FHP Trooper Montague Haight said that the accident investigation would determine whether or not the victim had been drinking before the crash but admitted that preliminary signs indicated that drunk driving was a strong possibility.

“If you’re going to come out and drive your vehicle and you’re going to be out drinking make sure you have a designated driver. There’s no reason to get behind the wheel after you have had anything to drink. But if this accident was alcohol related again that’s going to be pending the investigation,” he said.

Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham and other Central Florida auto accident attorneys take a very dim view of drunk drivers and for very good reasons. Drunk drivers caused auto accidents that killed 66 people in 2009 and injured dozens more, and driving while under the influence of alcohol is the very definition of negligence.

If you were injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, you have a right to seek damages against the driver and his or her insurance company. In many cases, injured people will be contacted by the at-fault driver’s insurance company and offered a modest sum in exchange for a signature on some documents. What these unfortunate folks don’t realize until it is too late that they are signing away their rights to seek damages. Before you sign anything, have it reviewed by an experienced Orlando personal injury attorney such as Mr. Cunningham. To schedule a free consultation, call 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 today.

The pedestrian was taken to Florida Hospital for treatment but died of his injuries shortly after arrival. FHP troopers say that charges are pending in the accident, which remains under investigation. They are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident or knows anything about it to call the Florida Highway Patrol at 407-737-2213 or Crimeline at 407-423-8477.

Since he began practicing law in 1977, Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has seen the Orlando metropolitan area grow significantly in size and population. He has also seen the number of pedestrians injured and killed in pedestrian accidents climb steadily over the years and the metro area become the nation’s most dangerous for anyone walking or biking along roadways. Regular readers of this blog will know that a report issued last year named our area the worst in the country for pedestrian accidents after years of steadily increasing and tragic accident statistics. There are many reasons for this ignominious distinction, including the following:

• Infrastructure designed for automobiles
• Very large intersections
• Lack of sidewalks
• Large number of drivers who run red lights
• Talking and texting on cell phones while driving
• Intoxicated drivers
• Drivers who deliberately try to intimidate pedestrians and bicyclists

Pedestrians who survive being struck by an automobile often face a very long and expensive road to recovery. That is one of the many reasons why so many injured people choose Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham to help them seek damages against the negligent driver who injured them. Mr. Cunningham has a proven record of success, gives each client and case the individual attention they deserve and works hard to help clients receive the fair and just compensation they need to pay medical bills and recover from their injuries. If you would like to speak with Mr. Cunningham in a free consultation, call him today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000.

FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said that the diesel spill made the clean-up especially dangerous and problematic.

“That diesel eats the roadway up,” she said. “We can’t let people drive on that. They had to fix the road before they could.”

Road workers had to mill the road where the fuel spilled and then repave it before traffic could be restored on two of three lanes of I-95.

Montes said that the 57-year-old driver of the truck carrying general merchandise was following traffic too closely at the time of the accident. When his truck rear-ended the truck hauling PVC in front of him, the PVC piping was driven through the driver’s cab, killing him instantly.

“They were just traveling along,” Montes said. “(Daniels) was simply going faster than the other truck and ran right into the back of it.”

The 48-year-old driver of the other truck suffered minor injuries in the crash and was not hospitalized. FHP troopers said that they did not believe alcohol or drugs were contributing factors in the accident.

This trucking accident is very unusual in that two trucks were involved and that one of the drivers was killed. The overwhelming majority of trucking accidents involve tractor-trailers and much smaller passenger vehicles, and, in most cases, it is the occupants of the smaller vehicles who suffer catastrophic, even fatal, injuries. If you or a member of your immediate family has been injured in a Florida trucking accident and you have questions about your rights and legal options, call Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000. Mr. Cunningham is an Orlando personal injury attorney with a reputation for working hard and helping clients receive the maximum allowable compensation.

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.

Drivers violating motorcyclists’ rights of way are a very common cause of motorcycle accidents in Florida. Whether the toxicology test come back positive for alcohol intoxication or not, the driver of the van was negligent in failing to observe the rider’s right of way and can be liable for damages. Call 888-425-2004 to schedule a free consultation with Orlando motorcycle accident attorney James O. Cunningham if you or a close family member has been injured in a motorcycle accident.

Accident investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol are asking for anyone who may be a witness of a fatal Central Florida hit-and-run accident to contact them as soon as possible. According to police, an Astatula man was walking along Duda Road near County Road 448A early on the morning of June 21, 2010 when a large truck struck and killed him. The truck then fled the scene.

