Lakeland Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

A pedestrian crossing U.S. 92 in Lakeland, FL was struck by a car and killed Thursday night, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, 53 year old Lee Anthony Tighe, was hit shortly after 9 p.m. as he tried to cross U.S. 92 in Lakeland, FL, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Ray Beasock, who was traveling west on U.S. 92 in Lakeland, FL, had just crossed Fairway Avenue in Lakeland, FL when Tighe tried to cross the highway heading south.

Tighe died at the scene. Investigators have been unable to locate any next of kin.

Beasock, however, was not injured.

Deputies closed all lanes of U.S. 92 between Fairway Avenue and East Lake Parker Drive while the accident was being investigated, the Polk County Sheriff's Office stated.

The investigation into the crash is continuing, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

According to Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System, specifically, 4,749 pedestrians were reported to have been killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2003. These deaths accounted for 11 percent of the 42,643 motor vehicle deaths nationwide that year. An estimated 70,000 pedestrians were injured or killed in motor vehicle collisions, which represents 2 percent of the 2.9 million total persons injured in traffic crashes. A drop in pedestrian fatalities in recent years may reflect the fact that people are walking less, according to the U.S. Census and the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS). The need to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries while promoting increased walking continues to be an important goal for the engineering profession.

Pedestrian and/or motor vehicle crashes are the most serious problems that are being faced by the world today and the United States has a particular problem with pedestrian deaths and injuries.

Pursuant to Florida law, wrongful death actions must be brought by a surviving spouse, child, or parent who qualifies as the personal representative of the estate. If there is no next of kin, as defined by the wrongful death statute, there is no cause of action.

Attorney Tania L. Rivas is a personal injury lawyer who practices in Polk County, FL. If your loved one has been killed in an accident, do not delay in consulting with a lawyer. The law limits the time you have to file a claim.

A 56-year-old Lakeland, FL Police Officer died Monday afternoon after a car accident, according to the Florida Highway Patrol report.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, Lakeland, FL veteran police officer Charlie Dallas, was driving a 2008 Ford Explorer, around 4:20 p.m. Monday, when he was involved in a crash as he drove north on U.S. 27 in Lakeland, FL just south of Lake Wales, FL, according to Polk County investigators.

While driving south on U.S. 27, Federico Vasquez, 23, of Sebring, FL swerved left to avoid hitting a 1989 Ford station wagon, driven by 54-year-old Lake Wales, FL resident Sharon Kolbinskie, who was crossing the road at Jackson Street, the FHP reported.

Vasquez, who was driving a 2006 Pontiac G6, crossed the median and traveled into the path of a 2008 Ford Explorer that Dallas was driving.

The left side of Vasquez's car struck the left side of the Explorer, according to the FHP. The Explorer went out of control and rolled over, throwing Dallas out.

Vasquez and his passenger, Katie Boyette, were not injured.

Dallas's Explorer overturned, and he was ejected. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt, according to the FHP. No one else was injured in the crash.

Dallas, a former Lakeland, FL firefighter, had been working an off-duty detail for the Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Lakeland, FL when the crash occurred. Dallas' passenger, 33-year-old Karyn Spencer of Lakeland, FL was taken to Lake Wales Medical Center in Lake Wales, FL with minor injuries, the report said.

"Charlie was one of the bravest and most courageous officers I've worked with," police spokesman Jack Gillen said. "To say the mood in the police department was somber after hearing the news would be an understatement," Gillen said. "It was extremely sad. Charlie was extremely well respected throughout the department."

The crash remains under investigation.

According to a 2002 press release on the 2001 preliminary statistics report presented by the Florida Bureau of Investigation(FBI), 140 of the Nation's law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2001. This number includes the 71 officers killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. By circumstance, ten officers were murdered in 2001 while answering domestic disturbance calls, and ten were killed during traffic pursuits and stops. Eight officers were slain investigating drug-related matters, while another eight officers were killed attempting other arrests or serving arrest warrants. Sadly, Officer Dallas' death appears to be accidental and not in any way connected with a felony.

As a personal injury attorney, located in Winter Haven, FL, I am honored to represent the residents of Polk County, FL. My heart goes out to the family and friends Officer Dallas left behind. This truly is tragic loss.

A Lakeland, FL man trying to help a dog was hit by a bus and killed Friday night, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.

According to the Lakeland Ledger John Christopher Morgan, 22, stopped his car in the turning lane on State Road 60 in Plant City, FL just east of County Line Road in Plant City, FL . The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Jan. 15 when Morgan and his friend and neighbor, Ray Callins, were stopped at a red light on State Road 60, in Plant City, FL. While in the left-turn lane at County Line Road in Plant City, FL they saw a truck hit a black Labrador that had been trying to cross the road.

"It's a tragic accident," Kraus said. "It doesn't look like there's any negligence on the part of the bus driver."

But his friend, an animal lover who had adopted strays, bolted out of the car, leaving Jersey, Morgan's butterscotch-colored dog, in the back seat.

Morgan was walking in the eastbound lanes of SR 60 in Lakeland, FL when an eastbound bus driven by James R. Borgiet of West Palm Beach, FL drove past while transporting middle school students on a field trip when they drove past, Callins stated. The sideview mirror struck Morgan in the head and snapped his neck. He remained standing for a moment before toppling into the grass.

Callins sat in shock. Then he ran out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition and Jersey behind in the backseat., according to the FHP report.

An off-duty paramedic had also seen the accident. As she worked on Morgan, Callins called 911. But neither Morgan nor the black Labrador survived. Callins said Jersey watched from the back seat.

