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Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

April 4, 2012

Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents in Broward County Likely with Distracted Drivers

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

For the entire month of April, our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident attorneys will be recognizing National Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2012.

This is the perfect time to ask drivers throughout the state to curb the distractions behind the wheel, not only to avoid motor vehicle accidents but to help keep our pedestrians and bicyclists safe. These vulnerable travelers are commonly affected by distracted drivers. Pedestrians and bicyclists are already commonly overlooked by motorists. They face some of the most dangerous risks for accidents in our state. When you throw a distraction into the mix, they’re virtually invisible to drivers and accidents are likely.

In the state of Florida, pedestrians and bicyclists get to enjoy the open outdoors year round. That’s one of the benefits of being in Florida — beautiful weather. With all of these travelers on our roadways, pedestrian and bicycle accidents in Broward County are likely. For that reason, we’re asking motorists to put down the phones, ignore the text messages and turn off the electronic devices at the wheel to help keep everyone safe along our roadways. Safer roadways starts with you.

In recognition of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2012, the National Safety Council (NSC) is asking all drivers to take the pledge to drive distraction free! It’s a simple pledge and can help to save lives on our roadways.

“It’s time to start changing the social acceptance of cell phone use while driving,” said Janet Froetscher with the NSC.

Take The Pledge:

-Vow to put away the distractions while driving through our state.

-Vow to speak up if you’re driving with a driver who is engaging in distractions behind the wheel.

-Vow to help spread the word. Talk with friends and family members about the risks that are associated with distracted driving. Recruit them to take the pledge with you! The more, the better!

In 2010, there were roughly 235,460 car accidents in the state of Florida. In these accidents, there were nearly 2,445 people killed. Nearly 500 of these fatalities were pedestrians and nearly 100 were bicyclists. Florida has been ranked year after year as the most dangerous state in the country for these travelers. An alarming number of these fatal accidents were the result of distracted driving. As a matter of fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that about 3,000 people were killed nationwide in 2010 because of distracted driving. That’s one out of every four accidents.

Help to reverse this trend and make our roadways safer for other motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists and tale the pledge to make April and every month after distraction free behind the wheel.
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March 30, 2012

Car-Skateboard Accident in Taramac Kills 14-Year-Old

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

A 14-year-old skateboarder was thinking about everything but getting into a fatal pedestrian accident in Taramac. According to the Sun Sentinel, the Broward Sheriff’s Office reports that the young skateboarder was crossing Pine Island Road at about 10:00 p.m. when an elderly driver from Coral Springs slammed into him.

The victim was transported to the North Broward Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, according to the Sun Sentinel.

According to a recent report from the Skaters for Public Skateparks (SPS), there were more than 40 young skateboarders who were killed in skateboarding-related accidents outside of skate parks in 2006. A large number of these fatal accidents did in fact involve a motor vehicle. Just as we urge drivers to be on the lookout for pedestrians and bicyclists, we also ask drivers to keep an eye out for young children who are riding scooters, skateboards and other wheeled rides.

Broward County pedestrian accident lawyers urge parents to talk with the young ones in their family to help to reduce these kinds of accidents. These young travelers may not be able to comprehend the dangers that accompany motor-vehicle traffic. For this reason, it’s important to teach them the safety skills they need to help them to avoid and auto accident.

How risky is the situation? There were nearly 5,000 children under the age of 14 who were killed from unintentional injury in 2008. According to Safe Kids USA, there were nearly 6,200,000 additional children who were injured and treated in emergency rooms across the country from unintentional injuries. The leading cause of these fatal accidents was in fact motor vehicle accidents.

How do these accidents happen? Oftentimes these kinds of accidents happen when a motorist is reversing and fails to see a young child behind the vehicle. About half of backover accidents that killed these young children happen at their own home. Nearly three-fourths of all child pedestrian accidents happen at non-intersection locations. They’re also likely to happen between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., when they’re home from school and the sun begins to set.

So how do we help our young ones? Consider teaching your little pedestrian, bicycler, skateboarder or rollerblader the following safety tips.

Safe Tips for Kids Near Roadways:

-Always cross the street at a street corner that has crosswalks and traffic signals.

-Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.

-Look left, right and back left again before and while walking cross across the road.

-Always walk on sidewalks and paths when they’re available.

-When there are no sidewalks, walking facing oncoming traffic as far to the left as possible.

