What is my Case Worth?
The AAA estimates that fatigued drivers cause about a third of the injury crashes in Florida, but this figure is nothing more than a rough estimate. For one thing, there is no “Breathalyzer” test to determine fatigue; for another, many law-enforcement agencies do not code crashes as drowsy driving-related unless the tortfeasor (negligent driver) falls [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
Utah may soon become the first state in the country to lower the BAC limit from .08 to .05 for noncommercial drivers over 21. Could Florida be next? After passing the House and clearing a Senate panel, House Bill 155 now heads to the full Senate for consideration. Rep. Norm Thurston (R-Provo) said that the [...]
A mere six months after it became available for download, Pokemon Go has earned more than $1 billion. The mobile game reached the magic number faster than either Puzzles & Dragons or Candy Crush. By comparison, Clash Royale, another phenom mobile game from 2016, peaked at just under $600 million in revenue. Pokemon Go isn’t [...]
Because there is no BAC breath test for drug use, and because police officers rarely bother to obtain search warrants for blood draws, almost all drugged driving prosecutions are based on circumstantial evidence. For similar reasons, these cases are more difficult to win in civil court as well, largely because the negligence per se (negligence [...]
One of the main reasons we file negligence lawsuits is to make the roads safer for everyone, and that is also one of the reasons third party (vicarious) liability is so important. Rented vehicles are a good example. If no one holds Enterprise, U-Haul, and other vehicle lessors responsible when they carelessly rent vehicles to [...]
In Orlando alone, 60 percent of drivers admit they have operated a vehicle in the last twelve months even though they knew they were too fatigued to drive safely, and because this figure is self-reported, it is probably vastly understated. Nationwide, fatigue driving causes about one million vehicle collisions a year, and many of them [...]
