It is possible that the fire that caused such awful driving conditions was set intentionally, and officials have found no natural cause or explanation, such as a lightning strike, for why the fire started. The interstate had been closed for a period of time before the pileup due to the fog and smoke, and then it was reopened, which will be a focus of the investigation.

Terrible auto accidents like this one result in many victims, including the friends and family members of those who were killed. If you have lost a loved one and you have questions about your legal rights, contact Orlando wrongful death attorney James O. Cunningham. He can help you pursue a lawsuit for damages to cover funeral expenses, the deceased’s future earnings, pain and suffering, etc. Call 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to put Mr. Cunningham’s skills and experience to work for you.

“I’ve witnessed a whole bunch. I can sit in my house and hear, ‘Crash!’ I know what happened,” she said recently after learning about the planned overhaul.

The county recently announced that work will begin soon on the $1.5 million renovation of the intersection, which will include adding a middle left turn lane that should significantly reduce the number of rear-end collisions at the intersection.

Another Sanford resident, Dick Hedges, avoids the intersection whenever possible, citing the difficulties and dangers of making left-hand turns.

“There should be a turning lane there, I believe. You just have to wait for the light and dart and take your chances,” he said.

At least 17,000 motorists travel through the intersection every day, but they are not the only ones at risk. Pedestrians must also brave the intersection on their way to school, their homes and other nearby destinations, and many have been struck and seriously injured or killed at the intersection in recent years. Last September, an 11-year-old was struck by a car and critically injured while crossing the intersection.

Ask any Orlando personal injury attorney about the most dangerous intersections in Central Florida, and the intersection of Hartwell Avenue and County Road 46-A ranks near the top of any list. People who are injured in accidents at this and other notorious intersections often seek the counsel of Orlando personal injury lawyers such as James O. Cunningham to help them seek damages against negligent drivers. Since 1977, Mr. Cunningham has helped countless injured people receive the fair and just compensation they deserve through negotiated settlements and court awards. If you or a member of your immediate family has been injured in an accident and you have questions about your rights and the law, call Mr. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

All of the top four counties registered lower auto accident rates from 2008 to 2009, which is good news, but much remains to be done to make Florida roadways safer for everyone. Accident rates in Miami-Dade County dropped 1.7 percent from 43,376 accidents in 2008 to 42,244 in 2009. Broward County showed a more modest 0.8 percent drop from 26,417 accidents in 2008 to 25,957 in 2009. Hillsborough County registered a dramatic 10 percent drop in accidents from 20,162 in 2008 to 18,168 in 2009. Finally, Orange County’s accident rate fell from 16,712 in 2008 to 16,092 in 2009, a drop of 3.9 percent.

Any drop in the auto accident rates in Florida is good and very welcome, given our state’s ranking near the top in the country for total number of auto accidents and people injured and killed each year in these accidents. However, Mr. Cunningham would like to remind readers that these numbers are still unacceptably high, and each of 2009’s 16,092 auto accidents in Orange County represents lives that have been altered and lost. Indeed, those accidents claimed 142 lives that year, and 66 of those people were killed in accidents involving alcohol.

If you or a close family member has been hurt in an auto accident caused by a negligent driver, you have a right to seek damages to help pay medical bills, replace lost time at work and compensate you for pain and suffering and other damages. If you want to learn more about your legal options and speak with an experienced Orlando personal injury attorney, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.

NHTSA spokeswoman Karen Aldana recently wrote in an email that “As part of our open defect investigation, N.H.T.S.A. plans to inspect the Jeep Grand Cherokee that was involved in a recent Orlando area crash.”

The fiery accident occurred on Interstate 4 in Lake Mary when the victim’s 1997 Grand Cherokee was rear-ended by a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer when its driver failed to notice that traffic had stopped. The Jeep burst into flames after the impact, trapping a 24-year-old passenger who died from injuries. Accident investigators estimated that the Mercury was traveling around 65 miles per hour when it struck the Jeep, but they do not know how fast the Jeep was traveling at the time of the accident. Two years ago, the non-profit safety advocacy group Center for Auto Safety formally requested that the NHTSA launch an investigation into Jeep Grand Cherokee models after similar fiery accidents.