-Keep an eye out for cars that are backing up.

-Wear brightly-colored clothing, especially when traveling near the roadway as the sun sets.
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March 22, 2012

Fort Lauderdale Pedestrian Accident Kills Elderly Walker, Injures Another

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

One of two women who were hit by a motor vehicle in a recent Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident has died. The tragic accident happened as the two elderly women attempted to cross 26th Northeast Avenue. After they were hit by an oncoming vehicle, they were both taken to the Broward General Medical Center. The survivor was in critical condition late last month, according to the Sun Sentinel.

According to the City of Fort Lauderdale’s website, officials recognize the dangers that pedestrians face on our roadways, and say that they are working diligently to tackle the challenge of pedestrian safety. While much of this effort is focused on younger pedestrians, elderly pedestrians are oftentimes left to fend for themselves. These pedestrians require a longer time to get across the roadway and they require much attention from passing motorists. Treat all pedestrians you see as if they were one of your grandparents. Everyone walking along our roadways deserves the same caution and respect.

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand that Florida has been ranked as the number one most dangerous state in the country for pedestrian accidents. Florida holds four spots for the top 10 most dangerous metro areas in the nation. As a matter of fact, it’s estimated that a pedestrian is injured in a traffic-related accident every eight minutes. What’s most unfortunate is that these kinds of accidents are oftentimes the result of inattentive motorists and pedestrians failing to use crosswalks. With a conscious effort from both parties we can help to significantly reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities and injuries.

Let’s break it down a little bit. From 2000 to 2009, there were nearly 5,200 pedestrians killed while walking in Florida, according to Transportation for America. All of these accidents cost the state more than $22 billion.

Most Dangerous Metro Areas in Florida:

-Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach/Miami
-Clearwater/St. Pete/Tampa
-Kissimmee/Orlando
-Jacksonville
-Fort Myers/Cape Coral
From 2000 to 2009, Broward County saw nearly 465 pedestrian fatalities. In our area, more than 21 percent of traffic fatalities were experienced by pedestrians.

With the beautiful weather we see year round, it’s no wonder why residents and visitors enjoy spending time outside of their vehicles and out in the Florida sunshine. Unfortunately, with this beautiful weather and increase in walkers, we’re bound to see more pedestrian accidents. Make sure to walk in areas with sidewalks. Be sure to wear brightly-colored clothing to help motorists to see you more easily. Make sure to always use a crosswalk to cross the street. Make sure to look into a driver’s eyes so that they acknowledge you before crossing the street in front of them. These are all just a couple of simple safety tips that can help to save your life while walking along our busy Florida roadways. Get out there and have fun, but be safe. Be cautious of one another and let’s work together to share the road safely.
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March 19, 2012

Church Backover Accident in Broward County Kills Elderly Parishioner

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

A recent service at the St. Ambrose Catholic Church ended with a fatal Deerfield Beach pedestrian accident. Accident reports indicate an elderly driver in a Buick Century backed over a female parishioner as she was leaving the church. The elderly driver didn’t just back over the woman, but she dragged her underneath the car across the lawn, too. The driver of the vehicle was 88-years-old and a fellow parishioner of the pedestrian. The pedestrian was just 66-years-old. They were both taken to the North Broward Medical Center at roughly 10:00 a.m. The pedestrian was later pronounced dead, according to the Sun Sentinel.

“She backed up so fast, dragging the poor woman, a man came up and opened the door and put on the brake,” said a witness.

Deerfield Beach pedestrian accident attorneys understand that there are nearly 20,000 injuries and nearly 350 fatalities that occur every year because of backover accidents in the U.S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a large number of the victims of these kinds of accidents are young children and elderly residents. As a matter of fact, nearly 35 percent of the victim’s involved in these accidents are over the age of 70. For this reason, the NHTSA has recently made a proposal to require all new cars and trucks (weighing less than 10,000 pounds) to come equipped with rear-view cameras. The NHTSA is looking to have these cameras installed in all new vehicles by 2014. Recent studies conclude that having cameras on these vehicles would help to prevent up to 112 backover car accidents every year. In addition to saving these lives, studies have concluded that about 7,000 injuries could be prevented with this technology.

“Adoption of this proposal would significantly reduce fatalities and injuries caused by backover crashes involving children, persons with disabilities, the elderly and other pedestrians,” said the NHTSA in its proposal.

