OCALA, FL – A driver was taken to the hospital following a rollover crash in southwest Ocala on Wednesday morning.
According to CBS 4, first responders were called to Southwest College Road, where the found a Jeep rolled onto its side and a Nissan with front-end damage.
Crews were able to extricated the Jeep’s driver through their vehicle’s shattered sunroof. The unidentified driver was then taken to a near hospital with unspecified injuries.
PASCO CO., FL – A woman was killed and a man was seriously injured in a rollover crash crash in Pasco County early Saturday.
According to WFLA, the crash occurred sometime before 10 a.m. when the driver lost control of his vehicle in the eastbound lanes of SR-54. The vehicle struck the center median before spinning around and overturning.
Both the driver and his female passenger were ejected in the crash. Both individuals were rushed to a local hospital, where the passenger, a 20-year-old woman, died a short time later.
A federal court has agreed to hear an appeal on whether drivers in Palm Beach County and across Florida should be granted class-action status in their claim that HCA hospitals, including JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, are severely overcharging for services under the state’s car insurance system.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta agreed this week to consider an appeal of a lower-court decision in Florida that drivers could pursue lawsuits individually, but not as a group. The plaintiffs allege that the hospitals are draining Personal Injury Protection benefits by charging up to 65 times what Medicare pays.
An HCA statement issues said the case lacks merit and the company intends to defend it vigorously.
Recently, the Florida state legislature has taken steps to reduce the amount of fraud in the insurance system, reduce payment delays and limit use of the court system. The following changes were implemented:
Fireworks are definitely dangerous, but they are not the only dangers to avoid this Fourth of July weekend. The roadways are especially hazardous during the summer holidays. When you are traveling to or from an Independence Day party this year, please remember to be on the look out for reckless drivers.
Here are a few dangers to try and avoid this Fourth of July:
Drowsy Drivers. Many holiday drivers are travelling lengthy distances to get to their final destination. Those who have been driving for hours may be feeling fatigued. Drowsy driving is often as dangerous as drunk drivers, so stay alert.
Whenever a motor vehicle accident occurs in Florida, or anywhere else throughout the country, it creates a series of events that cost money. While these costs are not always apparent to other people, make no mistake, car accidents can be quite expensive.
When viewed as a whole, the numbers are downright shocking. A recent study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demonstrates that motor vehicle accidents cost more than $870 billion in economic loss per year. This study examined data from 2010. That $870 billion can be broken down even further to a personal basis, averaging an estimated cost of $900 per person in the U.S., which does not just apply to accident victims, but all people residing in this country.
NHTSA’s study, “The Economic and Society Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010,” focuses on some of the behavioral factors that influenced that year’s nearly 33,000 highway fatalities, 3.9 million injuries and 24 million damaged vehicles. According to the study, three driver behaviors including speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving, accounted for 56 percent of the economic loss to the nation and 62 percent of the societal harm. Societal harm is described as harm due to loss of life and decreased quality of life.
What is not so shocking is that drunk driving accidents were found to be among the most expensive kinds of accidents. These accounted for 18 percent of the total economic loss and 23 percent of the overall societal harm.
Speeding accounted for 21 percent of the overall economic loss costing the nation $59 billion and 24 percent, or $210 billion, of the societal harm.
Distracted driving crashes were responsible for 17 percent of the total economic loss and cost $46 billion. These crashes accounted for $129 billion, or 15 percent, of the overall societal harm.
On a positive note, researchers for this study concluded that using seatbelts led to a savings of almost $70 billion in medical care, lost productivity and other costs that were not incurred. For now, around 5 percent of the total economic loss involved people in auto accidents where they were not buckled up or did not properly fasten their seatbelt.
Memorial Day weekend is finally here and many of you will be setting out to enjoy the official start of summer with our state’s numerous recreational possibilities. With that said, it is estimated that close to 34 million people will be hitting the road over the long holiday weekend and traveling at least 50 miles from home. Whether you are staying local or making a trek to a family member or friend’s home, the Florida Auto Accident Attorneys at Whittel & Melton urge you to drive safely and exercise caution this holiday weekend.
Memorial Day weekend is supposed to be a time for remembrance and celebration. Whatever type of activity you choose to partake in this weekend, we urge you to do so responsibly. Make sure if you are driving to always pay attention, look out for any roadside construction and always see to it that everyone in your vehicle is buckled up. Remember, if you are going to be drinking at any point during the holiday weekend, just be sure to have a designated driver set in place.
According to AAA, the amount of motorists travelling on the roadways this Memorial Day weekend will be at a 10 year high. Dating back to past Memorial Day weekends, statistics show that there is an increase of more than ten percent in motor vehicle accidents vs. other holiday weekends.
You can help exercise safety this Memorial Day weekend just by brushing up on a few safety steps:
A 20-year-old Florida Army National Guardsman was killed Tuesday after the Humvee he was driving rolled over and crashed on U.S. 301 in Lawtey.
The West Point, Ga., man was flown by helicopter to Shands at the University of Florida, but passed away a short time later.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the deceased was driving his Humvee alone heading north on U.S. 301 north of Lawtey traveling to Jacksonville when the military vehicle rolled over and crashed. The man apparently tried to switch lanes, but lost control of his vehicle, sending his Humvee onto the grass median where it overturned.
