Jacksonville Personal Injury Blog

At a red light, everybody is supposed to stop their vehicle. This didn’t happen Friday night, November 25, and a 78-year-old Clermont man is dead as a result. Traffic was stopped on U.S. Highway 27 while elderly man was northbound and stopped with others at Citrus Tower Boulevard in Clermont at about 5 p.m., however, a 21-year-old driving a pickup truck didn’t see the red light and hit a car, which rammed into the van driven by the 78-year-old, which continued on to hit two more cars and an SUV, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).

While five people had minor injuries, the 21-year-old driver was in Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. There is no word in this story from The Orlando Sentinel why the elderly man in the van died while others did not in this chain-reaction crash. The only explanation offered by the FHP is that the 21-year-old didn’t see the cars stopped at the red light.

Our condolences are extended to the friends and family of this man for his passing.

Distracted Driving

A traffic accident investigator will look at many factors to decide what caused an accident, but one of the more recent causes of car crashes can be determined if there is no attempt to stop the car before it crashed. Look for tire skid marks in the road. If there are none, check the cell phone records to determine if the young man was texting at the time of the crash.

There could be other causes, and that is where an experienced Lake County auto accident attorney with Farah & Farah can take the lead and determine what happened and identify who is the at-fault driver, responsible for compensating the other drivers for their losses. Farah & Farah is a phone call away at (800) 533-3555.

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/os-clermont-fatal-20111126,0,7317140.story

A two-vehicle crash in Marion County that left two men hospitalized appears to have been entirely preventable. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, an 82-year-old driver was behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer and southbound on County Road 301 on the morning of November 23. When he attempted to turn left onto County Road 318, he collided with an approaching semi tractor-trailer that did not have enough time to avoid the intersection accident.

At the time, both vehicles had a green light but not an arrow for the elderly driver to signal the left turn. The semi driver is a 41-year-old man from Jacksonville who was not hurt in the collision. However, the 82-year-old was in critical condition at a local hospital and his 70-year-old passenger had serious injuries. The passenger was wearing his seat belt, but The Florida Times-Union was not sure about the driver.

Our best wishes go out for a speedy recovery of the two people riding in the Explorer.

In an accident of this kind, it is important to have a representative on the scene as soon as you can afterwards. An experienced Florida auto accident attorney must consider every possibility as to what may have caused this accident. Was the roadway ahead clearly visible, allowing the driver to see the vehicles approaching? Were drugs or alcohol involved? Since this crash happened about 9:30 a.m. there were no lighting issues, but was there fog or rain?

Call the Marion County truck accident attorneys with Farah & Farah immediately after an auto accident so we can intervene on your behalf and offer you a confidential and comprehensive review of your case so you can recover.

Source: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-11-24/story/marion-county-crash-involving-jacksonville-trucker-leaves-2-men-hurt

Channel 4 in Jacksonville reported that a single-vehicle car crash in Flagler County on November 16 took the life of a young female passenger. The car was southbound on U.S. 1 just north of Matanzas Woods Parkway. A 26-year-old man was behind the wheel when, around 2:30 a.m., he failed to round a curve, went off the road, and hit several trees. The Toyota Camry then rolled, ejecting both the driver and the passenger who were not wearing seat belts, according to the Florida Highway Patrol report. While the young woman was killed at the scene, the male driver was taken to the Halifax Trauma unit. We have no word on his condition.

There is no additional information in this story as to whether or not charges will be filed or whether blood-alcohol tests were taken, though that would be standard in a crash of this type.

Someone writing to Flaglerlive.com noted that the day before was the birthday of the young driver. His friends and co-workers have nothing but kind words for him and everyone commenting is very saddened by the loss of this beautiful and kind young woman. Our condolences are extended to all of her friends and family for her sudden loss.

Casualties Among Young Motorists

The Florida fatal auto accident attorneys with Farah & Farah understand that there is nothing sadder then the loss of a young life in a car accident.

While alcohol-related fatalities declined by almost 21% in 2010 on Florida roadways, there were still 794 deaths from alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. According to state statistics, there were 43,007 drivers in crashes in Florida in the 20-24 age range, the highest number among all age groups. That age accounts for 3.05 crashes per 10,000 licensed drivers.

Unfortunately, that 20-24-year-old age group also had 388 drivers involved in fatal crashes in Florida, the group with the highest number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Florida in 2010.

Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/21-year-old-dies-in-Flagler-County-crash/-/475880/4766706/-/mw746xz/-/; http://www.newsdaytonabeach.com/Articles/Local-News/One-Dead-One-Injured-In-Early-Morning-Palm-Coast-Crash.html

There are still many mysteries surrounding this pedestrian and auto collision in Palm Coast, as reported by the Daytona Beach News-Journal. On Thursday, November 10, a 76-year-old Palm Coast woman was out walking her dog around 6 p.m. on the east side of Columbia Lane. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, just north of Colechester Lane, a woman driving a Chrysler PT Cruiser north hit the woman with the right side of her vehicle “for unknown reasons”, according to the report.

An investigation is ongoing by the FHP. The car was driven by a 55-year-old woman from the Palm Coast and, according to the newspaper, she lives at the same address as that of a Flagler County School board member. Calls and emails to the home were not returned. Another report in the Sun-Sentinel says the woman is the board member’s wife.

The elderly pedestrian died Saturday, November 12 at Halifax Health Medical Center, two days short of her 77th birthday. The woman was reported to be an active walker who was in good health.

Whatever the reason is for the driver veering off the road, the family is grieving the loss of their mother and grandmother who had bought a dress just that day to wear to her grandson’s upcoming wedding. Our condolences are extended to the family for their loss.

As the FHP investigation continues, there will be many questions that need to be answered. Among them are: was the walker on the sidewalk or off the roadway? Was a blood-alcohol test taken on the driver? Were there any witnesses? What does evidence from the scene show? Was there any attempt to stop before the collision? What were the roadway conditions and visibility at the time of the crash? The result of an investigation will be sent to the State Attorney’s Office, who may or may not file charges.

These are just the some of the questions that an investigator and the team of Florida pedestrian accident lawyers from Farah & Farah would want answered in a situation where we are representing the victim of a pedestrian accident. Call us to advocate for you in your time of need at 1(800) 533-3555.

Source: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/flagler/2011/11/15/palm-coast-woman-hit-by-car-dies-from-injuries.html; http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-flagler-fatality-school-board-wife-20111115,0,228451.story

A driver who is accused of driving into a horse and rider in Ocala and leaving the scene was arrested November 13. The Florida hit-and-run accident happened around 4 p.m. at Northwest 35th Street and Northwest 130th Avenue in the town of Fellowship, according to a report in The Ocala Star-Banner. Unfortunately, the crash broke the horse’s leg and he had to be euthanized. The rider is hospitalized with minor injuries including a sprained ankle and bruises.

The story of what actually happened depends on who is recounting the events.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 35-year-old suspect said he loaned his car to another driver and was not behind the wheel, but when police stopped him, he failed a field sobriety test. His blood alcohol measured .223, nearly three times the legal limit for intoxication and was taken hours after the accident. Law enforcement tracked him down after seeing a car with front-end damage and a shattered windshield. The driver then said he was distracted and hit the horse, but when the rider fell and got back on he drove off.

However, witnesses say the car was heading directly east when it hit the horse and rider who were riding in a westbound direction and neither the horse nor rider stood back up.

The Ocala auto accident attorneys of Farah & Farah law firm have learned that the horse had a value of about $8,500, according to the newspaper.

The driver has been charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and DUI with bodily injury. Because he left the crash scene he also was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and two counts of DUI with property damage. Had the rider been serious injured or killed, this driver could be facing up to 30 years in prison for leaving the scene of an auto accident.

Source: http://www.ocala.com/article/20111114/ARTICLES/111119834

There seems to be no explanation for why a St. Augustine man suddenly drove off of Interstate 95 in Volusia County and crashed his vehicle, ending his life. The auto accident happened Thursday, November 10, when the 56-year-old man was on the inside lane of the highway.

The Orlando Sentinel does not report which direction he was travelling but for some reason, his 2006 Hyundai drifted across three lanes of traffic and onto the shoulder, where he continued about 100 feet before colliding with a concrete embankment wall near the LPGA Boulevard exit. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the man died at the scene. There is no other information as to what may have caused this horrific crash.

Our condolences are extended to his friends and family.

Emergency Contact Information

You may never think you are going to be in an auto accident but if you are, would your loved ones be contacted? In some cases, family members cannot find out if the accident victim is in the hospital or morgue due to privacy concerns.

There is one way to make sure your loved ones are contacted if you are in a crash and unable to speak. You can enter your contacts through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Their contact information is: https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlcheck/findcustomer

The Volusia County auto accident attorneys at Farah & Farah have been representing accident victims and their families ever since we opened our doors in downtown Jacksonville in 1979. One of the first calls following an accident should be to our offices so we can take care of the important business of determining who is responsible for your crash and who will be responsible for the costs associated with your medical bills and lost wages. Our number is (800) 533-3555.

