Jet skis, also known as personal watercrafts, are a fun and popular way to spend a day on the lake or the ocean. In Florida, the law states that a person must be at least 14 years old to operate a jet ski and must be 18 years old to rent a jet ski. Each…
Special Rules For Rideshare Passengers Making A Claim Against At-Fault Drivers
Because of Florida’s no-fault laws, drivers know that the first place they need to turn for injury compensation is their PIP insurance policy. If their injuries exceed that coverage, then they may file a claim against the other driver or their insurance. However, that changes dramatically when the victim is a passenger in an Uber…
Woman Hits and Fatally Injures a Teen and Is Charged With a Felony
Any driver involved in a crash should stay at the scene, even if they feel they may face charges related to the accident. In Florida, leaving the scene can result in criminal penalties on top of any traffic violations. Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage is a misdemeanor and can result in…
Florida’s No-Fault Bill Stalled in the Senate
Florida is one of twelve states that have no-fault accident laws. A no-fault state requires that drivers carry a certain amount of personal protection insurance. People who are injured in an auto accident must first seek compensation from their personal injury protection policies. If the medical bills and other damages amount to more than the…
Accident That Killed Two Teen Girls May Have Involved Alcohol
Any auto accident that results in a fatality is both a tragic and traumatic event. If the accident involves alcohol, prosecutors in Florida are likely to vigorously prosecute the driver. One of the charges that the driver can face is DUI manslaughter. If convicted, Florida state law mandates a four-year minimum prison sentence. The maximum…
Two Teens Arrested For Street Racing. One Victim Is Hospitalized For Traumatic Brain Injury.
Street racing has existed in some form since the first automobiles came off the assembly line over a century ago. During prohibition, bootleggers would make modifications to their vehicles to make them better able to outrun law enforcement. This gave birth to the popular sport of NASCAR. In the late 1990s, street racing saw an…
Underage Driver Arrested For DUI Charges After Two Years
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws establishing the legal age for purchasing and consuming alcohol to 21 years. Because of this, many states have laws governing the penalties for a person under the age of 21 who are charged with a DUI. In Florida, there is a zero-tolerance policy in effect…
Two Norwegian Tourists Were Seriously Injured in a Hit-and-Run Accident
Anyone involved in an accident can attest that it is scary when it happens. When adrenaline gets going, it can be tempting to make a decision that can have long-lasting consequences, such as leaving the scene. Hit-and-run accidents can result in various charges. In Florida, leaving the scene of an accident can be charged as…
Man Who Killed Paramedics in DUI Crash Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison
In 2007, Florida added a four-year mandatory prison term to all cases where a driver is convicted of DUI manslaughter. Without a doubt, any traffic collision that involves the death of another person is traumatic for all involved. However, prosecutors tend to vigorously prosecute those who are accused of DUI manslaughter. A prosecutor will rarely…
Hit-and-Run Driver Captured and Sentenced to Prison
Although the state legislature is looking to repeal Florida’s no-fault law, it is still in effect. This means that the first $10,000 in compensation is made through the victim’s PIP insurance. Since 25% of all accidents in Florida are costly hit-and-run accidents, what happens when the injuries and damages come to more than $10,000? You…
Florida’s No-Fault Law May Be Repealed
When it comes to car insurance, most states fall under one of two categories. Twelve states are what are called “no-fault” states, including the state of Florida. The other states are tort states, which means that the injured party can sue the at-fault driver. Unfortunately, in no-fault states, the injured party must carry insurance coverage…
Avoid the Unnecessary Costs of a Fender Bender in Florida
A minor fender bender can cause soft tissue damage, which can continue to degenerate if you do not receive medical help as soon as possible. But the risk does not stop at personal injuries. A certain Florida law can influence the amount of your compensation, and it is important to be in the know of…
Head Injuries From Scooters Are on the Rise Due to a Lack of Helmet Use
E-scooters began popping up en masse in San Francisco back in 2018, causing issues with scooters being left in doorways and on sidewalks, causing tripping hazards. They then began to pop up in other cities nationwide, becoming popular among millennials and on college campuses everywhere. The concept is simple: scan a scooter with your phone,…
DUI Charges in Crash That Involved Polk County Sheriff’s Vehicle
ABC Action News reports that a woman has been charged with DUI after crashing into a Polk County Sheriff’s vehicle. The incident occurred on Tuesday night on a road in Lakeland. 46-year-old India Williams was arrested and charged with driving under the influence following the crash. Two Polk County patrol vehicles were traveling one behind…
Man Accepts Plea Deal in Fatal South Florida Accident
Under Florida law, the crime of vehicular homicide is committed when a person causes the death of another person while operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner that is likely to cause death or great bodily harm. The prosecutor must prove that the driver knowingly drove in such a way that they knew that…
Bicyclist Killed in Hollywood After Car Leaves the Roadway
According to AAA, Florida leads the nation in the number of fatal bicycle accidents. In 2017, there were 800 people killed in Florida in bicycle accidents. Some of the most common contributing causes to bicycle accidents are failure to yield and poor lighting. Many cities in Florida have not been very accommodating when it comes…
Police Car Involved in Crash on Don Shula Expressway
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, approximately 360 lives are lost each year in wrong-way collisions. Due to the speeds that are generally involved, the head-on nature of most wrong-way collisions, these kinds of collisions can be the most serious that occur. After reviewing statistics from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the NHTSA…
Fatal Accident in Pensacola Involves Van and Semi
Although we’ve all probably committed the offense of speeding at one time or another, it is a practice that can endanger all lives on the roadway. In 2018, speeding was a contributing factor in the deaths of 9,378 people. This number is approximately a 6% drop in the number from the previous year. Speeding also…
Never Leave the Scene of an Accident
There are almost six people who are killed in hit-and-run accidents every day. Since authorities began tracking hit-and-run accidents in 1975, more people have been fleeing the scenes of accidents than at any other time. One of the most basic explanations for why drivers may flee the scene of an accident is the fight or…
Daughter Sees Justice After Father’s Death in Hit-And-Run
The Villages News reports that a daughter has finally seen justice in court after her father’s death resulting from a hit-and-run crash. On Tuesday, a Sumter County court sentenced 34-year-old Natem Stonic to five years in prison. The victim’s daughter, Jacqueline Noyes was in the courtroom when the sentence was handed down. The victim, Theodore Chalifoux,…