Car Accidents

May 2, 2017

Former Police Officer Charged with DUI after Hitting 5 Middle School Kids

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Five students were hit by a 48-year-old former law enforcement officer Thursday afternoon. Officials believe the man was drunk at the time of the accident.

A 13-year-old boy died from his injuries received in the crash Friday morning.

The students were hit by the man after they had gotten off the bus, officials said.

The crash occurred around 5 p.m. on Allegheny road near Athabasca in Poinciana.

Two of the children suffered serious, life-threatening injuries, including spinal injuries, facial fractures, and head trauma.

Officials said the man fled the scene after hitting the kids and ended up hitting a stopped car on Poinciana Parkway.

The man was charged with two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, two counts leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, two counts leaving the scene of a crash with bodily injury, three counts DUI with injury and property damage and reckless driving.

The man apparently blew a .14 on a breath test, which is over the legal limit, seven hours after the crash.

If someone you love has been injured due to a drunk driving accident, you have rights and can receive compensation. Florida does not take drunk driving lightly and there are significant consequences for anyone who drives under the influence. You may be able to recover compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, property damage and even punitive damages. These damages are meant to punish the driver who chose to get behind the wheel of a car drunk.

It vital that you get legal help to begin investigating your accident as soon as possible. The preservation of certain evidence can be key in making a claim for personal injury or wrongful death.

April 17, 2017

Tampa Man Critically Injured in Motorcycle Crash

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 27-year-old is in critical condition after a motorcycle accident Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Troopers believe that a 49-year-old man was stopped on Riga Boulevard at the intersection of SR 574 when he turned east onto SR 574 and changed lanes into the path of a motorcycle.

The motorcycle, driven by the 27-year-old man collided into the back of the vehicle, causing the bike to overturn.

The man was ejected from the motorcycle. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition.

According to the report, the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet.

The driver of the vehicle did not receive any injuries and charges are pending, according to the report.

Motorcyclists are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to sharing the roads with drivers of larger vehicles. Drivers of all vehicles must pay attention to their surroundings and keep an eye out for motorcycles. Due to the fact that motorcycles are much smaller than passenger vehicles, they are oftentimes overlooked by other drivers. Drivers turning into the paths of motorcycles are a leading cause of accidents and deaths across the United States.

Motorcycles weigh a lot less than cars, trucks, or SUV’s, so when a vehicle and a motorcycle collide, the motorcyclist almost always gets the worst of it.

Turning into the path of a motorcyclist can result in instant death. If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in a motorcycle crash, our Tampa Bay Motorcycle Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton are ready to help you file a claim. While we cannot reverse your injuries or bring a loved one back, a financial settlement from an injury or wrongful death claim can help protect the future of you and/or your family.

April 10, 2017

Man Killed Crossing Road In Clearwater

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 23-year-old man was killed Wednesday morning in a pedestrian-involved crash near Ulmerton Road in Clearwater.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened at 6:45 a.m. near westbound Ulmerton and 34th Street North.

Troopers believe the Alachua man was walking northbound across Ulmerton Road when he stepped into the path of a Honda Element SUV being driven by a 23-year-old man from St. Petersburg.

He was rushed to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg where he later died. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.

The crash is currently being investigated.

When a person dies because of another person’s carelessness, certain family members are entitled to recover compensation by filing of a wrongful death lawsuit. Different from a personal injury claim, a wrongful death suit is filed by a family member of the deceased instead of the victim of the accident. Wrongful death claims can provide financial compensation to surviving family members for emotional and financial injuries suffered whereas personal injury lawsuits provide the victim with monetary compensation based on the injuries suffered as a result of the accident.

If you have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another, our Tampa Bay Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help. We can walk you through what steps need to be taken and make sure you understand what to expect.

April 7, 2017

Man Killed Crossing Road In Clearwater

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 23-year-old man was killed Wednesday morning in a pedestrian-involved crash near Ulmerton Road in Clearwater.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened at 6:45 a.m. near westbound Ulmerton and 34th Street North.

Troopers believe the Alachua man was walking northbound across Ulmerton Road when he stepped into the path of a Honda Element SUV being driven by a 23-year-old man from St. Petersburg.

He was rushed to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg where he later died. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.

The crash is currently being investigated.

When a person dies because of another person’s carelessness, certain family members are entitled to recover compensation by filing of a wrongful death lawsuit. Different from a personal injury claim, a wrongful death suit is filed by a family member of the deceased instead of the victim of the accident. Wrongful death claims can provide financial compensation to surviving family members for emotional and financial injuries suffered whereas personal injury lawsuits provide the victim with monetary compensation based on the injuries suffered as a result of the accident.

