Tampa St. Petersburg Injury Lawyer Blog

The climbing number of pedestrian deaths recently has triggered Clearwater Police to launch a campaign for safety.

Yesterday, December 21, through today, police will be watching the busiest streets, conducting a special safety detail, through which they hope to prevent and lower the rising amount of pedestrian deaths.

Since research shows that most pedestrian deaths occur when people attempt to cross outside of crosswalks, the police department will be keeping an eye out for jaywalkers in particular, along with anyone seemingly attempting to interrupt safe traffic flow.

Tickets will be issued to those individuals at a fine of $62.00 each, though the police are stressing the main reason they are patroling is to encourage safety on the roads.

Continue reading "Frequent Pedestrian Deaths Trigger Clearwater Police to Take Action" »

A Pinellas Park High School student was killed December 18, while trying to catch the bus to school.

Nora Hernandez-Huapilla, 17, was at the intersection of 66th St and 70th Avenue with a class mate, when they saw their bus pull up across the street. Attempting to catch the bus, they ran across the intersection and the girl was hit. 

The driver who hit Hernandez-Huapilla was said to be heading northbound, and had a green-light.  Investigators said is was dark and rainy at the time of the accident, but they don't think speed was an issue. Hernandez-Huapilla was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where she was later pronounced dead.

Some are pointing fingers at Pinellas County School District, who has had to relocate several stops lately, as the arterial bus stops have been presenting safety issues and raising controversy recently.

Although Julie Janssen, Pinellas County School Superintendent, states parents are responsible, "...when they choose to allow their children to go to a school thats not their zoned school," others want more changes in the stops.

A family member of Hernandez-Huapilla suggested the family had made several complaints about the safety of the bus stop.  Pinellas County School Superintendent Michael Bessett confirmed the family had called once in October and claimed the district was handling the request accordingly. 

Continue reading "Pinellas Park Teen Killed at Bus Stop" »

In the early morning of November 30, a woman hit and then saved the life of a pedestrian she hit in Clearwater.

Patricia Syraski, a respiratory therapist, was on her way to work at Tampa General Hospital at about 6 am when she hit a pedestrian crossing Gulf to Bay Blvd. She described that he was walking in the darkness and not in a crosswalk. Syraski immediately pulled over and said the man was not breathing when she got to him. After flagging down another motorist, who called 911, she was able to perform CPR and revive the man, with the aid of a doctor who stopped to help.

The pedestrian was then taken to a hospital via helicopter when paramedics arrived. The accident shut down Gulf to Bay traffic in both directions for a short time. Clearwater police did not expect there to be any charges.

Continue reading "Driver Hits, Saves the Life of Clearwater Pedestrian" »

On November 23, 2009, somewhere between 200 and 300 students at the University of Tampa gathered at a candlelight vigil in a campus courtyard to mourn the death of their classmate, Erik Nicoletti, who was tragically killed in a hit and run accident over the weekend.

Nicoletti, the 20-year old junior at UT, was walking with several friends to the Metro Food Mart across from campus on Saturday night at about 1:15am. As they crossed W. Kennedy Blvd just west of North Blvd heading back to campus, a motorist hit and killed Nicoletti, and injured one of his friends who was visiting from out of town.

Nicolletti was taken off life support on Monday afternoon. His family was reportedly encouraged and overwhelmed at the support of the student body and of the Tampa community, as well as glad that an arrest was made. The other victim, Nicoletti's friend, Cree Alisha Riley, 19, likely has a long road to recovery. Visiting Nicoletti from out of town, she suffered a broken jaw, hip and legs.

The driver of the vehicle, Andres Trujillo, 27, fled the scene, but officers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office found the vehicle, abandoned ,shortly after the accident. Trujillo turned himself into authorities Sunday evening. Police records indicate past charges against Trujillo included disorderly intoxication, robbery, and imprisonment for attacking an officer. Charges against the driver, originally for leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury, are anticipated to be upgraded to leaving the scene of a crash involving death.

Continue reading "Hit-and-Run Crash Kills University of Tampa Student" »

The increasing number of reckless drivers in Pinellas Park, Florida has developed into a huge problem for the city, according to Pinellas Park police. Aggressive drivers, particularly those whose driving creates a great risk for their fellow motorists, are the target of a new battle being launched by police.

Sgt. Tracy Schofield, the special operations supervisor, was recently a victim of an aggressive driver himself. Schofield believes the rise of aggressive drivers can be contributed to the country's economic status and the extra financial and personal stressors people are experiencing. (TBNWeekly.com) Police are especially looking for drivers who run red lights, tailgate, change lanes aggressively and those who speed. In the most recent effort of traffic enforcement,108 citations were made for speeding, DUIs and other violations. Police are even turning to unexpected and unconventional ways to stop violators and cut down on reckless driving, by using more unmarked cars, and even disguising officers.

