The 18-year-old passenger sustained serious injuries and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for treatment. The driver, a 19-year-old Tampa resident, was in critical condition at St. Joseph's following the single-vehicle crash.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash or if alcohol or drugs were involved.

The National Highway Transportation & Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that almost 70 percent of fatal single-car crashes are characterized as run-off-road crashes. A run-off-road crash occurs when a moving vehicle leaves the roadway and collides with one or more objects, such as a guardrail in the Suncoast Parkway crash.

Drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs are more likely to be involved in a run-off-road crash although sober drivers are not immune from losing control while behind the wheel according to the NHTSA. Speed and the shape of the road are also major factors in run-off-road crashes.

There's no indication that weather or distracted driving played a role in the Tampa one-car crash.

Source: Tampa Bay Times, "FHP: Overnight crash shut down southbound Suncoast Parkway," Stephanie Wang, March 25, 2012

The 18-year-old passenger sustained serious injuries and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for treatment. The driver, a 19-year-old Tampa resident, was in critical condition at St. Joseph's following the single-vehicle crash.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash or if alcohol or drugs were involved.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that almost 70 percent of fatal single-car crashes are characterized as run-off-road crashes. A run-off-road crash occurs when a moving vehicle leaves the roadway and collides with one or more objects, such as the guardrail in the Suncoast Parkway crash.

Drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs are more likely to be involved in a run-off-road crash although sober drivers are not immune from losing control while behind the wheel, according to the NHTSA. Speed and the shape of the road are also major factors in run-off-road crashes.

There's no indication that weather or distracted driving played a role in the Tampa one-car crash.

Source: Tampa Bay Times, "FHP: Overnight crash shut down southbound Suncoast Parkway," Stephanie Wang, March 25, 2012

Witnesses at the scene were able to give police a description of the vehicle as well as the license plate of the white SUV involved in the Tampa bicycle accident. Police then tracked the driver to his home where they were able to confront him shortly after midnight. Damage on his SUV indicated that it was likely involve in the hit-and-run motor vehicle accident. The driver was arrested for DUI and driving on a suspended license; police believe he may have been drunk at the time of the crash.

While no amount of money can bring back a loved one, it should not be the surviving family members' responsibility to take on the financial burdens created by someone else, including any medical or hospital bills as well as the years of lost emotional and financial support when a loved one is killed.

In general, a surviving spouse may bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the person who caused the his or her spouse's death. If there is no surviving spouse or if the victim was not married, any children of the victim may bring a wrongful death lawsuit as well.

There are certain limitations on adult children as well as parents seeking damages for the death of a loved one. A Tampa attorney can help answer your questions if you've lost a loved one because of another's bad or negligent behavior.

Source: Bay News 9, "Arrest made in fatal hit-and-run of Tampa bicyclist," February 29, 2012

The driver lent her rental car to a man who in turn lent the car to another woman, who got into a car accident that involved both serious injury to some and was fatalities. Lending the car to another party was in violation of the driver's contract with the rental car company, Avis.

Because of the violation of the agreement with the rental car company, the driver's insurance company, Geico, argued that it should not be liable for covering the damage caused by the woman who got into the motor vehicle accident. If the car had been the driver's Ford Expedition, Geico would have been liable. When the owner of a car lends it to another person, the auto insurance coverage extends to that person. In turn, if the rental car was simply taking the place of the driver's usual car, Geico should still be liable, the Florida Supreme Court reasoned.

Because the Avis contract limited the right of the driver to lend the auto to her friend, and the driver lent the car anyway, Geico believed that the rental car should no longer be treated as a temporary substitute auto.

The trial court ruled against Geico, but the district court found in favor of the auto insurance company. Finally, the Florida Supreme Court reversed the ruling in favor of Geico. The court treated the rental car like the driver's own car, because it was a substitute for the one that was in the shop. Avis' contractual restrictions did not affect Geico's insurance coverage obligations.

The Meaning of the Florida Rental Car Insurance Case

More car accident insurance questions than just the intangible definition of "temporary substitute auto" was at stake in this case. Ultimately, if the driver of the rental car and the woman who crashed the car are covered by Geico insurance, Geico must defend them against legal claims by the crash victims and their families.

This is unlikely to be the end of the matter. The crash victims and their families must now present their cases in court, with Geico defending the driver and the woman who crashed the car. The victims are likely to seek significant compensation for the damages caused by the crash.

