South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

A Florida bus accident involving a Walt Disney World bus and a charter bus sent at least 8 people to the hospital after an accident in Lake Buena Vista last week, FOXNews reported.

The Orlando bus accident is the latest in a string of high-profile busing accidents nationwide and highlights the significant increase in serious busing accidents in the United States.

A Mears charter bus was parked just off the right lane of Epcot Center Boulevard and the driver was standing outside when the bus was hit by the Disney Bus.

The Disney driver was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center in serious condition. At least seven injured passengers were taken to Florida Hospital Celebration Health.

Fox reported it is the second accident involving a Disney Bus in less than a year; a woman died in an accident involving a Disney bus last July near the Contemporary Resort on World Drive.

Commercial buses transport hundreds of passengers across Florida each day and are heavily regulated because of the danger a serious bus accident poses to passengers and other motorists on the road.

While the number of commercial truck accidents has declined in recent years, the number of bus accidents is on the rise, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Commercial Truck Accidents
Total: 139,349 in 2004 compared to 133,719 in 2008
Fatalities: 5,235 in 2004 compared to 4,229 in 2008
Injuries: 85,028 in 2004 compared to 71,329 in 2008

Bus Accidents
Total: 9,182 in 2004 compared to 14,292 in 2008
Fatalities: 315 in 2004 compared to 307 in 2008
Injuries: 12,369 in 2004 compared to 17,148 in 2008

Continue reading "Orlando bus accident the latest sign of nationwide increase in accidents involving commercial buses" »

Graco Children's Products is recalling 1.2 million Harmony high chairs because of stability issues that have led to the injury of at least two dozen children, CNN reported.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issues hundreds of recalls each year for dangerous or defective products that pose a health and safety risk to consumers. A South Florida child injury attorney or defective product lawyer should be consulted anytime an infant or small child is injured.

In this case, a chair designed to hold a toddler at table height is being recalled because screws may loosen and fall out, or plastic brackets may crack, causing the high chair to tip over unexpectedly. There have been twenty-four reports of injuries, including head injuries, a fractured arm, cuts, scratches, bumps and bruises.

Click here for a list of model numbers for the chairs, which are no longer in production.

The chairs were made between 2003 and 2009 and retailed for between $70 and $120. The chairs were sold at Target, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. In addition to the U.S. recall, the company announced it is also recalling 35,000 chairs in Canada.

In January, the same company announced it was recalling 1.5 million strollers because of a risk of finger lacerations or amputations.

That recall includes certain models of strollers and travel systems manufactured by Graco, including Graco Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers. The strollers were sold at Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Kmart, Sears, Target and Walmart between 2004 and 2009 and retailed for between $80 and $200.

Continue reading "South Florida parents urged to check for defective children's products; high chairs and strollers recalled after dozens injured" »

Fewer traffic fatalities occurred nationwide in 2009 than during any year since 1954, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Florida consistently ranks among the top three states nationwide for the number of fatal traffic accidents, joining California and Texas. Florida counties with the most fatal traffic accidents are Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

As we reported recently on our South Florida Injury Lawyer blog, 3,213 Florida traffic fatalities occurred in 2007, compared to 2,878 in 2008. The government will release state statistics for 2009 later this year.

Authorities cite the economic downturn and high unemployment for some of the drop in fatal traffic accidents and expect accident statistics will begin to rise again with an economic recovery.

However, fatal traffic accidents have declined now for 15 consecutive quarters and, based on the number of vehicle-miles traveled, have now reached the lowest level ever recorded. Authorities also attribute some of the success to highly visible campaigns promoting safe-driving behavior, including "Click It or Ticket" and "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest."

"This is exciting news, but there are still far too many people dying in traffic accidents," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Drivers need to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their focus on the road in order to stay safe."

Overall, the government projects there were a total of 33,963 traffic deaths in 2009, an 8.9 percent decrease over the 37,261 deaths recorded during 2008.

Continue reading "South Florida car accidents expected to be among highest in nation, even as traffic fatalities decline " »

Several recent high-profile semi accidents in South Florida offer a stark reminder of the dangers large commercial trucks pose to motorists on the road.

In Florida, semis can legally weight 80,000 pounds -- a primary reason why South Florida trucking accidents are most often fatal for other motorists involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer or other large commercial truck.

Last week, a 14-year-veteran of the Collier County Sheriff's Office was killed in a fiery crash in Lehigh Acres, after his pickup truck was struck by an 18-wheeler, according to The News-Press of Fort Myers.

The driver of the semi was not injured.

Meanwhile, WINK News reports the Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate a deadly trucking accident at mile marker 62 on Alligator Alley. One of the truck drivers was killed in the crash, which involved a Coca-Cola trailer and a flatbed hauling lumber.

Last month, at least two semis crashed near Jupiter, spilling about 200 gallons of diesel fuel in the roadway and trapping one motorist for more than an hour, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The accident closed the southbound lanes of I-95 for several hours.

Continue reading "Rash of South Florida semi accidents a reminder of the dangers large trucks pose to motorists" »

The dangers of a serious or fatal South Florida car accident are increasing as the economy emerges from the Great Recession, according to a study on traffic congestion released this month.

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach area ranked the 13th most-congested area in the nation, according to the INRIX 2009 National Traffic Scorecard. The study found that driving increased in the last three months of 2009 for the first time since the peak levels seen at the start of the recession in 2007.

The influx of traffic during the winter tourism season comes as no surprise to South Floridians. But the close link between the state of the economy and the congestion on our roads could mean an increase in South Florida car accidents after several years of decline.

"As the job situation goes, so goes congestion," Rick Schuman, the study's author, told the USAToday. "If we have a recovery and we start seeing employment starting to grow, congestion will grow along with it."

Nationwide, traffic fatalities have fallen from 41,259 in 2007 to 37,261, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which will soon release accident statistics for last year.

In Florida, fatal traffic accidents declined from 3,213 in 2007 to 2,978 in 2008. The counties with the highest number of fatal accidents were Miami-Dade (269), Broward (227), Palm Beach (198), Hillsborough (182), Orange (170), Polk (133), Duval (120), Pinellas (114), Volusia (109) and Pasco (88).

The most congested areas of the country were Los Angeles, followed by New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas and Houston. Miami roads were just 18 percent as congested as those in L.A.

The study found that drivers in Miami spend an average of 13 percent longer on commutes during peak-traffic hours than the same trip made during off-hours.

Continue reading "Miami car accidents, traffic accidents throughout South Florida, expected to increase as economy improves" »

A rash of recent motorcycle accidents on the East Coast is a reminder to riders and drivers alike that Florida's year-round riding weather puts motorists at increased risk of a South Florida motorcycle accident.

A Lehigh Acres motorcycle crash claimed the life of a 57 year old man Feb. 26 and critically injured his passenger, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.

The victim was southbound on Joel Boulevard with a 30-year-old passenger when he collided with a Cadillac. The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene; the passenger was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

A Bonita Springs motorcycle accident claimed the life of a 44-year-old Naples man and critically injured a 32-year-old fellow rider on Feb. 23. The men were eastbound on Corkscrew Road when a Lexus drove into their path, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Fatal motorcycle accidents in Florida have increased in recent years, from 432 in 2004 to 556 in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nationwide, motorcycle accidents have increased every year for more than a decade. A total of 5,290 people were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2008, compared to 5,174 motorcycle fatalities in 2007. The government will release data for last year in the coming weeks.

Continue reading "Winter motorcycle accidents a danger in South Florida" »