Advocates for the technology say that this may be the most beneficial preventative measure available to help reduce the risks of these kinds of accidents. Those who are opposed to the technology say that it’s going to cost way too much! Automakers are among the ones who oppose this movement. They say that to equip the near 17 million new cars that are manufactured each year, it could cost nearly $3 billion to put the technology into these vehicles. That’s a cost, they say, that will passed down to the consumer.

Characteristics of the most common backover accidents:

-Nearly 40 percent happen in residential spaces, such as parking lots of townhouses and apartments as well as in driveways.

-Less than 20 percent of fatal backover accidents happen in nonresidential parking lots, but these accidents account for more than 50 percent of injury-resulting accidents.

Nothing will ever be able to replace driver awareness. Be alert when driving in these scenarios to help prevent these kinds of accidents.
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March 8, 2012

Bicycle Accident in Fort Lauderdale Turns Deadly When a Tri-Rail Train’s Involved

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

According to police, a bicycle accident in Fort Lauderdale left a local man dead. This bicycle accident was different than so many others. This bike accident didn’t involve a motor vehicle or another bicyclist, it involved a Tri-Rail train.

The accident happened as a northbound train crossed 62nd Street at roughly 7:00 a.m. At the time, the bicyclist crossed the railroad tracks and got to the median section of the roadway. That’s when a southbound train passed by and hit him. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the traffic control arms at that intersection were down and stopping vehicles from crossing the tracks when the accident happened. Detective Travis Mandell, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale police, says that the man was transported to North Broward Medical Center and was later pronounced dead. Officials are still investigating the accident.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers understand how dangerous these areas can be. Most times, accidents that involve trains produce deadly results. Sometimes, these accidents can be blamed on faulty railroad crossing equipment. When this equipment is working properly, it’s important for nearby travelers to be cautious and careful in these areas to reduce their risks of a potentially fatal train accident.

Railroad-Related Accident Statistics (2009), from the Federal Railroad Administration:

-There are more than 136,000 public railroad crossings in the U.S.

-At these crossings, about 42,300 have gates, more than 22,000 have flashing lights and more than 1,195 have wigwags, traffic signals and bells.

-At these crossings, there were nearly 2,000 accidents, resulting in more than 245 fatalities and more than 700 injuries.

To help to avoid a pedestrian or a bicycling accident at one of these crossings, the Federal Railroad Administration offers the following tips. Don’t take these tips lightly. They just may be able to save your life. Listen up!

Railroad Crossing Safety Tips:

-Always approach a track like there’s a train coming. Always stop and look both ways before attempting to cross.

-Never rely on a train’s whistle. These devices can be broken or may not be heard by the pedestrian, bicyclist or motorist. Always look with your eyes to see if a train is coming.

-Never cross the tracks if you’re not sure that you’ll have enough time to make it all the way across. Just wait until the train has gone by before attempting to cross.

-Always wait for a train to cross while standing at least 10 feet away from the tracks. Train cars are wider than the tracks themselves, meaning they overlap the tracks and will be closer than you may think. Stand back.

-Bicyclists should always get off of their bike and walk it across tracks. Avoid riding across.

-Try to avoid routes with railroad crossings. Plan your trip before. It’s best just to avoid crossings altogether.

-Look up and down the tracks, all of the tracks, before attempting to cross.
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March 1, 2012

Six-Year-Old on Scooter Critically Injured in Two-Car Accident in Pompano Beach

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

A recent two-car accident in Pompano Beach ended up seriously injuring a 6-year-old who was riding a scooter. According to the Sun Sentinel, five other people were injured in this accident. A spokesman for the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue says that the accident happened just after 1:00 p.m. after a driver failed to acknowledge a traffic device on Northwest 5th Avenue.

Reportedly, the car crash happened as a 28-year-old driver was heading north on Northwest 5h Avenue when he ran a stop sign and slammed into another passenger vehicle that was heading westbound on Northwest 8th Street. After striking the vehicle, the 23-year-old’s vehicle hit a nearby fence and slammed into the six-year-old on the scooter, ran into a parked van, slammed into a tree and then crashed into a pickup truck. Officers with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit are interviewing witnesses and continue to investigate the accident.

