A recent study confirmed that golf cart crashes involving children can result in serious injuries. The researchers involved in the studies found that children as young as nine were driving golf carts. They often did not wear seatbelts. In a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, between 1990 and 2006, 1/3…
Nearly 10000 Hit-and-Run Incidents in Tampa this Year
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a quarter of all Florida car accidents involve a hit-and-run. Unfortunately, fleeing the scene of an accident can result in what would have been a traffic citation escalating into criminal charges. If the accident involved solely property damage and no one was injured,…
Vehicle Found that Killed Skateboarder, But Driver Still Missing
My Sun Coast reports that state troopers have located the vehicle involved in a crash that killed a 15-year-old skateboarder. The incident happened last Wednesday morning at about 2:45 a.m. 15-year-old Thomas Jaren Croumbley was attempting to cross Upper Manatee River Road on a skateboard when he was struck by a Toyota Tacoma. Croumbley was…
Tesla Doors Blamed for Trapping Driver in Burning Car
Tesla vehicles may have state of the art electric batteries and a so-called “autopilot” system, but the cars may be responsible for several recent deaths. The problem is, according to authorities, that people may rely too much on the autopilot system, unaware that the vehicles are not, in fact, self-driving. Tesla warns drivers that they…
Florida Mother and Child Fall From Hot Air Balloon in China
In the world of aviation, hot air balloons are a safe way to obtain flight. Accidents occurring in hot air balloons are rare, and fatalities are even rarer. In the years spanning 2000 and June 2016, there were only 21 reported fatalities related to hot air ballooning in the United States. In the United States,…
Driver Fleeing From Two Accidents Causes a Third Fatal One in Tampa
In Florida, vehicular homicide, sometimes charged as vehicular manslaughter, is a charge that happens when a person is acting in a manner that they know would put the safety of others at risk and that behavior leads to an accident that claims a life. Most of the time, vehicular homicide charges include allegations that the…
Miami-Dade County Top County For Hit-and-Run Crashes
In Florida, a driver is required by law to stop immediately following any accident. Even if the incident results in little to no damage, the driver must stop and exchange information. Failure to do so may result in being charged anywhere from a citation to a felony charge, depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident….
Florida Attorney General Launches Investigation into Vaping Products
Whether it be from reports of “popcorn lung” or reports of toxic ingredients like formaldehyde, vaping has had its share of detractors. While some people have admittedly quit smoking regular cigarettes, people who have never smoked before have also picked up the habit. There have been no studies into the potential long-term health effects of…
Boating Death Deemed Accident Due to Alcohol Consumption, Speeding
Florida has the highest number of recreational boats registered per capita in the United States. Because of this, they have developed a number of laws to keep boaters safe. These laws include carrying identification while operating a vessel. People born on or after January 1, 1988 must complete a NASBLA-approved voter education course prior to…
Woman Leaves Scene of an Accident to Get a Massage, Charged With Hit-and-Run
ABC Local 10 News reports that a woman drove away from a crash to get a massage. 53-year-old Jill Ann Stahon was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury. The charges stem from an accident that occurred on October 15th. Stahon made a U-turn of Alafaya Trail, then hit a truck in…
Deadly Crash in West Manatee County
In 2018, the NHTSA reported that there were 36,750 fatal motor vehicle crashes across the United States. This is a decrease of 1.0% from the number of fatal accidents in 2017, marking a two consecutive year decrease for drivers, passengers, and motorcyclists. However, the number of crashes involving large trucks, pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers 65…
Arrest Made in Fatal Jacksonville Hit-and-Run
In Florida, DUI manslaughter is a second-degree felony. It is assigned a level 8 offense severity ranking under the state’s Criminal Punishment Code, which determines penalties. If convicted of DUI manslaughter the person faces serious penalties. These penalties include a lifetime revocation of driver’s license, impoundment of the vehicle, up to $10,000 in fines, up…
Driver Allegedly Offered Food to Crash Victim for Not Reporting Accident to Police
Florida is like many states in that it requires people involved in an accident to remain at the scene. This holds true in fender benders, serious crashes, crashes involving pedestrians, and crashes involving non-vehicle property. Drivers who decide to drive on will be charged with leaving the scene of an accident, also known as hit-and-run….
Family Sues Tesla Motors After Car Fire Kills Child
While the Tesla electric automobile may be groundbreaking, it is not without controversy. One of the first controversies to assail the automaker was the so-called “autopilot” feature available on some models. While the manufacturer maintains that drivers should never relinquish control of the vehicle, there is doubt that drivers are aware that the autopilot is…
Driving Barefoot May Lead to Reckless Driving Charge
Living in warmer, southern states like Georgia and Florida may mean that during the summer, people choose to wear flip flops. At times, they may even choose to go barefoot. However, many people have heard that doing so is illegal. Is it really? As it turns out, it’s not illegal to drive barefoot or with…
Fifth Worker Dies in Orlando I-4 Construction Site
The construction industry is one of the most dangerous to work in. Out of every 5,000 private industry worker fatalities, construction accidents account for 20%. In the construction industry, there are accidents that are defined as the “fatal four.” These are falls, being struck by an object, electrocution and being caught in something or between…
Driver Accused of Hit and Run Crash on Orange Blossom Trail Appears in Court
My News 13 reports that a driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash appeared in court on Saturday. 33-year-old Michael Plattner is charged with leaving the scene of a deadly accident that occurred at about 3 a.m. Friday. The crash occurred on Orange Blossom Trail near Taft Vineland Road. A Kissimmee resident, Plattner was speeding…
New Distracted Driving Laws Are Now in Effect
According to the insurance website The Zebra, who surveyed 2,000 Americans, they found that distracted driving is a problem. 37% of those surveyed aged 18 to 34 said that they felt a high degree of pressure to respond to work-related messages while driving. One in three females admitted to taking photos while driving. Distracted driving…
Accident Involving Alcohol Closes Pensacola Bay Bridge in Both Directions
Not many people can argue the fact that seatbelts save lives. Despite this fact, in 2017, the national seatbelt use rate was 89.6%. This is an 11% increase from 2014, which is a sign that seatbelt use is headed in the right direction. Additionally, in 2017, 2,549 additional lives could have been saved in fatal…
Motorcycle Club Helps Family With Expenses After Three Killed On I-95
Motorcycle clubs have a long history in America. The first recorded motorcycle club formed in 1903. It was a merging of the New York Motorcycle Club with the Alpha Motorcycle Club of Brooklyn to become the Federation of American Motorcyclists. Later, the American Motorcyclist Association was formed. Many local motorcycle clubs are law-abiding citizens who…