South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

A Boca Raton bicyclist was recently involved in an accident with a box truck on State Road A1A, according to Delray Beach Police.

As the bicyclist attempted to overtake traffic on the right side of the road a box truck, making a right hand turn onto Del Harbor Drive, collided with the 48-year-old cyclist, The Examiner reported. The box truck hit the rider and killed the bicyclist, according to the accident report.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers urge motorists and bicyclists to be cautious of one another as the spring time brings out both sets of travelers. Many motorists hit the roads during this time of year to vacation as many bicyclists hit the open road to enjoy the scenery and beautiful weather.

We urge riders to be cautious of motorists as they are often overlooked when sharing the roads with motor vehicles. It is important that both parties do their part to make our roadways safer this spring and attempt to decrease the risks of Boca Raton bicycle accidents.

According to BicyclingInfo.org, more than 600 lives were lost, and an additional 51,000 cyclist were injured, in bicycle/motor vehicle accidents in 2009. That's an average of about 2 people a day dying from these crashes in the United States.

The National Safety Council estimates that roughly $4 billion a year is spent on bicycle injuries. Florida saw more than 100 fatalities resulting from bicycle/motor vehicle accidents in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

While the number of bicyclist fatalities in 2009 is 12 percent lower than the 718 bicyclist fatalities reported in 2008, more needs to be done to increase safety measures.

Yield To Life offers these tips to motorists to help keep bicyclists safe when sharing the roads with one another:

-Make sure it's safe to pass a bicycle. Allow plenty of room between you and the bike and avoid tailgating.

-Allow bicyclists extra time to get through intersections.

-Give the bicyclist the right of way. Help them to make sure they make their way to the other side safely.

-Take a second look. Always double check for cyclists when making a turn or passing through an intersection.

-Refrain from unnecessarily honking at cyclists. Your honking may cause a cyclist to lose their bearings and can create a hazardous situation for the both of you.

-Be extra careful when parking, backing up and opening doors. As children on smaller bikes may be harder to see, it is necessary to take that extra moment to double check.

Yield For Life also offers safety tips for bicyclists to allow them to travel safely with motorists on our Florida roads:

-Make eye contact with drivers whenever possible. This will ensure that a motorist sees you and will help you to assert your rightful place on the road.

-Be sure to wear bright clothing, especially when riding at night. Equip your bike with proper lights and reflectors so you can make your presence is known in dimly lit areas.

-Just as motorists should check twice for you, you should check twice for them. Always look before crossing roads and intersections.

-Be sure to always have at least one hand on your handlebars. Use hand signals to help alert motorists of your expected movements.

-Be sure to ride along with traffic and not against it.

On our Florida roads, it is inevitable that motorists and cyclists will be traveling together. Make sure that we all do our part to keep our roads as safe and as accident free as possible for everyone.

Continue reading "Spring Brings Increased Risks of Bicycle Accidents in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton" »

While we are fortunate enough to experience beautiful weather all year long, we are also more vulnerable to pool accidents. It is important to keep our pools safe as they're used virtually all year around.

It is critical to install a compliant cover in pools with direct suction. Both federal and state laws address this issue. A pool spa drain cover safety act, known as The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act), was put into effect after a young girl drowned as a result of being trapped under water by the powerful suction from a hot tub drain, according to Pool Safely.

There have been an estimated 4,200 pool and spa submersion incidents for children under the age of 15 from 2007 to 2009. Children between the ages of 12 and 35 months represent 47 percent of these injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers would like to remind families that drowning is the second leading cause of death in the United States for children under age 14. We would also like to point out that it is the homeowner that is held responsible for these pool accidents. It is important to remember that the proper pool safety precautions and adult supervision are the two most critical factors in reducing the risk of swimming pool drowning incidents.

Florida has some of the highest rates in the United States for injuries and fatalities in swimming pool related incidents. It is important to keep an eye on your children as they can drown in shallow water in a matter of minutes. A homeowner's failure to properly maintain their personal swimming pool can cause a tragedy. Make sure that your residential swimming pool is properly equipped with ladders, handrails, covers and fences. Make sure they are all used at appropriate times to reduce the risk of injuries to swimmers of all ages.

We urge you to practice every safety precaution when outside enjoying the beautiful weather. As Florida is home to more than 1,000,000 residential pools, we ask our residents to conduct regular inspections and make sure your pool meets safety standards. We also would like to remind you that many homeowner's insurance policies take specific note of swimming pool liabilities and may have special requirements for insurance coverage, usually requiring more coverage than that of a home without a pool.

