Pedestrian Accidents

Preventing Palm Beach Car Accidents: Dangers of Distracted Emphasized During Simulated Display

February 21, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

It is no longer a secret that texting and surfing the Internet while driving can be dangerous. Yet people continue to get hurt and die because someone was looking at the phone, checking email, sending texts, or surfing the Web rather than paying attention to the road. As our Palm Beach personal injury law firm has mentioned in the past, the US Department of Transportation reported 5,474 distracted driving crashes in 2009 alone. Not only that, but 11 teens a year are killed because of texting while driving. Also, the National Safety Council reports that 28% of traffic crashes that occur involved drivers talking on the phone or texting.

At Palm Beach Atlantic University yesterday, participants were given the opportunity to experience virtually how catastrophic texting while driving can become when they tried texting while on a virtual course. The simulated program, run by PEER Awareness road manager Robert Tower, travels to different schools to help educate teenagers about the dangers of texting combined with driving. The program also includes news footage of interviews with families who lost loved ones in distracted driving accidents involving drivers who were text messaging.

Hopefully, education and awareness will discourage teens and adults from texting or doing anything that keeps them from watching the road. Recently, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against a woman accused of updating her Facebook while driving. The pedestrian who died was a 70-year-old man. Also, another man accidentally drove his car through a bridge guardrail and into a river because he was texting.

Unlike in a number of US states, in Florida there is still no ban on texting while driving even though 17 bills have been introduced pushing for this. That said, this does not mean that texting while driving is not negligent driving when injury or death occurs as a result.

Program exposes the dangers of texting and driving, Sun-Sentinel, February 21, 2011
Ban on Texting while Driving Urged for Florida, First Coast News, February 9, 2011
Representative says texting while driving ban could fail in FL, WZVN, February 21, 2011
Suit: Woman in fatal crash was updating Facebook, Chicago Tribune, February 15, 2011
Man who was texting behind wheel drives off Danvers bridge and into river, police say, Boston.com, February 22, 2011

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, National Safety Council
Distraction.gov, US Department of Transportation
Distracted Driving, Peer Awareness Continue reading

Man’s Legs Severed in Miami Car Accident

January 19, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A man’s legs were severed in a Miami pedestrian accident on Saturday night when he became pinned between a wrought iron fence and a Ford Bronco. According to authorities, he was standing on the sidewalk when a Ford SUV, which was going the wrong way, struck the Bronco, which then hit him.

Following the Miami-Dade traffic crash, a number of people came running and a fight ensued. Seven other people sustained injuries.

Miami Pedestrian Accidents

Recent Palm Beach County Car Crashes, Pedestrian Accidents, and Bicycle Collision Cause Deaths and Injuries

January 12, 2011 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

A 78-year-old Greenacres woman is dead after she was injured in a Lake Worth, Florida pedestrian accident. Fatemeh Kazemishahmirzadi was crossing Melaleuca Lane early this morning when the Palm Beach motor vehicle accident happened.

The driver of the 2005 Hyundai SUV that struck Kazemishahmirzadi is was Wellington resident Tracy Laing. The 22-year-old motorist has said that she did not see the elderly pedestrian.

In other recent Palm Beach traffic crash news, 16 people were hurt yesterday when a school bus was rear-ended by a Dodge compact car. The rear of the school bus, which was transporting Palm Beach Central High students, reportedly lifted and part of it was torn off. The bus driver, eight students, and all three occupants in the Dodge were transported to hospitals.

Over the weekend, a multiple-Palm Beach bicycle accident sent two riders to the hospital. According to police, one cyclist fell and then two others followed suit. One of the riders, age 40, sustained bruises, scratches, and a possible broken collarbone. Another bicyclist complained lower back and left rib pain after the South Florida bicycle collision. The third rider refused medical care.

On Thursday, another Palm Beach pedestrian accident took another life when 63-year-old Edward Bert Allee was injured in a Lake Park, Florida car accident. Allee was walking his dog at around 6:40 am when he was fatally struck by a van whose driver did not stay at the crash site. However, 55-year-old James Clark Bristow, who drives a 1999 Ford, later arrived at the North Palm Beach Police department. He told police that he thought he had struck something with his van. He was later identified as the motorist that hit Allee.

Elderly woman killed in accident in suburban Lake Worth, The Palm Beach Post, January 12, 2010
Drivers, kids injured in school bus accident in suburban West Palm Beach, The Palm Beach Post, January 12, 2010
Multiple-bicycle crash on South Ocean Boulevard sends two to hospital, Palm Beach Daily News, January 8, 2011
Victim in deadly hit-and-run in Lake Park identified, Sun-Sentinel, January 6, 2011 Continue reading

7-Year-Old Pedestrian Injured in North Lauderdale Car Accident is in a Coma

December 23, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

7-year-old Francesa Moise is in a coma after being injured in a North Lauderdale car crash on Wednesday evening. Moise and her mother, sister, and brother, were walking along Tam O’Shanter Boulevard when a car drove onto the grass next to the sidewalk and hit the little girl as the family was attempting to cross the street.

