Police En Route to Orlando MADD Event Make DUI Arrest
Two Gainesville police officers were on their way to speak at a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) luncheon in Orlando one recent morning when they witnessed an drunk driver incident that reinforced the importance of their work and organizations such as MADD. Sgt. Joseph Raulerson, who supervises the Traffic Safety Team, and Officer John Koprowski, DUI enforcement officer, were driving up to a traffic signal when they observed a vehicle making a right hand turn from the left turn lane at a red light. The officers pulled the driver over shortly thereafter, and the 54-year-old male appeared to be impaired.
Blown Tire Causes Deadly Crash on I-95 in Melbourne
An accident that occurred in Melbourne on I-95 last week took the life of a teenager and seriously injured five other teens. Brandon Fritz was ejected from a van and killed when a blown tire caused the van to hit another car and turn over many times. The six teenagers were going back home after winning a basketball tournament in Orlando. The teens were just minutes from home, and the accident occurred on the south side of the interstate near the Pineda Causeway. Read the rest »
Orlando Multi-Vehicle Accident Injures 11 people
An Orlando Multiple Vehicle accident near West Colonial Drive near Paul Street has resulted in 11 people being taken to area hospitals Wednesday morning. A trauma alert was issued for one of the victims while the others have serious injuries. Read the rest »
Four-Car Orlando Auto Accident Sends Three to Area Hospitals
A four-car auto accident on December 22 sent three Orlando residents to area hospitals for treatment for undisclosed injuries. Orlando Police investigators say that two men who were fleeing from a reported home invasion caused the accident on Colonial Drive and Orange Avenue near the I-4 interchange. Police say the armed robbery suspects were weaving through traffic at speeds up to 70 mph when they caused the accident.
Twenty-four People Killed in Flagler County Accidents in 2011
Data released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles indicates that 2011 was an especially deadly year for motorists and pedestrians in Flagler County, with at least 24 people losing their lives in accidents on county roadways. The grim number was up slightly from the 23 people killed in 2010 and up sharply from the 16 people killed in accidents in 2009. At least four of those killed in Flagler County accidents were pedestrians, a bleak reminder of Florida’s unenviable reputation as the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrian accidents. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham is concerned about the recent rise in fatal accidents in the area and is particularly concerned that area drivers are not exercising enough care to avoid pedestrian accidents.
Florida Lawmakers Scheduled to Consider Six Distracted Driving Bills in 2012
Florida legislators are scheduled to review at least six bills in the coming year that target distracted driving in general and texting while driving in particular. James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers are hopeful that Florida will finally pass substantive distracted driving laws, but their optimism is tempered by lawmakers’ repeated failures in recent years to adopt such laws protecting Floridians. Currently, Florida is one of only 15 states that do not have laws that ban drivers from using their cell phones to talk, text and send and receive messages while driving, despite irrefutable evidence that using these devices sharply increases the likelihood of accidents.
GM Announces Upgrades to Address Battery Fire Concerns
General Motors recently announced that they plan to upgrade the steel structure and liquid cooling system in Chevrolet Volt models to alleviate growing concerns about the Volt being prone to catching fire after severe accidents. Each Volt features a 400-pound lithium-ion battery. In some accidents, the impact has caused the coolant system for the battery to rupture, resulting in the battery becoming overheated and catching fire. After receiving complaints about the fires, the federal government performed some safety tests on the Volt. During testing in June 2011, a Volt caught fire after a crash that targeted the battery and cooling system. Another Volt caught fire in November 2011 after a government crash test, which prompted the investigation into the safety of Volt models.
Investigation Continues Into Florida I-75 Pileup That Killed Ten
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation of multiple crashes that killed ten people and injured at least 18 on I-75 near Gainesville, FL over the weekend. Drivers encountered an area of extremely low visibility, and a string of collisions occurred. The scene of the disaster stretches one mile long with wreckage everywhere. Fog and smoke from a brushfire at nearby Paynes Prairie made it so difficult for drivers to see that they crashed into the vehicles in front of them one after the other. Witnesses have reported hearing repeated crashes of the vehicles, crying and screaming. One survivor said, “It was happening on both sides of the road, so there was nowhere to go. It blew my mind.” Several passenger cars as well as tractor-trailers were involved in the pileup.
Florida Officials Plan Overhaul of Notoriously Hazardous Intersection
A notoriously dangerous intersection on County Road 46-A that has been the scene of at least 60 auto accidents in the last three years is going to be reconfigured, according to Seminole County officials. The intersection of Hartwell Avenue and County Road 46-A in Sanford is near two schools and hundreds of homes and apartments and has been a major concern for area residents for years. One nearby resident, Sonja Reddick, hears and sees accidents at the intersection on a regular basis.
“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.
Orange County Auto Accidents Down, But Numbers Remain Among Highest in Florida Counties
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles compiles auto accident data from across the state and charts trends from these data on an ongoing basis. The most recent accident data on the DHSMV site is from 2009 and shows a drop in the crash rate for Orange County. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham and other Central Florida auto accident lawyers welcomed the news but caution that the accident rate in Orange County is still dangerously high. From a statistical standpoint, Orange County is the fourth-most dangerous county in the state for auto accidents, behind Miami-Dade, Broward and Hillsborough Counties.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a vehicle accident, call at (386) 243-4994.
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