Our Broward County car accident attorneys understand that our roadways can be very dangerous at times, especially for small children. For this reason, it is important for parents to talk with young ones about the dangers on the roadways and passing traffic. According to Safe Kids USA, the number of overall motor-vehicle fatalities that occurred to children under the age of 15 during 2008 was 1,350. About 70 percent of pedestrian deaths are motor vehicle-related. Of these fatalities, nearly 300 were pedestrian fatalities and about 100 were bicycle fatalities. Many of these fatalities and hundreds of thousands of injuries could have been prevented if parents would have stepped in and discussed the dangers of traffic with children. Start now! It’s a great time to pull your child aside and talk about safe pedestrian habits with them.

Your child faces some of the most dangerous risks in the country for a pedestrian or bicycle-related traffic accident. In recent years, Florida was ranked as the most dangerous state in the country for these types of accidents.

The City of Fort Lauderdale is here to help South Florida kids to stay safe when playing near moving traffic. The City has provided a few recommendations to help make our roadways safer for everyone, especially young children.

State and Local Laws to Help Protect Child Pedestrians and Bicyclists:

-Lower the speed limit is all residential areas.

-Offer protections, like crosswalks and sidewalks, to on-foot and bicycle travelers.

-Prohibit vehicle from passing school buses while boarding on letting off passengers.

-Provide crossing guards for popular crosswalks, especially crosswalks near schools and popular neighborhoods.

-Require all pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the roadway at a crosswalk.

Talk with your child about the dangers and risks that are associated with vehicular traffic. Urge then to look left, right and back left again before crossing any street. Make sure that your child is geared up in bright-colored clothing, reflective tape and a flashlight when outside near nighttime. Reiterate the importance of traveling on a sidewalk and away from the roadway. Always supervise your child. Your concern and supervision can help to keep your kid on the right path to safe biking, scooting and pedestrian travel.
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February 26, 2012

Road Design Causing Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents in Broward and Miami-Dade

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Attention has been shifted to bicycle and pedestrian accidents in Miami and the surrounding areas once again. After a number of recent accidents, like the death of the bicyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway, officials are looking again at what may be done to help make our roadways safer for all travelers.

Within the 2012 Benchmarking Report on bicycling and walking in the United States, Florida was ranked as the most dangerous state in the country for bicycling and pedestrian accidents. We’ve previously reported about just how dangerous our roadways are for all travelers, but especially for bicyclists and pedestrians. How many catastrophic accidents do we need to experience before something is done?

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident attorneys know that bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents are reported regularly through reports from the Florida Department of Transportation. In the 2010 statistics, Miami-Dade was ranked number one with nearly 43,300 traffic-related accidents. Coming in second was Broward County with more than 26,230. Both areas were about even with their number of bicycle accidents. When we’re talking pedestrian accidents, Miami-Dade ranked higher than Broward. Miami-Dade is more populous than Broward, so it’s to be expected that the number of accidents is higher.

What’s apparent in these statistics is that cars are going too fast and drivers aren’t paying attention. As a result, bicyclists and pedestrians are paying the price. There’s hope though, if city officials take precautionary steps that can help knock a little sense into drivers.

Tips to Safer Roadways, according to the Miami Herald:

-Reduce current speed limits and enforce these new reductions.

-Create citywide bicycle improvements. Recognize that this form of transportation can be healthy, enjoyable and an economical way to get around town for residents and visitors of all ages.

-Consider widening sidewalks and narrowing traffic lanes to slow vehicular traffic down and encourage more people to bike and walk to their destination. Sidewalks can also provide convenience to public transit.

-Install more traffic signals at busy intersections to help pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross the road.

-Build more efficient public transportation systems. These systems help to get cars and trucks off of our roadways, help to relieve congestion and help to offer commuters transportation choices.

The current design of our streets is one clue as to why drivers behave the way they do. Our streets are wide, fast and dangerous. This design does exactly what we need to fight against, quick, dangerous travel. Until alternative modes of transportation can be used throughout the city, these kinds of accidents are bound to plague our roadways.
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January 21, 2012

Pedestrian Accidents in Fort Lauderdale and Elsewhere in the State Rank Florida as #1 Most Dangerous

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

From 2000 to 2009, there were nearly 48,000 pedestrians killed along roadways in the United States, according to Transportation For America. What’s important to point out in this article is that the top 4 most dangerous metropolitan areas in the country are in Florida, with Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach ranking in as the 4th deadliest area in the nation for pedestrian accidents.

