Hit and Run Accidents

A very sad hit-and-run story we reported last month seems to be one step closer to resolution. The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested a 22-year-old man for the hit-and-run death of a 13-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle on November 26. Clay County police received a call from someone who saw a car that matched the description of the hit-and-run vehicle, a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle had fresh damage. When he was questioned, the young driver said he hit a mailbox or recycling bin, but police impounded the vehicle and arrested the man, charging him with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death, a first degree felony that can bring up to 30 years behind bars.

The Jacksonville hit and run victim attorneys at Farah & Farah recommend you never leave the scene of a crash. Under Florida law, you must stay at the scene to render aid to the injured and to answer questions from law enforcement.

Safer Streets

Pedestrian and bicycle deaths account for about 12 percent of traffic deaths in the U.S. The group, Transportation for America (TFA), says that Florida is home to four of the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians – Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville. The state expanded with little thought to including sidewalks and bicycle paths to accommodate those who choose alternative transportation to a motor vehicle. That means children, older adults, bicyclists, or anyone who chooses to walk are disproportionately represented among fatalities and injuries.

Hit-and-Run Reward

Congratulations to the person who chose to turn in this alleged hit-and-run driver. You can do your part too. If you have information about a hit-and-run traffic collision you can call anonymously into Hit-and-Run Reward, a public service established by personal injury law firms around the country. Farah & Farah is proud to be a member of Hit-and-Run Reward. We offer anyone a $1,000 reward who turns in a driver later convicted of a hit-and-run traffic crash. The number to call is (800) 644-8678.

Source: http://www.wokv.com/news/news/local/arrest-made-teenager-hit-and-run/nGByj/

The news in Jacksonville is tragic for one family after their 22-year-old daughter was found dead on the side of Interstate-95, the victim of a hit-and-run driver. It happened Monday night, December 19, sometime between 6:45 p.m. and 8:25 p.m. when she was found at Old St. Augustine Road. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the woman was hit by a vehicle as she walked alongside Interstate 95 and her body was found in the northbound emergency lane. Prior to 6:45, the young woman was involved in some sort of altercation at a nearby Chili’s restaurant. From there she went to Baptist Medical Center South, close to where she died. After the victim left the hospital is where the story becomes unclear.

This Channel 4 account does not explain why she was walking along I-95 after she left the hospital to return to her vehicle in the Chili’s parking lot. There is some speculation in this report as to whether or not she was under the influence. If so, why would the hospital allow her to leave? Was she even seen by hospital personnel? Those questions remain unanswered, as well as any information about an altercation. What is not unclear is that someone hit this young woman with their vehicle as they headed north and left the scene.

Florida Hit-and-Run Law

Florida Statute 316.027 states that anyone involved in an auto accident where there are injuries is required to remain at the scene and answer questions from law enforcement. If a death is involved and that person doesn’t stop, they could be found guilty of a second degree felony.

The Florida Highway Patrol would like you to contact them if you know anything about the whereabouts of this hit-and-run driver at (904) 301-3700 or (904) 695-4000.

And Farah & Farah would like to encourage anyone with information that would lead to the arrest of this hit-and-run driver to call Hit-and-Run Reward at 1(800) 644-8678.

The Jacksonville hit and run car accident lawyers of Farah & Farah and other personal injury law firms around the country feel so strongly that these people should be off the road that we are offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to a conviction. If you have been the victim of a hit and run car collision, please call (800) 603-3640 for a free review of your case and to see how our law team can help you.

Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/Woman-struck-killed-by-vehicle-on-I-95/-/475880/6256778/-/px8py1z/-/index.html;http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-12-20/story/jacksonville-woman-killed-i-95-had-just-left-hospital; http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/232052/3/Florida-Highway-Patrol-Investigating-Hit-and-Run

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that a driver was arrested December 11 around 8:20 p.m. after being involved in a four-car crash in Tampa that left one woman dead. The FHP reports that the man was driving a white Hummer on East Hillsborough Avenue and North 56th Street in Tampa. WTSP-Television reports there are few details on what caused the crash but the Hummer driver left the scene. The Florida Highway Patrol reports he was spotted at the Hard Rock Casino where he was arrested. The news station does not say which car the woman who died was traveling in.

Florida law 316.192(1)(a) defines reckless driving as a wanton or willful disregard for the safety of property or persons. When a driver leaves the scene of an accident of flees law enforcement, it too is considered reckless.

