ST. PETERSBURG, FL – There are very few intersections in Florida that are responsible for almost 20 car accidents in just a few months. The corner of 20th Ave and 5th Ave in St. Petersburg is the scene of many car accidents in the area. And things are only getting worse.
The intersection has been the talk in many courtrooms for many St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys.
In 2020, the intersection was the scene of only 5 accidents. Of course, the numbers in 2020 may be slightly skewed because of the nationwide lockdown, but the year before in 2019, there were only 7 accidents just north of 5th Ave.
So why the sudden dramatic increase?
No expert opinions have been given that could explain this increase, but there are many who speculate. The accident rate increase could be the result of higher traffic demands. Is the influx of people moving to Florida increasing traffic?
According to Kristen Massey, a young woman who was recently involved in a car accident at the intersection, it comes down to traffic and issues with road design.
“I think part of the problem is the left-hand lane, which goes straight, backs up because the traffic is trying to on to 275 North during the busy times of the day,” said Massey.
Massey was T-boned by an SUV because she didn’t see because it was blocked by the same line of cars she refers to here.
City officials believe that the numbers of correlated and easy to explain. Intersections with higher speeds and higher car volumes are responsible for a higher number of car accidents. Though this still does not explain the sudden increase, unless we infer that either speeds have increased or volume.
Most of the worst intersections in Florida can be found in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, hundreds of miles south of Tampa. But 20th and 5th Ave is slowly beginning to emerge as a real problem for city lawmakers.
Massey continued to say, “I think the city of St. Pete and the state of Florida owes its citizens and tourists more than to say it’s going to be a few years before we can make this a safe intersection.”
As of yet, there are no plans to add any additional safety measures to the intersection but with the number of accidents increasing, it’s only a matter of time before the city steps in to solve the issue.
About the Author
Michael Feiner
Michael A. Feiner is a partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Steinger, Greene & Feiner. Since being admitted to the Florida Bar in 2001, Michael has devoted his practice to representing plaintiffs throughout Florida in various tort and strict liability cases and has successfully litigated cases against national insurance companies, large public companies, and governmental agencies, resulting in tens of millions of dollars for his clients.
He has handled all types of personal injury and wrongful death cases on behalf of plaintiffs, including automobile negligence, premises liability, medical malpractice, product liability, dog bites, and sexual harassment. Michael’s product liability case against Microsoft, as well as his representation of victims of sexual harassment and abuse by physicians, has garnered him important media attention at both the local and national levels.
Michael is an experienced trial lawyer and successfully argued an appeal to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. In the reported decision Ortlieb v. Butts, 849 So.2d 1165 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003), Michael persuaded the Fourth District Court of Appeal that a directed verdict on liability was appropriate where the defendant did not rebut the presumption of negligence of a rear driver in a rear-end collision.
Michael Feiner
Michael A. Feiner is a partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Steinger, Greene & Feiner. Since being admitted to the Florida Bar in 2001, Michael has devoted his practice to representing plaintiffs throughout Florida in various tort and strict liability cases and has successfully litigated cases against national insurance companies, large public companies, and governmental agencies, resulting in tens of millions of dollars for his clients. He has handled all types of personal injury and wrongful death cases on behalf of plaintiffs, including automobile negligence, premises liability, medical malpractice, product liability, dog bites, and sexual harassment. Michael’s product liability case against Microsoft, as well as his representation of victims of sexual harassment and abuse by physicians, has garnered him important media attention at both the local and national levels. Michael is an experienced trial lawyer and successfully argued an appeal to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. In the reported decision Ortlieb v. Butts, 849 So.2d 1165 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003), Michael persuaded the Fourth District Court of Appeal that a directed verdict on liability was appropriate where the defendant did not rebut the presumption of negligence of a rear driver in a rear-end collision.