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-i-95-fatality-20111110,0,2738746.story

Two men died when the pickup truck they were riding in on Interstate 95 collided with the back of another northbound vehicle. The collision happened around 2:10 a.m. Wednesday morning, November 9. The 40-year-old driver was from Lowell, Mass., and for some reason he rear-ended the SUV. Neither the truck driver nor his passenger, a 39-year-old from New Hampshire, were wearing seat belts. When the pickup hit the car ahead of it, it lost control, rotated, and then rolled. Both men inside the truck were ejected and the driver died at the scene. His passenger went to Shands in Jacksonville where he died. The woman driving the SUV was not injured. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), she was wearing a seat belt. The collision happened one mile north of U.S. 1.

Our condolences go out to the families involved. Fortunately, the woman whose vehicle was rear-ended was buckled in or we could be reporting on more casualties. This article in the Florida Times-Union does not say what may have caused one vehicle to drive into another. All three involved in this car crash were from out of town. Were they unfamiliar with the roadways outside of Jacksonville? Was there adequate lighting? Was distracted driving involved? Was DUI involved?

The Farah & Farah law firm has seen countless examples of one driver minding their own business when suddenly they are involved in an auto accident. Often it is not their fault. In fact, they may have no idea what happened. That’s when it is essential to have a personal injury law firm on your side to investigate the cause of the accident and to determine the at-fault party who will be responsible for compensating the victim for their losses. The Florida car accident attorneys of Farah & Farah are just a phone call away at 1 (800) 533-3555.

Source: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-11-09/story/2-killed-after-rear-end-collision-st-johns-county-according-fhp

When is it time to stop driving? That can be a troubling question for many Floridians as our state has more than its share of elderly Americans enjoying their retirement in the sunshine. By the time one turns 80 or even 90, often family members decide it is time for that person to stop driving. But how do you have that conversation? Driving signifies independence, and to lose a license might mean you are getting old.

News4Jax.com reports that Florida requires an eye test every six years for drivers age 80 and older, and based on those test results, the revocation of licenses for older drivers has more than doubled in the last 10 years from 3,559 in 2000 to 7,716 licenses revoked in 2011.

This could be due to the higher number of older drivers in our state. Statistically, older Florida drivers have fewer accidents. In 2009, state statistics show Florida drivers age 65 had a crash rate of 106.75 per 10,000 licensed drivers. By age 75, it was 98.27, and by age 85 it was 88.85.

The same cannot be said for younger drivers. Twenty-year-old drivers had a crash rate of 348.58 per 10,000 licensed drivers the same year.

Channel 4 reports that some elders have trouble driving because of a stroke, seizures, or dementia, and these folks definitely need to have their license revoked because of the dangers they pose on the road. For example, recently a car plowed into a Jacksonville fruit stand, killing both owners. The driver had reportedly experienced a “medical event.”

How to Take Away a License

A recommendation from a doctor can help ease the troubling conversation. Also, now you can make a confidential report to the state through a little-known Florida law. The form is on the website for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and is Form #72190. You can remain anonymous, and no penalty can be brought against a doctor or anyone else who provides this information to the state.

Channel 4 says the local resource, ElderSource, can help an older driver adjust to life without their wheels and find a way to map a route using public transportation. Please contact the auto accident attorneys in Jacksonville of Farah & Farah if you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident. Call (800) 603-3640 for a free consultation.

Source: http://www.news4jax.com/morning-show/State-pulling-licenses-of-more-elderly-drivers/-/1875838/4695568/-/rmmc8b/-/index.html; http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/faqmed.html

An early morning crash in West Jacksonville sent six people to the hospital Tuesday, November 8. The Florida Times-Union reports that five cars collided at the intersection of Melson Avenue and West Beaver Street around 8 a.m. Altogether, two SUVs and three cars were involved in the collision, which blocked the eastbound lanes during the morning rush hour. A Mazda 626 had to have the roof cut off to free a person inside. Two children and two adults were in one car, though the story is not clear which, and were taken to Baptist Hospital. Two other adults were taken to Shands Jacksonville.

A Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesman said none of the injuries suffered by the four adults and two children were life-threatening.

Let’s pray that everyone recovers from this pileup. From the look of the pictures it appears the Mazda had its roof crushed in. It is amazing that no one was seriously injured or killed.

Florida Auto Accidents

This is one of the thousands of traffic crashes that occur in the state every year. In 2010, Florida saw 235,778 crashes a decline by 3.1% in the number of crashes from the year before. That means there is an average of 646 traffic accidents every day in our state.