The center claims that Grand Cherokees made from 1993 to 2004 have a design flaw that makes the gas tank much more likely to burst open and spill fuel when hit from behind than similar vehicles in its class. In August 2010, the NHTSA notified the Center that it had granted its request and planned to begin its preliminary investigation. There are an estimated 2.2 million Grand Cherokee models made in those years still on the road today, according to Experian Automotive. Chrysler has insisted repeatedly that the gas tanks on Grand Cherokees have no design defects, but the automaker redesigned the Cherokee in 2005, moving the gas tank from behind the rear axle to in front of the rear axle. Chrysler claims that the gas tank was moved due to the relocation of the spare tire, not because of safety concerns.

Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham has a proven record of success helping injured people receive the best possible outcome for their product liability cases. Since 1977, he has taken on large corporations and helped his clients receive damages through court awards and negotiated settlements. If you have been injured by a defective product and would like to learn more about the law, your rights and your legal options, call 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

After the staged auto accident, participants were told to seek medical treatment for their “injuries” at Orlando’s Silver Hills Health & Rehab and Injury Care Inc. The suspects then filed claims with GEICO, Allstate, Progressive and State Farm Insurance companies to collect payments. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater spoke out against this and other insurance fraud rings in a recent statement.

He said, “This is the type of scheme that is costing honest Floridians millions of dollars through skyrocketing auto insurance premiums. During these challenging economic times, Florida families cannot afford to spend one more dime on increased insurance costs. It is my mission to stamp out auto insurance fraud and to ensure these cheats who are making money off the backs of Florida drivers serve real time.”

The ringleaders of the insurance fraud group, two 40-year-old Orlando residents, have been arrested on charges of insurance fraud, patient brokering and intentionally staging a motor vehicle crash. Their three accomplices each face a variety of charges, which could result in prison sentences up to 12 years. The Florida Department of Financial Services warns that this group is one of many that stage fake auto accidents in our state and asks Floridians to help them combat insurance fraud. If anyone is approached to participate in insurance fraud or suspects that they were involved in a staged accident, they are asked to contact officials by calling 1-800-378-0445. Anyone tipping off authorities can remain anonymous and may qualify for a reward up to $25,000 if a tip leads directly to an arrest and conviction.

Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham is following developments in this case very closely. He has watched auto accident fraud skyrocket in recent years and is concerned about much more than higher car insurance premiums. Criminals who stage auto accidents make it much more difficult for people who are injured in auto accidents to receive compensation from insurance companies from legitimate claims. If you have been injured in an auto accident and would like to speak with an Orlando auto accident attorney, call Mr. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.

Investigators say the school bus driver was traveling westbound in the left lane of Old Winter Garden Road at the intersection with Good Homes Road when he pulled into the intersection while the traffic signal was red. At that moment, the 52-year-old driver of a Kia passenger car was headed southbound in the left turn lane of Good Homes Road and entered the intersection on a green light. As he entered the intersection, his car was struck on the driver’s side by the school bus. The accident sent both drivers to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. The driver of the bus is listed in serious condition, and the driver of the Kia is listed in critical condition after emergency responders had to use hydraulic equipment to extricate him from the wreckage of his car. The Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation is ongoing, but a spokesperson said they expect to file charges against the school bus driver.

Fortunately, there were no schoolchildren aboard the bus when the accident occurred. However, Orlando auto accident attorney James O. Cunningham remains very concerned about the critically injured driver of the Kia. A small car weighing less than three thousand pounds is no match for a school bus weighing tens of thousands, and if FHP troopers determine that the school bus driver was negligent, he can be liable for damages.