Police say that the truck may have been a dump truck with the word “Prestige” on it. The truck continued traveling west on Duda Road after striking and killing the 32-year-old victim. Hit-and-run accidents are especially egregious and negligent as the drivers knowingly leave the scene when they know they injured or killed someone. James O. Cunningham is an Orlando hit-and-run accident attorney who has been helping accident victims and their families since 1977. If you or an immediate member of your family was injured or killed by a hit-and-run driver, call Orlando  accident lawyer James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

Both drivers received treatment at area hospitals with serious injuries, and a passenger in one of the cars was treated and released with minor injuries. It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the auto accident, but wrong-way accidents generally involve intoxication of some kind. If you or a close family member has been injured in an auto accident caused by a drunk or drugged driver, Orlando auto accident lawyer James O. Cunningham may be able to help. He has been helping clients since 1977, and he gives each case and client the individual attention they deserve. To schedule a free consultation with this Central Florida auto accident attorney, call his law offices today at 888-425-2004 or locally at 407-425-2000.

Elderly drivers on Florida’s streets and highways are much more likely to suffer very serious and even fatal injuries in auto accidents. Many no longer have the reflexes and driving skills that they once had and as a result, they must take and pass driving competency tests far more often than younger drivers do to ensure that they can safely operate their vehicles. If they are involved in a car accident, they face a long and very expensive road to recovery and may not have the financial means to pay their medical bills, putting them and their families in a very difficult position.

If you have been injured or a family member has been injured or killed in an auto accident, Orlando auto accident lawyer James O. Cunningham may be able to assist you in the recovery of the financial compensation you deserve to help pay medical expenses and other bills. He offers free consultations and works on a contingency-fee basis. Call Orlando auto accident attorney James O. Cunningham today to schedule your free consultation at one of his Central Florida law offices near you.

In a press release, Col. Czernis said that Florida state troopers and officers in the MCC will work together to watch for drivers operating their vehicles in unsafe, negligent and potentially hazardous ways and issue citations as necessary. They will pay special attention to unsafe driving habits that often contribute to collisions between passenger vehicles and large trucks and school buses. The campaign is part of the Florida Highway Patrol’s Be Smart, Drive Smart, Florida! Program, which is a series of measures to raise awareness about dangerous driving and reduce deaths and injuries from Florida auto accidents on the state’s streets and highways.

Col. Dees highlighted the dangers and disadvantages that passenger vehicles and pedestrians have in collisions with larger vehicles that outweigh them by many thousands of pounds. He said, “Because of vehicle size, weight and the cargo tractor trailers haul, the impact of a crash with a commercial truck can be catastrophic.”

It is very likely that both Dees and Czernis have responded to many auto accidents between large trucks, pedestrians and passenger vehicles where the pedestrian or occupants of the passenger vehicle died or sustained serious injury. The physics of a large truck weighting tens of thousands of pounds colliding with a person or a passenger vehicle weighing four thousand pounds or less dictate that the damage to a person or vehicle hit by the truck is disproportionate.

Florida trucking accident lawyer James O. Cunningham has been helping Florida truck accident victims recover the financial compensation they deserve since 1977. With his vast legal experience, accident victims and their families get much-needed help with catastrophic medical bills, lost wages and other accident-related damages. He offers free consultations and isn’t afraid to take on the big insurance companies. Call Orlando trucking accident attorney James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol investigating the trucking accident, the accident occurred around 1:23 p.m. on November 5 when the Dodge van, towing a utility trailer loaded with sod, had slowed to 15 mph in the outside lane of Interstate 75. A semi truck struck the back of the trailer and the van, sending both the van and semi truck into the guardrail. The van reportedly came to a stop after the impact, but the semi jackknifed and eventually rolled several times before striking a concrete embankment on Interstate 10.

An 80,000-pound vehicle traveling at 55 mph strikes other vehicles with a fearsome amount of force and survivors face a long, painful and catastrophically expensive road to recovery. A trucking accident changes the course of their lives forever.

For more than 32 years, Orlando trucking accident attorney James O. Cunningham has dedicated his Orlando personal injury law practice to helping the victims of trucking accidents, auto accidents, motorcycle accidents and other accidents caused by the negligence of others. If you or a loved one sustained injury or if a loved one died in a Central Florida trucking accident, call the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham today. He offers free consultations and works on a contingency-fee basis, which means if he accepts your case, there is no attorney fee unless he makes a financial recovery on your behalf. Call Orlando trucking accident lawyer James O. Cunningham today and receive answers to your questions.