Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Cape Coral Car Accident Lawyers Highlight April as Distracted Driving Month

April 11, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

As Florida legislators work to stiffen the penalties for drivers who text, it’s important to note during April, which is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, that much work remains to be done.

Our Cape Coral car accident lawyers have seen cases where a split second of inattention has resulted in lifelong – or life-ending – consequences.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2012 alone, there were more than 3,300 people killed in crashes attributed to distraction.
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Florida Supreme Court Rules on Third-Party Liability Case

April 10, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The Florida Supreme Court recently took on the issue of third-party liability as it pertained to the serious injuries suffered by a bar patron in South Florida.

The victim was beaten mercilessly with a tomahawk by another bar patron, with whom he’d been drinking. The attacker went on to face criminal charges, and the victim is likely to suffer lifelong impairment, including nerve damage, blurred vision and constant pain.

But our Fort Myers personal injury lawyers note the lawsuit was filed against a former friend, who had stood by as the attack occurred, which raised questions that demanded the state supreme court’s review.
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Fort Myers Bicycle Accident Claims Life of NBC2 Meteorologist Jim Reif

April 8, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

It was with great sorrow that the staff at the local NBC affiliate announced that one of their own had been killed in a Fort Myers bicycle accident.

Popular and respected, NBC2 Meteorologist Jim Reif had been in the Fort Myers television market for more than 30 years, and had earned a reputation as a hurricane specialist.

According to his colleagues, the 61-year-old,who was newly-engaged, was riding his bicycle along Ben Hill Griffin Parkway when he struck a sign and was thrown to the ground. His head struck the curb, and he suffered a traumatic brain injury. The accident occurred within less than a mile of a fire station, so first responders arrived quickly. However, after being rushed to the hospital, he later died of his injuries. Officials are still investigating what exactly caused the crash.
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Florida Nursing Home Abuse Litigation Target of New Legislation

April 4, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Florida lawmakers are trying to limit options for victims of nursing home abuse by narrowing the parties they can pursue in a civil lawsuit.

They say it’s become necessary because some nursing home abuse lawyers have successfully gone after not just the nursing home owners and management companies, but also investors, vendors and contractors, when it can be shown that these parties had a role.

The reason personal injury lawyers take this route is because often, management firms are shell companies that serve only to shield the assets of investors and owners. By pursuing other entities, victims have been able to claim damages ranging from several million dollars up to $1 billion, as a Polk County jury awarded a man last year.
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Florida Tapping the Brakes on Red Light Cameras

April 3, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Controversial traffic-light cameras have been in use in Florida for four years now, raking in nearly $120 million in revenue for the state in 2013 alone.

However, our Cape Coral injury lawyers know that questions regarding whether they are effective have lawmakers scaling back some of their efforts. Nine states have banned the cameras, which snap photos of red light-runners and then mail out hefty citations.

A 2011 study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that over the course of four years in the country’s largest cities, the cameras saved nearly 160 lives. However, other research has suggested that the cameras are actually the cause of some crashes, particularly rear-end collisions as motorists stop abruptly at changing lights.
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Several Florida Bills Address Texting and Driving Laws

April 2, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A father from New Port Richey has been traveling throughout Southwest Florida, high school to high school, with this simple message: Texting and driving kills.

He knows better than most. His 17-year-old daughter, Allie, was killed in a head-on collision with a driver who was texting. Killed also in that wreck was the 19-year-old texting driver. In addition to spreading his message to students, Allie’s father is pushing for stronger anti-texting laws – and it appears several legislators are responding.

Our Fort Myers car accident lawyers know his efforts are especially poignant during the spring season, packed with long breaks, and prom and graduation celebrations, it’s a time of year when teens are more frequently on the road. Although teens aren’t the only ones guilty of texting while driving (and it’s never safe for anyone), research has shown they are more prone to crashing when they do it, primarily because of their inexperience.
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Florida Trucking Safety – Better Data Will Reduce Collision Risks

March 25, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A program launched by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, designed to heighten accountability for carriers that repeatedly violate safety protocol, is drawing fire from two other top regulators for inaccuracy and general inefficiency.

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability program was launched in July of last year, and scores carrier safety. Those with bad scores can suffer higher insurance rates and increased scrutiny by law enforcement and inspectors. They can also suffer a loss of business if other firms would rather not contract with companies that have a poor safety record.

This isn’t a bad thing. After all, truck carriers that don’t prioritize safety should face sanctions. The problem, according to recent audits by the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office, is that the data upon which these scores are based are inaccurate and incomplete.

Our Cape Coral accident attorneys know that the effect of this is that decent carriers (mostly smaller outfits) are unfairly sanctioned, while larger carriers that may be less safe have better scores and may evade the greater scrutiny they deserve. This helps no one.
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Fort Myers Beach Tourist Injuries a Spring Break Risk

March 24, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

In northern Florida recently, one spring breaker was killed and another faces felony charges of DUI manslaughter. Detectives say an intoxicated 18-year-old from Tennessee driving a Ford Taurus struck a scoot car head-on, ejecting the 22-year-old driver of that vehicle, also from Tennessee, and killing him.

Our Fort Myers Beach injury lawyers know that drunk driving is perhaps one of the most common hazards that spring and summer breaks present.

But there are many other potential risks that should not be overlooked as visitors flock to South Florida for respite from the bitter winter. Spring break in particular is viewed as a kind of rite of passage for college students. But it’s imperative that youths be aware of potential dangers.
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SWFL Traffic Safety – NYC Approach Illustrates Traffic Accidents a Pressing Law Enforcement Priority

March 12, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Police in Florida maintain numerous critical functions, among those: Crime reduction and traffic safety.

In some cases, the two overlap. But should one take priority?

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is making headlines for his assertion that, indeed, improving traffic safety should be where the most police resources are spent. His ambitious initiative to eliminate traffic deaths in the city has drawn praise – and a fair amount of criticism.

But as veteranwrongful death attorneyswe see those whose lives are forever changed by road violence. In that light, de Blasio’s plan makes perfect sense.
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Fort Myers Bicycle Accident Risks Focus of Improvements

March 11, 2014 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Lee County is one of the most dangerous places in the country for bicyclists.

Florida’s rate for bicycle accident fatalities is more than double the national average, and Lee has one of the highest rates in the state, with more than 11 cyclists killed and 230 injured since 2011, according to a recent report by NBC2.

Fort Myers bicycle injuries remained steady, even despite a law passed in 2006 that requires motorists to maintain at least a three-foot distance between their vehicle and the cyclist. Many break this rule, reporters found, but very few are ever ticketed. In fact, just three citations were issued in Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties over the course of the last three years. Statewide, there have only been 84 tickets issued during that time frame.
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