WESLEY CHAPEL, FL – A Road Ranger was rushed to the hospital after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on I-75 this morning.
According to Fox 13, the ranger was assisting troopers at the scene of a prior accident near Overpass Road when a Toyota sedan veered into the blocked lanes and hit the man.
The unidentified victim was sent to the hospital with serious injuries.
ALACHUA CO., FL – Two people were sent to the hospital following a multi-vehicle crash that left one victim pinned inside their vehicle near Gainesville last night.
According to CBS 4, the two-vehicle crash occurred along SR-26 just outside of Gainesville.
ACFR used the Jaws of Life to extricate one driver from their vehicle. The unidentified individual was rushed to UF Health as a trauma alert.
SPRING HILL, FL – A woman and her infant son were killed in a four-vehicle crash in Spring Hill, WFLA reports.
The crash took place some time before noon in the northbound lanes of US-19 near the intersection with Berkeley Manor Boulevard.
Police say a 35-year-old woman from Weeki Wachee and her 6-month-old son suffered fatal injuries in the wreck.
GAINESVILLE, FL – A woman was fatally struck by a vehicle in northwest Gainesville on Tuesday afternoon.
According to a report by CBS 4, the pedestrian was struck by a vehicle turning left onto 8th Avenue from 10th Street.
Police say the victim, a 22-year-old woman, was walking in a designated crosswalk when the collision occurred. She was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
BROOKSVILLE, FL – A collision claimed the life of at least one person near the Church of God of Prophecy in Brooksville early Wednesday morning.
According to WFLA, the crash occurred in the 2400 block of Dan Brown Hill Road near Hayman Road shortly after midnight.
Little information about the cause of the crash, or the total number of vehicles involved, is available at this time.
BUSHNELL, FL – An elderly motorcyclist was fatally struck by a pickup truck on a county road west of Bushnell last Wednesday, The Villages News reports.
The fatal collision happened on County Road 48 just west of County Road 616 at about 3 p.m. on December 29, when a 1999 Ford F-350 turned left in front of a motorcycle being operated by a 73-year-old Webster man.
Emergency responders took the victim to an area hospital, where he died. Authorities say he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Using a rideshare service, like Uber or Lyft following a party or big night out at the bar or club on New Year’s Eve is a responsible thing for someone to do after they have been drinking. NYE is a busy time and Uber and Lyft drivers are placed at a disadvantage when it comes to maneuvering roads shared with drunk drivers.
If you drive for Uber or Lyft, then our Florida Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton urge you to stay alert for drunk drivers on the roadways. We know this is a popular time to work and make some good money, the tradeoff is that there are risks of running into drunk drivers and other negligent drivers on the roads.
Every rider you pick up and drop off means one less drunk driver on the roads, which is great, but not everyone will make the responsible decision to get a sober ride home, so we encourage you to stay alert and brush up on some safety tips, especially if you are not accustom to driving late night/early morning hours.
Christmas is just days away, and this time is filled with laughter, family, friends, and revisiting all the memories you have made this year. The holidays should be a happy time, but each year there are thousands of people who are injured or killed in Christmas and holiday-related accidents. Our Florida Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton want you and your loved ones to stay safe this holiday season, so we have compiled a list of the most common Christmas accidents.
Common Christmas Accidents
The holidays bring joy, but also give rise to more accidents and injuries. From DUI accidents to Christmas tree fires, there are numerous accidents that could happen during the holidays, the most common being the following:
Decoration/Christmas light accidents: Decking the halls can be deadly. According to Science News, Christmas tree lights cause an estimated 31,855 injuries nationwide each year. Electrical injuries from decorations other than tree lights are estimated to injure 36,054 and nonelectrical decorations injure 80,208 annually. On that same note, using ladders and heavy lifting account for numerous visits to the ER each year.The easiest way to prevent a Christmas accident from happening, is to celebrate responsibly. Exercise added caution this Christmas season so that you can avoid a slip and fall, a fire, or car crash that can forever impact future Christmas celebrations.
Ho, Ho…Ouch! Common Christmas Injuries
Accidents can happen anytime, but there is an increase during the Christmas holiday season. Broken ornaments, tree and candle fires, ladder falls, cooking accidents, and even wrapping and opening presents can lead to injuries like deep lacerations and burns that can be painful and ruin your holiday.
If you or a loved one suffers a serious injury to do another person’s recklessness or a product defect of some kind, then you could be entitled to financial damages. The most common Christmas injuries are:
If you are injured over the Christmas holiday, then you should remain calm and seek medical care right away. If you are contemplating filing a personal injury claim, you will want to have an attorney assess your case to determine your odds of recovering financial compensation. We will be available 24/7 over this holiday season, so we urge you to call us at 866-608-5529 or contact us online for a free consultation.
Need Help this Holiday Season with an Injury Claim?
