Tampa Personal Injury Law Blog

A mistake in any context can cause problems for Florida residents who are left to clean up the aftermath of the error. Nowhere is this truer than in the context of a motor vehicle accident. One distracted or intoxicated driver can cause an accident that hurts many individuals, causes significant pain and suffering, and forces victims to incur significant financial losses.

When commercial vehicles are involved in vehicle collisions, the damages can be extensive and severe. Sadly, though, many commercial vehicle accidents are caused by preventable mistakes committed by drivers, trucking companies, and others. This post will explain some of these preventable causes, but readers with questions about this area of the law should talk to their trusted personal injury attorneys.

Motorcycle accidents are both serious and common. While Florida residents may choose to ride motorcycles for their commutes and travels, they should be aware that accidents involving motorcycles can be deadly. It is often the case that motorcycle accidents are not caused by motorcyclists but rather by other drivers who share the roads with motorcycles.

One common type of motorcycle accident is an ejection accident. The ejection of a motorcycle accident victim may happen when their motorcycle comes to an abrupt stop. The action of stopping may force the motorcycle rider to continue to move, fly over the handlebars, and collide with whatever surface is in front of them. That can mean that a motorcyclist could crash into another vehicle, a structure, or even the road that they are traveling on.

According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 6,000 people lost their lives in pedestrian-vehicle accidents in the United States in 2016. Almost 130,000 more victims suffered injuries in collisions with vehicles. By these statistics, pedestrian crashes kill an individual every 90 minutes in our country. Residents of Florida know all too well that these often preventable collisions occur in the Sunshine State, but it is often individuals from certain demographic groups that are more likely to be harmed in crashes with cars.

For example, older individuals are more likely to become pedestrian accident victims than their younger adult counterparts. Older individuals may stay in crosswalks longer and may move slower than younger adults, making them less likely to be able to avoid vehicles when they cross their paths. Similarly, children are also more likely to be hurt and killed in pedestrian accidents than younger adults. Children can be erratic and may move into traffic without considering the dangers, putting them in the path of oncoming traffic.

Distracted driving is a problem in Florida. When drivers allow their focus and attention to follow tasks and activities that are not driving, they may miss important changes in road conditions and cause dangerous car accidents. One way that distracted driving puts motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists in danger is when distracted drivers fail to see road signs and traffic lights.

Drivers know that red lights mean that it is their turn to stop and that they must wait for green lights to go. However, distracted drivers may not see traffic lights, or they may not notice when they change from green to yellow to red. This, in turn, may cause them to enter intersections when it is not their turn. A recent study suggests that more red light violations are happening now that in the past, and that may be due to an increase in distracted driving.