Killing another person with a car is considered vehicular homicide and can be a first or second degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If that person leaves the scene and does not render aid to the victim under Florida law 316.062, that makes the Florida hit-and-run accident a first degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

Leaving the scene is the worst thing a driver can do. The Tampa car accident lawyers at Farah & Farah law firm strongly suggest if you are involved in a traffic accident, stay at the scene, and answer questions. If there is an injury, please call 9-1-1 to report the accident and seek medical help. You will be asked by law enforcement about the specifics of the accident, which you must answer. However, you do not have to answer questions posed by the insurance representative or investigator for the other driver.

Source: http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/225783/250/Hit-and-run-accident-leaves-one-dead-

It is illegal in Florida to run from the scene of a traffic accident you have just been involved in, but that is exactly what happened on Jacksonville’s Westside Saturday, December 10, in a hit-and-run that left a 22-year-old woman dead. It happened on Normandy Boulevard where the young woman from Starke was walking. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), a Chevy pickup truck had turned east onto Normandy about 9:15 p.m. from Parrish Cemetery Road where it struck the young woman and continued driving east. She reportedly died at the scene. Witnesses are asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at (904) 695-4000.

According to a story by the Florida Times Union, the woman was walking in the eastbound lanes of the road and was in “an alcohol-related condition at the time.” Upon impact, her body landed on Normandy Boulevard.

Late Sunday night, December 11, a 47-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the hit-and-run as the driver of the truck. She is facing a few charges, including: having no drivers license, a crash involving a death, and leaving the scene of an accident. FHP also took alcohol tests on her and the results are pending.

Florida Hit-and-Runs

The driver of any vehicle in Florida involved in a crash that results in injury or death must stop the vehicle immediately under Florida Statute 316.027. To fail to do so is a third degree felony that can involve up to 5 years behind bars. If the victim dies, the felony becomes first degree and can bring up to 30 years in prison.

If you know who hit and killed this woman, or any other pedestrian, there is an ethical and a practical reason to turn her in. Not only do you get a dangerous and reckless driver off the road, but the Jacksonville hit and run accident attorneys of Farah & Farah, a member of Hit-and-Run Reward, will provide you with $1,000 if that person is convicted of the offense.

Unfortunately, Florida remains a leading state for pedestrian fatalities. The number for Hit-and-Run Reward (www.hitandrunreward.com) is 1(800) 644-8678. You may remain anonymous.

Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/Woman-struck-killed-in-Westside-hit-and-run/-/475880/5174460/-/ppdkwi/-/index.html; http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-12-11/story/22-year-old-woman-killed-while-walking-normandy-boulevard

Authorities are looking for the driver of a Jeep Wrangler who ran a red light in Holiday, Florida and caused a three-vehicle collision that left one man dead on Sunday, October 16. The Jeep was in traffic on U.S. 19 at Flora Avenue around 12:47 p.m. when it ran a light and slammed into a northbound 2009 Yamaha motorcycle, ejecting the 23-year-old passenger, a man from Guatemala, as well as the motorcyclist, according to a report in the St. Petersburg Times. The ejected Jeep passenger was then hit by a 2001 Jetta that was southbound on U.S. 19. The man was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The Jetta driver and passenger were not injured but the 36-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured. There is no more information on his condition.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the Jeep Wrangler driver is asked to call (813) 631-4020.

Florida Motorist Law

Vehicular homicide or vehicular manslaughter results in the death of a person due to reckless driving, and is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. However, if the driver left the scene and failed to render reasonable aid and give information to law enforcement, that is considered a first degree felony which can bring the at-fault party 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

A responsible citizen can do the right thing and anonymously report the driver to Hit-and-Run Reward, a national hotline created by U.S. personal injury attorneys. The Jacksonville hit-and-run attorneys Farah & Farah are proud to be members of Hit-and-Run Reward and urge anyone with information to report the reckless driver and earn $1,000 if that person is later convicted by calling 1-800-644-8678.

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/accidents/fhp-identifies-guatemalan-killed-in-holiday-hit-and-run/1197541

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) would like your help in finding a hit-and-run driver who left a bicyclist on the side of the road in Bunnell. FHP troopers say the 54-year-old bicyclist was killed Tuesday morning, September 27, when he was hit by a passing car that didn’t stop to help. The victim, who was from Bunnell, was westbound on State Road 100 riding on the paved shoulder, reports Channel 4 of Jacksonville, when, according to the FHP report, a car drifted over and may have had something that extended from its right side that struck the man in the head and caused his many abrasions and death. The bicyclist was thrown to the ground. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

The actual time of the Florida bicycle collision is unknown but a passing motorist noticed the man on the side of the road and notified the Flagler County Sheriff’s office who arrived around 6:15 a.m. east of Utility Street.

