South Florida Injury Lawyers

A recent limo accident in Fort Lauderdale sent five limo occupants to the hospital. The accident happened at the Palm’s Parking Garage at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport just before 4:00 a.m. when it slammed into a concrete pillar on the bottom floor.

According to News Channel 5, the limousine was totaled in the accident. All of the limo’s occupants were transported to the Broward Health Medical Center. Accident reports indicate that the driver of the limo lost control of the vehicle. The crash is still being investigated.

Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys understand that there are a multitude of potential legal issues involved in litigating a limousine personal injury case. When you’re riding in these vehicles, you’re putting your life and the lives of other passengers in the hands of the driver. There are specific qualifications that a limo driver must obtain to operate one of these vehicles in the state of Florida. They’re required to first obtain a Class C Commercial Driver License (CDL). This driver’s license let’s a driver operate a commercial vehicle, like a limo, that can hold more than 15 people and is less than 26,000 pounds.

If you want a CDL license in the state of Florida you first need to be at least 18-years-old to drive intrastate and 21-years-old to driver interstate. A driver must also hand over any other licensed that they have been granted by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). They’re also required to pass a driving test in addition to an eye exam.

Before hiring a limo company you want to make sure that their drivers are qualified, that they have the proper driver’s license, that they have a safe driving record, that they’re familiar with the vehicle and that they’re familiar with the area. You want to choose a company that only hires experienced chauffeurs.

As required by federal law, every limo driver must have a Hack license. This license allows consumer affairs to do criminal background checks on such drivers. This helps to ensure that a company is hiring the best. But you want to make sure that the company is actually hiring the best. How do you do that? One of the best ways is to do a little research. You want to check out companies on the internet and look at safety ratings and reviews. See what others are saying about them. Word of mouth is also another excellent way to get some inside info. Talk with friends and family members about the companies that they’ve used in the past. You also want to talk with all of your potential companies. Make sure that all of its drivers have completed the proper training procedures. You also want to make sure that the vehicles are inspected at least once a year, that they meet insurance requirements and that they’re up to date with all fees.

In a limousine, permits are required to be posted on the front windows of the limousine. Make sure that the dates are not expired. Riding in a limo is a fun experience, but it can quickly turn into one of the most terrifying. Make sure that you reduce your risks of a limo accident in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere by checking out all aspects of your potential limo company.
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As our St. Lucie injury attorneys previously reported, the state of Florida is proudly participating in the Yellow Dot program.

This program has participants place a yellow dot sticker on the bottom left corner of a driver’s back window. If this car is involved in an accident, emergency responders know that there’s a folder containing important personal and medical information in the glove box of the vehicle. With this information readily available to emergency response teams, car accident victims can be treated quicker and their chances of surviving an accident are greatly increased.

Sometimes victims can be in shock after being involved in an accident. During these times, a lot of victims find it difficult to remember information that emergency response teams need. In other cases, they are incapacitated by injury.

With the sticker on the car and the folder in the dash, response crews can have immediate access to important medical information that can help them to better treat victims.

Our St. Lucie car accident attorneys understand that the Yellow Dot program is now being launched throughout the St. Lucie County Area. Officials with the American Red Cross, St. Lucie Medical Center, Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and the St. Lucie County Health Department are helping to kick it all off. If you would like to join the program, you’re urged to visit any of our St. Lucie County fire stations or any of the American Red Cross locations, according to the TC Palm.

It’s really easy. All you have to do is stop by one of the participating locations and pick up a Yellow Dot packed. Inside this packet are the necessary medical forms and a yellow dot sticker. Fill out the forms, put them in the glove compartment of your car and put the yellow dot sticker on your vehicle (lower left corner of the rear window). Then emergency response teams will be better able to assist you should you ever be involved in an accident.

The Yellow Dot program was first launched back in 2002 in Connecticut. Now, there are a number of counties in eight different states that have started their own Yellow Dot programs. They’re each a little bit different, but they all have one goal in mind — saving lives!

The Florida Yellow Dot program is also asking drivers to pay attention behind the wheel. Officials are asking drivers to keep both of their hands on the steering wheel and to keep their eyes on the road ahead. Although talking on a phone and/or text messaging while driving has not yet been banned in the state of Florida, officials are asking drivers to refrain from doing so. There should never be a reason to hold a phone while driving. If you absolutely have to make or take a phone call while you’re driving, officials ask that you use a 100 percent hands-free in-vehicle speaker phone system or a “car dock.”
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Drivers need to be careful on our roadways throughout South Florida, but you might want to be a little extra careful at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard. According to the Sun Sentinel, this intersection has seen an increasing number of accidents. For that reason, it has now been noted for having the highest accident rate in the entire county.

Car accidents in Palm Beach aren’t only a risk at this intersection — Northwest 15th Avenue and Glades Road has some of the highest accident rates in the area.

Our Palm Beach car accident attorneys understand that there are a few intersections in the area that are in fact seeing lower risks of car accidents, but this reduction is outweighed by these dangerous intersections. Take the intersections of U.S. 441 and Glades Road as well as Forest Hill Boulevard and U.S. 441. Both of these intersections are seeing fewer accidents, but it’s just not enough as intersections like the ones at Forest Hill Boulevard and Military Trail as well as Okeechobee Boulevard and Military Trail continue to be some of the most likely places for accidents to happen.

