Broward Injury Lawyer Blog

November 1, 2013

Whiplash: Serious Injuries in Low-Speed Accidents

There are many who think that because they were in a low speed accident and there was little or no damage to their vehicle that the likelihood of injury is minimal. This is NOT true!

Even minor accidents can cause some serious damage, including neck and spinal cord injuries. The range of collision speed in most (roughly 80 percent) rear impact whiplash injuries is 6-12 mph. And it’s these injuries (whiplash) that account for the most commonly reported injuries among U.S. insurance claims. As a matter of fact, they accounted for more than $8.5 billion in payouts in 2007 alone, or about about a quarter of all payouts, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand many injuries won’t result in symptoms immediately. Some can arise days, weeks and even months later. With whiplash, what happens is the victim’s body is initially pushed or accelerated forward while the head remains behind for an instant, making the head rock up and back, stretching and/or tearing muscles, tendons and ligaments. The muscles react automatically (reflex motion) to bring the heard forward – sometimes this is overdone and the head may rock forward violently, further stretching and/or tearing muscles, tendons and ligaments.
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October 29, 2013

Las Olas Boulevard Pedestrian Improvements in Focus

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

A plaza with benches and specific areas designed for shade may soon sit atop the roof entrance to Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard. According to the South Florida Business Journal, city officials want to make this area a more than $800,000 priority. They also want to move the tunnel entrance more than 20 feet to the north. This move was presented after raised safety concerns that motorists weren’t able to see pedestrians nearby.

The truth of the matter is that Broward County is ranked as the second most dangerous metro area in the state for pedestrian accidents. From 2000 to 2009, there were close to 500 pedestrians killed along our roadways. These fatalities accounted for more than 21 percent of all of the traffic accident fatalities recorded throughout the year, according to Transportation For America.

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand that Florida’s traffic accident fatalities are on the rise too, especially for pedestrians.
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October 20, 2013

Spooky Halloween Scares for Young Pedestrians in South Florida

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

What might be more terrifying than the ghosts and goblins of All Hallow’s Eve are the risks for young pedestrian accidents. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, October 31st is the deadliest night of the year for pedestrians. An overwhelming majority of children (close to 90 percent) participate in Halloween activities, and three quarters (close to 75 percent) go trick-or-treating door-to-door.

“On Halloween, motorists need to be especially vigilant between the hours of 4 p.m. and midnight, when pedestrians are most vulnerable,” said AAA’s Jennifer Huebner Davidson.

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand that with excited children running through the streets and darting between parked cars — often in dark clothing — Halloween and those trick-or-treating adventures are a hazardous time and it’s putting youth more at risk of traffic accidents. But there are things that we all can do to help to reduce the risks of these kinds of accidents. Parents, children, motorists, ghosts and goblins can work together to make sure that everyone gets through this haunted holiday safely.
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October 10, 2013

Pedestrian Struck and Killed on South Federal Highway

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Law enforcement officials are looking into the death of a 32-year-old woman from Davie who was killed after she got out of a vehicle pulled over onto the shoulder of South Federal Highway. According to the Sun-Sentinel, the accident happened in the 3200 block of South Federal near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

According to the accident report, the woman was a passenger in a vehicle that pulled over onto the side of the road. For unknown reasons, she reportedly walked into oncoming traffic and was hit and killed. She was pronounced dead just before 12:00 a.m. at Broward Health Medical Center.

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand that highways are dangerous for everyone, but especially for pedestrians. If you ever find yourself on the side of the road, whether you’ve been involved in an accident or your vehicle has broken down, it’s important that you know what to do to stay safe. The first thing you want to do is try to get to the right-hand shoulder of the road as soon as possible, especially if you’re on a highway. As you pull your vehicle off the road, keep the following safety procedures in mind:
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October 4, 2013

New Intersection System to Protect Pedestrians of Las Olas

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

The city has made a decision, and it’s to give pedestrians priority over drivers at two intersections along Las Olas Boulevard. According to the Sun Sentinel, there is a new crossing system to let an all-red cycle at both Southeast Eighth and Ninth avenues. What this means is that when a traffic light turns red, motorists are required to stop in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross.

This system was first used in Broward County, and after seeing its success it’s here to stay and will be expanded to other areas. That’s why state officials put in a similar crossing system at State Road A1A and Commercial Boulevard over the summer. Although it only operated on weekends, it was deemed highly successful. And that’s why officials want to expand the system.

