As our Plantation car accident attorneys recently reported, our roadways are plagued with dangers. Many of these are presented to motorists who have already been in an accident, or whose vehicles have broken down on the side of the road, as well as good Samaritans who stop to offer help.
Unfortunately, when a motorist stops to offer help, they’re putting themselves at risks too. According to the Sun Sentinel, officers are looking into the death of three people after they were hit by an oncoming car as they stood near the roadway near Northwest 69th Avenue on Broward Boulevard.
Two women in their 20s were involved in a single-car accident in Plantation with a tree just before 5 a.m. One of the women was from Fort Lauderdale. The other was from Sunrise. Plantation police report that a driver of a passing vehicle stopped to check and see if the two women were alright. Once that driver stopped and exited the vehicle, all there were hit by a passing car.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene and pronounced one of the women dead immediately. Battalion Chief Joel Gordon of the Plantation Fire Department says that the second woman and the man who stopped to help were taken to the Broward Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead.
The driver of the vehicle that hit the three pedestrians was transported to Westside Regional Medical Center and treated for injuries.
This is just one recent example illustrating why exiting your vehicle on the side of the road can be very dangerous. We may all have to stop at the side of the road at some time or another, whether due to car trouble or low gas or to assist a child passenger or in the immediate aftermath of a wreck.
Sadly, passing motorists don’t often take the proper safety precautions to ensure an accident doesn’t occur. We recently discussed the dangers that law enforcement officials, emergency responders and roadside workers face as they do their jobs on our busy roads. From 1993 to 2002, there have been more than 680 police officers killed in accidents involving traffic stops.
Yes, Florida has a Move Over Law, which requires motorists to move over a lane or to slow down to 20 miles per hour under the speed limit if they’re approaching an emergency responder, a roadside worker or a law enforcement official. However, motorists should do this as a courtesy whenever they see anyone on the side of the road.
If you or someone close to you has been injured or killed in an accident in Plantation, Port St. Lucie or in any of the surrounding areas, contact our personal injury attorneys of Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-529-2368.
Additional Resources:
Three killed in Plantation while in roadway after crash, by Mike Clary, Sun Sentinel
More Blog Entries:
Fog, Smoke Can Trigger Car Accidents in Port St. Lucie, Elsewhere, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, February 6, 2012