The man was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the vehicle around 11:30 a.m.
Wearing a seatbelt during a Florida car accident can help keep you and your passengers safe from serious injuries. In fact, they can also be the difference between life and death. Sadly, many young lives are ended every year in auto accidents because crash victims fail to buckle their seatbelt, a task that takes just seconds to perform. An estimated 35,000 people are killed in car accidents every year. Nearly one half of these deaths could be prevented if drivers and passengers buckle their seatbelts every time they get inside a vehicle. Studies show that when a seatbelt is used properly it can reduce the number of severe and catastrophic injuries in traffic collisions by 50 percent.
While statistics show it is smart to wear your seatbelt for safety reasons, there is also a legal reason to make sure you buckle up. If you are injured in an auto accident caused by someone else, and you were not wearing a seatbelt, the insurance company for the responsible driver will certainly try and use that information against you. They will even try to claim that your injuries are partially your fault because you failed to follow the law by not buckling up.
Any time you are making a trip by car, it is imperative to fasten your seatbelt. Even if you are only traveling a short distance, take the time to strap yourself in. An accident can occur in the blink of an eye, so make sure you and anyone else in your car is protected by wearing a seatbelt no matter where you are going.
One person died and two others were seriously injured following a car accident early Saturday morning in Pasco County.
Authorities believe a 32-year-old Brooksville man lost control of his 1986 Corvette around 1 a.m., causing the vehicle to spin out of control.
The vehicle apparently rotated, rolled and landed on its roof. The man and two other passengers were thrown from the car.
All three occupants were apparently not wearing seat belts.
The Brooksville man was pronounced dead at the scene. His two passengers, a 28-year-old
Spring Hill woman and a 26-year-old Spring Hill woman, were taken to Bayonet Point Hospital with critical injuries.
No other details regarding the crash have been released.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
An auto accident can change your life in an instant. Whether your accident was due to another driver’s negligence or possibly poor road maintenance, you deserve to be fairly compensated for your injuries. Losing control of a vehicle, speeding drivers, rear-end collisions, running stop signs or stop lights can all cause severe injuries. It does not matter what conditions led to your accident, if someone else was at fault, the Pasco County Auto Accident Attorneys can help you recover for your damages.
If injured in a car accident, it is best to contact a personal injury lawyer before accepting any settlement offer. At Whittel & Melton, we understand the significance of calculating the known and unknown costs of injury caused by another party. We can evaluate present and future losses including lost wages, property damage, medical and rehabilitative costs, passenger injuries and loss of quality or enjoyment of life. Whether it is moving forward with a serious injury, or the death of a loved one resulting from an auto collision, the Pasco County Auto Accident Attorneys in Florida can provide you with the support needed to lessen the burden.
We will investigate the possible causes of an accident, interview any witnesses, gather evidence and establish who is to blame. Depending on the facts associated with your case, we can negotiate on your behalf with insurance companies or help guide you through the court system.
As personal injury attorneys, our main goal is to attain just compensation for the losses you, and your family, endured.
A Weeki Wachee, Florida man, 56, died Tuesday night in Spring Hill after the vehicle he was riding in exited the road and flipped into a canal filled with water. He was taken to Oak Hill Hospital where he died shortly after.
The driver, a 72-year-old Michigan woman died from her injuries after being transported to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point.
A six-year-old passenger from Weeki Wachee was taken to Spring Hill Regional Hospital suffering from minor injuries.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 7 p.m. The driver was supposedly traveling northbound when she overcorrected as she navigated onto the east shoulder of the road, crossed into the south lane and landed in the canal. The vehicle supposedly flipped and was submerged in water.
Unfortunately, overcorrection and other driving errors can lead to catastrophic Florida car accidents that can cause deaths or serious injuries. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, overcorrecting contributed to nine deaths and 84 injuries in 2010. Drivers of SUV’s are the most susceptible to overcorrecting which can lead to a rollover accident or head-on collisions, but essentially this driving error can happen to anyone. Most rollover accidents occur when motorists overcorrect their steering as a panic reaction to an emergency, which often results in loss of control of the vehicle. When a driver’s tires drift off the road onto the shoulder or grass, it is many motorists instinctive response to panic and jerk the wheel the opposite way. However, this can cause the vehicle to collide with oncoming traffic, stationary objects or overturn.
Sometimes accidents cannot be avoided, but sometimes knowing proper maneuvering techniques on the road can eliminate driver error, like overcorrecting. If your vehicle drifts off the roadway, it is best to remain calm and refrain from jerking your vehicle back onto the road. Rather, it is optimal to slow your car down gradually and once a safe speed is maintained, then it is secure to guide your vehicle back onto the road.
When you or a loved one has been injured in an accident as a result of another motorist’s mistake, the aftereffects can be irritating and overwhelming. As soon as you have been involved in an accident it is important to contact a Rollover Accident Attorney to start investigating the facts surrounding your claim. At Whittel & Melton, we can help you recover the fair and full compensation you deserve.
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