Continue reading "Pool and Spa Drain Accident a Spring Danger in South Florida " »

Nearly 3,000 passenger carrier safety inspections conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) took more than 300 vehicles and drivers off our roadways, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The FMCSA and local and state law enforcement agencies joined forces to conduct these much needed inspections.

"Working side-by-side with our state and local law enforcement partners, we can ensure that every passenger bus company and driver operates as safely as possible," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "These strike force activities are one of the many effective tools we use year-round to raise the safety bar for commercial buses and drivers on our nation's roadways."

While our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers are pleased that such inspections are taking place, it's unfortunate that it took several bus incidents, including the deadly bus accident that killed 14 passengers in New York City, to highlight the need for tougher inspections and new safety initiatives. With more and more people relying on bus companies for transportation, these companies have a responsibility to provide safe passage for passengers.

Hundreds of Florida residents and tourists rely on these bus companies to transport us to and from many of our Florida attractions. And we count on these companies to keep us safe during our travels. As more and more companies start to offer low-fare bus options, maintenance and safety measures may suffer. it has been proven that low-fare busing companies operate with older buses and often overwork their employees, all increasing the risks of bus accidents.

The number of passenger fatalities has decreased from 57 in 2004 to 46 in 2009. While a 19 percent reduction seems significant, there is much more companies can do to keep their passengers safe. Thousands of others were seriously injured in busing accidents last year.

"Safety is our number one priority," said Secretary LaHood. "We will continue to use every resource at our disposal to shut down unsafe passenger bus companies that place motorists at risk and remove drivers from our roads who put passengers in harm's way."

The Obama Administration began mandating much-needed improvements to motorcoach safety when it introduced a new Motorcoach Safety Action Plan. The rules require all buses to come equipped with seat belts and electronic on-board recorders. The electronic on-board recorders are meant to replace the easily falsified paper records that buses currently use to record driver hours. As these records can be easily altered, many drivers were working long hours, oftentimes operating while drowsy and inattentive, and putting passengers in danger.

Making even more of an attempt to keep drivers alert at the wheel, last year, the DOT adopted a new regulation that banned commercial drivers from texting behind the wheel and initiated rulemaking to ban hand-held mobile phone use.

Again, we'd like to stress that these companies should make passenger safety a number one priority. While low-fare bus options are convenient for travelers, the lowered safety standards should not be accepted.

Continue reading "Busing Companies Face Surprise Inspections in Attempt to Decrease Risks of Bus Accidents in Fort Lauderdale and Elsewhere" »

April has been designated as National Safe Digging Month by The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration according to an announcement by the National Safety Council.

Our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers want you to "Call Before You Dig" when tackling any of your outdoor spring projects.

A new federally-mandated national number, 8-1-1, was created to protect anyone be it professionals or do-it-yourselfers from accidentally hitting underground utility lines. A simple phone call is all it takes to avoid the potentially deadly mistake of damaging an underground utility line.

No matter what the size of the project is, workers should never dig into the ground without getting the utility lines marked first. Calling 8-1-1 can prevent you from making a costly mistake. Even if you aren't injured by disrupting an underground utility line, you could be slapped with fines and repair bills.

The 8-1-1 campaign was started by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA). It's purpose was to make sure the public was safe, protect the environment and avoid damage to underground utility infrastructure.

Created officially in 2000, CGA represents an arm of the United States Department of Transportation's Common Ground Study. This study determined that one agency should be in charge of monitoring and modifying best practices among the ever growing underground utility industry.

CGA continues to increase the public's knowledge regarding protecting America's substantial amount of underground cables, pipelines, wires and conduits.

Your 8-1-1 call goes into a call center; the operator will ask you some questions about your project. It is best to call a few days before you want to start your project. The call center operator contacts your local utility companies so they can send technicians out to mark the location of your underground utilities. It is literally as simple as that.

Ever wonder what all those color markings mean? Each utility has a universal color assigned to it as follows:

-White is use for the intended excavation site.

-Green means a drainage/sewer system.

-Orange is for any of communications (TV, telephone, cable).

-Blue is for potable water.

-Red means electric.

-Yellow is for gas lines.

-Purple means reclaimed water.

For local "Call Before You Dig" info visit:
Florida 811 site.

Continue reading "Avoid Construction Accidents in Palm Beach: Call Before you Dig" »

The Sun Sentinel is reporting on another tragic death of a motorist outside their vehicle.

Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers realize how risky our highways are after a Fort Lauderdale car accident or when tending a disabled vehicle.

