Jacksonville Injury Attorney Blog

Tuesday night, near the intersection of Old Kings Road and St. Augustine Road, in Jacksonville Florida, a car collision killed one person and caused personal injuries to two other people.

The car accident happened at about 8:30 p.m., when a van T-boned a vehicle that was traveling on Old Kings Road. The passenger of the vehicle died at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center.

As Jacksonville accident attorneys, we see "T-bone" car accidents quite frequently. Often they result from one car attempting to turn left across oncoming traffic. Given that it was the passenger side of the car that was T-boned in this instance, it very well could have been a left turn scenario.

The difficulty posed by a left turn accident is that the driver with the right of way, the one going straight, often has little or no warning that the other car is going to turn across his or her lane of travel. These types of car collisions typically result in severe impacts and serious personal injuries.

Continue reading " One Dead, Two Injured in South Jacksonville Auto Crash " »

A twelve-year-old boy died as a result of being ejected from a go-cart that was traveling about 30 mph down a dirt road Saturday afternoon in Palm Bay, Florida. Palm Bay is approximately 200 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida.

Police said that a 16-year-old was driving the go-cart when he lost control of it after braking sharply to avoid a large hole in the road. The 16 year old and another passenger, who was fifteen years old, suffered personal injuries and were taken to the hospital.

As Florida injury attorneys, we see a lot of similar accidents. Many self-propelled vehicles aimed at children, such as motorized scooters, mini-bikes, and go-carts travel at high rates of speed and can be very dangerous. Often the children operating such vehicles have no training on their safe use and helmets and seatbelts are not used.

Continue reading " Florida Boy Killed in Go-Cart Accident " »

As Jacksonville injury lawyers, we have many clients who are injured that have no health insurance. With the downturn in the economy many people have lost their jobs and the health insurance benefits that came with the job. Also, some employers have stopped offering health insurance as a way to save money.

A letter of protection can be an important tool for personal injury clients who lack health insurance or have used all of their personal injury protection ("PIP:) benefits following an auto accident. Many doctors and facilities in the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Fernandina areas will accept a "letter of protection."

A letter of protection permits the patient to continue to receive treatment without having to pay for it until their personal injury case resolves. Typically, the health care provider receives a direct reimbursement from the settlement or jury award.

Continue reading " Obtaining Medical Care for Personal Injuries When You Have No Insurance - Letters of Protection " »

This morning, a woman was driving north on Masters Drive in St. Augustine when she lost control of the car. The car went into a roadside ditch and flipped. The woman was partially ejected and trapped in the car.

The woman was life flighted to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center for her personal injuries including a fractured ankle and lacerations to her head.

Interestingly, the area of Masters Drive where this auto accident occured, near Highway 16, has numerous speed bumps, as it has had many problems with motorists driving too fast. It is unknown if speed was a factor in this crash.

Continue reading " Single Car Crash Causes Injuries in St. Augustine, Florida " »

Multiple vehicles crashed on I-295 near Duval Road on Jacksonville's Northside Monday. Because of the car accident, one person was rushed to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center with life-threatening personal injuries.

One vehicle was heading northbound when it struck a ladder in the roadway and veered across the median, striking two southbound vehicles. One of the southbound vehicles was struck head-on.

A similar incident ocurred several years ago on the Buckman Bridge here in Jacksonville, when a ladder fell from a truck. As a result of the ladder in the roadway, there was a serious vehicle collision. One person was killed in that accident. A wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the vehicle that dropped the ladder resulted in a significant recovery for the family of the deceased person.

Continue reading " Crash on Interstate 295 Causes Life Threatening Injuries " »

A man driving a motorcycle rear-ended a sport utility vehicle (SUV) in St. Johns County yesterday. The auto accident happened on U.S. 1 North of St. Augustine, Florida.

The driver of the motorcycle was flown by lifeflight helicopter to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. His passenger also sufferred personal injuries; however not as severe.

Collisions between motorcycles and vehicles often result in catastrophic injuries to the motorcyclist and any passengers. Of course, motorcycles do not have seatbelts and the riders are usually thrown far from the collision only compounding their personal injuries. Although wearing a helmet is not longer required by law in Florida, doing so can prevent serious brain injury, spinal injury or death.

Continue reading " St. Johns County Motorcyclist in Critical Condition After Accident with SUV " »

A five year old boy was injured when he was struck by a pickup truck in front of his home in St. Johns County, Florida. St. Johns County is one county south of Jacksonville, Florida.

The driver of the truck left the scene and was charged with leaving the scene of an automobile accident with injuries. The boy was taken to Flagler hospital in St. Augustine.

