drunk driving

Drunk Driving Risks Increase as Football Season Begins

September 25, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Enjoying alcoholic beverages with friends and family, and watching college and pro football, may well be two of the most popular pastimes in the United States. But there is every evidence that the two frequently make for a deadly combination.

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, we have spent more than 50 years fighting for the rights of victims and families whose lives have been devastated by the senseless and irresponsible acts committed by those who choose to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. While we are also passionate about football, we urge you to be responsible and watch out for each other as the autumn football season begins.

A study published in the journal “Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research,” found eight percent of adult fans were legally drunk while attending pro baseball and football games. That is a staggering statistic when you consider the size of most pro-sports arenas. The study concluded the average stadium of 60,000 would have as many as 4,000 patrons who are intoxicated. Researchers point to tailgating as a primary factor, finding those patrons were 14 times more likely to be legally drunk.

Driving Under the Influence a Deadly Risk in SWFL

March 5, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

There is no more avoidable cause of serious and fatal traffic collisions than drivers who get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

It is a top cause of fatal collisions nationwide, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths per year, or about one-third of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And there is every evidence the roads of Southwest Florida have grown particularly dangerous throughout the pandemic and hurricane recovery efforts. WGCU reported Lee County had the second-highest number of traffic deaths on record in 2022.

At least 123 motorists lost their lives on Lee County roads in 2022, according to preliminary data. The highest annual total was reported in 2005, when 150 people were killed on local roads. The first two years of the pandemic saw 107 deaths in 2020 and 118 deaths in 2021.

Recently our car accident lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral looked at the top causes of serious and fatal traffic collisions, including aggressive driving. Today, we look at intoxicated driving. With spring break approaching, it is a critical time to respect the risks on the roads of SWFL.

Happy New Year’s: Please Celebrate Responsibly

December 31, 2022 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

All of us at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner wish all of you a safe and enjoyable new year.

Please celebrate responsibly and never drink and drive.

For more than half a century, our drunk driving injury lawyers have fought for the rights of victims and families impacted by this senseless crime. We support sobriety checkpoints, enforcement blitzes, and other efforts by local law enforcement, as well as the work of organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Super Bowl Safety: Celebrate Responsibly

February 10, 2022 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Drunk drivers are responsible for nearly one-third of the nation’s fatal traffic collisions, claiming more than 10,000 lives each year.

Super Bowl LVI, between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, falls later in February this year and will be quickly followed by the start of Spring Break in Southwest Florida. Our drunk driving injury attorneys urge you to take the risks seriously. Have a plan to keep you and your friends safe. Never drink after consuming any amount of alcohol or other mind-altering substance.

Be a Responsible Party Host this Holiday Season

December 14, 2021 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Those serving alcohol this holiday season have an obligation to do so responsibly.

Drinking and driving kills 28 people a day in the U.S. More than 1 person an hour die in an alcohol-related crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drunk drivers kill 10,000 people a year, accounting for about one-third of all traffic fatalities.

While the legal limit is .08, nearly 2,000 people are killed each year by drivers who tested positive for alcohol below the limit. Alcohol levels as low as .02 affect mood, visual abilities and the ability to multitask.

Last year, 839 motorists died in alcohol-related crashes on Florida roads, more than anywhere except California. Winter brings higher instances of drunk drivers on the road, as do holidays, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day being the deadliest of the year. Continue reading ›

Preventing Holiday Drunk Driving Tragedies is YOUR Responsibility

December 10, 2021 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

More than 50 years of fighting for the rights of the injured in Southwest Florida have taught us one sobering lesson above all others: Irresponsibility with alcohol destroys lives.

Start your 2022 resolutions early this year by resolving to be responsible with alcohol this holiday season. If you think that means don’t drink and drive, you are absolutely correct. If you think your responsibility ends there, you are sadly mistaken.

Irresponsibility and alcohol are a deadly cocktail that puts our attorneys in a room with a family devastated by tragedy every holiday season. Please do your part this year. Our personal injury attorneys in Fort Myers and Cape Coral would like nothing better than to not get those calls this holiday season.

Celebrate Responsibly this Labor Day Weekend

August 30, 2020 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Federal, local and state agencies are kicking off campaigns aimed at preventing drunk driving during the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

It has been a stressful summer, unlike any other in history. Typically, Labor Day weekend ends the 100 deadliest days of summer travel. However this year, amid the COVID pandemic, the world is gearing up in an attempt to return to near-normal, which will likely make the roads busier than they have been in months.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s message, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” reports 439 motorists were killed over Labor Day weekend 2018. Nearly half of those crashes involved a driver who had been drinking and more than 1 in 3 involved a driver who was legally intoxicated.

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, we have been fighting for the rights of victims injured or killed by drunk drivers since 1971. As proud supporters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, our law firm also supports drunk-driving checkpoints and roving patrols conducted by local law enforcement agencies.

Drunk Driving an Autumn Risk for SWFL Teens

August 11, 2020 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The recent serious injury of a teenager in an alcohol-related crash on Palm Beach Boulevard is a reminder of the risks as we head into the deadliest time of year for drunk-driving collisions.

The News-Press reported the teenager was injured when a pickup, believed driven by an intoxicated male, crossed the median and crashed head-on into the victim’s vehicle.

Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral know COVID-19 has upended nearly every aspect of life. However, autumn is expected to remain the deadliest time of the year for drunk driving accidents, including those involving teenagers.

Naples DUI Death, Injuries Results in Criminal Conviction

September 8, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Many South Florida DUI injury and death cases handled by our dedicated personal injury lawyers occur simultaneously with a pending criminal matter. The two processes are totally separate, and generally do not impact the other.

The purpose of a civil trial is to make whole (to the extent possible) the victims of a defendant’s action or inaction. Conversely, the purpose of a criminal trial is to penalize a wrongdoer for violating the criminal code of laws. While some criminal cases result in a defendant being forced to pay restitution, that is not the primary goal of the criminal procedure.

That’s why we encourage Florida victims of drunken driving to speak to an experienced injury attorney as soon as possible after the crash. Information gleaned in the course of the criminal investigation could impact the civil case as well.

Florida Drugged Driving an Increasing Risk Amid Heroin Scourge

April 6, 2017 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Recently, a 40-year-old Florida woman was arrested on charges of child neglect and drug possession after she was found passed out at the wheel of her vehicle, parked in a gas station with her 4-year-old son in the back seat. According to News4Jax, police were called by a passerby who discovered she needed medical attention. After she was revived, she allegedly conceded to officers that she’d been using heroin in front of her son and that she’d momentarily blacked out.

The boy was turned over to the custody of his father, the woman’s husband, who told police that while he suspected his wife had a problem, he didn’t realize it had gotten this bad. Thankfully, the vehicle wasn’t moving at the time of the incident and the boy was not injured, and neither was anyone else. But there is plenty of evidence that an increasing number of drivers are behind the wheel under the influence of drugs – which puts all of us at high risk of collisions resulting in injury and even death.

Federal data reveals every two hours, someone in South Florida suffers a heroin overdose. Perhaps this isn’t entirely shocking, given that southern Florida has always been at the forefront of drug abuse epidemics. There was cocaine and then crack cocaine in the 1980s. Then there was oxycodone and other painkillers, which turned this region into the “pill mill capital” of the country. Then we started seeing a rush of synthetic drugs – aka “bath salts” – over the last few years. Now, we have become a hot spot for abuse of heroin and synthetic opioids, carfentanil and fentanyl. Continue reading ›