What to Do If You Are In an Auto Accident

If you are involved in a collision, the first thing to do is dial 911 to report the accident and make sure to tell the dispatcher if there are any injuries. Do not become involved in a discussion with the other party and stand away from the vehicles. Leave the vehicles where they are unless they pose an immediate danger.

You may want to exchange information but do not discuss fault for the accident. Look around for any witnesses. Make sure you do not feel pain and seek medical attention even if you believe the injury is minor. Following an auto accident, those involved are frequently suffering some form of shock, so err on the side of caution.

The Jacksonville auto accident injury attorneys at Farah & Farah would advise you at this point not to give a statement to the insurance company for the other side as that would not be to your advantage. Call us for additional information at this crucial time at (800) 533-3555.

Source: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-11-08/story/5-car-pileup-leaves-6-hurt-and-west-beaver-street-shut-hour-morning

The Obama administration is urging Congress to pass the American Jobs Act that will direct $50 billion toward repair of the U.S. infrastructure and another $10 billion for a National Infrastructure Bank. As a result, thousands of workers would be expected to go back to work in construction jobs, railroads, and related fields by 2013. With a country in need of repair for our elderly infrastructure, Congress would be able to make a valuable decision to staff road, bridge, transit system, light rail and airport projects in Florida, 20 other states, and the District of Columbia.

The report issued by the White House includes named projects such as improvement of the I-10/I-95 interchange in Jacksonville. Many lives are lost at this dangerous intersection, which also tends to bottle neck.

Investing in infrastructure is not a luxury. Without working roads we’ll find that society as we know it will suffer if trucks cannot deliver goods, including food, to cities and communities. And with a 10 percent unemployment rate in Florida, one of the highest in the country, getting back to work will only improve our community and our economy.

A Safe Workplace

No matter what your job, workers are entitled to a safe workplace that is free of hazards. That is what is required of each employer no matter what the job. If you suffer a workplace injury or are injured during the scope of your job, you may be able to recover damages from a third party that is responsible for your injuries. In addition, your employer and his or her insurance provider will cover the costs associated with your injury, recovery, and lost wages. If you decide to sue the third party, it can be done concurrently while collecting workers’ compensation from your employer.

The Ocala workers’ comp attorneys at Farah & Farah encourage every worker to make sure they report any suspected hazards to their employers before there is an injury. Call our offices at (800) 533-3555 to discuss your workers’ compensation situation if you do not feel you are receiving what you are due.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/02/president-obama-urges-congress-put-construction-workers-back-job; http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/infrastructure_report_final_pdf_110211.pdf

Fortunately, the school bus driver was the only person onboard a Deerfield Beach Elementary School bus when it crashed into a home on Northeast 7th Avenue off Hillsboro Boulevard. The woman at home was watching morning television news when the bus hit her house at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday, November 2. The 64-year-old bus driver of Tamarac said he lost the brakes on the bus and panicked as he ran through a parking lot, a concrete wall, then into the cement block home, damaging it extensively.

The woman inside the home was not injured and fortunately the bus driver had just dropped student off at school. He will be on administrative leave with pay and cited for careless driving, though it is unclear in this story from The Sun-Sentinel why, if there were defective brakes on the yellow school bus, he should be punished. A witness said the driver did not seem aware that the crash had happened.

Defective School Bus?

The Jacksonville bus accident lawyers at Farah & Farah understand that brakes on a school bus are supposed to be inspected every month along with a complete inspection of the safety of the school bus. If the brakes were defective, we’re lucky no children lost their lives from the out-of-control school bus.

School buses carry more than 23 million school children daily in the U.S. and the National Transportation Safety Board finds that about 7 school bus passengers are killed every year. There are far more fatalities on school crosswalks and from motorists failing to follow the law and stop when children are disembarking the bus.

The training of school bus drivers is a critical link to keeping children safe and secure. An incident such as this can only help the school determine if the bus driver is the right person to be behind the wheel, or if he exposes the school to legal liability by endangering students.

Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/deerfield/fl-deerfield-bus-house-20111102,0,1284290.story

An unidentified woman who works for the University of Florida in Gainesville was hospitalized after her motor scooter was rear ended by a car on Archer Road in Gainesville. The crash happened Tuesday, November 1 at about 3:50 p.m. when a Honda and the scooter were heading in the same direction and the car ran into the scooter. There is no word on whether this woman was wearing a helmet. She is hospitalized in Shands at the University of Florida in critical condition. There is still some confusion in this article from The Gainesville Sun as to exactly what happened, but witnesses write below the online article that the rear tire of the scooter was smashed up to the seating area. There is no word on whether or not charges will be filed.

