Car Accident Blog

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Ricky Melendez feels “betrayed” by GEICO, his own insurance company, after GEICO paid policy limits to the families of teenage boys who stole a Ford Explorer before crashing into him at over 100 mph.  Melendez is quoted as saying that...

There is more technology than ever available to buyers of new cars in 2017. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a study on drivers using in-vehicle technology including voice commands and touch screens. The study found that drivers were visually and mentally distracted...

The summer of 2017 was a hot time for appeals on proposals for settlement in Florida. In Dowd v. GEICO General Insurance Company (3D15-1725)(June 28, 2017), the Third DCA lets a plaintiff injured in a crosswalk accident off the hook for responsibility while the Fourth DCA in Sherman...

Trinity Hamilton, 11 years old, was struck by a pickup truck driven by William Ray Hull on Idlewild Street on September 1, 2017.  Hull’s pickup truck was white with a black stripe down the middle and struck Hamilton from behind after she had gotten off of the school bus....

Jeffrey T. Wells was struck by a pickup truck at approximately 5:45 a.m. on August 23, 2017 near the intersection of Forest Park Street and Harden Boulevard in Lakeland, Florida. Wells died from the trauma of the collision. Mr. Wells was hit as a pedestrian walking eastbound across...

In GEICO v. Macedo (Case No.: SC16-935), the insurance company was ordered to pay the plaintiff’s attorney fees and costs after the insurance company chose to defend a car accident case through trial rather than settle. Facts Of The Case GEICO’s insured caused a car...

A hit and run accident in Frostproof, Florida on July 7, 2017 took the life of Jerry Dean Walker.  The Ledger reports that Walker was in the road and was carrying beer with him.  The accident happened on U.S. 98 near the intersection with Avon Park Cutoff Road at...

A majority of headlights in small and mid-size SUV’s were rated as “poor.” The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested 21 small SUV’s and 37 mid-size SUV’s with deficiencies found in more than half of all models tested. Why Aren’t All...

The CDC reports statistics that six teenagers are killed in car accidents across the country on average every day.  Many of these accidents are due to distracted driving. The Impact Of Teenage Driving Touches Everyone Most of us become better drivers through many years of...

The Journal of Pediatrics published a study done on the impact of child restraints in car accidents and the impact on pediatric mortality.   “Unintentional injury” was listed as the leading cause of death to children in the United States with motor vehicle...

In the case of Ward v. Morlock (Fla. 5th DCA Case Number 5D16-1641), the Fifth DCA held that the dangerous instrumentality doctrine in Florida should apply to a car accident between Florida residents in South Carolina. Facts Of The Case Mr. Morlock (A Florida resident) was on...

Ray Brewer sustained serious injuries when he was pinned in between two cars after the vehicle that he was riding in pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway. Two Separate Collisions This case involves two collisions.  First, Kyle Keating was driving a 2007 Ford E350 when he...

In the case of Depriest v. Greeson (Case Number 1D16-0807), the First DCA in Florida held that the dangerous instrumentality doctrine does not apply for vicarious liability in the time before a personal representative is appointed.  The estate of the deceased vehicle owner was...

While HB 461 (2017) passed in the Florida House of Representatives, it failed in the Senate in 2017.  HB 461 would have repealed Florida’s no-fault law for car accident insurance and would have mandated that all drivers carry bodily injury liability coverage in the event...

Vanessa Miller died as a result of a car accident in Davenport, Florida on US27 near the intersection with Legacy Park Boulevard.  Miller was 26 years old.  Luigi Grieco sustained serious injuries as a result of the accident.  Grieco is 22 years old and was airlifted...

John Camfield struck five children who were getting off of a school bus at Allegheny Road and Athabasca Drive in Poinciana, Florida on April 27, 2017.  Camfield fled the scene of the accident afterwards and is suspected of drunk driving.  Two of the children were reported by the...

I have encountered a number of car accident cases as a personal injury attorney in Lakeland, Florida where there was an accident at a 4-way stop because the drivers didn’t know who was supposed to go first.  This article covers what to do when you arrive at a 4-way stop at...

On April 18, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives voted to pass HB1063 which allows the bill to go on to the Florida Senate for debate.  HB1063 repeals no-fault insurance in Florida as we have known it since the 1970’s when no-fault insurance for car accidents first...

Jonathan Riley, 31-years-old, pulled over into the bicycle lane of US 98 South in Lakeland, Florida on April 17, 2017 and attempted to flag down other drivers when he was hit by another car.  The accident happened at approximately 2:45 a.m. when Melissa Corbin claims that she...

Debra Pfaff was driving a 2002 Ford Excursion on South Florida Avenue when she struck the rear end of a Citrus Connection city bus on April 11, 2017.  The accident happened in front of the IHOP restaurant by south Lakeland.  Pfaff was not wearing a seatbelt and was taken to...