by Spencer Aronfeld | Feb 17, 2019 | Truck Accidents
The number of fatal car accidents involving commercial vehicles has rapidly increased over the past two years, according to information recently released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This statement was made recently at the annual FMCSA session at Transportation Research Board in Washington. The number of individuals killed in accidents involving commercial vehicles, including large semi-trucks, 18-wheelers and buses, increased from 3,193 in 2009 to 5,005 in 2017. For the most part, the individuals who were killed in these accidents were in passenger vehicles. In 2017, the number of occupants of trucks killed was 841, up from 499 in 2009. The split among the 841 was 717 drivers and 124 passengers. What is causing the increased number of commercial vehicle fatalities? The assistant administrator and chief safety officer at FMCSA, Jack Van Steenburg, attributes a lack of seat belt usage as one of the main causes for the deaths- but it is not a cause for the increase in accidents. The FMCSA’s report cites factors and not causes for the increase in tractor-trailer accidents and fatalities. The top factor was speeding, which accounted for 6.3 percent of all accidents. Distracted driving, which included cell phone usage, along with failure to yield, careless driving, consumption of alcohol and drug use followed. Positive drug tests for drivers of large trucks in fatal crashes has also increased. They were 170 in 2012, 237 in 2016 and 252 in 2017. Of all fatal crashes occurring, 27.2 percent were in work zones in 2016. Florida was one of the top states with the largest number of truck fatalities reported in 2017....
by Spencer Aronfeld | Feb 1, 2018 | Truck Accidents
How to Avoid an Auto Accident with a Semi-Truck Semi-truck accidents result in some of the worst personal injury cases attorneys handle and can even result in a wrongful death case. While nothing is completely unavoidable, there are certain safety precautions drivers can take to help avoid an auto accident with a semi-truck. Tip One: Stay out of the blind spot. Every semi-truck has at least one, if not more, blind spots. These are areas of the truck where the truck driver cannot see you. Normally these zones are on either side of the truck and directly behind or in front of it. It is recommended drivers avoid staying in these blind spots if at all possible. Make sure you can see the truck’s mirrors, and once a driver passes a truck, make sure that enough room has been left between the passing car and the truck. Tip Two: Maintain a safe distance. Because semi-trucks are so large in size, they require more stopping distance than the average passenger vehicle. In fact, it takes a semi-truck nearly 40 percent longer to come to a complete stop than an average car. This can vary, depending on the road conditions. Make sure the truck has enough room to stop both when you are behind and in front of a semi-truck. Tip Three: Follow the rules of the road. This rule is one that is always recommended no matter what type of vehicle a driver encounters on the road. The laws of the road are written for a reason, and one of the biggest reasons for these rules is to protect the...
by Aronfeld Trial Lawyers | Jan 1, 2018 | Car Accidents, Truck Accidents
Commercial vehicles log thousands of miles and hundreds of routes on Florida’s interstates and highways alone. These vehicles move a substantial amount of goods and provide necessary provisions to Florida businesses and industries. As well, Florida’s connection to shipping ports and large airports make it a hot spot for international import and export. For the most part, the tractor trailers, semi-trucks, delivery vans, buses, and construction vehicles that qualify as commercial vehicles complete their routes without issue or disruption, but not always. Given the sheer number of hours these vehicles are on the roads, there are commercial vehicle crashes in Florida every day. Statistics on Commercial Crashes in the U.S. & Florida The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is tasked with identifying and tracking the number of commercial vehicle crashes in the United States. Each year this federal agency releases a number of reports on large trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles, in an effort to increase safety and knowledge surrounding these commercial vehicles. According to the FMCSA, large trucks are involved in over 415,000 reported accidents annually in the United States. That is over 1,100 accidents per day, and the number of overall accidents and resulting fatalities are rising. In the most recently reported year, 2016, there were 3,986 people killed in collisions with large, commercial trucks in the U.S. This number of fatalities is 27% higher than in 2009. And many of these accidents and serious injuries are occurring in Florida. The reporting entity in Florida is the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), which collects, compiles, and releases reports on accident and collision statistics...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Aug 6, 2013 | Car Accidents, Motorcycle Injuries, Personal Injury News and Safety Resources, Truck Accidents