It’s no secret that the Orlando metropolitan area is one of the most dangerous in the state for auto accidents, but people injured by negligent drivers do have a strong advocate in their corner. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has been helping injured people since 1977 and has a proven record of success helping them receive the compensation they deserve. If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident and you want to speak with an attorney, call Mr. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.

Allstate found that Orlando drivers are 25 percent more likely to be involved in a car accident than drivers in other cities are. The report also said that an Orlando driver will average one auto accident every eight years while the national average for drivers is one auto accident every ten years. The report named Fort Collins, CO as the safest city to drive in the country. Drivers there are 28.6 percent less likely to be involved in an auto accident than the national average, with each driver involved in an accident once every 14 years. Where is the most dangerous place to drive in the country? Washington, D.C., where drivers are 107.3 percent more likely to be involved in an accident and each driver is in an accident every 4.8 years.

Our area’s ranking won’t come as any surprise to Orlando-area drivers, either. Indeed, hardly a day passes for area commuters without them seeing at least one driver running a red light, passing someone illegally on the right, talking and/or texting on a cell phone and many other dangerous and negligent activities. If you’re injured in an accident caused by a negligent driver and you want to speak with an Orlando personal injury attorney with a reputation for helping injured people receive the compensation they deserve, call 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 today. Schedule a free consultation with James O. Cunningham to get answers to your questions and a clear explanation of your legal options so you can make informed decisions about which course of action will be best for you and your family.

The other vehicle involved in the accident was a minivan with extensive front-end damage. The two people in the sedan and the lone occupant of the minivan were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where two of them died from their injuries.

If you live in the area, you know very well how dangerous it is to drive, bike and walk on Florida roadways in general and Orlando-area streets and highways in particular. To illustrate how dangerous Florida roadways are, consider the following accident statistics from 2007:

• 366,917 drivers involved in Florida auto accidents
• 3,221 people killed in auto accidents
• 2,947 fatal auto accidents
• 212,149 people injured in auto accidents
• 22,823 alcohol related auto accidents
• 1,252 drug related auto accidents

Have you been injured in an auto accident? If you have and would like to speak with an Orlando personal injury attorney, call the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 today to schedule a free consultation. Mr. Cunningham has made helping injured people the foundation of his law practice since 1977 and has the experience, resources and skills to help you receive the fair and just compensation you deserve. He gives each client and case the individual attention they deserve and has a proven record of success helping clients receive damages through negotiated settlements and court awards. If you were injured by a negligent driver and want to learn more about your rights and legal options, call today for effective and aggressive legal representation.

Orange County commissioners mentioned that if red light cameras remain legal in Florida, they plan to add 40 new cameras in each of the next two years. They said that the focus would be on adding them to busy state roads in the area, with State Road 535 and Colonial Drive among the first new installations. Officials stressed that moving forward with the additional red light cameras was contingent upon what state lawmakers decide next spring.

“We don’t want to invest in more cameras with the prospect that the Legislature will rescind them,” one said.

Just how big is our county’s problem with drivers disobeying traffic signals? Consider that in the last six months, red light cameras in Orange County have generated $738,000 in fines from nearly 8,400 citations, with the state taking around half of that revenue and the county receiving $396,000. Of that dollar amount, the county plans to invest $282,000 in managing the red light camera system and honoring its contract with the vendor that sells the cameras. County officials say that the $114,000 that remains will be spent on improvements to make area roadways safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The intersections of John Young Parkway at Central Florida Parkway and West Oak Ridge Road at Texas Avenue have generated the most citations, with each intersection averaging 87 citations a week.

If nearly 90 citations for running red lights from one intersection each week sounds alarming, that’s because it most definitely is alarming and profoundly disturbing. It makes no sense at all that drivers continue to value their time more than they do the lives of other people sharing the road, but that is essentially what they are doing. It is senseless, reckless and incredibly negligent. If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident caused by someone running a red light and you want to learn more about your legal options, contact Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham today at 407-425-2000 or 888-425-2004 to schedule a free consultation. Please exercise extra care when entering an intersection after the light has changed.