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After several years of declining numbers, the death toll among Florida motorcycle riders went up 30 percent in 2015. Moreover, although they account for only 3 percent of the traffic, motorcycle riders make up 20 percent of roadway fatalities in Florida. Victims who survive face an average of $84,000 in medical expenses. Miami-Dade County had [...]
A leading bicycle safety advocate says he is leaving the state after he was rear-ended by a fatigued driver who did not even receive a citation. Alan Snel made the remarks in some of his first public comments since a March car accident near Fort Pierce on Old Dixie Highway. According to witnesses and police, [...]
Largely because it is such a powerful and widely-available drug, alcohol is a contributing factor in about a third of the fatal car crashes in Florida. What legal recourse do these victims have in civil court? Alcohol is a depressant that slows reaction time, so impaired drivers take longer to react to approaching hazards. Alcohol [...]
Lawmakers in both the State House and Senate are considering measures that would enhance the penalties for texting while driving and also make it easier for officers to pull over motorists in these situations. Both Senate Bill 144 and House Bill 69 designate texting while driving as a primary offense, so officers may pull over [...]
The residential freight and moving truck sector is a $19 billion a year industry coming from almost 14,000 retail outlets. Largely to protect business owners, Congress sharply limited the tort liability for these franchisees and owners if vehicle lessees cause car crashes during their rental periods. However, in some situations, traditional negligent entrustment theory still [...]
In 2015, American homeowners insurance companies paid over $530 million to settle dog bite claims. That figure has increased almost every year since 2013, and the $530 million level is 15 percent higher than it was in 2014. Observers say the nature of these attacks is mostly responsible for the near-perennial increases. In addition to [...]
Each year, medical misdiagnosis results in over 40,000 deaths per year. That’s essentially the same figure as breast cancer fatalities. Overall, misdiagnosis may affect up to 20 percent of all medical cases, a number that far exceeds surgical mistakes and medication errors. Despite these statistics, doctors have done little or nothing to stem the rising [...]
The government estimates that drowsy drivers cause about 72,000 serious injury crashes a year, and that number may be underreported. Much like alcohol, fatigue slows reaction time, inhibits concentration, and impairs judgment ability. All these things significantly increase the risk of a serious car crash. In fact, driving after eighteen hours without sleep is like [...]
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children under four, and for every one fatality, five are treated in hospital emergency rooms for serious injuries. A submerged person develops serious brain damage in about four minutes, and after just six minutes, there is a significant risk of coma and death. These statistics, as [...]
In 2016, there were over 99,000 hit-and-run crashes in Florida, and half of the 19,000 injured victims were pedestrians. There were 94,000 such accidents in 2015 and 85,000 in 2014. Many of these cases are closed quickly because the driver is apprehended at or near the scene. Other cases drag on for months or even [...]
