It was reported that a school bus carrying about 17 elementary students was involved in an auto accident today on I-10 close to Milton, Florida. In what must have been a terrifying experience for the third grade children, the bus and an SUV ran into each other. The crash caused the bus to roll-over twice and end up in the median. All 17 children on the bus, the bus driver and the teacher on board were all taken to local hospitals as a precaution and a few of them were treated for cuts and bruises.

Labels: Auto Accident

According to Kissimmee police, a 19 year-old man was injured and his 18 year-old female passenger died in an auto accident yesterday. They were traveling south on Lawrence Silas Boulevard during the rain yesterday when the driver, reportedly driving around 60 miles per hour, lost control of his SUV on the slick pavement. The vehicle skidded off the road and hit a ulitity pole on the passenger side. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with multiple fractures. According to the police, charges are pending against the driver.

Labels: Auto Accident

Two young people have died and 5 others were injured, three of them critically, in an auto accident when their SUV went off the road this morning near Chattahoochee, Florida. According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the SUV was on the eastbound side of I-10 when it left the pavement and rolled over. It was reported that all but one of the occupants was not wearing a seatbelt and that one person was the only one not ejected from the vehicle. Due to the severity of the accident, eastbound I-10 was closed for several hours while FHP completed their investigation.

The Cabin.net reported that all of the victims were in their 20's and worked in the same restaurant in Conway, Arkansas. They were on their way to Disney World in Orlando for a vacation when the accident occurred. It's a terrible thing to lose 2 young people like that. One can only hope that the others come out of this all right. If there's one lesson to be learned from this terrible accident, it's that it doesn't matter how many people are in the car, everyone should be buckled up.

Labels: Auto Accident

A Florida bill approved by the Legislature is intended to reduce the number of drivers who speed and prevent more deaths from auto and motorcycle accidents. It will be sent to Governor Crist who is expected to sign it.

Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera indicated that HB #137's intent was to stop motorcycle drivers from doing "wheelies", or taking their bike up on the back wheel, and driving in excess of 100 miles per hour. The bill includes a $1,000 fine for the first speeding offense, up from $250. The second offense would be a possible one-year suspension and a $2,500 fine. For a third offense drivers could lose their license for 10 years and have their bike confiscated.

The American Motorcycle Association contacted Rep. Lopez-Cantera and said the bill was discriminating against motorcyclist's who speed. In response, the bill was amended to include anyone driving 4-wheel vehicle in excess of 50 miles over the speed limit would get the same fines and suspensions.

The bill is expected to go into effect October 1, 2008.

Labels: Auto Accident

Ford Motor Company announced a recall yesterday of all 2005 and 2006 Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks with the 5.4 liter engine due to a defective part in the braking system. The recall involves approximately 600,000 vehicles in the U.S. alone.

The recall was issued after Ford received 11 reports of minor accidents after a hose detached from the manifold causing the auxiliary braking system to fail. Failure of the auxilary system does not cause total brake failure, but makes it necessary for the driver to brake much harder.

Owners of these vehicles will be receiving recall notices in the mail and repairs to the system will be done by Ford beginning in June. Meanwhile, owners can call Ford at 1-800-392-3673.

Labels: Defective products

Florida's high school graduations are about to head into full swing. Have you talked to your teen about partying, drinking, and the likelihood of auto accidents?


In 2006, 3,490 teenagers died in automobile accidents, and 31% of those teenage drivers who died had been drinking and 25% had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher*.

The Florida Highway Patrol is asking high school students, including seniors, to "celebrate smart" by making the right choice when it comes to drinking and driving, allowing friends to drive drunk, or getting into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking. Graduation is an exciting time as seniors look forward to moving on to the next stage of the lives. FHP just wants to make sure they make it to the next stage alive and well.

FHP suggests that teachers and parents discuss the the following rules before their teens head off to graduation parties:

• Don't drink and drive.
  
• Don't get in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking
  
• Make sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up – it's the law!


• Keep mobile phones on and easily accessible, so parents and guardians can get a hold of you.


• If you do get into a situation where you need assistance, call your parents or another trusted adult.


• Limit the number of passengers in the vehicle to eliminate distractions.


• Do not text message while driving- pull over and park if you have to text.

Parents, this is not only an important time for your high school graduates; it's an imortant time for you to have that heart-to-heart chat with your kids about staying safe as they celebrate.

*Source: Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association

Labels: Auto Accident

Two unrelated Central Florida auto accidents yesterday resulted in the deaths of two men, ages 27 and 51.

In Lake County a 27 year-old hit a pickup when he veered into the path of on-coming traffic. The impact turned his Camaro around, facing the opposite direction. It was reported that the driver of the Camaro was not wearing his seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene. The two victims in the pickup, who were wearing their seatbelts, were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

A 51 year-old man from Kissimmee died when he turned left in front of a truck. The truck crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle, killing the driver. It was reported he was wearing his seatbelt but died from the injuries sustained in the accident.

While these accidents show that seatbelts cannot protect you in all car crashes, you give yourself a much better chance if you buckle up every time you into a vehicle, either as a driver or a passenger.

Labels: Auto Accident

The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) issued a press release today asking state legislatures to remember the drunk driving auto accident that occurred May 14, 1998. This will be the 20th anniversary of this horrific accident in Kentucky in which 24 youths and 3 adults died and 34 others were injured by a habitual drunk driver.

It was this fatal car crash that was the impetus of the NTSB's focus on hard core drunk drivers and put the issue on their "Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements." NTSB put together a model program which included 11 elements they thought would address the issues. They had hoped all states would adopt the model program to reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths each year.

The adoption of these measures has had limited success. According to NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker, "While we have seen some progress in all the states, not enough has been done. If more of the elements of our model program were implemented by the states, there would be far fewer tragedies caused by drunk drivers."

Labels: Auto Accident

The warm weather comes early in the South and when it does, many people enjoy cooking on an outdoor grill. Whether it's a gas or charcoal grill, the food tastes better when it's cooked outside, but with that great taste comes a greater risk of injury from the grilling. Often times these injuries are due to improper use but they can also be due to a defective product.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, there were approximately 8300 grill-related fires caused by gas grills, charcoal grills or hibachis in 2005 of which 3,400 involved some type of structure fire.

Of those fires involving a gas grill (81%), the source was either a broken or leaking gas line or the gas grill ignited some other flammable liquid. The charcoal grill fires were usually the result of something being too close to the grill, or part of the structure caught fire first.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC) has a list of Grill Safety Tips that you may want to review before you pull that grill out of storage. For gas grills, this includes but is not limited to checking all connectors for breaks or cracks, removing all spider webs, and cleaning any grease out of the burner.

Charcoal grills should be checked for rusty bottoms that may cause the coals to drop to the ground. They also produce carbon monoxide (CO) which is toxic and can build up in confined spaces. The CPCS stresses the importance of not grilling in any type of confined space, even if there appears to be plenty of ventilation.

Several brands of gas grills have been recalled in recent years. So if you do not use your grill frequently and it is several years old, you may want to visit the CPSC's website for grills that have been recalled due to defective parts. Just type "recalled gas grills" in the search box and several will appear. Then you can check to see if the grill you currently use has any defective parts that should be replaced.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a defective grill, you should call one of our Board Certified Civil Trial Attorneys for a free consultation. We can review the situation for a possible product liability claim.

Labels: Defective products