Do not expect Toyota to settle many suits. As this article pointed out, Toyota is furiously fighting all of these lawsuits and attempting to protect its profits as much as possible. Very rarely are large manufacturers of defective products — whether they are car manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies or medical device makers — ever going to step up and take financial responsibility for the harm caused by their products. In this case Toyota resolved a single case. This follows the playbook by attempting to only resolve the most egregious cases, and only when the likelihood of losing at trial is imminent. As this case demonstrates, only with the right to a jury trial — and the ability of consumer trial attorneys … Continue reading
Florida Failed – Again – to Implement a Law Banning Texting and Driving
January 10, 2013 Florida’s Republican-dominated House and Senate and a Republican governor again failed in 2012 to implement a law banning texting and driving. Gov. Rick Scott asked for state officials to study whether Florida needs to take action. This is similar to whether asbestos caused mesothelioma. Tobacco is healthy for you too, Rick. Another demonstration of failed leadership at the highest political office in the state. School children easily can identify the immediate dangers of hurtling down the highway at 75 mph or more, in cars, buses, 18-wheeler tractors and double-trailers weighing 30,000 lbs and taking your eyes off the road, not to look where you are going but instead to look at a text or create a text, … Continue reading
Florida Lawmakers Enact No-fault Auto Insurance Change
January 10, 2013 Florida lawmakers earlier this year enacted the law that made numerous changes in benefits including $10,000 for emergency injuries and a cap of $2,500 for non-emergency medical services. The law also eliminated massage therapists and acupuncturists as medical providers who could be paid under a PIP policy. Correspondingly, the law required insurance companies to reduce their rates, which has not happened. If you are injured in a car wreck it is more important than ever to immediately have an examination for your injuries as quickly as possible from the date of the car wreck. Do not wait for injuries to get progressively worse as you may jeopardize a portion of the no-fault benefits the Florida Legislature decided to … Continue reading
With DWIs, prevention works better than prosecution
October 1, 2012 In 2011, Florida’s intoxicated drivers caused more than 20,000 accidents resulting in nearly 1,000 fatalities. About 30,000 people a year are convicted in the state for DUI, with 2,274 cases in Miami alone, reports the Huffington Post. The root cause of drunken driving accidents is the driver, not the alcohol. Since driving while intoxicated is often a symptom of alcoholism, diagnosing and treating alcohol abuse will directly lower the number of DWI drivers on our roads. We all have an obligation to intervene when we see a friend, coworker, or family member abusing alcohol or drugs, but it is Florida’s doctors and nurses who can best identify patients who are at risk for alcohol abuse. The American … Continue reading
Florida drivers keep crashing into post offices
September 24, 2012 So far this year, eight motorists have crashed into post office buildings in Florida, according to NBC News. The top causes for the accidents are that drivers step on the gas pedal instead of the brakes or that they accelerate when they believe that the vehicle is in reverse. In June 2011, an 89-year-old woman drove her 2002 Subaru Outback all the way through a post office building in Oldsmar, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She told police that she had no memory of the accident. Damage to the building was $250,000. So far in 2012, in Indian Rocks Beach, Wimauma, Goldenrod, Lakeland, and Punta Gorda, five out of the eight accidents that have happened involved drivers … Continue reading
Most dangerous times to drive
September 19, 2012 The summer months are known as the “100 deadliest days” for drivers, but the roads are no less dangerous as autumn approaches, reports a 24-7 Press Release. The roads may even become more dangerous during certain times of the day and on particular days of the week in the fall. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that most accidents occur between 3 and 6 p.m., during “rush hour” traffic. Many more cars are on the road at this time of the day. Also, afternoon drivers are usually mentally distracted. They may be thinking about picking up their kids from day care or school and taking them to extracurricular activities. Or they may have had a … Continue reading
Florida drunk driver causes accident
September 14, 2012 Following a crash that injured two people, a 39-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for DUI, reports Ocala.com. He also has two prior DUI convictions. A witness told the police that a red truck was slowing down to turn right when a truck struck it from behind. The Florida Highway Patrol trooper noted in his report that he thought that the driver of the white truck was impaired. The driver claimed that he had been distracted by answering his cell phone when he hit the back of the red truck. But he failed a field sobriety exercise, was arrested, and taken to the Marion County Jail. Blood tests registered .142 and .132. Florida’s legal limit is .08. Injured … Continue reading
Pedestrian struck by SUV in Lee County
September 12, 2012 This morning in San Carlos Park, a 14-year old-boy from Fort Myers was hit by an SUV, reports Wink News Now. The boy is being treated at Health Park for a leg injury. The accident happened just after 6 a.m. at the corner of Constitution Circle and Adams Circle. The Florida Highway Patrol says that the boy crossed in front of an oncoming vehicle, which swerved to miss him, but the boy was struck by the front end of the SUV. A witness who lives on the corner where the accident took place said that he heard a loud thud. By the time that he came out of his house, emergency personnel had already arrived on the … Continue reading
Deadly pickup crash near Tampa
August 22, 2012 It may be legal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck on most roads in Florida, but it can be extremely dangerous? The safest thing to do is to have everyone seated and buckled into seatbelts. On Tuesday afternoon, a serious accident happened at about 2:35 p.m. in East Lake when a pickup truck carrying five people veered into the grassy median, overcorrected, and then rolled over several times, according to the Palm Harbor. The Florida Highway patrol said that none of the five people in the 2006 Ford Ranger were wearing seatbelts, and two of the people were riding in the bed of the truck. No other vehicles were involved. The 21 year old … Continue reading
Several luxury cars fail new IIHS crash test
August 17, 2012 In a new test for frontal vehicle safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that several luxury car models don’t perform well, reports CNN Money. The test is known as the “small overlap impact,” in which a vehicle strikes another car or a stationary object, such as a tree or telephone pole, with a small portion of its front bumper. Of the 11 models that were included, 8 failed the test, which is designed to imitate about a quarter of the most serious and fatal injuries in frontal crashes. In the test, the vehicle travels at 40 mph and hits a barrier with a quarter of its bumper, causing the vehicle to spin. Because the … Continue reading
