Articles Posted in Car Accidents

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angerWhile everyone should obey traffic laws, the reality is that each year, a number of people in Florida and throughout the United States get into accidents due to road rage. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a crash involving road rage, it is important to speak to a skilled Miami attorney as soon as possible. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we are committed to pursuing the compensation you deserve. We understand that any incident involving road rage can be very stressful and even traumatic, which is why we will handle your case with the utmost compassion.

In Florida, aggressive driving consists of engaging in at least two of the following behaviors:  excessive speeding, changing lanes or passing improperly, tailgating, failing to yield, and failing to obey traffic signs. Road rage differs from aggressive driving in that road rage may escalate into a criminal offense, such as an assault or an incident involving a weapon. While a driver can face both criminal and civil claims, our firm focuses on helping clients recover damages through civil claims.

According to the Trace, a non-profit news organization that covers gun issues, road rage incidents involving firearms have more than doubled from 247 in 2014 to 620 in 2016. The report found that there were 1,319 road rage incidents from January 2014 to December 2016. Nationwide, at least 354 people were injured and 136 people killed in such incidents. Florida contributed the most to this tally with 146 incidents, making it the worst state for road rage involving guns.

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school zoneEach year in Florida and throughout the United States, children are injured in accidents that occur inside school zones. Many of these accidents involve child pedestrians and can cause serious, even fatal injuries to the child. If a negligent driver injured your child in a school zone, we can help. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, our Miami injury attorneys will examine the facts of your case and fight for the compensation your child deserves.

According to a 2015 report by the Federal Highway Administration, nearly 44 children are involved in pedestrian collisions with motor vehicles each day. A significant number of these children were hit while walking to and from school. The National Safety Council notes that most auto-pedestrian accidents involving children take place near schools.

Under Florida law, the speed limit in Florida school zones ranges from 15 to 20 miles per hour in urbanized areas, although the exact limits may vary depending on local regulations. Drivers are not to exceed the speed limit during specified hours when children are most likely to be walking to and from school. In an effort to make school zones more noticeable, any signs that are used must include the hours the reduced speed is in effect or lights that flash during the restricted hours.

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PTSDMotor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the general public. In fact, it is estimated that nine percent of survivors of serious auto accidents develop PTSD symptoms. This is because car wrecks are the most common violent events that most people will ever experience. If you believe that you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD after a car crash, we may be able to help. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, our seasoned Miami car crash lawyers can examine the facts of your case and determine the viability of your claim.

According to the Mayo Clinic, PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event – either going through it or witnessing it. Symptoms generally include nightmares, flashbacks, and severe anxiety, as well as ongoing intrusive and distressing thoughts about the events. Of course, it is normal to experience some degree of distress and difficulty for some time after a traumatic accident. However, if the symptoms get worse instead of better and persist for a prolonged period of time, you might be suffering from PTSD. The disorder can interfere with your personal, social, and professional life.

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seatbeltSeat belts are designed to protect people but sometimes they end up injuring the very people they are meant to protect. When seat belts are faulty, they can end up causing serious and long-term injuries. If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto accident due to a defective seat belt, you may be entitled to compensation for your harm. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, our seasoned Miami personal injury lawyers can protect your rights every step of the way. We are dedicated to being zealous advocates for our clients.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat car occupants by about 45 percent and the risk of moderate to critical injury by about 50 percent. In fact, the NHTSA found that seat belts prevented over 12,800 deaths in the United States in 2014.

While automobile manufacturers recognize that seat belts can save lives, they sometimes do not properly test these seat belts in high-speed situations. This is why, in some cases, seat belts can fail to serve their intended purpose at the time of the accident. Seat belts can malfunction in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

  • Seat belts becoming unlatched during an accident;
  • Seat beats being too loose to prevent drivers or passengers from flying forward.

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American flagThe Fourth of July can be a time of great fun with family and friends. People typically get together to barbecue, spend time with one another, and watch firework displays. The celebrations often require people to drive. Many families go on road trips to meet up with loved ones. Unfortunately, the Fourth of July weekend is statistically one of the deadliest times to get behind the wheel. If you or someone close to you is injured in an accident over the holiday weekend, it is important to speak to a skilled Miami attorney who can assess the merits of your case.

You may be surprised to learn that by some estimates, about 40 percent of all DUI traffic fatalities take place on the Fourth of July weekend. (Drunk driving kills approximately 10,000 people each year overall.)

In a more recent study conducted by Value Penguin that ranked all of the major holidays by their potential for a fatal crash, the Fourth of July weekend ranked in third place. Memorial Day weekend took first place, and Labor Day weekend took second place on the list. The data is based on numbers from between 2011 and 2015. While Memorial Day weekend was the deadliest weekend, the Fourth of July was the single most dangerous day of the year for people to be on the road.

