Car Accidents

Automated Cars May Soon Be Coming to Florida. Are We Ready?

March 7, 2019 | Wolfson & Leon

accident-miami-300x225 For years now various car companies have been developing the technology for automated cars. What was once a long-away dream, may soon be reality.

In an article, the South Florida Sun Sentinel explored just how drivers in Southern Florida would be affected by the new technologies. Driverless cars will affect everything from the width of the driving lanes to speed limits. Due to the driverless cars’ technology, driving lanes will become narrower, there will be fewer public parking lots, speed limits will increase, there will be flyover ramps at intersections, and there may even be more shortcuts through neighborhoods.

The reason for this is that all of the automated cars will be able to not just communicate with each other, but also with the traffic signals and roads. All of this technology will be used to prevent accidents with other vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and anything else (like deer or fallen tree branches).

Diverging Diamond Interchange Accidents in Miami

August 15, 2018 | Wolfson & Leon

In August 2018, Miami drivers were introduced to Diverging Diamond Interchanges. It began on NW 27^th Avenue and State Road 836 (Dolphin Expressway). The second area for implementation is NW 57^th Avenue and the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) which will come in the next few months. At the present time, DDI’s are also planned for five locations in Broward County. All of the Broward Diverging Diamond Interchanges will be installed at the intersections of the Sawgrass Expressway and:

Sunrise Boulevard
Oakland Park Boulevard

More Car Accidents and Fewer Tickets in Florida – Who Would Have Guessed?

August 1, 2018 | Wolfson & Leon

In South Florida, the number of crashes in Florida increased by more than 33,000 from 2012 to 2017. Yet in that same period in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties law enforcement officials issued 500,000 fewer tickets. If you received a ticket recently, then this means little to you. If you were in a crash, then it makes you wonder. If the person who hit me had received a ticket before, would they have been more careful? Maybe that driver who injured you shouldn’t have been on the road at all? Eventually you will want to know why have the number of citations issued gone down while traffic accidents have increased in South Florida? South Florida personal injury attorneys know that the answers from authorities are vague but hardly conclusive.

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Statistics

A statistical study from 2012 to 2017 reveals:

Florida has the Worst Drivers in the USA

August 31, 2017 | Wolfson & Leon

rear_end_collision Maybe this isn’t news to you, but for the second year in a row Florida was ranked first in having the worst drivers in the country.

Miami car accident lawyers deal with the effects caused by bad drivers every day. Clients are faced with the ripple effect of an automobile crash – the property damage; the insurance companies; medical bills; and loss of income. Car crashes impact more than the driver and passengers. A car accident will likely affect families, friends and coworkers. That is why anyone involved in a car wreck should consult with the best Miami car accident attorney that they can find.

Florida – Home of the Second Lowest Number of Insured Drivers

Miami Lyft Driver Killed in DUI Accident

August 24, 2017 | Wolfson & Leon

Car_crash_2 In March of 2017, a Lyft driver in Miami was killed in a Little Havana accident. The other driver was charged with DUI (Driving Under the Influence) for being high on crystal meth and cocaine. There were four passengers in the Lyft driver’s vehicle who were taken to the hospital. The family and survivors of the deceased driver and the passengers would benefit from the advice of a Lyft car accident attorney in Miami. These victims all face a potentially complex situation of insurance coverage.

Nicholas Castelao was ultimately charged with DUI manslaughter for driving while high on crystal meth. The Lyft driver he killed was Robert Torra. The accident happened in the residential area at the intersection of SW 25^th Avenue and SW 17^th Street. Castelao told a nurse at Jackson Memorial that he was high on meth. In addition, the investigating officers found a drug pipe near the vehicle after the accident. At the hospital, a nurse’s aide found 3 bags of drugs in the pockets of Castelao.

It is so sad that the selfish decision to drive while under the influence tragically impacted the Lyft driver and his four passengers. Not only were those folks affected, their families and friends also felt the impact. The unintended consequences of a tragic car accident extend far and wide.

UBER and Your Kids

August 21, 2017 | Wolfson & Leon

rear_end_collision-150x150 If you use UBER or LYFT to pick up and deliver your minor children, then you should know it is a violation of company policy for both of these corporations. Realistically, you should also know that these companies do very little to enforce this policy. To most drivers, a ride is a ride whether it is a child or an adult.

