious intersection collisions in Lee County.

NBC2 reported a 7-car accident in Fort Myers shut down U.S. 4/Cleveland Avenue near Hanson Street. One vehicle ended up on its side. Four people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. A Lehigh Acres intersection collision killed a 30-year-old man who was westbound on SR 82 when authorities say a 43-year-old woman pulled out in front of him in a minivan. 

Holiday traffic will merge with winter tourist season in Southwest Florida. Put succinctly: Current traffic conditions are as good as they are going to get for the next six months.

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