According to a recent article on child safety and school bus safety, every year school buses carry around 24 million students and collectively travel more than 4 billion miles. Considering how many kids the buses carry and the distance they cover, deaths on the road are extremely rare. School buses have a rate of 0.2 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The rate of deaths in automobiles is eight times higher.

Rivas Law Group, LLC is located in Winter Haven, FL. Attorney Tania L. Rivas primarily practices personal injury law. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please contact us for a free consultation. There is no fee or cost unless you win.

One person was killed and five others were critically injured in a two-vehicle crash early Friday at 7:32 at the intersection of Berkley Road and Drexel Boulevard in Auburndale, FL, Auburndale Police Department reported.

According to the News Cheif, About six hours earlier, on New Year's Eve, a 48-year-old man on a bicycle was struck and killed by a car on Berkley Road in Auburndale, FL.

In the two-car crash, one of the vehicles involved had just fled a traffic stop, according to an Auburndale Police Department report.

According to the report, a police officer attempted a traffic stop on a black Acura Integra at 1:26 a.m. on New Year's Day, but instead of stopping, the driver of the Integra fled west at high speed along U.S. 92 in Auburndale, FL. Auburndale, FL police reported that they dropped their pursuit of the car, the driver of the Integra continued to speed down the highway.

According to a witness who spoke to police, the Integra ran two red lights before colliding with a white, four-door Chevrolet that was making a turn north onto Berkley Road from eastbound U.S. 92.

Three out of four people in the Chevy were ejected from the car, police reported, and a passenger in the Integra was ejected when that car overturned and landed in the ditch on the west side of U.S. 92, in front of a Shell gasoline station.

The driver of the Integra was killed instantly and five people were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center in critical condition, police reported.

Polk County, FL Police on Saturday identified the decedent as David Valles of 146 18th St. W. in Wahneta in Auburndale, FL. No other information was available about the injured crash victims.

The investigation for both crashes was turned over to the Polk County, Fl police department's Traffic Homicide Unit. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Cpl. Roger Tribble at 863-965-5555.

According to the 2008 Crash Reports of Motor Vehicle Crashes/Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, bicycles are linked to more childhood injuries than any other consumer product except the automobile. More than 70 percent of children, ages 5 to 14, ride bicycles. This age group rides 50 percent more than the average bicyclist and accounts for approximately 16 percent of all bicycle-related deaths and more than half of all bicycle-related injuries. In 2008, 511 children, ages 14 and younger, were injured or killed on bicycles in Florida

Rivas Law Group, L.L.C. is a personal injury law firm located in Winter Haven, FL. Attorney Tania L. Rivas is dedicated to meeting the legal needs of Polk County, FL and representing injured victims.

The crash at Broadway Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue of Polk County, FL happened around 5 a.m., on January 2, 2010, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office crash reports.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, Cynthia Renfroe, 45, of Stagecoach Road, of Polk City, FL, was traveling north on Commonwealth in Polk County, FL in her 2003 Ford F-150 pickup truck when a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, which was hauling a 36-foot pleasure boat west on Broadway in Polk County, FL, failed to stop at the stop sign.

The Silverado, driven by Clendon Smith, 63, of Cruisers Drive, of Polk City in Polk County, FL, struck the passenger side of the F-150, the Sheriff's Office reported. The Silverado pushed the F-150 into a power pole and the boat and trailer broke free, hitting another power pole.
Both drivers were transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, in Lakeland, FL in stable condition.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office reported that the intersection was closed for the crash investigation and repairs to the utility poles and power lines. Traffic didn't flow freely again at the accident site until about 2 p.m.

Florida ranks near the top of the list of states for intersection crashes and a third of those are caused by running red lights," said Randall Smith, Traffic Safety Administrator for the Florida Department of Transportation. Research indicates that nearly all of us are afraid of being hit by a motorist running a red light and yet half of us admit we've run one ourselves. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in 2005, the last year for which statistics are available, there were 96 fatalities and 6300 injuries in Florida as a result of people running red lights.

Rivas Law Group, L.L.C. is a personal injury law firm located in Winter Haven, FL. Attorney Tania L. Rivas is dedicated to meeting the legal needs of Polk County, FL and representing injured victims.

Debra Bayer, 25, died of her injuries Monday at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, in Lakeland, FL. The driver, Tabaitha Marie Cain, 28, remains in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, Cain was driving a 2005 Hyundai north on Lake Hollingsworth Drive in Lakeland, FL when the car veered and struck a tree.

Bayer wore her seat belt and her airbag deployed, but Cain was not wearing a seat belt and her airbag did not deploy, reports said.

Authorities do not yet know whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, but a police officer noted Cain smelled strongly of alcohol, the report said.

According to DUI.com, the legal threshold for intoxication is typically a blood alcohol content of .08%. Ignition interlock devices are usually calibrated to disable the vehicle if a BAC of .02% is detected. As a result, people who are enjoying moderately consumed alcohol, like at a sporting event or a wedding, will be penalized.

Driving under the influence of alcohol and the chaos it creates on the road, are becoming an accepted fact of life for many Floridians. In fact, Florida is one of the most affluent states in the country, where driving under the influence is notorious, and every step is being taken to take control of this out-of-control, life-threatening situation here in the State of Florida.

According to Florida Statue 316.193, any person who is convicted of driving under the influence receives a fine of not less than $500, but not more than $1,000. It is until the third conviction, and so on, in a five year period, where higher fines are established and up to twelve months of imprisonment.

In some cases, Florida law entitles victims of drunk driving accidents to greater compensation. If you or a loved one is the victim of a drunk driving accident, contact Attorney Rivas immediately at 877-299-5539. Your consultation is free and there are no fees or costs unless you obtain a recovery.