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident attorneys understand that both A1A and Las Olas, as well as Andrews Avenue and Broward Boulevard may soon be getting this same system. In these areas, pedestrian traffic is dense and we see far too many accidents. Unfortunately, since vehicular traffic is so dense in many areas, the stop system may not be effective for the flow of traffic.
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September 30, 2013

Protected Lanes for Safe South Florida Bicyclists

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Bicyclists have a right to our roadways, and that right is magnified with bicycle lanes. In these lanes, they’ve got the room that they require to ride safely — away from dangerous motor vehicles. But bicyclists say the on-street paved lanes need to be better protected or separated from motor vehicle traffic. They believe that these lanes should come equipped with barriers of some sort. According to the Sun Sentinel, these kinds of lanes would encourage more people to take their bikes on the road.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers understand that bicyclists are afraid. We can’t always rely on the driving habits of motorists to keep us safe. The truth of the matter is that we’re not always viewed as equal travelers, and we’re not often treated as such.

Recently, in Palm Beach and Broward counties, buffered lanes have popped up in a number of locations. These lanes specially offer 2 or 3 feet of lined space between bicyclists and motorists. And this safety concept is spreading. Officials in Broward County say that they plan on doing this to all biking areas, and Tamarac –between State Road 7 and 81st Avenue — is among the first in Broward to get the special bike lanes.
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September 20, 2013

Pedestrian Hit and Killed at Miami International Airport Terminal

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

pedestrian was killed in a recent accident at the Miami International Airport. According to 7 News, the pedestrian was exiting Concourse H when the accident happened around noon. The victim, who was returning from a business trip, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are currently looking into the accident, trying to determine the answers to two very important questions:

-Did the pedestrian look both ways to make sure that it was safe to cross?

-Did the driver check the crosswalk before proceeding across?

Our Miami pedestrian accident lawyers understand that this isn’t the first accident of its kind in the area in recent months. According to South Florida airport officials, there have been two other fatal accidents in just the last 10 months. Back in May, a woman was run over by a bus at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after she reportedly tripped on a curb. Earlier in December, a tour bus slammed into an overpass at the Miami International Airport. Three people on that bus were killed.
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September 10, 2013

Bike-Sharing Programs Expected to Double Again by 2014

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

There are close to 20,000 shared biked in the U.S. as of August 2013. With these numbers, we’re seeing more than double the increase in the number of bike share programs and fleets since last year. Now, the U.S. is home to more than 30 modern bike-sharing programs that allow riders to easily make short trips on two wheels without having to own a bicycle, according to Tree Hugger.

Here in Fort Lauderdale, as you may know, we’ve got Broward B-cycle. This program is designed to encourage you to use a B-cycle for all your short trips. Once you’ve paid your modest membership fee, you can take an unlimited number of rides.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers know this is a great system that provides convenient and inexpensive transportation for residents and visitors. Unfortunately, this also comes with a lot of risks for accidents. Bicyclists face some serious risks for injuries — and even death — when involved in a motor-vehicle accident. With more bikes on the road, the risks for these types of accidents are even higher.
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September 1, 2013

Pedestrians and Bicyclists Beware through Labor Day

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Fort Lauderdale is one of the nation’s hottest Labor Day 2013 travel destinations, according to the Huffington Post. With that being said, we can expect our beaches to be packed through the weekend. While this travel trend is great for local businesses, it’s not such great news for safety on our roadways.

Our Fort Lauderdale accident lawyers understand that this increase in motor traffic also poses a serious threat to pedestrians and bicyclists in the area. Unfortunately, many of the visitors to the area will not be as seasoned and familiar with this kind of traffic. It’s a pleasure our coastline enjoys, but an unfamiliar transportation risk for many of those from out of town.

When we’re aware of each other’s presence and we work together, we can all enjoy safe travels through the big holiday weekend.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there will be close to 400 people killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. over the holiday weekend. This is considered the time from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2.
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August 29, 2013

Back-to-School Risks in Broward County

By Ansara Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Children are back in school and they’re facing some serious risks.

They’re faced with risks walking or riding their bicycle to school or to the bus stop, risks while riding the school bus as well as some risks on campus, like playground accidents, sporting injuries and bullying. The biggest risks they’re going to face is avoiding traffic while walking to and from the bus stop or to school. It is important for parents to stay up-to-date on the proper safety precautions and share this information with their children to keep them safe throughout the school year.

“There is nothing as important as getting students to and from school safely,” said Gary Catapano with First Student.

Our Fort Lauderdale child injury lawyers understand that children are much more prone to accident injuries than adults. They’re also much more likely to find themselves in risk scenarios as they aren’t always concerned with safety, and sometimes may not be able to recognize danger.

Parents are asked to read the following safety tips and to share them with their young students periodically throughout the school year.
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