Jacksonville Personal Injury Blog

U.S. traffic safety groups, along with the federal government, have been applauding the significant reduction in highway deaths that seems to be a nationwide trend over the last few years. However, other nations have even a better record of traffic safety and two new government reports say we could be doing more in the U.S. to save lives on the nation’s roadways, according to Consumer Reports.

The National Research Council lists several improvements, including frequent sobriety checkpoints to find drunk drivers (saving 1,500 to 3,000 lives); enforcement of speed limits (saving 1,000 to 2,000 lives); making the motorcycle helmet laws universal (saving 450 lives); and increasing seat belt use from 85% to 90% (saving 1,200 lives).

The National Transportation Safety Board also recommends universal helmet laws for motorcyclists. Florida opted out of a law mandating helmets in 2000 and saw an immediate sharp increase in the number of motorcycle deaths. A universal helmet law would mean all 50 states adopt some requirement for helmets.

Another top priority is eliminating distracted driving by young drivers, improving the use of child and booster safety seats, getting tough on habitual drunk driving offenders, and enacting tougher seat belt laws.

While the U.S. has been making steady progress on all of these fronts, there remains more to do to save lives on the roadways. The Jacksonville personal injury attorneys at Farah & Farah have been representing victims of Florida auto and truck accidents for more than 25 years and offers a free and comprehensive consultation on your accident case. If you don’t know where to begin following an accident, give us a call at 1-800-533-3555.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging anyone who rides in or drives a 15-passenger van to use special caution to keep occupants safe while traveling in this dangerous vehicle. Because of the high center of gravity, a 15-passenger van has a tendency to rollover and coupled with a weak roof structure, the 15-passenger van has been called the most dangerous vehicle on the road.

There have been two recent 15-passenger van accidents, one in Georgia and one in New York, that led to 10 fatalities. The NHTSA is warning drivers to be especially wary of defective tires that will cause a vehicle to rollover. Because tires degrade, it is advised NOT to use the spare tire as a replacement tire for any distance other than to get to a tire store.

Unfortunately, churches and schools use these vans to transport children and school systems even use them to transport students. Facing tight budgets, some organizations may be keeping older 15-passenger vans in service longer than recommended. The NHTSA advises pre-primary to secondary students never be placed in the van because they’re not as safe as a traditional school bus. The problem is becoming so widely-recognized, that it is now illegal for schools to purchase new 15-passenger vans to transport children. The same federal law does not apply to private schools or parent-hired buses and vans.

The Florida car accident attorneys at Farah & Farah hope your school or church does not use these dangerous vehicles to transport any of your loved ones. If you must, make sure the driver is experienced in operating these vans. They should not be overloaded in any circumstance because they become even more difficult to handle. If you or a loved one is injured in a 15-passenger van, you will need the assistance of an experienced Florida 15-passenger van rollover attorney to help you recover and hold the responsible parties at-fault. Too many have died in these vans – Don’t let your family member be one of them.

Expect to see more and more elderly drivers on the road over the next three decades, reports online news outlet FairWarning.com. The National Transportation Safety Board says it’s difficult to predict whether that will translate into more car accidents. The number of people age 65 and older with a driver’s license is expected to make up around 20 percent of the total driving population in about 15 years.

People who drive often are less likely to be involved in a traffic crash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In order to reduce the number of traffic accidents among the elderly, two states, Illinois and New Hampshire, require road tests for drivers over the age of 75. Other states require vision tests and do not let drivers renew their license by mail. Other safety precautions that have been discussed are larger warning signs along the side of the road, and seatbelts that inflate if someone is in a car accident, similar to an air bag.

Florida Accident Statistics
Drivers in the 20-24 age group were involved in the most fatal car crashes in Florida in 2008, while drivers over the age of 90 were involved in only 18 fatal crashes in 2008, reports the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). Alcohol-related crashes were far more prevalent among young drivers (158) than among elderly drivers over the age of 90, who had no alcohol-related accidents.

Despite the assumptions that are made about Florida car collisions and who causes them, the Florida car crash lawyers at Farah & Farah will look at the facts of an auto accident to determine who the at-fault driver is and how their insurance policy will apply in a case that involves an uninsured or underinsured driver. Call any of our many Florida offices so we can discuss your Florida car crash case, regardless of your age.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling over 523,500 window shades made by a New Jersey company, Hanover Direct Inc., after the cord of the defective product strangled a 22-month-old and was found hanging by his neck.

