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The U.S. Occupations Safety and Health Administration in investigating how a roofer fell from atop a Fort Myers truck dealership earlier this week.

The News-Press reports the accident  on Palm Avenue, where Fort Myers police, firefighters and Lee County EMS personnel responded, left the victim seriously injured. The 911 caller reported a man had fallen from the roof and was not moving.

OSHA reports fall accidents are second only to transportation accidents among U.S. workers. Construction workers, and roofers in particular, are among those at greatest risk.

Florida Highway Patrol is reminding motorists it’s that time of year again when driving in inclement weather becomes a life skill.

Slick roads, blinding rain, high winds, and standing water are among the primary threats. The FHP urges motorists to “turn around, don’t drown,” when encountering standing water in the roadway. 

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles notes Florida is known for extreme weather, and rapidly changing weather conditions, both of which can catch even veteran motorists off guard.

National, state and local leaders announced this week that South Florida drivers face the highest risk in the country when it comes to being injured by faulty or damaged airbags.

Heidi King, deputy administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, joined automakers and South Florida community leaders on June 7 to urge Floridians to check their vehicle identification numbers to see whether their vehicles are under recall for defective Takata air bags.

The NHTSA estimates at least 23 deaths and more than 300 injuries have been linked to exploding Takata air bags.

Naples Daily News and the Fort Myers News-Press reported recently on the poor patient care record of the state’s largest chain of nursing homes.

Reporters cited more than a dozen lawsuits against Consulate Health Care, which is the state’s largest network of nursing homes and the sixth largest in the nation. The company denies allegations in the lawsuits. A recent whistleblower lawsuit resulted in a $347 million verdict against the company, after jury found Consulate bilked government programs by misrepresenting care provided and overcharging for medically unnecessary treatments. 

Our nursing home neglect attorneys know nursing homes are big businesses looking to make big profits, despite being reliant upon government funding, such as Medicare, for a significant portion of revenue. The industry continues to consolidate, with more and more homes owned by fewer and fewer large, profit-driven corporations.

Uber is back in the news — this time after more than 100 drivers are accused of sexually assaulting and abusing customers.

Earlier this year on our Florida Injury Lawyer blog we examined the increasing number of personal injury cases resulting from traffic collisions involving ride-sharing services.

Now, a CNN investigation has found 103 Uber drivers in the United States have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing passengers, many of whom were intoxicated and had used the service for a safe ride home. More than 30 drivers have been criminally convicted and dozens of criminal and civil cases are pending.

The death of two construction workers in Naples last week is a stark reminder of the risks and consequences of Southwest Florida’s building boom.

The men were installing a temporary elevator shaft on a Gulf Shore Boulevard high-rise when the scaffolding crumbled beneath them. Naples police report the men fell more than 100 feet. State and federal authorities will investigate.

Construction is among the most dangerous occupations nationwide. The number of deaths has continued to climb as the economy has recovered and Lee and Collier counties have returned to boom times. The Bureau of Labor Statistics report 309 Florida workers died in job-related accidents in 2016, up from 272 in the previous year.

It’s Bike to Work Week as safety advocates and cycling enthusiasts encourage people nationwide to enjoy the spring weather with a bike ride. Events will culminate with Bike to Work Day on Friday May 18.

The League of American Bicyclists reports 40 percent of daily trips in the U.S. are less than two miles. The number of bicycle commuters has increased more than 60 percent in recent years with the increasing popularity of cycling and fitness. When it comes to weather, few areas are more conducive to year-around riding than Southwest Florida. However, the area’s booming growth has often left infrastructure struggling to keep up with the increasing number of residents who want safe routes to ride. 

Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral began the month with a three-blog series for Motorcycle Safety Month, which is also in May. It’s a timely reminder for most of the country, where motorcycle riders and cyclists hit the roads with spring weather. However, in Florida the risks are year around — as illustrated by the fact that the Sunshine State continues to be among the most dangerous places in the nation for all riders on two wheels.

The motorcycle accident lawyers at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner have built a solid reputation in the Southwest Florida riding community through more than 4 decades of courtroom and community advocacy for the rights of riders and their families.

We know most motorcycle accidents involving other vehicles are the fault of the vehicle’s driver. We know safety is a primary concern for most riders and that the vast majority of motorcyclists in Southwest Florida are safe and responsible riders — or at least desire to be as safe and responsible as possible while riding. 

Still, more riders are killed in Florida than in any other state — 555 rider deaths in 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month nationwide.

The safety of motorcycle riders is often in the hands of other motorists.

Blaming riders — assuming most injured riders were acting in a reckless or unsafe manner — only assures that you are at increased risk of causing a serious or fatal accident.

The statistics speak plain truth and have for decades: Most motorcycle accidents that involve another vehicle are the fault of the vehicle’s driver.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month as authorities look to remind motorists to watch for riders, and riders to put safety first, as the summer riding season begins.

The motorcycle injury lawyers at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner have spent more than 4 decades building a reputation among Southwest Florida riders — for advocacy both in the courtroom and throughout our local communities. Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner has been the primary sponsor of Cape Coral Bike Nights for more than a decade and also sponsors and supports many other local riding events along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Federal statistics show motorcycle riders are 27 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a traffic accident, compared to occupants of a passenger vehicle. For riders, there is no such thing as a “minor” motorcycle accident. Virtually all accidents involve often serious injury — and fatalities are commonplace. In most cases when a motorcycle accident in SWFL occurs involving another vehicle, fault is assigned to the vehicle’s driver.