A Fort Lauderdale trucker died when he tried crossing I-75 after his truck rear-ended another tractor-trailer. The 36-year-old trucker was struck and killed by a northbound car after leaving his cab, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

This is at least fourth time since January that a motorist has been fatally injured after they have exited vehicles on busy South Florida highways.

Earlier this month, while assisting 3 other people pushing a disabled car off Interstate 95 near Hallandale Beach Boulevard, a 15-year-old Miami boy was struck and killed by a passing car.

A horrific incident last month left 4 people dead, when they exited their vehicle after an accident to check on the condition of occupants of the other car involved in the crash. All 4 were hit and killed by oncoming traffic on I-95 near Northwest 103rd Street in Miami-Dade County.

In January a Lake Clarke Shores police officer struck and killed a young woman when she left her stopped vehicle and attempted to cross I-95 near Forest Hill Boulevard.

It is unknown to law enforcement what made the trucker cross the road in this latest incident, since his vehicle was off the roadway.

Florida Highway patrol has this advice regarding leaving your vehicle after a crash or becoming disabled:

-If it is safe to do so, pull to the shoulder of the road after an accident.

-There is no rush to exchange information with the other driver after a crash, wait until the police arrive.

-If you must exit your vehicle stand behind a wall or guard rail for protection.

-Never stand behind your car facing traffic. Use your vehicle for protection but make sure if it is struck it doesn't hit you.

-On a busy road if your vehicle can't be driven, stay inside and put on your emergency flashers.

-It is extremely dangerous to cross a busy interstate with traffic zipping by at 60+ mph. Unless your life is at risk, stay put.

Continue reading "Tending a disabled vehicle leaves you Vulnerable to Palm Beach car accidents" »

The Sun Sentinel is reporting the Fort Lauderdale Police Department is reviewing data to see how effective red light cameras are at improving traffic safety.

Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers know that stopping red-light runners reduces the risk of car accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere.

The crash data for intersections where the cameras are installed indicates that the number of accidents increased at two intersections, remained the same at one, and decreased at three locations.

Hollywood, Sunrise and Boynton Beach are the latest communities to add cameras at their most dangerous intersections.

Though some Fort Lauderdale commissioners want to keep the cameras, Fort Lauderdale's Police Chief has indicated concerns about expense and the massive accumulation of possible violations that haven't been reviewed. Two public safety aides review about 1,000 violations a week. Citations are dismissed if they aren't mailed out within 60 days. The current backlog of cases is 2,150.

The state Legislature is considering getting rid of the cameras. Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent on court costs for red-light violators, but very little revenue is coming in for fines.

Installation of the cameras in Fort Lauderdale was completed in September, and accident info was reviewed for October through January.

The intersection with the most number of crashes, West Commercial Boulevard and Powerline Road, saw a drop from 17 accidents to 11 when comparing data from last year. Both the intersections of West Commercial Boulevard at Northwest 21st Avenue and State Road 84's junction with Southwest Ninth Avenue saw increased accidents from last year.

The increase in accidents did not sit well with one commissioner, who felt if the cameras were making the intersections less safe what was the point of having them. Studies have shown that red light cameras do decrease the fatal t-bone type crash at intersections but are known to increase the less severe rear end type collisions.

Hollywood's 6 red-light cameras have been working since December and fines started to be issued in January. The intersections were chosen based on the number of red-light violations issued in the past. City officials think it is too soon to judge the effectiveness of the cameras.

Currently four intersections in Boynton Beach are having cameras installed, with warnings to be issued starting by the end of May.

Continue reading "Debate continues over the effectiveness of red-light cameras at intersections from Fort Myers to Fort Lauderdale" »

The Insurance Institute for Highways Safety (IIHS) recently tested the effectiveness of tractor-trailer underride guards. The IIHS is now urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to put tougher regulations in place in an effort to decrease risks of car accidents in West Palm Beach and elsewhere. They're also trying to get the federal government to mandate guards for all large trucks and trailers.

Naples personal injury lawyers urge you to practice cautious driving while sharing the roads with these large tractor-trailers. The lack of protection from American underride guards can provide deadly consequences to those in passenger vehicles who may rear end these commercial vehicles.

"Cars' front-end structures are designed to manage a tremendous amount of crash energy in a way that minimizes injuries for their occupants," said IIHS President Adrian Lund. "Hitting the back of a large truck is a game changer. You might be riding in a vehicle that earns top marks in frontal crash tests, but if the truck's underride guard fails --- or isn't there at all --- your chances of walking away from even a relatively low-speed crash aren't good."