This was the second death in two days of a bicyclist or motorcyclist on Flagler Roads.

Our condolences go out to the friends and family members of this man for the loss of their loved one.

Florida Hit-and Run Reward

Anyone with information is asked to call FHP at 904-695-4115. The caller could receive a reward through Crime Stoppers.

And the Jacksonville hit-and-run accident attorneys at Farah & Farah law firm are offering a reward as well. As a member of Hit-and-Run Reward, the law firm is offering a financial reward of $1,000 for anyone you turn in who is later convicted of the hit-and-run. This program is offered in addition to the Crime Stoppers reward program. Call Hit-and-Run Reward (www.hitandrunreward.com) and you can remain anonymous. The number is 1-800-644-8678.

Source: http://flaglerlive.com/28592/alex-taylor-fatal

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is looking for a driver they believe was involved in a fatal crash in Mandarin that tied up traffic for hours Thursday, September 22. The vehicle, a small white car, reportedly made an improper lane change on Interstate 295, according to FHP. The accident happened around 1:45 p.m. between the Old St. Augustine Road and San Jose Boulevard exits of Interstate 295. A pickup truck driver swerved to avoid hitting the white car and lost control, drove into the median, then drifted back across southbound lanes. Another vehicle had to swerve to avoid the pickup truck. It hit a metal light pole and a concrete pole injuring the driver. A passenger in that vehicle was taken to Shands Hospital and pronounced dead.

The driver of the white car just kept going.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward to anyone who can help identify the driver of the white car. The number is 1-866-845-8477. The Florida Highway Patrol can be reached in Jacksonville at (904) 695-4115, extension 252. You can receive a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest and you can remain anonymous.

The Farah & Farah Law firm has joined Hit-and-Run Reward, a national program financed exclusively by American personal injury attorneys. You can remain anonymous and be eligible to receive a reward of $1,000 if you provide information on the hit-and-run driver who is later charged with the crime. The number for Hit-and-Run Reward is 1-800-644-8678.

Sources: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/219898/483/FHP-Seeking-Driver-Who-Caused-Fatal-I-295-Crash; http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-09-22/story/1-dead-i-295-chain-reaction-crash-near-san-jose-boulevard

This is a very sad story to report out of Seminole County where on Sunday morning, August 21, the body of a 36-year-old bicyclist was found in the grassy shoulder of U.S. Highway 17-92 after someone left him there for nearly two hours following a hit-and-run accident. The man rode his bicycle every day 14 miles between DeBary and Lake Mary where he worked in a pizza restaurant. The Orlando Sentinel reports the owner of a pickup truck turned his vehicle over to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office that afternoon. The 54-year-old man has been called a “person of interest” however when troopers tried to interview him, he requested a lawyer. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will determine whether or not the pickup was the vehicle that struck and killed the bicyclist.

“For someone to do this to my little brother and leave him there, it breaks our hearts,” said his older sister to the newspaper. The bicyclist was riding home after work and visiting a convenience store about 12:19 a.m. His route was in Sanford, northbound on the outside southbound lane of Monroe Road near U.S. Highway 17-92. The pickup was heading south in the same lane when it struck the front of the bicycle and sent the biker into the shoulder of the road. He was found dead about two hours later by the roving vehicles used by the Department of Transportation.

His sister says he didn’t have much but was the happiest person she knew. He had just celebrated his birthday. Any witnesses or anyone with knowledge about this tragic crash is asked to call the DeLand Florida Highway Patrol Office and ask for Cpl. Mark Kuczynski at 386-736-5350 ext. 303 or markkuczynski@flhsmv.gov.

The Jacksonville accident lawyers at Farah & Farah feel so strongly about catching these people that it has joined the national group Hit-and-Run Reward, which is sponsored by personal injury attorneys. We have been successful with the program. So far Hit-and-Run Reward has had 809 calls into the system and we’ve found 41 hit-and-run drivers who were charged with the crash. Report a driver who leaves the scene. Feel good about doing the right thing AND you can receive a $1,000 reward for doing so. Call 1-800-644-8678 and you can remain anonymous. Thank you.

