Most of us have had an instance where we’ve been driving along an interstate and realized that our exit was coming up sooner than we thought, forcing us to merge across several lanes of traffic. In traffic jams, we’ve seen drivers try and get over right as their exit comes up. In order to ensure…
Orange County Deputy Struck Near Windermere
If you are a pedestrian on foot in Florida, your chances of being killed in a deadly accident are higher than anywhere else in the country. According to statistics, nine of twenty of the deadliest U.S. cities for pedestrians are in Florida. Between 2008 and 2017 the overall number of pedestrian deaths in the U.S….
Driver Killed Colliding With Brightline Train Identified
Since the yellow Brightline trains began test runs in South Florida in 2017, there have been more than a dozen pedestrians killed. Florida came in sixth in a ranking of states with the highest number of railway crossing accidents. Between 2014 and 2018 there were 462 reported railroad-related accidents. Nearly 16% of these accidents resulted…
Jet Ski Crash in St. Johns County Injures Three
Florida jet ski accidents are more common than one might think. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, who oversees boating, in 2011, there was $316,856 in damages from jet skis. Monroe county led the state in accidents, showing that one out of every seventy-nine registered jet skis was in an accident. While many…
Coral Springs Woman Charged With Hitting Bicyclist in Hit and Run Accident
Florida is one of the most dangerous states when it comes to pedestrians and those on a bicycle. They also take a strong stance against hit and run accidents in Florida. In Florida, even if the accident only causes minor property damage, the driver or drivers are required to pull over and exchange information. Not…
$13 Million Awarded For Crash that Happened in a No-Passing Zone
The Gainesville Sun reports that a woman’s family has been awarded up to $13 million for a fatal 2016 crash in Gainesville. 36-year-old Michelle Anderson was driving south on Southwest Williston Road on November 14, 2016. She was driving from her job at the University of Florida to drop off a permit for a house…
Retrial Against Two Florida Bars for DUI Crash that Left Woman With a TBI
In the colonial period of the United States, establishments served alcohol by a unit of liquid measurement called the dram. These establishments were called dram shops. Fast forward to the present day and many states have statutes that are referred to as “dram shop laws.” These laws can hold an establishment that serves or sells…
Man Seeks Answers After Tesla Kills Girlfriend in Accident
Billionaire innovator Elon Musk brought us PayPal and SpaceX, but he is also the genius behind Tesla Motors. Tesla’s electric vehicles are sporty and environmentally friendly and come with a host of innovative features. One of those features may be causing accidents. Known as the autopilot feature, it is available on many of their models…
Hit-and-Run on US 19 Kills Two, Injures One
Florida law required all drivers involved in an accident to stop as soon as safely able and exchange information. Failure to do so can result in serious penalties, including jail time and fines. Failing to stop at an accident that only involved property damage is considered a second-degree misdemeanor. Punishments for this offense can include…
Separated Tire Kills Driver, Owner Charged With Vehicular Homicide
If you’ve ever seen the debris of a tractor-trailer tire, sometimes called “road gator” because of its appearance, in the middle of the road, you are not alone. There are many reasons that could cause a truck tire to come apart or fly off the truck. These reasons include under-inflation. When a tire is under-inflated,…
Driver Cited in Accident that Caused Deputy Death
In Florida, a person operating a motor vehicle is expected to know the rules of the road, which include knowing when to yield. For example, all vehicles must yield to a pedestrian, as pedestrians always have the right of way. A vehicle that is attempting to make a left-hand turn must yield to traffic traveling…
Man Steals Police Vehicle, Crashes When Police Execute PIT Maneuver
The pursuit of a vehicle by law enforcement has the most potential for officer and innocent bystander injury as well as the potential for civil liability. This is especially true when executing the PIT maneuver, which often causes damage to the patrol vehicle and can cause injury and damage to nearby uninvolved motorists. PIT stands…
Boater May Face Vessel Homicide Charges After Propeller Death
Just like Florida has vehicular homicide charges, the state also has what they call vessel homicide. In Florida, a vessel is a commercial or non-commercial boat or aircraft. Vessel homicide is causing the death of another person by operating a vessel in a manner that was reckless and likely to result in great bodily harm…
Very Few Students Using Helmets With Electric Scooters
The Independent Florida Alligator reports that a study done at the University of Florida shows that only 12% of students who use scooters wear helmets. Megan Johnson, a 22-year-old graduate student studying health administration at the UF said that a study conducted by the UF Neuromedicine Interdisciplinary Clinical and Academic Program revealed that only 12%…
Moms Fight To Change Laws After Truck Trailer Accident
Truck underride collisions are some of the most horrific and traumatic type of accidents involving large trucks. Reportedly, underride collisions account for one-quarter of the fatalities in accidents involving trucks. An underride collision occurs when a passenger vehicle collides with a straight truck or the trailer of a tractor-trailer semi-trailer combination and runs under the…
Go-Kart Accident Ends in Death qt Showtime Speedway
Going go-karting may be a fun way to spend some time during a visit to an amusement park, but for parents who are considering buying their child a personal go-kart should be aware that go-kart injuries are serious. Children who are hospitalized for go-kart injuries require an average stay of about five days. More than…
Public Safety Director Killed in Motorcycle Crash
A motorcycle can be an exhilarating mode of transportation, but motorcycle accidents are more common, and often more deadly than other vehicle accidents. Motorcyclists are particularly susceptible to head injuries in accidents, mainly because even if they are wearing a helmet, there is nothing surrounding them to absorb some of the crash impact. Road rash…
FedEx Truck Caught In Jackknife Crash
Tractor trailed “jackknifing” incidents often make the news and when other vehicles are involved, can prove to be fatal. The term jackknifing refers to when the cab of a semi-truck and its trailer get out of sync and form an “L” or a “V” shape. The shape resembles a knife whose blade folds into the…
Teen Driver Killed in Yield Failure Accident
Florida, like many states, allows teens who are at least 15 years of age to get a learner’s permit license. To get a valid driver’s license, the teen must be 16 years old and have had a learner’s permit for at least a year or reach 18 years of age, whichever comes first. Once they…
Red Light Runner Leads to Manhunt By Cops
The Tampa Bay Times reports that a couple who ran a red light and killed a motorcyclist then carjacked another vehicle, leading police on a manhunt. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 31-year-old Cody Bearry and his passenger, 23-year-old Breanna Lynn Wright were the suspected occupants in a 2000 Dodge Dakota which allegedly blew through…