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parkingNot every state requires that a driver be able to parallel park before obtaining his or her license. In fact, Florida does not make new drivers prove they can parallel park, and it does not seem that this will change any time soon. While there may be fewer areas around the state as compared to other population-dense states in which people need to parallel park, the reality is that parallel parking accidents do happen. If you or someone close to you has been injured or sustained property damage as a result of a parallel parking accident, our firm can help.

Parallel parking refers to when a vehicle is parked parallel to the roadside. Parallel parking can be a daunting task even for experienced drivers. Drivers who are attempting to parallel park must take great care in making sure they are paying attention when pulling into the spot.

Typically, a driver will drive slightly past the spot and reverse into it slowly. The driver who is parking should signal and pull into the spot as quickly as possible in order not to hold up traffic behind him or her. This is sometimes tricky because as the car is backing into the empty car spot, traffic may be moving in the lane right beside it, and a car may even be pulling up behind the driver, waiting for the driver to pull into the spot. The motorists following the parking car should slow down and pass only when it is safe to do so.

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Soft tissue injuries can be harder to identify than obvious injuries, such as broken bones, but the consequences can be every bit as serious and sometimes even worse. If you or someone close to you has experienced a soft tissue injury, the seasoned Miami injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can help. For years, we have helped South Florida clients seek the compensation they deserve for their harm, and we can do the same for you.ambulance

A soft tissue injury (STI) refers to damage to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissues throughout the body. These injuries can lead to considerable pain and, in some cases, even a temporary or permanent disability. A very common example of a soft tissue injury is whiplash, a neck injury caused by a rapid back and forth movement of the neck (that often takes place in a car accident). Other examples of soft tissue injuries include sprains, strains, contusions, and tendinitis.

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phoneDistracted driving is a big problem in the United States, and Florida is no exception. If a distracted driver has injured you or someone close to you, you should seek legal advice from a skilled Miami injury attorney immediately. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we can explore the facts of your case and help you understand your rights.

A recent report generated by EverQuote, an online insurance firm, reveals that Florida ranks second-worst in all of the United States, after Louisiana, in the number of admitted distracted drivers. Over 90 percent of all drivers admitted to using a phone while driving.

Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away from the primary task of driving. There are three main types of distractions of which you should be aware:  visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distractions are those that take your eyes off the road. Manual distractions are those that take your hands off the wheel. Cognitive distractions are those that take your mind off driving. Some common examples of distracted driving include texting while driving, eating or drinking, personal grooming, reading a map of a navigation system, watching a video, tending to children in the backseat, and even daydreaming.

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SUVPeople often feel safer in SUVs, since these vehicles are bigger and heavier than an average car. While this means that people in SUVs might feel less of an impact when colliding with smaller vehicles, the reality is that SUVs are more prone to tipping over when you crash. If you have been injured in an SUV rollover accident caused by the negligence of someone else, you may be entitled to compensation. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, our skilled Miami injury attorneys can evaluate the facts of your case and determine the viability of your legal claim. We understand that an SUV rollover accident can change your life in an instant, which is why we can provide compassionate representation at every step of the way.

A sports utility vehicle (SUV) is a vehicle classified as a light truck but operated as a family vehicle. An SUV is classified as rolling over it if tips onto its side or roof at any time during the wreck. The rollover may occur after a frontal or side impact crash or after a collision with a fixed object. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), SUVs are proportionally more likely than cars to be in fatal single-vehicle wrecks, especially rollovers. However, since these vehicles are heavier than the average car, occupant deaths in SUVs are less likely to take place in multiple-vehicle crashes. In 2015, a total of 4,545 SUV occupants were killed in accidents. In that same year, 45 deaths were results of single-vehicle rollover accidents.

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sleep

When teenagers learn how to drive, they are taught certain safe driving practices, such as not to get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, teenagers often underestimate the dangers associated with drowsy driving. If a drowsy teenage driver injured you or someone close to you, you should reach out to a skilled Miami accident attorney who can help. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we can evaluate the facts of your case, advise you of your rights, and help you figure out your options for recovery.

Drowsy driving is a deadly problem in Florida and throughout the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 846 fatalities that were recorded in 2014 were drowsy driving-related. Furthermore, NHTSA data reveals that drowsy driving causes 56,000 automobile crashes each year. According to the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, teenagers and young adults aged 16-24 have been found to be the most at-risk age group to be involved in a drowsy driving accident. Lack of sleep can negatively affect how a teenager functions. In fact, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia reports that a teen driver who has less than eight hours of sleep is 30 percent more likely to crash than a teen who has had more than eight hours of sleep.

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