In addition to these fatalities, our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand that there were nearly 689,000 pedestrians across the country who were injured during this same time period. This means that a pedestrian was hit by a truck or a car every 7 minutes. Pedestrian accidents are the third leading cause of death by unintentional injury for those of any age group.

With 12 percent of traffic-related fatalities resulting from pedestrian accidents, a recent Transportation For American report concluded that less than 2 percent of the federal funding that is designated for upgrading dangerous roads is even being used. With pedestrian accidents as the cause of so many U.S. fatalities, it’s shocking that more money isn’t allotted to make our roadways safer for all travelers.

“Some in Congress have questioned the federal interest in keeping pedestrians safe, believing it to be a strictly local issue,” said the director of Transportation for America, James Corless. “But two-thirds of all pedestrian fatalities in the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roadways.”

The Top Most Dangerous Metro Areas:

1.) Kissimmee/Orlando
2.) Clearwater/St. Petersburg/Tampa
3.) Jacksonville
4.) Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach
Many of the pedestrian fatalities happen on roadways with speedy traffic. Most of these dangerous areas fail to provide crosswalks, sidewalks or crossing signals for pedestrians. A majority of the fast-travel roadways were built with federal funding, but with speedy traffic in mind and not pedestrian traffic.

In the state of Florida, there were more than 5,160 pedestrians killed on our roadways from 2000 to 2009. These accidents cost the state more than $22.2 billion during this time. According to Transportation For American, Florida is the number one deadliest state in the country for pedestrian accidents.

The Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach metro area saw the most pedestrian fatalities in the state from 2000 to 2009, with nearly 1,600 pedestrian deaths. Broward witnessed more than 460 of these fatalities during this time.

To help reduce the risks of pedestrian accidents across the country, Transportation For American has compiled a list of recommendations for government officials to make safer streets for everyone.

Suggestions for Safer Roadways:

-Retain federal funding that is solely dedicated to pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

-Equip all busy travel areas with bicycle paths, sidewalks and trails so that residents and visitors can travel about the area safely.

-All government, including local, state and federal parties, should be required to set safe travel standards for bicyclists, pedestrians, motorists and motorcyclists.

-Each state should be held accountable to creating communities that are safe for pedestrians.
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January 7, 2012

Eleven Killed in Pedestrian Accidents in Broward County Areas Helping Disabled Vehicles

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

A recent car accident in Plantation killed three people — two stranded motorists and a good Samaritan — all in their 20s, after they were struck by a passing motorist. Two of the people killed in the accident had been involved in a one-car accident with a tree. They exited their vehicle to assess the damage, while a third person approached the scene to offer help.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the car accident happened near Northwest 69th Avenue on Broward Boulevard in Plantation. All three 20-somethings were killed when they were hit by a passing vehicle. One died at the scene, while the other two victims died later at Broward General Medical Center. The driver of the vehicle who struck the young pedestrians was taken to Westside Regional Medical Center and treated for injuries.

Our Broward County car accident attorneys understand that in just the last year, 11 people have been killed in five separate accidents involving individuals who out of their vehicles along busy South Florida roadways. Some of these victims had exited their vehicle after a minor accident, while some had stopped to offer help. According to state troopers, motorists who break down need to take a good look at their surroundings and find protected ground behind a guardrail.

“You want to get to the safest place possible,” said Sgt. Mark Wysocky of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Back in March of 2011, four people were hit and killed in Miami near 103rd Street on Interstate 95. The fatal accident happened after the group exited their vehicles just before 5 a.m., following a three-car accident. A fifth person from this accident died a few days later while being treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital. According to local police, the driver who hit them was under the influence of alcohol and fled the scene.

Then in April, the driver of a tractor trailer from Fort Lauderdale was killed as he tried to cross I-85 after he was involved in an accident.

Also in April, a passing vehicle struck and killed a 15-year-old from Miami as he helped three others push a disabled vehicle to the side of I-95. This accident happened near Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

Yet another accident happened in Palm Beach County when an 18-year-old female got out of her vehicle on I-95 right by Forest Hill Boulevard and sprinted across the interstate at 3:00 a.m. She was overlooked, hit by a passing motorists and killed.

Wysocky reminds everyone that one of the safest places you can be is behind a guardrail. If there’s no guardrail nearby, he urges people to stay as far away from traffic as possible when dealing with the aftermath of an accident or a vehicle breakdown.
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