Source: Insurance Journal, "Insurer Must Pay for Florida Rental Car Crash by Unauthorized Driver"

In spite of the fact that Florida's sunny shores and myriad amusements draw in millions of visitors a year, its insurance laws are surprisingly anti-tourist. Florida statutes mandate that every licensed driver carry a minimum of $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) with their automotive insurance policy. PIP coverage is designed to foot the bill for emergency medical care for people injured in a Tampa car accident.

Logically, the law should cover people injured in Florida car crashes regardless of where the injured person calls home. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Loopholes in the law allow the coverage to be circumvented if a non-resident is injured while walking, riding a bike or after having fallen off of/stepped out of a vehicle.

Often times, tourists are not entirely left without coverage, as the injured individual may have his or her own health insurance that will cover some or all of the car accident-related medical expenses. This is, of course, quite unfair to the accident victim, especially with unexpected or emergency medical bills being so costly. A Tampa car accident that results in serious injury, or even death, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Luckily for victims, though, PIP coverage is not the only legal remedy offered to someone injured in a Florida car accident. Victims may still have the opportunity to bring a legal action to recover damages and costs associated with auto accident injuries. If you or a loved one is a non-resident injured in a Florida automobile accident, speak with a skilled personal injury attorney to learn more about your legal rights and options.

The recommendation came after the NTSB's ruling that found truck driver Kenneth Laymon responsible for truck accident that caused the death of himself and ten van passengers on an interstate in Kentucky. Laymon was on his phone when he veered into oncoming traffic, panicked and slammed on the brakes to avoid oncoming vehicles. He hit a van carrying a family on their way to a wedding, killing the van's passengers and himself. The NTSB's investigation found that Laymon had used his cell phone 69 times in the 24 hours before the crash.

Unfortunately, this accident is only one of many fatal truck accidents that involve distracted commercial drivers. Another truck driver, Peter Barnum, killed himself and injured others when he drove his truck into an oncoming Amtrak commuter train in Maine. Barnum failed to stop at the lights and barrier across the tracks. The local police department investigation found that Barnum was on his cell phone at the time.

Such regulation would have its share of opposition, most of which would likely come from trucking associations. While such professional groups agree that cell phone should be regulated for all drivers, including commercial ones, it does not believe, as the NTSB does, that all use should be banned for commercial drivers. While these groups cite research that shows hands-free cell phone use poses less risk than hand-held use, a recent University of Utah study found that both hands-free and hand-held use are equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08.

Distracted driving can lead to texting and cell phone-related accidents and poses risks to all road users. Regulating cell phone use by both passenger car drivers and commercial drivers would help make the nation's roads safer for everyone. If you or a loved one have been injured or killed by a commercial truck driver who was using his or her cell phone at the time of the accident, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney.

Source: NTSB.gov, "NTSB calls for ban on use of mobile phones by commercial drivers; cites need for improved mediam barriers in accident that killed 11 in Kentucky," 13 September 2011

Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn believes that drivers running a red light have created an epidemic in Tampa. He even waits an extra three seconds after a light turns green before believing he can safely enter an intersection.

Tampa car accident attorneys have seen the serious injuries that can result when one car runs a red light. From head and neck injuries to broken bones and spinal injuries, a t-bone car crash caused by running a red light can have catastrophic and even fatal consequences for the driver, his or her passengers and other cars on the road.

A laser is placed behind the stop line at a red-light camera intersection that will trigger the pole-mounted camera if a driver runs a red light. If a driver is travelling over 10 mph when he or she crosses the laser and the stop light is red, one still image will be taken by the camera and a video will begin recording.

The camera will take a second photograph of the car while it is in the intersection when the light is red. Police will examine the photos to determine whether a red-light violation occurred and if so, will send the two photos from the camera as well as a blown-up shot of the car's license plate to the registered owner of the vehicle. The owner will also receive a link to the video.

The red-light camera law holds the owner of the vehicle responsible for the violation regardless of whether he or she was actually driving. Unless the owner provides a signed affidavit that identifies the driver who ran the stoplight, he or she will be responsible for the fine. Red light violations in Tampa Bay will cost a driver or car owner $158 per ticket.

Tampa red-light cameras will begin photographing and taking video of drivers who run red lights beginning October 1. St. Petersburg red-light cameras were turned on today at 11 intersections but fines will not begin until October 15, giving drivers a month-long warning period to get used to the new electronic traffic enforcers.