Many of these aggressive drivers are thought to be 25 years old and younger, however the number of middle aged and senior violators are on the rise as well.  Younger drivers are more likely to drive high performance vehicles. Wednesday and Saturday nights have been deemed the most dangerous nights on the roads in Pinellas Park and the surrounding areas, as several local establishments sponsor weekly motorcycle and car events on those evenings.

Motorcyclists are also more inclined to break driving laws than motorists, according to Schofield. A common ticket for motorcyclists has been for doing "wheelies" on city streets, but the cyclists are starting to find ways around the ticket. Some mount their plates on hinges, so if spotted by the police they can flip up their plates and speed away from police, with the knowledge that most police agencies have "no chase" policies. While "wheelies" for some may seem harmless and fun, there are some serious consequences.  Even if it's the first time a motorcyclist has been ticketed for a wheelie, they can face a fine that's over $1,000.00. If that weren't enough to defer cyclists, second offenders' fines can be up to $2,500.00 and third time offenders not only may pay a substantial fine, but become felons and may face up to a year in jail.

Since there is no specific law which governs "aggressive driving", motorists engaging in risky road behavior are actually ticketed for other violations, such as speeding or tailgating. What many drivers may not be aware of however, is that the officer can use his or her discretion to check an "aggressive driving" box on a summons, which in turn gives the judge a clue to impose a higher fine on the driver or require them to take an aggressive driving course.

Continue reading "Pinellas Park Police Cracking Down on Aggressive Drivers" »

Golf cart travel is becoming an increasingly popular means of transportation, particularly for short trips in subdivisions, in retirement communities and among those who are not yet of legal driving age. While carts are commonly viewed as little more than toys, a recent study, performed by the University of Alabama and published in the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, reveals a much different take on golf carts.

The research, triggered by doctors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham after treating several serious golf cart related accidents, studied emergency room databases from 2002 to 2005. Results suggest that during that time span, about 48,000 golf cart accidents took place nationwide, injuring roughly 1,000 Americans a month. Research also revealed that an estimated 50% of the accidents happened on the golf course, while the other half generally occurred at homes, on streets and other public property. Young males between the ages of 10 and 19, as well as men 80 and up, were found to have the highest injury rates in these accidents. For those accidents on the golf course, it is speculated that alcohol often plays a primary factor in the cause of collisions.

Some credit the lack of a requirement for safety equipment, such as windshields, signaling lights and mirrors, as the cause of many of these accidents, especially when traveling on public streets. Although they can be modified to exceed regular speeds, most golf carts are only designed with top speeds of 15 mph, solely with golf course travel in mind. Complaints have been made that the very little federal regulation and minimal requirements by states has also fed into the climbing injury rates. Most states do not have an age requirement to drive a golf cart, nor do they mandate the necessity of a license or safety equipment in order to operate a cart.

The regulations vary greatly by state. Operating any unlicensed vehicle, including golf carts, is illegal in Alabama, for instance. Florida law states that carts can be used on streets, but only after they are modified to operate at a top speed of 20 to 25 mph. While they can still be banned, many communities and subdivisions are creating specified areas for golf cart travel, some of which do come with limitations and regulations.

In general, who is driving and where they are driving seem to be the top culprits in golf cart injuries. The researchers suggest careful monitoring of any children or minors operating the carts, as well as mandatory safety regulations.

 
As a golf cart injury attorney, I have seen the adverse effects of these accidents upon clients. In communities like The Villages, Florida, where our new office is located, golf cart travel is becoming both extremely popular and extremely dangerous. The experience of The Law Offices of John T. Grove can advise you and help you achieve recovery for your golf cart accident injuries.

In a recent Florida pedestrian accident, a seizure was reportedly the cause of a driver veering onto the sidewalk in Seminole, FL Tuesday night, killing one teenage pedestrian and severely injuring another.

On March 10, Pedestrian Zachary Baker, 19, was declared dead at the scene of the accident, near Seminole Mall, after Kyle J. Figler suffered a seizure while driving, and his vehicle continued onto the sidewalk. The other pedestrian struck by the vehicle, Jendi Leigh Schroeder, 19, suffered serious injuries and was transferred to a hospital.

According to Figler's stepfather, the driver had no previous history of seizures. Doctors treated Figler for only minor injuries and were examining the cause of the sudden seizure.

Every day in Florida, pedestrians are the victims of accidents with automobile, truck or motorcycles. The injury sustained by these individuals is often serious causing hospitalization or even death. Many clients call our office when they have been involved in such an accident. Generally, their first question is "what insurance coverage is applicable to this accident?" Many are surprised to learn that their own PIP coverage on their own or parents automobile will pay toward their medical expenses.

Florida PIP (Personal Injury Protection) benefits provide up to $10,000 of medical bill coverage, lost wage coverage or up to $5,000 death benefit. This is No-Fault insurance here in Florida. It does not matter who was driving and who was at fault.