According to The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Ernest Howell, who took the precaution of wearing a traffic vest, was struck while working in a marked construction zone, when a driver disregarded traffic cones. Mr. Howell was working on a crew which was resurfacing the roadway. Mr. Howell's injuries required him to be transported by helicopter to a Delray Beach hospital.

In the spirit of the "move over" law which was enacted to protect emergency workers from injuries along the side of roadways, we encourage all drivers to pay particular attention to, roadside construction workers. For further information, please follow link to www.FloridaCarAccidentHelp.com.

Previously, police officers were only allowed to ticket a driver for not wearing a seat-belt, if they stopped that driver for another violation. The law, which Governor Crist signed, is named after Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti, both of whom lost their lives in car accidents while not wearing seat belts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the new bill will save 124 lives and prevent over 1,700 serious injuries every year in Florida. That statistic speaks for itself.

This evening, a multi-agency task force of police officers from throughout Broward County, will be traveling along I-95, in an effort to stop those motorcyclists who endanger themselves and others. The officers will be using unmarked, not typical, cars and air patrols to identify and stop aggressive motorcyclists and other drivers.

We can only hope that this step-up in enforcement will help keep everyone, including those motorcyclists who ride responsibly, safe.

The car accident occurred in Miami in the vicinity of N.W. 103rd Street close to I-95, while police were "following" a vehicle earlier seen driving at close to 100 miles per hour. The police cruiser, which was driving without any overhead lights or sirens engaged, went through an intersection slamming into the seat-belted victim. Police claim, that despite following the speeding vehicle for more than 11 blocks, they were not in pursuit, so that, as they claim, the did not have to have their lights and sirens on.

Considering the protection afforded police departments in Florida, we are disappointed that this family will be limited to the minimal recovery provided under Florida's sovereign immunity, that is, unless the Florida Legislature enacts a claims bill.

The tour bus driver, working for a Celebrity Cruise Line vendor, claimed the brakes on his vehicle failed, causing the wreck. The injured passengers were flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami on two air ambulances.

Incredibly, these types of serious accidents are easily preventable. However, cruise lines are too interested in the profits they make from such excursions, rather than insuring that the companies they do business with are operated properly. Considering most cruise ships are registered under foreign flags, such accidents will continue to happen, until the United States Congress passes laws requiring cruise lines operating from American ports of call to take the necessary safety precautions to protect their paying passengers.

According to a recent investigation, since 2004, more than twenty thousand drivers in Palm Beach County received a second or third ticket for driving with a suspended or revoked license. And, incredibly, a recently enacted law reduced penalties for repeat suspended license offenders. Amazingly, when many of these scofflaws finally go to court to deal with their suspensions, they actually drive there.

The law passed last year, reduced jail time for drivers whose licenses are suspended or revoked because they failed to pay tickets. We can only hope that the Florida Legislature reverses the current law, and provides greater penalties, which can only serve to protect everyone traveling on Florida's roads.

A white Porsche, which witnesses say was speeding, and which police suspect was racing another car, struck the victims as they were walking along State Road A1A near the beach, on Seabreeze Blvd. Shortly after the collision, police found the Porsche deserted along I-95 in Ft. Lauderdale.

Considering the area in which this collision occurred, is one that is heavily traveled by pedestrians, we can only hope that local law enforcement will take a more proactive response to hopefully prevent such needless tragedies from occurring.

According to the Insurance Research Council, there is a correlation between the percentage of drivers who choose to forgo car insurance and each state's unemployment rate. The report indicates, based upon unemployment rate estimates, that the percentage of uninsured motorist will increase by 15% over the next year. This is not good news for Floridians, as we already have the distinction of being one of the top five states with uninsured motorists, at an estimated 23%.

Having witnessed too often, the pain an injured victim endures when they learn the person who caused their damages had no insurance, we cannot stress strongly enough that everyone should make sure they have uninsured motorist coverage. While most insurance agents will tell their insureds that this coverage is not needed, particularly if you already have health insurance and/or disability insurance, it is truly the most valuable coverage you can buy, because it protects you and your family.

Too often, due to too many unlicensed drivers, particularly in South Florida, families must endure these types of tragedies. We only hope the increased traffic fines being imposed by the legislature will cause the police to take greater vigilance in helping get these individuals off our roads.

The cases were dismissed because of a recent decision by United States Supreme Court which proclaimed that federal law pre-empts state based product-liability lawsuits, essentially preventing such cases. Therefore, in the absence of some new law passed by Congress, victims injured due to faulty medical products will be unable to file a lawsuit unless they can prove the medical company violated FDA regulations. This will certainly be a difficult, if not impossible, hurdle for injured patients to meet.

Unfortunately, given the efforts of medical manufacturers and drug makers, who have convinced lawmakers that federal regulations take precedent over state laws, the Supreme Court will probably soon also apply this pre-emption to drugmakers.

The Florida Supreme Court said there is injustice when a parent agrees to waive the personal injury claims of a minor child, depriving the child of the right to damages when they are injured as a result of another party’s negligence. The Court reasoned that when a parent executes such a release and a child is injured, the operator of the activity escapes liability while the parent, and on many occasions, the State, is left to deal with the financial burden of an injured child. Therefore, when a parent signs a pre-personal injury or accident release on behalf of their minor child, the parent is not protecting the welfare of the child, but is instead protecting the interests of the activity provider.

We can only hope that this ruling will finally force operators of businesses which cater to minors to take the necessary precautions to protect their young patrons.

The most tragic collision occurred overnight on the Sawgrass Expressway, west of Ft. Lauderdale, when, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, a car driving the wrong way, collied with a pickup truck, killing both drivers. Workers closed the highway for four hours after the accident.

The highway patrol also responded to a deadly motorcycle accident on I-95 in Fort Lauderdale, in which the driver allegedly lost control and struck the rear of a truck, and was ejected onto the highway.

Finally, the Town of Davie Police Department handled another late night single car accident on Flamingo Road in which the driver died.

We urge all drivers, particularly those driving in the late evening, to be extra vigilant. Having represented too many families who lost loved ones in similar accidents, we express our thoughts and condolences to the families involved in these losses.

The prior law resulted in injured claimants having great difficulty pursuing claims to pursue desperately needed Workers’ Compensation benefits, when they were wrongfully delayed or denied. Those difficulties allowed many insurance companies to improperly treat the injured workers without fear of being sued. Now, carriers will have to think twice before denying or delaying an injured worker's rightful benefits.

We commend the Florida Supreme Court in stepping up to protect our injured workers. Considering the limitations of worker's compensation law, workers should not be barred from seeking assistance when their limited rights are denied.

What makes this policy unique is that any police officer, even one outside of his jurisdiction, may issue such a citation. The focus of this enforcement are drivers who tailgate, put on their high beams, and speed to pass other motorist who are obeying the law.

As Florida Lawyers practicing personal injury law, we congratulate the Sheriff for his efforts and warn Florida motorists that, as stated by the Sheriff, "you are twice as likely to be killed in a traffic accident in South Florida as you are in a homicide."

The early morning car accident which occurred at the intersection of U.S. 1 and 4th St. in Ft. Lauderdale, was apparently caused when the driver of one of the cars, ran a red light. The force of the impact unfortunately caused another vehicle to strike a bus bench, where a man was seated.

As Florida Accident Lawyers, we remind the public that even momentary lapses in judgment or attention behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, can put a series of events in motion, which can injure many harmless victims.