Source: St. Petersburg Times, "Tampa's red-light cameras going up now, tickets start on Halloween," September 2, 2011

At roughly 11:25 a.m. near a secluded crossing between Fallon and Lovelock, a driver from John Davis Trucking missed his cue and the Amtrak run suddenly turned ugly when the semi-truck ran into the passenger train.

The truck driver had time to realize his error. He slammed down on the brakes. The big rig skidded 320 feet, but failed to stop before impact. Six people, including the truck driver, died when the commercial truck collided with Amtrak's California Zephyr.

In all, over twenty people were transported to local area hospitals. The injuries ranged from minor abrasions and lacerations to blunt trauma and internal organ injuries. No one can measure the depth of associated personal suffering, fear and emotional turmoil that accompanies such an event.

What were the passengers thinking as that Zephyr rumbled along the rails? Perhaps some were reading, maybe drinking coffee, or even chatting with other passengers. A few may have been napping. Others may have been working on business details. Most of us live with the expectation that we are safe when traveling, whether by train, truck or automobile. Few of us live with the expectation that a motor vehicle accident that may cause catastrophic injury or death is only 320 feet away.

According to online safety records, John Davis Trucking has been cited for 17 maintenance violations within the past 24 months. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also lists John Davis Trucking with two violations for unsafe driving in the past 24 months. Four of the 17 maintenance violations pertain to faulty braking systems on company-owned trucks. Two other citations relate to worn tires.

A full investigation of the truck-train collision may take as much as a year. Earl Weener from the National Transportation Safety Board states that the traffic signals were functioning correctly and that the driver should have had a half-mile of advance warning.

Source: Trucking firm in Amtrak crash has 17 maintenance violations in two years

The study is based on statistics from every county in the U.S. and ranks the 52 largest American metropolitan areas for pedestrian safety. The most dangerous are all in Florida: Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville ranked one through four. Tampa's "Pedestrian Danger Index," based on its average yearly fatality rate for pedestrians as well as overall pedestrian activity, is nearly double the tenth city on the list and almost ten times higher than the safest cities: Boston and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Transportation for America's study found that more than 47,700 pedestrians died on U.S. streets, roads and highways over the past decade. Tampa exceeded Orlando with the highest pedestrian death rate in the country: 3.52 deaths per 100,000. That means serious peril for walkers, joggers and strollers throughout Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and the surrounding suburbs. Our youngest and oldest are most vulnerable.

The group advocates for a national strategy to improve infrastructure and enhance safety, noting that upgrades to proven dangerous roadways have been a low budget priority. At the same time, we need to reduce our tolerance for drivers who drive recklessly, ignore speed limits and disregard the safety of others.

Source: Transportation for America, "Dangerous By Design 2011: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths"

The challenge of measuring medical errors is finding a consistent way of measuring safety and patient care across all hospitals. In response to this challenge, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement developed a tool that improves upon previous error detection methods. Compared to two older methods - voluntarily reported errors and a method developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHR) - the new method found 10 times as many medical mistakes as were previously reported. Using the same data, the AHR found 35 medical errors, while the Institute found 354 errors.

It is clear that many adverse events, or medical mistakes, in hospitals have previously gone undetected.

Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, explained that the medical providers "still have a great deal of work to do in order to achieve a health care system that is consistently high-quality."

Source: Hospital errors 10 times higher than thought

The GHSA's report also revealed a national increase overall in pedestrian accidents - and resulting deaths and injuries - in 2010. The Florida Highway Patrol acknowledged an increase in pedestrian deaths for the state, noting that 35 more pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in 2010 than in 2009.

Prior to 2010, pedestrian fatalities and injuries had decreased nationally for the last four years running; one cannot help but notice the sudden uptick across the nation last year.

Another possible explanation is the increase in the use of distracting mobile devices. Pedestrians commonly use mp3 players, talk on the phone and text while walking in traffic.

In Florida, law enforcement officials believe the state's climate naturally lends itself to more pedestrians year-round. With more people walking in Florida than in other states, there are more accidents involving pedestrians. The Florida State Patrol also saw a rise in the number of children hit by cars when school started last fall.

In addition to warning drivers about safety in school zones, troopers are encouraging pedestrians to use crosswalks when possible, to make eye contact with drivers, and to recognize that pedestrians do not always have the right of way.

Source: Florida ranks 2nd in pedestrian deaths