According to 2010 statistics, the most accidents, nearly 125, were witnessed at Okeechobee and Military Trail. Many local drivers aren’t the least bit surprised as it’s one of the busiest intersections in the county. It has dual left-turn lanes and right turns on every road.

“There’s not too much to be done at Military and Okeechobee,” said Dan Weisberg, County’s traffic engineer.

Engineers in the county continue to scratch their heads in attempt to brainstorm ideas on how to make the area safer. They say that there’s really nothing more that can be done.

At these intersections, most of the accidents are in fact rear-end accidents, meaning that drivers just aren’t paying attention behind the wheel and they’re following too closely.

Others say that the heavy traffic is causing all of the accidents. Recent surveys determined that there were nearly 97,400 vehicles that pass through that intersection every day. In 2010, that intersection saw 12 injuries and one accident fatality. Damages resulting from these accidents totaled more than $344,400.

Military Trail and Forest Hill Boulevard saw more than 120 crashes during the year. It oftentimes swaps spots with Okeechobee Boulevard and Military Trail for being the intersection with the most accidents. At this intersection, there are more than 85,000 vehicles that pass through every day. To help to make this intersection a little safer for everyone, traffic officials are launching a new study, costing nearly $200,000, to see how it can be fixed.
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It’s the summer time and a lot of Floridians are taking those much-needed vacations and are heading to the nearest beach to do so! Others from around the country will be hopping in their cars and making their vacation destination the state of Florida, too.

With the summer traffic, we see an increase in the risks for car accidents in Boca Raton and elsewhere. For this reason, officials with the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are stepping forward and are helping drivers to make their trips as safe as possible.

Our Boca Raton car accident attorneys understand that there were nearly 2,500 people who were killed in traffic accidents in the state of Florida in 2010.

Unfortunately, many of these accidents were completely preventable, meaning that they were accidents resulting from drunk driving, from distracted driving and from road rage. These are all actions that could have been stopped and lives that we didn’t have to lose. We’re asking drivers to be on their best behavior behind the wheel to help to reduce this number and to make our roadways safer for everyone.

Florida car accident statistics in 2010, from the NHTSA:

-There were nearly 950 car accident fatalities that happened in rural Florida areas.

-Urban Florida areas saw nearly 1,500 car accident fatalities.

-There were more than 650 fatalities resulting from drunk driving car accidents.

-Nearly 560 fatalities were speed-related.

-Of the near 2,500 fatalities, nearly 400 were of motorcyclists.

-There were more than 3,425 drivers involved in these accidents.

-Pedestrians accounted for nearly 500 of these traffic-related fatalities.

To help to bring these stats down this year, officials with the NHTSA offer the following safety tips:

-Avoid distractions. Drivers should never interact with cell phones, text messaging devices, GPS devices, the radio/cd player, activities with passengers or other distractions while behind the wheel.

-Make sure that you’re well-rested before setting out on your road trip.

-Avoid drunk driving. If you’re going out and alcohol will be included in your night, make sure that you have a sober ride home.

-Always make sure that everyone in the vehicle is buckled in during every car ride.

Safe, alert and responsible driving habits are key in working to reduce the risks of a potentially fatal car accident. Like we said before, many of the car accidents that we see on our roadways are completely preventable. Your actions behind the wheel can make or break your vacation trip. We’re asking you to be careful out there this summer and let’s all work together to make our roadways as safe as possible.
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In a recent Stuart car accident, a woman was killed and residents throughout the area were left without power, according to the TC Palm.

It happened just before 3:00 a.m. when the 22-year-old driver’s vehicle slammed into a power pole on the 1800 block of Southeast Palm Beach Road, reports the Stuart Police Department. The impact of the collision split the passenger vehicle is two and took out that power pole. Nearly 100 customers with Florida Power & Light Co. were left without any electricity. Power was not restored for most customers until 11:00 a.m. the next morning. Everyone had power by 3:00 p.m. Local officers are still investigating the accident.

Our Stuart car accident lawyers understand that there were more than 22,000 occupants of passenger vehicles killed in car accidents throughout the country in 2010. According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 50 percent of the people lost in these accidents were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. Officials believe that this number could have been much lower if more motorists were to wear a seat belt during every car ride. Until then, officials will continue to campaign for the cause, urging everyone to buckle up.

According to officials, seat belt use reached nearly 90 percent in 2010, only increasing by 1 percent from the previous year.

Among those who were killed in car accidents in which restraint was known, the age group of 25- to 34-years-old had the highest percentage of unrestrained occupants killed, with nearly 3,500 being killed and more than 2,200 being unrestrained. The second highest group was those between the ages of 21- and 24-years-old. These young motorists were unrestrained more than 60 percent of the time.

What might be most alarming about these kinds of statistics is the number of small children who are lost because they were not buckled in during an accident. Our young ones rely on the responsibility of parents, guardians and other driving adults when riding in a motor vehicle. Because they can’t buckle in themselves, their safety relies on these individuals. Unfortunately, there were nearly 100 child passengers under the age of 4-years-old who were killed in car accidents in 2010 because they weren’t buckled it.

In the state of Florida, there were more than 1,400 motor vehicle occupants killed in car accidents in 2010. Of these fatalities, nearly 660 of them were restrained, nearly 710 were unrestrained and the status of nearly 40 was unknown. This means that our state has an observed seat belt use rate of about 87 percent.
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