Pensacola Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

In our previous post, we began speaking about boating accidents in Florida, and the way in which the boating industry puts up resistance to suggestions for increased regulation of boaters. One such suggestion is to require boaters to wear life jackets. At present, no state requires all boaters to wear life jackets all the time. Increased boater education is another suggestion.

The Boating industry claims that such requirements would prevent people from getting on the water, but that contention is contradicted by a three-year study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at four lakes in Mississippi. In that study, requiring all boaters to wear life jackets did not result in decreased use of the lake or affect local commerce. And the number of yearly boating deaths decreased at those lakes after the requirement was implemented. 

Over the weekend, a Milton woman was charged with DUI manslaughter following a fatal hit-and-run accident on Interstate 10. The accident occurred on Sunday morning when the 25-year-old was travelling east in her Honda Odyssey when she rear-ended a Dodge Charger, causing that vehicle to veer into the grass median, where it rolled several times before coming to rest.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 33-year-old driver of the Charger was thrown from the vehicle as it rolled, and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The Milton woman also ran onto the median as a result of the collision, but only stopped briefly before continuing east on I-10. She was later arrested by Santo Rosa County sheriff’s deputies and charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI serious injury and leaving the scene of a crash with death.

With summer almost here, more and more people in Pensacola will be spending their evenings enjoying a drink on a patio or having a few beers with friends at a backyard barbeque. Partaking in these activities is a normal part of life in Florida. However, if you are going to be driving yourself home afterwards, it is important to keep the drinking in moderation.

A recent fatal car accident in Santa Rosa County shows just how devastating the consequences of drunk driving can be.

Texting while driving is one of the fastest growing forms of distracted driving. According to Florida state records, 2,218 vehicle accidents were the result of electronic distractions, and 145 were specifically linked to texting and driving. Most states have passed laws addressing the problem. Currently, there are only six states that have not done so, and Florida is one of them.

Florida lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would impose penalties on drivers who choose to text. The bill would impose a $30 fine for texting while driving, and a second offense would carry a $60 fine with the possibility of adding points to the driver's license. It would still permit texting at red lights. Police officers would only be able to cite drivers for the offense if they are stopped for another offense.