UBER and LYFT always say to right thing. But the proof is in their actions. Consider UBER’s firearm policy. No guns for anyone at any time. Sounds great – but no real effort put into actual enforcement.

Same thing for UBER’s discrimination policy. No one is allowed to discriminate – ever. Sounds wonderful, but is UBER doing anything proactively? No, they are not. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that UBER or LYFT is going to actively prevent drivers from picking up riders under the age of majority. If something goes wrong, UBER or LYFT will simply point to their policy and claim innocence – just like they do with guns and discrimination.

Why People Hire Lawyers After Car Accidents

March 29, 2017 | Wolfson & Leon

While you enjoy the insurance company commercials on television, you should also keep in mind that insurance companies do more than just advertise. They invest significant amounts of money in studying you and your behavior, actions and tendencies. One area that the insurance industry is most curious about is why people hire personal injury lawyers after car accidents.

The standard belief within insurance companies is that personal injury lawyers increase the cost of claims. Insurance companies measure the average cost per paid claim. This category is referred to as claim severity. Other measurements that every insurance company relies on include frequency and loss costs. Insurance industry executives are convinced that car accident attorneys negatively and significantly impact all claims costs and that results in higher premiums.

So, it is natural that insurance companies would spend some of their research and development money on trying to figure out why so many people hire lawyers after a car crash. Veterans in the industry believed for years that delays in processing claims often led people to hire attorneys. But a recent study brings that belief into question.

Accident with UberEATS Driver – Now What Do You Do?

February 10, 2017 | Wolfson & Leon

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UberEATS is everywhere in South Florida now. There was a recent announcement that UberEATS will even deliver food from McDonalds. But what happens if you have an accident with an UberEATS driver? Will Uber insurance cover the UberEATS driver?

Our Miami UberEATS accident lawyers assure us that the same coverage that exists for Uber accidents should apply for any accident involving UberEATS.

Uber Insurance Coverage

Florida Legislation for Uber & Lyft in 2017

January 31, 2017 | Wolfson & Leon

Until now, Uber, Lyft and the transportation network companies (TNC) have dealt with local governments on a county by county basis. However, in January 2017 proposed legislation was filed in the Florida Legislature which is widely viewed as favorable to the TNC companies like Uber and Lyft. This is potentially good news for Florida consumers as well as Uber car accident lawyers and Lyft injury attorneys.

Uber, as the market leader in Florida, has taken the lead in the battles against local governments. Lyft typically waited for the dust to settle and fell in line with the results obtained by Uber. These battles were on display in South Florida over the past few years with Broward County taking the lead in fighting against Uber.

Broward County banned Uber and Lyft for more than 4 months after negotiations broke down with Uber. Unfortunately for Broward County commissioners, the public outcry and backlash was overwhelming. In the end, Broward County essentially complied and gave in to the terms that Uber demanded. Not long after a deal was reached between Uber and Broward County both Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County fell in line.

The Question for Parents: Uber or a Car for Teens

November 10, 2016 | Wolfson & Leon

In today’s world, many teenagers are choosing Uber over driver’s licenses. Not surprisingly, many parents are in agreement with this choice. In homes all over Miami and in South Florida, families are discussing the safety and economics of using Uber instead of owning, maintaining, insuring another vehicle in the household.

Miami Uber accident attorneys have also had this discussion with clients. In the course of helping accident victims in South Florida, our personal injury lawyers in Miami meet with the parents of teenagers who are coming of driving age. Our Uber car accident attorneys in Miami usually discuss the legal responsibilities and obligations of Uber or Lyft after an accident no matter whether it is a driver or passenger. But increasingly, parents are curious about our Miami personal injury lawyers’ opinion on the issue of using Uber as a primary transportation choice for their children.

As for the legal perspective, Uber and other companies like it are required to maintain $1 million of insurance that may be available to Uber drivers and passengers. But because this is a new area of the law, many issues remain to be decided by the courts. Our Uber injury lawyers anticipate considerable litigation on issues involving insurance coverage for bodily injury, uninsured motorist, and personal injury protection benefits. Uber insurance coverage issues will not only involve the insurance provided by Uber, but also the insurance of other drivers and passengers.