Hanover Direct Inc. makes Roman shades and roller blinds. The blinds were made in China and sold at the company stores also called Domestications, the Company Store, and Company Kids stores between January 1996 and October 2009. A year ago the company was the subject of another CPSC recall over hazardous and defective window shades after a youngster almost lost his life due to cord strangulation.

Consumers should stop using shades that have exposed inner cords that can wrap around a child’s neck and roll-up blinds without a tension mechanism.

Product Liability
If a consumer is injured by a defective product, whether it is improperly designed, labeled, or made of shoddy materials, he or she can be compensated for their injury or illness. An experienced Florida defective product attorney can help you decide whether you should challenge the company in an individual lawsuit, or join a class action, which makes it more likely you will be able to outlast a big corporation in litigation. The liability can extend to the manufacturer, supplier, and retailer, or distributor of the product.

The Florida product liability attorneys at Farah & Farah would conduct a thorough investigation into the designers and manufacturers of a product to determine all potential defendants in a Florida product liability case.

An elderly man was killed in a hit-and-run crash Friday night, November 12, following a three-vehicle collision on State Road 44 near Ridgewood Avenue in DeLand, Florida about 7:25 p.m., according to The Orlando Sentinel.

The driver of the first vehicle, a 2006 Dodge pickup, was westbound on SR 44, also known as New York Avenue, when he crossed into the oncoming eastbound lane traffic where he sideswiped a 2000 Dodge Stratus and then struck the left front of the eastbound 2002 GMC truck driven by the 77-year-old man.

The elderly driver of the GMC truck died after being taken to a local hospital. The female driver of the Dodge Stratus suffered minor injuries. There is no word in this article on the identity of the driver of the first vehicle, however charges are pending in the multi-vehicle Florida car crash.

Our condolences go out to the family members and friends of the elderly man who was killed in this tragic Florida car accident.

The violent nature of a Florida head-on car collision can result in serious head and neck injuries, cuts from broken glass, and broken bones. Always drive defensively looking for a car that may be crossing into your lane from the opposite direction, but if you must avoid a vehicle, avoid jerking the steering wheel which can cause the car to rollover. Try to keep two wheels on the pavement and side-graze the oncoming vehicle, if possible.

If you or a loved one has been in a head-on auto accident in Orlando, you will need time to recover from your injuries. Orlando personal injury lawyers will be by your side and take care of the investigation and all of the paperwork so you can concentrate on getting well.

A study released his week by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety states that almost 17% of fatal crashes are caused by drivers who are drowsy, reports The Patriot Ledger. The AAA believes drowsy driving is under reported and up to 41 percent of drivers have nodded off behind the wheel at some time. The study concludes that falling asleep behind the wheel is responsible for 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and more than 100,000 crashes every year.

Other interesting points:

• Drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 are twice as likely to be involved in a drowsy driver crash as older drivers ages 49 to 59.


• Two-thirds of these crashes involve men.


• Some of the drowsy drivers have been drinking with a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, just over the level considered legally intoxicated.

Signs of Drowsy Drivers
Look for signs such as trouble keeping your eyes open, yawning, a lack of focus and daydreaming behind the wheel. Defensive driving reaction time will be impacted in a sleepy driver as will judgment, and can possibly cause a Florida car accident.

If you feel you are getting too sleepy to drive, pull the car over and take a 10 to 15 minute nap. Drink a caffeinated beverage and get at least six hours of sleep before you take a long trip.

The Jacksonville car crash attorneys at Farah & Farah would like you to consider traveling with an awake passenger if you are tired, and make sure to take a break every 2 hours on a long distance trip to help prevent more Florida car accidents from occurring.

A 32-year-old woman was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison for DUI manslaughter when she forced the car of a mother of two off the Buckman Bridge in February, reports The Florida Times-Union.

On Tuesday, November 9, Sasha Pringle was convicted of several felonies – DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of the accident on February 27 that ran Luma Kajy’s SUV off of the bridge. Tests after the collision showed Pringle had pain killers, marijuana, and an anti-anxiety drug in her system while behind the wheel.

Florida Hit-and-Run Car Crashes
Jacksonville’s Duval County is the seventh largest in the state, but statistics show it follows only Miami-Dade and Broward counties with the third highest number of hit-and-run car collisions in 2008.