Share the Road

Scooters are ridden by children and adults. In the case of a child, a scooter may be a basic skateboard with a motor and handle. Florida law classifies a scooter as a vehicle with a motor of 50 cc or less. The maximum speed is about 30 mph and they are used as a convenient and inexpensive way to get around. The operator does not have to have a motorcycle license, just the standard Class E license. Riders must be at least 16 years old and scooters should be equipped with lights, brakes, and mirrors.

The scooter driver has the same rights as other motorists and should be able to share the road with all sorts of motor vehicles.

Let’s pray that this woman has a swift recovery and the at-fault driver is cited according to Florida law. Experienced Florida scooter accident attorneys can launch their own investigation to help determine how the crash happened to increase your chances for compensation for your medical bills and lost wages.

Source: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111101/ARTICLES/111109974/-1/entertainment?Title=UF-employee-seriously-injured-in-scooter-crash; http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/other-types.php

This is a sad story of the death of a bicyclist in St. Johns County that still has no conclusion.

Last April, a 23-year-old student from the University of St. Augustine, who had been riding a bicycle on County Road 214, was found dead in a ditch after being hit by a pickup truck which left the scene. His friend now tells Channel 4 he believes he knows what happened. The friend of the deceased bicyclist says he never believed the truck driver hit his friend when he was distracted. Instead, he points to something called “buzzing” that happens when the driver of an automobile comes extremely close to a bicyclist to scare him. Apparently, it happens all the time but in this case the friend says instead of scaring his friend, something went horribly wrong.

Traffic investigators also believe it is possible because the truck driver would have had to drift across both lanes of traffic to hit the oncoming bicyclist. It’s difficult to believe it was not intentional “buzzing” at least initially, they say.

Motorists may buzz a bicyclist because they are annoyed at sharing the road or just to harass the cyclist for fun. The friend tells Channel 4 that motorists can be extremely annoying and dangerous. One time he was hit in the head with an orange. During “buzzing,” drivers will come within inches of the cyclist.

Under Florida law, a driver must give a bicyclist at least three feet when they pass and the cyclist can ride just like a car in a lane of traffic, forcing motorists to slow down and pass on the left side. This annoys some behind the wheel of a car.

Hit-and-Run Reward, sponsored locally by the Florida bicycle accident attorneys at Farah & Farah, would also be more than willing to pay for any information that leads to a conviction of the individual who left the scene of this bicycle fatality. We’ll never know if he could have rendered aid and saved the young man’s life. Call and you can remain anonymous at (800) 644-8678 and get this dangerous person off of our roads.

Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/Friends-of-cyclist-killed-in-hit-and-run-say-buzzing-reason-for-crash/-/475880/4037566/-/s7nqkrz/-/

It remains a mystery why a 16-year-old high school student collided with a vehicle within a mile of her school on Tuesday, October 25. The University High School student was riding near the intersection of Carpenter and Rhode Island avenues in Orange City when a call came into authorities that he had been hit by a vehicle around 3 p.m.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers responded and found that a 16-year-old driver had been eastbound on Rhode Island when she turned right and the bicycle ran into the passenger side of the car, sending the bicyclist to the hospital with minor injuries. FHP says the bike may not have had brakes and the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet.

The biker is fortunate he was not more seriously injured. Let’s keep his recovery in our prayers. There could be charges filed following an investigation.

In Volusia County, 11 other students have been the victims of accidents with motor vehicles either going to or coming from school since the start of the school year in September.

As a result, the county began to construct sidewalks to allow children a safer route on a designated walkway to and from school.

Florida Bicycle Accidents

According to statistics from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), November is the deadliest month for bicycle fatalities with 13% of crashes for the year occurring during that month. Florida had the most fatal bicycle crashes among all 50 states in 2009. Even though California has twice the population, one out of every seven fatal bicycle crashes occurred in Florida. In 2010, Florida had 99 bicyclists killed, a decline by more than 16% from 2009 (118 fatalities).

If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident, the bike accident lawyers in Jacksonville of Farah & Farah will offer a complimentary consultation to discuss your options, including whether or not we can hold the responsible party accountable for the costs associated with your injury and recovery. Call us at 1 (800) 533-3555, and please ride safe.

Source: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/west-volusia/2011/10/26/bicyclist-vehicle-collide-after-school.html; http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/VulnerableUsersRpts/Bicyclists2010.pdf