If a Christmas injury has dampened your holidays, then you need to speak with our Florida Personal Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton today to learn more about pursuing a legal claim for damages. We can eliminate the stress and hassle these claims can place on you during this hard time and make sure you understand and are updated on the legal process every step of the way. To learn more about how we may be able to assist with your claim, call us now at 866-608-5529 or contact us online for a free consultation.
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The tradition of a real Christmas tree may be something your family enjoys partaking in every year. Loading everybody up in the car and heading to the tree farm to select your perfect tree, chop it down, and bring it home to decorate might be what Christmas means to you. Fresh trees smell great and can be quite charming, but you may not realize that real trees can be very hazardous when they are dry. A dry tree combined with fireplaces, hot Christmas lights, and any other sources of heat can be a recipe for real disaster. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association has said that dry Christmas trees can quickly turn into a rapidly spreading fire that burns even faster than paper. If your version of Christmas involves a live tree, then you need to know how to prevent a tree fire from ruining your holiday.
How Do Dry Trees Lead to a Fire?
Take a look at this video published by the National Fire Protection Association to see just how hazardous an unwatered Christmas tree can really be.
What starts as a small flame quickly demolishes the tree in just a few seconds. At 30 seconds, the entire room is engulfed in a blaze. This is how Christmas tree fires happen every year and devastate families holiday traditions.
How to Prevent Christmas Tree Fires
Perhaps the most logical answer for this is to just water your live tree. Trees that are hydrated are much less likely to start a blaze.
Live Christmas trees must be watered daily. Many people do not realize that their live tree needs water every single day. Research indicates that 70% of people with live trees are unaware that their tree needs water daily. Only 45% of people with live trees actually water them daily, so there is a huge risk of fires happening in households all across Florida and the rest of the U.S.
While you want to make sure that your Christmas tree is watered daily, you also want to make sure that you are purchasing a hydrated tree before you get it home. You can do this by only buying a tree that has been freshly chopped. Trees that have been previously cut weeks ago have been losing water and because of their dehydrated state, it can be much more difficult to get them hydrated so that they do not pose risk of catching fire.
In addition to watering your tree, you can also follow these tips to prevent a fire:
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According to projections from AAA, there will be nearly 4 million more people travelling on U.S. roadways this Thanksgiving (2021) compared to last year. This means that if you are planning a road trip that you should expect to see a lot more vehicles sharing the roads and a surge in traffic.
Experts believe that open U.S. borders combined with more people being vaccinated from COVID19 and the long holiday weekend means more people hitting the roads this year. A November AAA report predicts that there will be 48.3 million people making a road trip this Thanksgiving.
While you should anticipate more congestion on the roads this year, you can best prepare yourself for a smooth Thanksgiving journey by leaving early. You can expect delays, so it is best to leave in the morning. The best time to depart is after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, but before 11 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and before noon on Saturday and Sunday.
Car accidents are a big concern this time of year, especially with so many travelers on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns all motorists to eliminate any risky driving behaviors that have become more common since the pandemic began, such as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol or without wearing a seat belt.
The NHTSA has estimated that 20,160 people have died in car accidents for the first half of 2021, which is an increase of 18% from 2020.
On a similar note, Thanksgiving weekend has shown a trend of more motor drunk driving motor vehicle accidents and fatalities. The NHTSA shows that around 800 deaths were caused by drunk drivers over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend from 2015-2019.
Wherever you are this holiday weekend, our Florida Car Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton want you to stay safe and get to your destinations safely. Not all traffic is equal, so here is a list of the cities with the worst traffic on the day before Thanksgiving and the worst times to travel:
Atlanta: The worst time to travel is between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. and Interstate 85 South from Clairmont Road to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is anticipated to have the most congestion.
Boston: Steer clear of Interstate 93 North from Quincy Market to Massachusetts Route 28 between 1 and 3 p.m.
Chicago: Avoid Interstate 290 West from Morgan Street to Wolfe Road from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m.
Detroit: The worst travel times are from 2-4 p.m. on Interstate 96 West from 6 Mile Road to Walled Lake.
Houston: Avoid Interstate 10 West from Sjolander Road to Texas State Highway 330 from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m.
Los Angeles: Stay away from Interstate 5 South from Colorado Street to Florence Avenue between 3:45 and 5:45 p.m.
New York: Keep away from Interstate 495 East from Borden Avenue to Little Neck Parkway from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
San Francisco: From 4-6 p.m. Interstate 80 East from Interstate 580 to San Pablo Dam Road is expected to be heavily congested.
Seattle: From 4-6 p.m. Interstate 5 South from Washington State Route 18 to Washington State Route 7 is expected to be heavily congested.
Washington, D.C.: From 2-4 p.m. avoid Interstate 95 South from Interstate 395 to Virginia State Route 123.
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