Leaving the scene of a auto accident that results in an injury or fatality is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. The number of prosecutions for hit-and-run drivers has skyrocketed from 349 in 2006 to more than 2,000 in 2007 and 2008.

Drivers who cause a Florida car accident could leave the scene of the crash because they are intoxicated, driving without a license, have outstanding warrants, or were driving distracted.

If you or a loved one has been in a Florida hit-and-run car crash and don’t know where to begin, the Florida car accident attorneys at Farah & Farah are experienced in initiating an investigation into the at-fault party to help you seek recovery and get back on your feet. Give us a call at our many Florida offices to let us help you.

A Jacksonville man was killed and another man was critically injured when their pickup truck overturned on Heckscher Drive near Somer Road around 6:15 on Sunday morning, November 7, reports Channel 4 News.

It is unclear in the article who was driving the motor vehicle, but the Florida Highway Patrol reports the driver lost control of the Nissan pickup and it rolled several times across all of the lanes of traffic. The man that died at the scene of the fatal Florida car crash was not wearing a seat belt, and the other occupant of the vehicle was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville and is in critical condition.

Our condolences are extended to the family of the man killed in this fatal Florida truck rollover accident. Let’s pray for the recovery of the other man in this tragic crash.

There is no mention as to why the vehicle went off the road, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates at least 25% of crashes reported to police involve some form of distracted driving or inattention. That amounts to more than 1.5 million crashes a year, which is roughly 4,300 collisions every day.

If I was a family member of either of the men involved in this Florida car crash, I would want to know if another vehicle was involved; for example, was another vehicle speeding and caused the pickup truck to swerve out of the way? Was there debris on the road or was the vehicle faulty in some way? Did the seatbelt or tires on the vehicle fail?

An experienced Florida car accident attorney can launch an investigation and get answers that can lead to monetary compensation for the injuries and rehabilitation needed by victims following a Florida car crash.

The St. Augustine Record reports that two Palm Coast residents of Flagler County died on Wednesday morning, November 3, when their motor vehicles were involved in a Florida head-on car collision on Colbert Road near Beverly Beach around 6 a.m.

The Florida head-on car accident occurred when a 52-year-old male driver of a 2004 Nissan SUV crossed the center median line on Colbert Road and drove head-on into a 2001 Honda SUV driven by an 83-year-old woman. The resulting crash totaled both vehicles and both drivers were killed at the scene of the fatal Florida car accident.

The Florida Highway Patrol does not know who the at-fault driver was in this tragic Florida car crash, but the FHP does say that alcohol was not a factor. The female driver was wearing a seat belt while the man was not.

Our condolences are extended to the families and friends of both drivers who died in this tragic Florida car accident.

Florida Head-On Collisions
Depending on how fast each car is traveling, there may be very little time to react in a head-on collision. It is advised you drive with your lights on during the day to make sure others see you. Drive defensively.

An SUV with a high center of gravity is not stable enough to stay on the road if you jerk the steering wheel suddenly. The Florida car accident attorneys at Farah & Farah suggest you try to keep two wheels on the payment and quickly move out of the way.

In the unfortunate event you are involved in a head-on collision, our experienced Florida car crash attorneys can quickly get involved in the investigation that will be necessary to determine the at-fault driver in the accident while you concentrate on recovering.

A St. Augustine man went on a wild ride Wednesday night, November 3, crashing a truck belonging to his boss into a telephone pole after fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run at U.S. 1 and West Castillo Drive, reports The Florida Times-Union.

St. Augustine police jailed the 47-year-old man around 9 p.m. after he hit the power pole, knocking out power to residents in one block around San Marco and Myrtle avenues. The man told police he left the first crash where he side-swiped another vehicle because he was driving a truck belonging to his boss. He is being charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident causing about $25,000 in damage.

Liability Issues
Police consider the reckless driver to be at-fault in the first crash.

According to Florida Statute 316.192 – Reckless driving is defined as disregarding the safety of persons or property or fleeing a law enforcement officer. The punishment can include jail for up to 90 days and a fine not to exceed $500. A subsequent conviction can lead to jail time of up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

Damage to property or a person is a misdemeanor of the first degree, while serious bodily injury is a felony of the third degree.