If you have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another, our Tampa Bay Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help. We can walk you through what steps need to be taken and make sure you understand what to expect.

April 3, 2017

St. Petersburg Uber Crash Leaves Driver and Passenger with Serious Injuries

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Uber and Lyft have certainly changed how people get around town, that is for sure. However, some things don’t change, and as this case shows, people get injured in car accidents every day in Tampa and St. Petersburg. When people are injured in an Uber or Lyft car, they need to seek legal help from a Tampa Bay Auto Accident Lawyer at Whittel & Melton right away.

Recently, an Uber driver suffered life-threatening injuries and his passenger serious injuries after he drove his car into another driver’s path.

The 38-year-old Uber driver picked up his 30-year-old passenger in a driveway on Fourth Street North around 1:15 a.m. He sat in the rear passenger’s seat.

The driver tried to make a U-turn on Fourth Street in his 2012 Chevrolet Cruze to head north, but he pulled in the path of a Mustang that was already travelling in the median lane. The Mustang hit the driver’s side of the Chevy.

The driver and passenger in the Mustang had minor injuries. The Uber driver and passenger were taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

If you were injured in a car accident or on any form of transportation including Uber, Lyft, taxis, etc. let our Tampa Bay Auto Accident Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton help. We can make sure you understand the legal processes of investigating and presenting your Uber or Lyft accident personal injury claim. We will also work with your doctors so that you can focus on what you need to, which is recovering.

February 15, 2017

Millennial Drivers Riskiest Drivers on Roadways, According To Study

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Millennial drivers are behaving badly on U.S. roads, a trend that could be contributing to a spike in highway deaths, according to a new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

In 2015, U.S. traffic deaths rose 7 percent to 35,092, the largest single-year increase in five decades. They’re expected to rise again in 2016 when that data is finalized.

The study found that more than three-quarters of drivers said it was unacceptable to text or email while driving, but 31 percent had done so in the last month and 8 percent do so often. Ninety-six percent of drivers said drowsy driving is a serious safety threat, but 29 percent had recently driven when they were so tired they had trouble keeping their eyes open.

The study questioned 2,511 licensed drivers aged 16 and over. Here are the findings:

The youngest drivers — those ages 16 to 18 — were less likely to engage in speeding, running red lights or texting while driving than drivers in their 20s through 50s.
Eighty-three percent of drivers — and 86.5 percent of drivers 75 or older — said they were more careful than other drivers on the road.
Just over half of drivers feel seriously threatened by drivers talking on cell phones, but 68 percent made a call while driving in the last 30 days.
Drivers ages 40-59 were the most likely to use a hands-free phone in the car. Drivers ages 16-18 and 75 or older were the most likely to hold their phones and talk while driving.
Twenty-three percent of drivers — and 36 percent of those ages 19 to 24 — think it’s acceptable to drive 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway. Forty-six percent of drivers say they have driven that fast on a freeway in the last 30 days.
Sixty percent of drivers say people who drive after using illegal drugs are a serious threat, but just 34 percent say the same about people who drive after using prescription drugs.

Distracted driving is dangerous. All of us drivers should remember this every time we get behind the wheel of a car. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, nine people are killed in the United States everyday in accidents connected to distracted driving and an additional 1,153 are injured.

Texting, tweeting, eating, drinking, and all other distracted driving behaviors should be avoided while driving. Focusing on the road should be your number one priority. If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident because of a distracted driver, our Tampa Bay Auto Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help you recover financial compensation to help cover the costs associated with the crash.

December 20, 2016

Pedestrian Killed Crossing Street In Lakeland

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A Lakeland man was hit and killed Sunday night while crossing the road.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident on Broadway Avenue in Lakeland around 11:30 p.m.

Deputies believe the 22-year-old was crossing Broadway Avenue when he was hit by a Toyota Highlander. The 28-year-old driver apparently knew she hit something, but did not immediately stop to see what it was or realize that it was a person, and continued to drive to her home a quarter of a mile away.

Once at home, the woman called 9-1-1 and returned to the area of the accident to look for the victim.

The victim was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center where he passed away.

Pedestrian accidents happen more often than we’d like and are definitely traumatic accidents. A pedestrian’s unprotected body cannot withstand the impact of a collision with a two-ton, perhaps even heavier, vehicle.

