Articles Posted in Car Accidents

No one is immune from distracted driving these days. Even if you aren’t texting or calling while driving, it would be hard not to be distracted by the features that newer cars come with. For instance, changing the radio station, fiddling with climate control or using anything but voice controlled GPS systems can each be considered distracted driving.

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A recent article in the Tampa Tribune reinforces the idea that any driver can be guilty of distracted driving, and it only takes a moment for these habits to cause an accident. Ryan Leiker was driving down the road, slowing down to make a left turn. He had his blinker on, but the driver behind him wasn’t paying attention and hit the rear of Leiker’s vehicle hard enough to cause an estimated $20,000 in damage.

Hit-and-run accidents are a growing danger on U.S. roadways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at-fault drivers flee the scene in about 11 percent of accidents. In Florida, news about hit-and-runs was all over the media in January. Below, you’ll find a summary of three of those stories.

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If you have been in an accident and the driver who caused the wreck fled the scene, we can help. At Wolfson & Leon, we’ve represented car accident victims since 1963. If you are looking for a car-accident lawyer in Miami, give us a call. We offer a free consultation so that you can decide if we are a good fit. To schedule your consultation, Call Us At 305-285-1115 Today!

State Senate Supports Bill That Increases Penalties For Hit-And-Run Drivers

A video broadcasted on ABC News has gone viral. It depicts a driver in Florida losing control of his vehicle, swerving onto a sidewalk and hitting a tree before his car flips onto its roof.

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The video was captured by a police cruiser’s dash-cam. The police officer just happened to be following Michael James Woody’s vehicle when the accident occurred. Woody, who was uninjured, told the officer that he was texting behind the wheel.

Fortunately, the accident happened at night when the sidewalks were not in regular use, but the video comes at a time when Floridians are debating whether or not the recent texting-and-driving ban, implemented last year, has been effective in curbing the number of car accidents related to texting.

Ismael Martinez and his son, Fidel Durante, were working on a concrete project on the side of the road when the accident happened. CBS Miami reports that it was early in the morning, and they were walking from their work truck to the project site when the driver of an SUV lost control of her vehicle and hit the two pedestrians. Durante was clipped and only received minor injuries, but his father was not so lucky.

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The SUV ran over Martinez, throwing him to the ground and nearly severing his leg. The driver quickly drove away and was nowhere to be found when the police and paramedics arrived. Martinez was taken to Ryder Trauma Center for treatment. His surgeons performed four surgeries in an attempt to save his leg, but a series of serious infections forced them to amputate below the knee.

Two weeks later, Martinez says that he is starting to feel better. Until the past few days, he wasn’t able to sleep for more than a handful of minutes because of the excruciating pain that the surgeries caused him. He says that he can’t remember much of the accident; the only thing that he can remember clearly is the moment that impact occurred.

More than a year ago, a Jehovah’s Witness congregation’s bus trip turned tragic when their bus driver became lost and crashed into an overpass. The bus was carrying 32 church members on their way to a gathering in West Palm Beach. Their driver, Ramon Ferreiro, took a wrong turn and ended up at Miami International Airport.

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In the confusion, he began to travel the wrong way down a road near the airport and tried to drive the 12-foot-high bus under an 8-foot-6-inch-high overpass. Additionally, Ferreiro was driving at twice the speed limit. The impact tore open the roof of the bus and instantly killed one of the passengers. Two other passengers died at the hospital.

Car accidents are a regular fixture in the news, especially in Florida, which has one of the highest numbers of car accidents in the nation. Even though these accidents are seen almost every day, accidents that involve and injure children are still particularly shocking and saddening to read about. Unfortunately, we have seen two such accidents recently in Florida.

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The first accident occurred last week, when a red 2013 Dodge Dart hit 12-year-old Shania Jackson. The Sun Sentinel says witnesses told police that the driver didn’t break and hit the girl hard enough that she was thrown down the street. The car’s headlight was broken in the collision, but the driver didn’t stop.

Arizona’s Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently updated its Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, which was originally established in 2003. The program intends to increase the infrastructure for pedestrians and bikers along the state highway system in order to allow more people to take advantage of multiple methods of travel.

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The new plan rolls out at the same time that many cities are reporting their highest number of pedestrian accidents ever. KVOA News reports that a car recently struck an 18-year-old woman as she was crossing the street. People who live near the intersection where the accident occurred said that there is a lack of lighting along that road and not enough marked crosswalks.

The ADOT plan’s update will focus on improving safety by modernizing walkways and increasing driver awareness. At Wolfson & Leon we care about pedestrian safety. Below you will find some tips to help avoid causing an accident with a pedestrian. If you have been injured in a car accident with a negligent driver, we can represent your interests in court. To discuss your case, Call Us At 305-285-1115 Today!

Whenever someone drinks and drives, it can be safely assumed that they are being negligent. But in today’s culture, permeated with social media, we no longer need to assume.

CBS Miami reports that the driver responsible for a drunk-driving accident, Kaila Mendoza, was tweeting about drinking just before she got in her car. She wrote “2 drunk 2 care,” letting everyone know just how negligent drunk drivers really are.

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Her twitter account is littered with other references to alcohol, along with tweets and pictures that discuss drug use. The families of her victims found it difficult to read the tweets.

One of the most often tried types of personal injury cases involves negligent driving. Negligent driving spans a wide variety of situations. Any action that increases the likelihood of an accident but could have been reasonably prevented is considered negligent. These actions include talking or texting on a cell phone, putting on make up, eating or drinking, among others.

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Other forms of negligence revolve around the way a vehicle is driven. Driving at an excessive speed or making abrupt lane changes are also considered forms of negligent driving. Negligent driving also pertains to driving while impaired. Impairment can include intoxication or drowsiness.

If a negligent driver caused an accident, and you were injured as a result, it is important to stand up for yourself to ensure that you are fairly compensated. Your first step should be to call a personal injury attorney who can review your claim and build a strong case around it. At Wolfson & Leon, we have more than six decades of combined experience in the Miami area. Let us put that experience to work for you. Call Us At 305-285-1115 Today!

A truck struck a taxi cab carrying two passengers in a high-speed collision, killing the driver of the taxi. According to CBS Miami, passengers in both vehicles sustained serious injuries.

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The force of the crash forced both vehicles off of the road and into a closed gas station. There currently are no indicators of what caused the wreck.

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