Rescuers were able to restore Moise’s heartbeat before she was flown to Broward General Medical Center. The little girl also sustained severe wounds to her face.

The vehicle that struck Moise, which authorities later described as an Acura Integra, fled the North Lauderdale pedestrian accident site and was later found abandoned near a local warehouse. Police are trying to figure out who was driving the car at the time of the Broward County traffic crash.

In other South Florida car accident news, a teenage bicyclist was transported to the hospital after he was injured in a Weston car accident. The boy was riding his bicycle at Bonaventure Boulevard and West Ridge Drive late Wednesday afternoon when the crash happened.

Also yesterday, a Fort Lauderdale bus crash sent three passengers to the hospital with minor injuries after their county transit vehicle was in a collision with a car. It is not known at this time who caused the Broward County motor vehicle crash.

Meantime, 45-year-old Coral Gables model Valentina Hubsch has been charged in the hit-and-run Miami car accident that killed college student Jared Paul last month. The 21-year-old University of Miami student was crossing the street when a 2004 Hyundai struck him on November 13. He died from his injuries 10 days later.

Teen bicyclist injured in crash with car in Weston, Sun-Sentinel, December 22, 2010
Model charged in wreck that killed Miami student, Miami Herald, December 22, 2010
3 injured after car slams into transit bus, WSVN, December 22, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Continue reading

Miami Car Crash Kills Pregnant Pedestrian and Her Unborn Baby

November 29, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Cecelia L. Chinn, a 26-year-old pregnant woman, and her unborn child died from injuries they sustained during a Miami pedestrian accident on Saturday. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Chinn and a man were crossing the street in the city’s Kendall neighborhood when she was struck by a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt.

Chinn and her baby weren’t the only ones to die in a South Florida traffic crash over the Thanksgiving weekend. On Thursday night, 36-year-old single mom Tarita Jonas, a Tamarac resident, suffered fatal injuries during a car crash on Interstate 95.

Jonas and her son Keajee Jonas, 16, had finished attending Thanksgiving dinner in Fort Lauderdale when the 2000 Toyota Avalon they were riding collided with a 2010 BMW 750i. She lost control of her vehicle, which then hit a concrete barrier wall. Jonas’s son and the four people in the BMW did not sustain injuries.

As our Palm Beach car accident lawyers mentioned in our last blog post, the Thanksgiving weekend is considered one of the deadliest holiday periods of the year for vehicle occupants. As early as Wednesday night, the Florida Highway Patrol reported at least one deadly car crash that claimed the life of a 48-year-old driver, whose vehicle overturned after it was struck by another auto that was attempting to avoid another accident. The rollover ejected the driver and her two passengers from the auto.

Also on Thanksgiving Day, 89-year-old Peggy Osowski was killed in a Florida car collision when the car she was in was hit by another auto. Osowksi’s 26-year-old grandson Michael Osowski, who was driving the car she was a passenger in, did not sustain injuries. The driver of the other vehicle, 25-year-old Jason Meyers, sustained a non-life threatening injury.

Fla. pregnant woman dead after being hit by car, Miami Herald, November 29, 2010
Sheriff’s official loses mom in Thanksgiving Day wreck, News-Journal Online, November 27, 2010
Family mourns Tamarac hairstylist killed in I-95 holiday crash, Sun-Sentinel, November 26, 2010
FHP reports two Thanksgiving fatal accidents, WDBO, November 25, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Florida Highway Patrol

Florida DMV

Florida “Personal Injury Protection”
Continue reading

Mother Files Florida Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit Against Alleged Drunk Driver Over Daughter’s Wrongful Death

November 17, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

The mother of Kate Kohlier is suing the man accused of fatally striking her during a pedestrian accident for Florida wrongful death. Kohlier and Doug Kozar were walking across the Harbour Island bridge early on October 30 when they were hit by a car driven by Matthew R. Moye. Both Kohlier, 24, and Kozar, 23, died from their injuries. Another pedestrian, 47-year-old Joao Armando Fonseca Barbosa, broke his ankle has a struggled to get out of the speeding vehicle’s way. All three of them were walking to their cars after finishing their shifts at a local hotel when the tragic accident happened.

Moye, who is a 34-year-old Florida dentist, has been charged with two counts of driving under the influence manslaughter, two counts of vehicular homicide, and one count of DUI with injury. Moye may have been operating his vehicle at speeds of up to 90 mph.

