According to the National Safety Council, accidental injury is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Every second, someone is accidentally injured, and someone is killed every three minutes by accidents that are preventable. This includes all car accidents, drug overdoses, falls, and drownings. Not all accidents can be prevented, but taking…
Crash In North Naples Shuts Down Tamiami Trail
While people sometimes use the terms careless driving and reckless driving interchangeably, there is actually a difference between the two charges in Florida. Careless driving is a moving violation in the state of Florida. It is generally given to drivers whom police believe to be at fault in an accident. When it comes to reckless…
Mother Demands Road Upgrades After Hydroplaning Accident
When a car slides, usually on a wet surface, it is called hydroplaning. While hydroplaning can occur on any wet surface, the most dangerous time is within 10 minutes of the rain beginning. The cause of hydroplaning is when the tires encounter more water than it can effectively scatter. Pressure from the water in front…
College Student Dies In Hit And Run Accident, Driver Says They Were Intoxicated
In Florida, if a person is driving under the influence and is involved in an accident causing the death of another person, they can be charged with DUI manslaughter. This is a serious felony charge which comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of four years in state prison. The sentence can go as long as…
Teen Faces Manslaughter Charges In ATV Accident
All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, also known as four-wheelers, can be an exhilarating way to adventure outdoors. Despite their name, these vehicles are not truly meant for every type of terrain out there. Each year, many people drive or ride on one of these vehicles without being aware of the dangers they present. ATV accidents injure…
New Texting And Driving Law Goes Into Effect on July 1st
For the past decade, significant research has been conducted as to the dangers of texting while driving. Even with a hands-free cell phone, statistics indicate that talking while driving can increase the chances of an accident by nearly four times. Virginia Tech conducted a study which showed that drivers who are texting while driving are…
UCF Senior Injured in Hit And Run Crash
Florida law requires that following an accident, the people involved must immediately stop and exchange identifying information. Failure to do so can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor. In cases that involve just property damage, the charge is typically just a misdemeanor. In cases where an injury is involved, the charge is…
Vehicle Fire Closes Florida Turnpike
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatal accidents involving tractor-trailers rose to the highest level in 29 years in 2017. This increase came despite a decrease in overall traffic fatalities. In raw numbers, 4,761 fatalities involved tractor trailers in 2017, a 9% increase over the previous year. About 1,300 of those deaths involved…
Fatal DUI Charge Dismissed Due to Police Errors
In Florida, DUI manslaughter is a charge that is always a felony. If the driver who was intoxicated knew that a victim was hurt or dying and did not give aid, then it is a first-degree felony. All other DUI manslaughter charges are a second-degree felony. It should also be noted that Florida allows for…
Hit-and-Run Driver Turns Himself in After Allegedly Hitting Two Cyclists
According to AAA, Florida is the most dangerous state in the nation for bicyclists. In its latest report, the agency stated that nearly 800 people in Florida died from bicycle accidents in 2017. Poor lighting and failure of motorists to yield right of way were two top contributing factors in the state for the accidents….
Single Vehicle Crash Ends in Tragic Fire
While cars exploding after a crash are mostly in the realm of Hollywood special effects, car fires after a collision are not. There are many things that can contribute to a fire immediately following an accident. Most cars have crumple zones that are designed to absorb the impact of a crash, especially around areas such…
Prosecutor Arrested for DUI Hit-and-Run
The Sun-Sentinel reports on a Broward County prosecutor arrested for DUI and hit-and-run. Last Tuesday, a Broward County prosecutor was arrested after Florida State Patrol troopers said that he rear-ended one vehicle and side-swiped another on Interstate 95 Tuesday night. 37-year-old Alim Babayev, was found walking northbound on Interstate 95 just south of the Oakland…
Officer Promoted After Recovery From Crash
While there is a wealth of informational statistics regarding on-duty fatalities for police officers, there is surprisingly little data for on-duty injuries. A study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 2018 shed light on these statistics. The primary finding was that law enforcement…
Bridge Collapse Findings Outrage Designers
The engineers and designers of a bridge have been speaking out against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) findings that engineers should have been aware that the bridge was going to collapse. The Florida International University pedestrian bridge was supposed to allow college students to cross a busy roadway safely. FIGG Bridge Engineers are…
Woman Accused of Crashing Supercar into Concert Due to Opioids
A paper published in 2017 in the American Journal of Public Health focused on the opioid crisis and drivers involved in fatal crashes. In 1995, only 1% of drivers who were killed in traffic accidents had opioid drugs in their systems. By 2015, that number had surged to 7%. The most common opioids in use…
Head-on Collision Blocks US 17
Sources indicate that although only an estimated 2% of crashes involve head-on collisions, this type of collision is responsible for 10% of all crash-related fatalities. Head-on collisions often result in injuries that are catastrophic. The most common types of injuries sustained in head-on collisions include head injuries, neck injuries, back injuries, paralysis, internal injuries,…
Arrest For Leaving The Scene of a Fatal Boating Accident
In Florida, boating accidents are treated much like car accidents. After a boating accident, the operator of the vessel must stop his vessel immediately, unless it would put the vessel, operator, or passengers in danger. They must also render aid to those who might be injured. They must also exchange information with the owner of…
Motorcycle and Truck Burst into Flames in Collision
Riding a motorcycle can be an exhilarating experience. Unfortunately, that experience also comes with risk. Motorcycles are inherently risky by design. There are few safety structures and they are also less visible than other vehicles. When it comes to motorcycles accidents, there are a number of contributing factors. Elements such as weather and traffic play…
Railroad Related Accidents High in Florida
According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration, 2018 saw a total of 2,873 accidents, resulting in 169 fatalities. So far for 2019, there have been 2,718 accidents resulting in 208 fatalities. It would seem that accidents involving trains are on the rise by taking a look at these numbers alone. A great majority of…
Texting Death Inspires Campaign
It is suggested that on any given day, 660,000 people are attempting to use their smartphones while driving. According to the National Safety Council, cell phone use while driving leads to about 1.6 million crashes every year. These crashes lead to approximately 390,000 injuries. Texting while driving is 6 times more likely to lead to…