Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Police are investigating a hit-and-run accident in Oakland Park, Florida, that caused the death of a 22-year-old man in April 2011. Authorities have collected DNA samples from the vehicle suspected in the bicycle accident that killed Michael James Martin.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, 4,380 people were injured as a result of a bicycle accident and 118 bicyclists were killed in Florida in 2008. Because a bicycle does not provide as much protection as a car or truck, bicyclists are often subject to serious personal injuries if involved in a crash. Some of these injuries can include traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, broken bones, damage to the internal organs, in and some cases, death.

Oftentimes, a bicycle accident is caused by the negligence of another driver. Drivers who fail to follow traffic laws, are inattentive, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, put bicyclists at risk on the roads.

When a negligent driver causes an accident resulting in the death of another person on the roadway, be it pedestrian, bicyclist or another motorist, the family of the victim has the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver that caused the accident. Wrongful death cases are complex legal matters that should be handled with the help of an experienced wrongful death lawyer. Such cases arise from a variety of incidents, including auto accidents, motorcycle crashes, bicycle accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents and construction accidents.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Wrongful Death Lawyer on Hit-and-Run Accident that Killed Oakland Park Man" »

Palm Beach County police are investigating a hit and run accident that killed a pedestrian close to Boca Raton on Thursday, May 12, 2011. Guadalupe Corrizales was struck by an Infiniti G35 sedan. The driver has not been charged and his name has not yet been released. According to investigators, the vehicle was speeding.

The above story is another catastrophic case of an irresponsible driver crashing into an innocent victim, and then fleeing the scene. According to a Governors Highway Safety Association report, there were more pedestrian accident fatalities in 2010 than in the previous four years. The report, which contains statistics for accidents nationwide, shows that Florida had the second largest rise in pedestrian deaths in the country.

On many occasions, such as the story cited in this blog, hit and run accidents are responsible for causing pedestrian injuries and deaths. According to a USA Today report, the number of deaths resulting from hit and run accidents has gone up by 20 percent since 2000.

This is precisely what uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is for. Family members and relatives should be able to collect under the family's underinsured/underinsured motorist coverage for the victim of this horrific accident. Many times persons who flee the scene do so because they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other times they flee the scene because they're doing something wrong, such as speeding.

Oftentimes these "speeders" have little or no insurance coverage. Don't be caught without adequate insurance coverage.

If you are the victim of a hit and run crash, that is where your uninsured motorist coverage comes into play. Even if you never find the vehicle that fled from the scene of the collision, your uninsured motorist coverage will cover you for damage caused by a car or other motor vehicle that flees the scene. Tip: purchase uninsured motorist coverage at least equal to your bodily injury limits. We also recommend that you purchase stacking coverage if you have multiple vehicles in your household. This will multiply the amount of coverage that you have available to you if you are in one of these "stack" cars at the time of the car crash. If you do have multiple vehicles, you can stack the coverage of all the vehicles in the household for any resident relative, most of whom will be covered in such an incident.

Continue reading "Coral Springs Auto Accident Attorney Discusses Hit and Run that Killed Pedestrian" »