Victims of pedestrian accidents suffer severe injuries and sometimes death. Some of the most common injuries our Tampa Bay Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton see include:

Broken Bones
Skull Fractures
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Spinal Cord Injuries
Internal Bleeding
Disfigurement
Nerve Damage
Torn Ligaments
Lacerations And Bruising
Wrongful Death

If your loved one has been injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, please let us help you through this difficult time. We know that no amount of money can bring back your loved one, but it can help you make sure your family’s future is secure.

December 8, 2016

FDOT Fixing Deadly Lakeland Road

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Officials are working to make a Lakeland road safer after three people died along the roadway in the past three years, most recently in May of this year.

The details of a Florida Department of Transportation study will be released later and suggest that improvements on Clubhouse Road should be made.

A high school student was struck and killed by a school crossing guard supervisor as he tried to cross the road in the dark in May. The teen was trying to get to his school bus stop.

In August 2014, the body of a woman was found next to Clubhouse Road, the apparent victim of a hit-and-run. In November 2014, a man was hit by a Ford F-250 as he rode a skateboard on Clubhouse Road.

The problems on the roadway, which also has a development entrance, include a lack of sidewalks, crosswalks and lights.

The fatal crashes date back to 2014 with three cases of people being struck by cars as they tried to cross Clubhouse Road. All of the accidents happened in the dark.

In addition to lighting, FDOT will suggest connecting sidewalks that aren’t continuous, adding signs to address speeding and installing left-hand turn lanes at three of the busiest intersections along the roadway that don’t have traffic control signals.

Dangerous road conditions are the cause of many fatal traffic accidents in Florida. Auto accidents involving deadly roadways can occur because of the poor surface condition of a road, improper design, lack of adequate marking or signage, inadequate guardrails, poor traffic control in work zones, and many more as this article highlights.

A driver that has suffered an injury in an auto accident may not even realize that poor road conditions played a part in their collision. Sometimes these accidents require an independent investigation by a skilled lawyer. Our Tampa Bay Auto Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton have experience with complex traffic accidents, which is why we work with traffic accident reconstruction experts to identify the exact cause of auto collisions. We can analyze your accident and determine if dangerous road conditions contributed to the crash.

December 5, 2016

1 Killed In Thonotosassa Motorcycle-SUV Collision

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Hillsborough deputies are currently investigating a fatal crash involving a motorcycle rider colliding with an SUV in Thonotosassa Friday.

Deputies believe the motorcycle and the SUV were both traveling south on Tom Folsom Road Friday around 4:31 p.m. As the SUV slowed to make a left turn onto Reylinda Avenue, the motorcyclist attempted to pass in the northbound lane.

The motorcycle then hit the SUV on the driver’s front side. The 30-year-old driver was ejected from the bike on impact.

The man and the bike slid into the grass off the southeast corner of the intersection. He was transported to Florida Hospital on Fletcher Avenue, where he died from his injuries.

The driver of the SUV, a 38-year-old woman, was not injured.

Alcohol is not thought to be a factor in the crash at this time.

Several car and motorcycle accidents are reported every day on Tampa Bay area roads and highways. Some are the direct result of speeding or disobeying traffic laws, and others are due to careless driving and even drunk driving. It is always important to exercise caution when driving any vehicle, including a motorcycle. You must pay attention any time you are in the driver’s seat to ensure your safety and that of your passengers.

November 10, 2016

New Bike Lanes Coming For Downtown Tampa

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

According to new reports, the Florida Department of Transportation is holding a public workshop to discuss a new bikeway through downtown Tampa.

The proposed bike lanes would be on the north side of Jackson Street, running from Ashley Drive to Nebraska Avenue.

The addition would look a lot like the new lanes already on Cass Street.

These bike lanes are considered a win win for the area due to the tremendous growth the area has seen.

In the early phases, locals will see protected bike lanes on Cass Street, or ‘the green spine,’ complete with bike signals.

While the addition will give cyclists a safe place to ride, cyclists can still face many dangers riding on the new lanes, and some of these risks include:

New drivers unfamiliar with traffic laws
Drivers unfamiliar of the new lanes
Intoxicated and negligent drivers
Need for bicycle maintenance
Failure to wear a helmet
Open door accidents

Bikers should always perform proper maintenance checks before they head out onto the roadways to make sure there brakes are in working order. In addition, they should wear protective gear.

Every cyclist should be aware of his or her surroundings at all times. If a cyclist is involved in an accident, our Tampa Bay Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help. We can identify all negligent parties responsible for the accident.