The IIHS proved that these guards can fail in relatively low-speed crashed by testing three separate tractor-trailers and their underride guards, according to Occupational Health & Safety (OHS).

Of the 115 real-life crashes involving underride that the IIHS observed, only 22 of the accidents involved negligible underride, if any at all. In 23 of the 28 accidents that involved a significant amount of underride, an occupant of the passenger vehicle died. These cases also resulted in the entire front-end of the passenger vehicle ending up underneath the back of the truck, causing catastrophic damage.

"Damage to the cars in some of these tests was so devastating that it's hard to watch the footage without wincing. If these had been real-world crashes there would be no survivors," says Lund.

The results of these tests bring up a serious problem that needs to be corrected and regulated by the NHTSA. In 2009, more than 3,000 fatalities and approximately 74,000 injuries were a result of accidents involving large trucks. The IIHS will continue to push for new, stricter regulations in attempt to lower these numbers. Underride accidents can be prevented with the proper equipment.

"Underride standards haven't kept pace with improvements in passenger vehicle crashworthiness," Lund says. "Absent regulation, there's little incentive for manufacturers to improve underride countermeasures, so we hope NHTSA will move quickly on our petition."

Continue reading "Faulty Underride Guards Increase Risks for Fatal Fort Lauderdale Car Accidents" »

This week various transportation agencies will be joining together to raise awareness of accidents in work zones as it is National Work Zone Safety Week. This year's theme is "Safer driving. Safer work zones" and FDOT is urging motorists to be cautious in construction zones and around emergency responders in attempt to reduce risks of a Fort Lauderdale work zone accidents.

Naples construction accident lawyers ask that you practice safe, alert driving in these construction areas to help reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries to you, your vehicle or a road worker. Florida's move over law requires that you move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights.

The Transportation Development Foundation reports that overall roadway fatalities fell by three percent in 2010, to the lowest recorded level since 1949. Still, in 2009 nearly 700 workers and motorists were killed in these highway work zones. More than 40,000 were injured. It is estimated that roughly 85 percent of those killed were drivers and their passengers. Florida experienced nearly 100 fatal accidents in work and construction zones in 2009, according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) offers you these simple tips to help us around emergency responders and in construction zones:

-Keep an eye out for workers and their vehicles in work zones.

-Plan ahead. If you know your commute involves a work zone, leave earlier to allow more time or find an alternate route.

-Recognize and abide by the work zone signs.

-Stay aware of other drivers. Practice defensive driving habits.

-Merge as soon as possible. Don't wait until the last minute to get out of the way of these workers and responders. Last-minute decisions will only increase your risk of getting yourself into a compromising driving situation.

-It is especially important to avoid driving while distracted in these zones.

FDOT created a public service announcement to help alert Floridians during National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week.

Continue reading "National Work Zone Safety Week a Reminder of Risks of South Florida Car Accidents in Construction Zones" »

A collision involving a semi truck and a passenger vehicle left two Wellington teens dead and a third in the hospital, reports NBC 6.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the teens were traveling on Southern Boulevard east of the Glades when they slammed into the back of the semi truck resulting in a fatal West Palm car accident.

Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers
and parents to discuss driving safety often, especially during this time of year when there's spring break, prom, graduations, and summer break quickly approaching.

"The events that caused the crash are still under investigation," FHP says. They have determined though, that the crash happened at approximately 9:40 p.m. at the intersection of Southern Boulevard intersects with County Road 880. This area is commonly referred to as the 20-mile bend, according to The Palm Beach Post.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are more at risk than any other age group when it comes to car accidents. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.

There are a variety of factors that contribute to these teen driving statistics. In comparison to any other age group, teens are the most likely to drive while distracted or impaired and least likely to use seat belts. Distracted driving for teens can include cell phone use, music or even other passengers.

Because of these statistics, Florida school officials are hosting "scared straight" lectures to help students to understand the importance of safe driving. Tampa Bay Online (TBO) reports that our students are being trained through lectures, mock crashes and pledge agreements that spring is the most dangerous time of year for young drivers.

The mock crashes are elaborate events that include actors and bloody props, as well as towing companies and funeral homes. Some students are even able to visit the local hospital to see, first-hand, the emergency room and helicopters that could potentially serve them if they don't practice safe driving habits.

Continue reading "Recent Teen Fatalities Reiterate Importance of Safe Driving Class to Reduce Risks of Fort Lauderdale Car Accidents" »