Florida Pedestrian Accidents

Drowsy Driving: Drivers who Fall Asleep Behind the Wheel Causes 1,550 US Traffic Crash Deaths and 71,000 Injuries a Year

November 9, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

November 8-14, 2010 marks Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. According to the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety, 41% of drivers surveyed have admitted to drowsy driving. Unfortunately, what many people fail to realize is that driving while tired is similar to driving while under the influence of alcohol. Impaired judgment, slowed reflexes, blurred vision, a foggy mind, and possibly drifting in and out of consciousness can be symptoms of both drunk driving and drowsy driving. Our Miami car accident lawyers have seen the catastrophic consequences that can arise when someone is exhausted or falls asleep while operating a motor vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drivers who fall asleep while driving are responsible for 71,000 traffic injuries, 1,550 fatalities, and over 100,000 motor vehicle crashes in the US annually. Per the AAA Foundation’s new study, drowsy driving plays a role in 16.5% of deadly US traffic crashes.

Among the study’s findings:
• Young drivers, ages 16-24, were the ones most likely to fall asleep while driving.
• Men more than women were more likely to fall asleep while operating a motor vehicle.
• 26.1% of those who admitted to falling asleep while driving did so between the hours of noon and 5pm. The percentage was about the same for drivers who fell asleep between midnight and 6am.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, a person that risks drowsy driving takes the chance that he/she will fall asleep at the wheel. That said, some groups are at higher risk of drowsy driving. In addition to young drivers, other motorists who are potentially at risk of this dangerous driving behavior include:

• Shift workers
• Commercial truck drivers
• People with sleep disorders-especially undiagnosed ones
• Business travelers suffering from jetlag
• Tired travelers

One need only look back to the 2009 Miami tractor-trailer accident in Oklahoma involving a 76-year-old trucker who investigators say fell asleep at the wheel. The multi-vehicle chain reaction crash that he triggered killed 10 people and injured 6 others.

Study examines toll of drowsy driving, Washington Post, November 8, 2010
Study shows drowsy drivers behind the wheel, Los Angeles Times, November 7, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Driving Tired is Like Driving Drunk, US News & World Report

Related Web Resources:
Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, National Sleep Foundation (PDF)

Read the AAA Foundation’s Drowsy Driving Report (PDF)
Continue reading

2,558 Florida Traffic Deaths in 2009, Says NHTSA

October 8, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,558 people were killed in Florida traffic accidents last year. Alcohol was a factor in 770 of the fatalities. On one hand, these latest figures show positive progress. In 2008, NHTSA reported 2,980 Florida traffic fatalities-887 involving an alcohol-impaired driver. The number of Florida traffic deaths have gone down. That said, our Miami car accident law firm looks forward to the day when there are even less traffic injuries and deaths occurring each year in Florida.

Nationally, there also has been a decrease in motor vehicle traffic crash deaths and injuries. NHTSA reports that there were 33,308 motor vehicle fatalities in 2009-a 9.7% drop from the year before and the lowest number of deaths since 1950. Even the number of US motorcycle crash deaths went down from 5,312 fatalities in 2008 to 4,462 deaths in 2009.

More 2009 US Traffic Deaths and Injuries Facts:
• 2,217,000 traffic crash injuries
• 503 truck crash deaths
• 17,000 truck accident injuries
• 90,000 motorcycle crash injuries
• 4,092 pedestrian deaths
• 59,000 pedestrian injuries
• 630 pedalcyclist deaths
• 70,000 pedalcyclist injuries

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that the government is committed to making the roads safer.

NHTSA also has just released its 2009 Distracted Driving Fatality and Injury Numbers:
• 5,474 US distracted driving-related deaths
• 448,000 distracted driving-related injuries

Mr. LaHood has referred to distracted driving as an epidemic. Talking on the cell phone, texting, eating, playing computer games, fiddling with an iPod or stereo, surfing the Internet on a laptop, watching a movie on a portable DVD player, putting on makeup, and reading a book or magazine are just some examples of activities that people have been known to engage in while driving that have distracted them to the point that traffic crash injuries and deaths have occurred.

Although many states have imposed at least some (if not a full) restriction on texting and cell phone use, currently Florida has no such restrictions.

Distracted Driving 2009, NHTSA (PDF)

Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Florida Department of Transportation

US Department of Transportation

Distraction.gov
Continue reading

Palm Beach County Truck Crash Kills 8-Year-Old Bicyclist

September 8, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

An 8-Year-old West Palm Beach school boy died this afternoon in a Greenacres, Florida truck accident. The Palm Beach County bicycle accident happened as Elian Rojas and his father were going home from school.

According to police, Elian, who was riding his bike, and his dad were on the sidewalk on Jog Road and getting ready to cross 13th Road South when a delivery truck hit him. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was not known whether the trucker is facing criminal charges. Investigators are trying to determine exactly what happened.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury law firm wants to remind you that if you or your loved one was seriously injured in a South Florida car accident, you must explore your legal options as soon as possible. Although Florida requires that all motorists carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, some injuries are so serious and costly that you will need to file a Palm Beach injury lawsuit against the responsible motorist and any other liable parties. Also, the opportunity for your Palm Beach injury lawyer’s team to examine vehicle and road damage while the evidence is still fresh, as well as talk to witnesses while the accounts are still vivid in their minds, can prove invaluable to your case.