Jacksonville Injury Attorney Blog

On Wednesday morning an auto accident in Columbia County claimed the life of a man and caused serious personal injury to a 10 month old boy. Columbia County's seat is Lake City which is located about one hour west of Jacksonville, Florida.

The car accident happened at the intersection of County Road 131 and County Road 240, when one car entered the path of another car driving through the intersection. Two other adults suffered injuries in the crash and were taken to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

The man who died was ejected from the Jeep he was in and was not wearing a seatbelt. The other passengers who all survived were wearing seatbelts. The reason for the car entering the path of the other car is not currently known.

This provides yet another example of one person involved in a car crash without a seatbelt dying when others wearing seatbelts survived a crash. There are also legal ramifications if a person is injured in a car accident and was not wearing a seatbelt. Florida law allows such an injured person to only recover for the injuries he or she would have received if he or she had been wearing a seatbelt.

Continue reading " Car Crash in Columbia County Kills Man and Injures Child " »

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested a man beleived to be responsible for a hit and run car crash that happened early Saturday morning. The car accident sent one man to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center with serious personal injuries including cracked ribs, broken bones, stitches and bruises.

The victim reported that following the accident, he got out of his vehicle, when he was struck by the fleeing driver. The arrested driver admitted to drinking earlier in the day. He was arrested for fleeing the scene; however, proof of his intoxication will be very difficult given the time that elapsed between the vehicle accident and his arrest.

Pulling to the side of a road following an auto accident and getting out of a car can present a very dangerous situation. Other drivers can be distracted by "rubber-necking" and cause an additional accident. Of course, a person standing outside of car is in a very vulnerable position for severe injuries if struck by a car. Our advice is to park your car as far off of the roadway as possible when exiting your vehicle following an auto accident.

Continue reading " Driver Arrested in Hit and Run Car Accident in Jacksonville " »

In March of 2008, a head-on car wreck occurred on State Road 16 at County Roaad 233 in Bradford County, Florida. Bradford County, the county seat of which is Starke, is located about thirty minutes Southwest of Jacksonville. A 56 year old woman was killed in the crash.

The woman causing the car accident was charged with vehicular homocide and driving under the influence manslaughter. The jury convicted her of vehicular homicide but acquited her of the DUI charge. The woman causing the auto accident was sentenced to ten years in prison.

While the court system may provide long sentences for careless and drunken driving, it does nothing to replace the loss of a person's life. Likewise, although Florida's Wrongful Death Act provides compensation for the pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost support and services and lost savings for the family members of a person wrongfully killed in an auto accident, the devastated family members often find little solace in compensation.

We can all help. Report careless or drunk drivers by calling 911. Try to get the license plate number of the car, but, by all means steer clear of such a driver.

Continue reading " Woman Sentenced to Ten Years for Fatal Auto Accident in Bradford County " »