Charles Terek’s 2004 car accident case in Miami has taken one of the strangest legal journeys I have seen in more than 20 years of practicing law in Florida. From the record, it is unclear how the accident happened, though most likely he was rear-ended by the vehicle driven by Paul Pugliese, and that collision caused Mr. Terek to sustain a spinal surgery known as a percutaneous discectomy. ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url The first unusual thing about this case is that Mr. Pugliese admitted to causing the accident, and he admitted that Mr. Terek’s surgery was necessitated, or caused, by injuries Mr. Terek suffered in that accident. The orthopedic doctor hired by Mr. Pugliese himself examined Mr. Terek and confirmed his injuries. Dr. Stephen Wender opined that the surgery was in fact necessitated by the accident and that after the surgery Mr. Terek had reached what is commonly referred to as Maximum Medical Improvement or MMI. He relied in part on a Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), which confirmed no fractures but revealed one herniated disc, consistent with the surgical procedure. MRIs are the gold standard for diagnosing and proving spinal injuries in these types of accident cases. Leer este artículo en español MAXIMUM MEDICAL IMPROVEMENT (MMI) MMI is a key term in motor vehicle cases in Florida because it suggests that the plaintiff has crossed the magical threshold of having a permanent injury and therefore should be entitled to make a claim for pain and suffering and other non-economic damages,...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Jul 12, 2013 | Car Accidents, Motorcycle Injuries, Personal Injury News and Safety Resources, Truck Accidents
As a Miami accident attorney, Uninsured Motorist Insurance is without question the most important insurance drivers can buy in Florida to protect them and their families in the event they are involved in a traffic accident. UM is designed and sold to pay people who have been involved in traffic accidents either in cars, trucks, on bicycles, or even crossing the street, when the driver who caused the accident either has no insurance or not enough to compensate the victim. Many have asked Miami accident attorneys, “What happens when a car crash is caused by a police officer, sheriff, or another person acting in an official capacity as a governmental agent or employee?” Recently, a Florida man, Scott Christopher Siergiej, was severely injured in his back and ankle while he was working, when a motorcycle operated by a Lee County Florida Sheriff collided with him. Fortunately—or not—Mr. Siergiej had purchased Uninsured Motorist coverage from State Farm. Lee County, like virtually every other governmental agency in Florida, enjoys protection from legal liability based upon the ancient legal concept known as sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity is derived from our legal ancestors in England at a time when the Crown or King could commit all sorts of atrocities upon their subjects without consequence. Somehow this medieval legal concept has survived the test of time and arguments by personal injury lawyers in Miami, and it continues to provide caps on damages and other legal protections when negligence is committed by public schools, hospitals like Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Broward Hospital District, the Department of Children and Family Services, Florida’s Department of Transportation,...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Jun 20, 2013 | Truck Accidents
Perhaps the most frequent question I am asked by people making in personal injury claims in Florida is, “What should I say” to my doctors or to the defense lawyer about my alleged injury? And my answer has and will always be–“Just tell the truth?” I have seen on an almost daily basis clients trying to “help” maximize the value of their cases with their perceptions of what could or would make their case more valuable. SHOULD I WORK AFTER AN ACCIDENT? ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url Should I work? Yes, if you can. Injury claimants seem to think a jury or adjuster might magically believe their cases are much more valuable if they miss time from work. However, after more than 20 years of standing in front of juries across the State of Florida, I believe no jury will award or reward plaintiffs for lost wages simply because they did not work-rather than could not work. Unless a doctor says “Don’t work” or the injury is so obviously significant that nobody could reasonably expect one could work with the injury, I encourage my clients to get back to their jobs–or at least try. Juries, I have found, like to help those who cannot help themselves, but rarely reward those who are sitting at home waiting for a verdict. This is why I tell most of my clients to get up and try to get back to your normal life–whatever that may have been before the accident. WHAT SHOULD...