Pedestrians struck by a vehicle have the right to bring an action against a negligent driver and can obtain compensation from that driver's bodily injury liability coverage. Of course, accidents between vehicles and pedestrians often involve trafic or fatal injuries.

Continue reading " Five Year Old Struck by Pickup Truck in St. Augustine " »

This morning, a car traveling on Harts Road near the intersection with William Burgess Road overturned causing personal injuries to five people.
The accident happened in Yulee, which is in Nassau County about 30 minutes north of Jacksonville, Florida. All five people were taken to a nearby hospital. The cause of the car accident has not been reported.

Car accidents involving an overturned vehicle can result in severe personal injuries and wrongful death. Given that the injuries in this car accident have been reported to be non-life threatening, I would bet the occupants were seat belted. Very often passengers that are not seatbelted are forced through window glass and ejected from a vehicle that rolls over causing tragic personal injuries.

Continue reading " Five People Injured in a Single Vehicle Wreck in Yulee " »

Four people were killed in a car accident on Interstate 10 when a pickup crossed the centerline and crashed into their car. The car accident happened in Jackson county, which is about three hours west of Jacksonville, Florida.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that the driver of a truck heading east on I-10 through Jackson County Saturday morning lost control and ended up in the westbound lane. He crashed head-on into a car carrying four people. All four people in the car were killed. The driver of the truck sufferred personal injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The cause of the car crash is not currently known.

A recreational vehicle (RV) was involved in a single vehicle accident this weekend as it was traveling south on I-95 in St. Johns County when the right front tire blew out. The driver lost control of the RV, which veered off the highway and crashed into several trees. Both the driver and a passenger sufferred personal injuries and the passenger was taken to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center.

Sometimes tires can fail due to excessive wear. Other times blow outs are the result of a manufacturing defect and can lead to a product liability case for personal injuries. Such cases are very expensive as one or more expert witnesses are needed to analyze the tire to determine the cause of its failure.

If you have a tire blowout or vehicle rollover case it is important to hire an attorney with the experience and financial ability to thoroughly pursue your case. It may be important that the attorney you hire be willing to front all costs of expert witnesses, as such expenses can easily exceed $25,000.00.

Continue reading " RV Accident in St. Johns County Injures Two " »

As Jacksonville car accident and injury attorneys, we have seen more and more car accidents caused by texting while driving. Several news stories have reported that texting while driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving. Some authorities are starting to take action.

Last week, the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce became the first chamber in the state to ask its affiliated businesses to sign a safe-driving pledge that their employees will not text and drive. The AAA Auto Club South initiated the idea, which has support from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.

Texting is now legal for Florida drivers. A bill was introduced in the Florida Legislature this year to ban texting while driving; however it was not taken up before the legislative session adjourned.

The federal government has estimated that motorist distractions may have caused as many as 5,800 wrongful deaths last year. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that banned the nation's 3 million federal employees from texting while driving federal vehicles.

Continue reading " St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Fights Texting While Driving " »

Monday afternoon, two school buses were involved in an automobile accident that happended in the 10000 block of Russell Sampson Road in St. Johns County, Florida. A. St. Johns County Fire and Rescue spokesperson said three students complained of personal injuries.

There have been a number of bussing accidents for this early stage of the school year in the greater Jacksonville area, as can be seen in our prior blog entries.

Continue reading " Two School Buses Collide in St. Johns County " »

As Jacksonville injury lawyers our personal injury clients often ask how much their case is worth. That can be a difficult question as, putting liability aside for a moment, there are many factors to be considered: past medical bills, future medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity in the future, and pain and suffering.

Ultimately, if a personal injury case cannot be settled, these factors are weighed by a jury which would be asked to consider evidence that may not always be clear. There may be disagreements among important witnesses including experts, discrepancies in the medical records, or other matters that may, fairly or not, prejudice the jury’s view of the case.

The term "liability" refers to who is financially responsible for causing an accident. Florida applies comparitive fault, meaning that fault can be apportioned to the injured person or to other persons or companies, including those that do not have the ability to pay any resulting judgment. Pain and suffering and some medical expenses and lost wages are reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to the plaintifff or to people or companies that are not defendants in the lawsuit.

Juries can apportion fault to persons or companies that are not even known. For example, an auto accident could be caused in part by a driver that left the scene and whose identity is unknown. In this situation, the fault attributed to such a driver would decrease the claimant's recovery.

Because of these complex issues, it is important then that you retain experienced counsel who can draw upon past cases in Jacksonville and surrounding North Florida to better provide the kind of estimate that helps the injured plaintiff make the best decision when offered an opportunity to settle a case prior to trial.

Continue reading " How Much is Your Personal Injury Case Worth? " »