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-fatal-crash-bicyclist-seminole-20110821,0,84932.story

It happened late Sunday night, July 24, in an area of Jacksonville Beach populated with clubs and restaurants. A couple was crossing First Street near Fourth Avenue North when a car, identified as a PT Cruiser, came out of nowhere and hit them, throwing them off their feet, onto the hood of the car and then the sidewalk. Now Jacksonville Beach police have made an arrest in connection with this hit-and-run pedestrian accident.

News4Jax reports a 27-year-old woman was arrested after turning herself in through her attorney late Tuesday, July 26. According to this report, they do not believe this was an “intentional” act which sounds like she will be treated lightly by the law. The woman was jailed and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury. Meanwhile the female pedestrian was released from the hospital and the man was listed in fair condition Monday.

The woman charged in this case is extremely fortunate there were not greater injuries that resulted from this non-“intentional” act. We wish a speedy recovery to the two pedestrians who were hit. It will be interesting to see how the driver’s lawyer will argue that leaving the scene when there are injuries is anything but intentional since she was the only person in the car and presumably fully capable of making a rational adult decision.

Under Florida law, when a driver is involved in a crash and there is property damage or personal injury involved, he or she is required to remain at the scene to render aid and provide information to law enforcement or first responders. Any willful violation of this statute is a felony in the third degree which can bring the offender up to five years in Florida state prison. If the injury involves death, the offender can land in jail for 15 to 30 years.

Florida has more pedestrian fatalities than any other state according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). At 2.67 per 100,000 population, there is no other state that reported more pedestrian fatalities in 2008.

The Jacksonville Beach pedestrian accident lawyers at the Farah & Farah law firm are dedicated to getting negligent drivers off the road. We have joined the national group Hit-and-Run Reward, which helps provide opportunities for citizens to report hit-and-run drivers. By calling in an anonymous tip, you could receive a financial reward of $1,000 for a hit-and-run driver if they are convicted for the accident. This program is offered in addition to the Crime Stoppers reward program, so you may be rewarded $2,000. Hit-and-Run Reward’s phone number is 1-800-644-8678. Thank you for doing the right thing.

Sources: http://www.news4jax.com/news/28692605/detail.html, http://www.news4jax.com/news/28659851/detail.html, http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.027.html and http://www.walkinginfo.org/facts/docs/PedTSF_2008.pdf

A 29-year-old man has avoided a hit-and-run trial after turning himself in for the November 28, 2010 hit-and-run death of a Navy pilot in Neptune Beach. The Navy man was riding his bicycle with some friends around 1:50 a.m. at Third Street and East Coast Drive when the perpetrator ran into him with an Isuzu Rodeo and left the scene of the fatal motorcycle crash. The driver was arrested about a week later and charged with leaving the scene involving death. He will be sentenced September 9 and could face up to 15 years in state prison after a plea bargain. He could face an additional 15 years probation because his action resulted in a death.

The driver had claimed to a neighbor that he blew the engine and to his employer, that he hit a deer. Often drivers leave the scene of a hit-and-run in a panic because they may be under the influence of alcohol or driving without a license. There may be a warrant out for their arrest for another crime.

The Navy pilot had been deployed to the Persian Gulf and had been back to the states for just three months when the collision occurred.

In pleading his case, the driver avoids the trial for that death that was scheduled for next week.

Fortunately, this man turned himself in so the case is solved but hundreds of hit-and-run incidents go unsolved in Florida because no one speaks up. Since Florida has such a pervasive problem with hit-and-run accidents, the Florida car accident attorneys at Farah & Farah are members of Hit-and-Run Reward, which is a national program that is paid for by personal injury lawyers in the U.S. with the goal of getting hit-and-run offenders off the streets. If you provide an anonymous tip, not only will you rewarded by helping keep a negligent motorist off the road, but you may also receive a $1,000 reward if that person is convicted of the crime. Along with the Hit-and-Run program, Crime Stoppers also offers a reward, so you may be rewarded a total of $2,000. We believe that offenders will be less likely to leave the scene of an accident if they think someone may report them, so help us keep our streets safe by reporting any hit-and-run offenders to Hit-and-Run Reward at 1-800-6-Hit-N-Run (1-800-644-8678).

Source: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-07-26/story/neptune-beach-man-pleads-no-contest-navy-pilots-hit-and-run-death#ixzz1TQaEXTl3