In Florida, if the court believes the use of alcohol or chemical substances contributed to the reckless driving, the individual may be sentenced to a DUI school by the court.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in this case of reckless driving, which is unusual considering the well-trafficked roads of St. Augustine.

If you have been injured by a reckless driver through no fault of your own, the Florida car crash attorneys at Farah & Farah will take the time to talk to you about your case and discuss your options for recovery so you don’t have to go it alone.

The trial of major league baseball player, accused of driving drunk and killing a mother of two, begins on Monday, November 1, in Fort Lauderdale, according to The Palm Beach Post News. A jury was chosen Thursday, October 28, in the DUI manslaughter trial of Jim Leyritz, 46, who was a catcher during an 11-season big league career.

He is accused of running a red light in December 2007 and crashing into a vehicle driven by Fredia Ann Veitch, 30, who was thrown from her SUV and later died. Leyritz blood alcohol level was 0.14, almost twice the legal limit of 0.08 under Florida law and his BAC was taken three hours after the fatal Florida drunk driving car crash.

The six-person panel was told Thursday that this was a high profile case and would likely last four weeks. Jurors were discouraged from watching television or reading about the case.

Florida DUI Laws
Lawyers for Leyritz will not be able to introduce evidence that Ms. Veitch was not wearing her seat belt at the time of the accident and may also have been driving under the influence. The main issue for the jurors to decide is whether Leyrich ran a red light or not.

It is illegal in Florida to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If he is convicted of running a red light while intoxicated, Leyritz, who has pleaded not guilty, faces between 4 and 15 years in prison. He has already settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Ms. Veitch.

An experienced Florida car accident attorney will guide victims and their families through the court system if they are unfortunately involved in a motor vehicle accident with an intoxicated driver. Farah & Farah has an open door policy if you’d like to discuss your situation.

As patients, most of us overwhelmingly trust our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. At times, we literally put our lives in their hands. We trust they will make good decisions regarding our health and well-being. However, what if some doctors are a little too eager for a patient to undergo extensive surgery?

An article from 1985 in Health Letter, a publication of Public Citizen, found that between 1971 and 1978, coronary bypass surgeries performed on men who were 65-years-old and older rose by a shocking 955 percent. The bypass surgery rate for younger people also increased significantly. At the time, the cost for a coronary bypass surgery was around $20,000, so for every 100 patients who underwent the extensive operation, about $1.4 million was spent in medical expenses, some of which was completely unnecessary.

At the time, Senate Aging Committee Republican John Heinz from Pennsylvania noted that “Americans of all ages are wheeled into operating rooms at a greater annual rate than in any other place in the world and the overall surgery rate in this country has increased four times faster in the past decade than the growth in population.” While this could be contributed to any number of factors, it is still an alarming increase.

During the same period, Dr. John Wennberg from Dartmouth Medical School analyzed regional data he had collected on prostatectomies. He compared the outcome of the surgery in areas where the operation was least popular to areas where the surgery was most often performed. Wennberg estimated that thousands of lives could be saved if the lower prostatectomy rate was the prevailing rate nationwide.

Additionally, a study done in Colorado at the time found that for every 10 percent “squeeze” on doctors’ incomes from health insurance companies, there was a significant rise in the number of operations performed per patient, the complexity of services given to patients from doctors, and the number of lab tests ordered by doctors. One New Jersey hospital administrator was even found to have been encouraging doctors who performed few cesarean deliveries to consider doing more of them as it would be more profitable for the hospital.

It is a reasonable conclusion to say that if patients sought a second opinion before consenting to undergo surgery, there would be fewer fatalities and billions of dollars spent less on healthcare. Indeed, investigations of the subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee reported, at the time, that an estimated $4 billion was being sent on 2.4 million unnecessary operations, at the cost of about 11,900 lives.

Surgical injury in Florida and throughout the United States is a serious concern and patients have the right to a second opinion if that is what they chose to do. It is without a doubt awkward to contradict or question your doctor and their motives. However, doing so can potentially save you from paying medical expenses and suffering possible complications, or even serious injury, that could result from an unnecessary procedure. It is a good idea to consult with another doctor, one who isn’t at the same hospital or facility as your current one, for a second opinion on your medical condition. If you aren’t sure where to go, ask local medical societies or a nearby medical school for the names of doctors they would recommend treating your particular illness or injury.