Sarasota Car Accident Law Blog

We all remember what we were taught when young about crossing the street: look both ways. Once a pedestrian has entered the street, however, it is up to any driver on the road to slow and stop in order to avoid a pedestrian accident. Even if a pedestrian wasn't in the crosswalk, it is ultimately a driver's responsibility to prevent an accident from happening. Unfortunately for two pedestrians in Florida, this responsibility wasn't taken on.

There were two pedestrian accidents earlier this month in Tampa. Surprisingly, in both accidents the victim was hit by two different drivers in different cars. In one of the accidents, the victim was crossing the street and walking north when he was hit by a westbound vehicle. Although he wasn't in the crosswalk, it may have been possible for the drivers to stop and avoid hitting him.

With the number of motorcycles on Florida's roads, there is a real concern about motorcyclists' safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that, when compared to other motorists, bikers are five times as likely to become injured in a motorcycle accident. Motorcyclists are also 25 times more likely to die because of an accident than the passenger in a vehicle.

While it is a tragedy when a biker dies because some driver wasn't paying enough attention to the motorcycle, there are remedies that are available to the biker's surviving relatives. The family members can work with a motorcycle accident attorney and file a wrongful death action against the driver that caused the accident. Not only would the driver be potentially responsible for the death of the motorcyclist, but he or she could also be responsible for lost wages, loss of companionship, or the pain and suffering of the deceased biker.

In most situations, Sarasota car crashes are unintentional. While the drivers responsible for car accidents do not mean to injure or kill other motorists, cyclists or pedestrians, they often do and should be held liable for the accidents they cause. This is true, even in the most lamentable of situations, such as accidents caused by returning veterans.

The people of Sarasota and Florida are grateful for the courage and bravery America's veterans exhibited by going over to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight, but they are also feeling the consequences of that fighting when they encounter veterans on the road. A study by the insurance company that covers members of the armed forces shows that many of these Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are taking their survival-driving styles from the war and using them at home.

No one ever thinks that getting a ride with a friend will be a life-changing event, but when a friend shows very little concern for his or her safety, much less that of his or her passengers, he could cause a very serious accident. After a 37-year-old driver was driving down Interstate 275 in the wrong direction, he sent two of his passengers to the hospital. The accident victims are recovering, but they have likely accrued considerable medical debt as they try to get better.

The 37-year-old was traveling north in the southbound lane of the interstate, but he quickly crashed head-on with a 2002 Jeep Wrangler. The man's 1997 Chevrolet Lumina was smashed, injuring his 23-year-old passengers. One was rushed to Blake Medical Center and the other to Bayfront Medical Center.